Creatures of Habitat

      Yesterday, Sept 19, 2010 was the last day of this project. The team took some last photos, recorded the dimensions of this office, and worked on/in this office for the last time of their life… most likely. Then the majority of the day was deconstruction work. In one afternoon we uninstalled this office that took four days of constructing.

       First we cautiously yet energetically shoveled the sand out, while trying not to puncture any holes through the tarp underneath. Within less than two hours we removed more than two-thirds of the sand into the bags. And may I remind you that there was 6 tons of sand in our office. Then after a half an hour lunch break we resume back to shoveling. By 5 o’clock the shoveling was done, but that doesn’t mean we were done! We immediately stacked the sand bags and Cinder blocks back onto the pallets. We also got some help from Nancy’s friends who removed all the reams of papers, unfolded boxes, and helped clean up. We greatly appreciate their assistance, they definitely cut our work time in half!

       All the materials used in this project were either be returned, sold, donated or taken. The six tons of sand was packed for the lender to contribute it to a baseball diamond. The reams of paper will also be returned. As for the white boxes around the perimeter, there were sold to a gentleman who found our Ad on Craigslist. The equipments were returned to the owners. By the way, Nancy found Rick’s shovel a few days ago. As for the rest of the materials they were taken by the team members or donated. 

      After sweeping and clearing the site, the team was so exhausted that no one had any expressions of excitement or sadness on this last day. Nancy had to return to school the next day. Rick had classes the next morning. Aaron had to start packing and move out of his apartment. At the end we departed with our hearts in good feeling about this project.

Thank you Nancy for the delicious Ben & Jerry ice cream.

Farewell and thank you everyone for supporting this project!

In the name of research, Nancy made a new policy for the office. No one is allowed to sit. As she said, “No butts on the sand”. Throughout the day everyone consistently switch postures while fighting the temptation to sit. Rick attempted to make a standing laptop support with two pieces of wood so that he can stand while he works. This primitive structure lasted until Rick decided to follow Aaron and use boxes. At the end of day, everyone was tired because of not being able to sit, which tested different muscle parts of our legs. However, this is not the most tiring day we predict that tomorrow deconstruction stage will require the most endurance and strength out of all of us.

DAY 8 :

It’s a typical day at the office. Each employee worked on their delegated assignment: Aaron handelling Craigslist Ads and taking pictures of resumes; Rick compiling lists of activities and materials involved in this project; Nancy responding to emails/phone calls and overlooking the office operations. Periodically we also answered questions and talked with people passing by. Later on we recorded a tour video of the office for tomorrow’s Artist Talk presentation.

Nancy got Chardonnay grapes from a lady in an exchange of refreshing water from the cooler.

DAY 7 :

Today was a day of the press- journalists, photographers, and reporters were here at the South Hall. The public was able to see how the team functioned in this office/research facility envisioned by Nancy. The activity today was like a typical office operation. Everyone worked on their separate tasks on computers.

Here are some photos of the items in our office and how we work.

DAY 6 :

Today was the first day that the team got to operate typical office work on the site. Here are the reflections from the assistants.

Rick: It was not comfortable at all to be working without the modern structure of an office- chairs and desks. I was separating the receipts for reconciliation while sitting on the sand. Because of the sitting position I was in, I had to frequently adjust and move to stretch my back and legs. This led to a decrease of my work efficiency. Regardless of the uncomfortable position, it was a unique experience that I have been waiting for since the beginning of this project. I got to enjoy working in an “outdoor” environment without the interferences of bugs and pollen. At the moment, I am savoring the fruits of my labor before the deconstruction phase. 

DAY 5 :

Rick’s Mini-Biography:

      I was born and raised in the U.S. I’m a native Californian. Currently, I am not part of any other projects except this (O-M-A-R).

         Employment history:

 -Residential Maintenance for a Realtor Agent: 2006. (Each summer since then I help out at the work site.)

-Shift Leader for Sunnyvale Golfland: 2008

-Tax Preparer Assistant & Receptionist for Xpress Tax Solutions: 2010

 All three of these jobs prepared me for this project. When I was a residential maintenance staff, my employer was a perfectionist. He was very detail oriented and expected his staff to meet his standards or else no pay. The job also conditioned me for labor work. Here for O-M-A-R, labor work is needed especially in the infilling phase. The previous job also prepared me to be strongly aware of the boss’s expectations. In this case I have to pay attention to what Nancy wants in order to help bring her vision into life.

          I started my job at Sunnyvale Golfland as a concession stand attendee, later promoted to shift leader. The one thing that I got out of this job in which prepared me for this project is the social skills among the peers. I learned that sometimes it’s best to relax and be easy going in order to get along.

         My job at Xpress Tax Solutions taught me the most when it comes to working in a mature and professional work environment. I learned how to address and communicate in the appropriate manner with clients and staff members. This is also the place where I started developing the confidence that I have now. I realized that in America people appreciate the power of confidence. I am no longer afraid to approach people, ask questions, or contribute ideas at the appropriate time. With my improved communication skills, I was able to apply a tone of confidence and professionalism in composing my cover letter and resume which got me an interview for this job.

Day 4 :

Rick’s reflection of the day and thoughts: 

Once I arrived to work today, I found out that my shovel was missing. I left it at our work site with my name on it and someone took it.  But aside from this unfortunate event I am very happy that the infilling of the office is completed! There will be no more labor work until the distillation stage. As for the next stage of this project, we are moving on to administrative work. All tasks will be done on computers.

The major activity of the day is getting and distributing the sand. On the previous days, we had to shovel the sand from the pallet. That method took use hours of work. However, today, we had the help of a fork lift to hold the bag of 3,000 pounds of sand  above the office while the sand drains down. The video posted to your right will provide a visual illustration of this awesome event. 

After distributing the this California Gold sand to needed areas, we had to sprinkle it with water before tamping. With limited equipment, the team had to improvise. I was glad that I had an innovative idea to contribute. Our improvised sprinkler is a used water bottle with a cap poked with holes. I never knew that a thing I learned from goofing around in sixth grade could be so useful!

With this construction stage done, I look forward in applying my accumulated accounting skills in the next phase of this project. This makes me appreciate this kind of job a lot more; there is a combination of both labor and administrative work. I don’t have to sit in front of a computer all day. This also makes me wonder what kind of job title should I put in my resume. Does office assistant sound correct? But how about the infilling work with Cinder blocks and the sand, what kind of title describes that kind of work? It’s not really construction or maintenance. I hope I will figure out a suitable title for this job as I progress forward in the project.

Aaron’s reflection of the day: 

I think its amazing and existing that office is completed. The last two day of work have been the most labor intensive today alone we moved one bag of sand, weighing 3,000 pounds.

The highlight of the day would be “DAVE the sand man” saving us with the fork lift by lifting the large bag over the wall of box’s he saved us hour’s of time. I took a small 20 second video for you all to see the work process with the lift . Sorry its sort i had to stop shooting to help dig.