First Baptist Church of Cary - photo by Rusty Long

… and just as seldom. ~Ayn Rand

I read this piece by Roger Ebert, tearing apart modernism. Was drawn to it, courtesy of this Architizer article.

Ebert says what so many Americans feel when they see modernism. Is this because of the idea of modernism itself, or poor followthrough on the part of mediocre architects?

Proximity Hotel in Greensboro - Photo by Rusty Long

Holy Trinity Church Greensboro - Photo by Rusty Long

I’ve become fond of the phrase “Mediocre Modernism” as of late… You know these buildings when you see them, a poorly proportioned facade with lots of glass that constantly has the shades drawn because all that light doesn’t work for the function inside. The low slung office building that’s chopped up into a grid of beehive offices or cubicles, that instantly reminds one of some medieval dungeon. These are no spaces fit to work or live in, but even moreso, they don’t speak to their region and neighborhood.

This line,

It seems drawn from mathematical axioms rather than those learned for centuries from the earth, the organic origins of building materials, the reach of hands and arms, and that which is pleasing to the eye.

Cuts to the heart of Ebert’s argument.

Which, interestingly enough, bears a striking similarity to the heart of modernism. New technologies and building materials allowed for, and (it was argued) required new building forms. Thrilled by their new material capabilities, architects sought out new building forms and systems of proportion. Instead of ignoring technological advancements, they made attempts at expressing those advancements in a meaningful way.

Chicken Coop at the Lanou Farm in Creedmoor - Photo by Rusty Long

Thompson Residence by David Davenport - Photo by Rusty Long

So what makes a good building? Modern, or otherwise? Vitruvius’s three conditions come to mind:

Firmness, Commodity, and Delight

Firmness? Most any building (built to code anyway) should meet the first of the three.

Commodity? Well this is where ‘form follows function’ comes into play. A good building ought to function well for its inhabitants.

Delight, however, seems to be where things get sticky. Because so much of a human being’s reaction to their built environment isn’t a result of an easily quantifiable equation, but instead is built out of a lifetime’s worth of experiences. Modernists, and others going all the way back to the Renaissance have tried to find proportions that universally appeal to the human being.

Tall & Narrow House by Buildsense Inc. - Photo by Rusty Long

I’ve gone all over the place in this post, but Mr. Ebert has some pretty strong words for modernism here. It seems to be rooted in a mid-century and earlier understanding of where Architecture was, and not so much a recognition of all the things that have come after. (Gehry comes to mind.)

Mr. Ebert and I will have to agree to disagree on this one. Not all modernism is bad, there are some very great places worth caring about in both the past and present of the modern movement. Likewise, there are some really great places that are vernacular in nature, or dare-I-say, revivalist… but the bottom line, in my mind, is that a well designed building, needs little justification.

Traffic was stopped on I-95 South.

Unfortunately, this is how most of our ride looked. From the split onto 40, through Benson, all the way to Fayetteville, and then past Fayetteville, lots of bumper to bumper, with no apparent cause. It was a relatively quiet ride, though Julie had to hop from the front to the back more than a couple times to entertain our little monkey.

Traffic was finally clear on I-74 however...

After splitting off 95, the ride on 74 was clear and scenic. There’s a part of me that never tires of driving down country roads. The old farm houses have an egalitarian quality that is difficult to to quantify… there is a feeling of quiet pride, and silent humility. These structures, much like the people who inhabit them, know just where they belong, and they’re comfortable with that.

This was the fantastic view from the Ocean Creek condo (10th floor)

After four and a half hours on the road, this was the view that greeted us from the balcony. A moments walk to the Atlantic, which I have every intention of thoroughly abusing, and more than likely, getting burnt beyond recognition.

The 'Little Italy' was delicious.

Across the street from our place we grabbed a quick, late bite for dinner… Yuengling on tap never disappoints.

The wifi signal was strong on the porch...

Finally, here I am. Sitting on the balcony, listening to the quiet roar of the ocean, with Erynn sleeping in our room and the rest of the family inside. I’d say it was a pretty good day, and with any luck, I’ll have a ton of pictures tomorrow.

Cheers everybody, and if I don’t get another moment tomorrow, Happy Independence Day.

All Quiet on the Western Front.

Things are progressing on the homefront, as we get used to the new routine, Julie gets used to less sleep, and I get used to a return to the work-world. Going from having nothing even close to a “routine” to keeping regular grown-up hours again has been a struggle, but Erynn’s been extremely cooperative in that respect.

Erynn gets a bath.

Then there are the more mundane aspects of bringing her home… lots of diapers, baths, and pacing (in fairness, I don’t really do the pacing part, not because I don’t want to, but there seems to be an issue with my technique.) The nerd in me wants to quantify these things…

I’m debating doing something more involved in charting her progress than just a note on paper about feedings and diaper changings… Something like this, but I’m afraid it’s probably too involved and wouldn’t really tell us anything that we don’t already know.

• Erynn likes to eat about every four hours at night.
• She likes to eat slightly more often during the day.
• She seems to time feedings and diaper changings at about the same time.

And really, so long as she’s eating well (No problem there whatsoever), sleeping well, and gaining weight properly… What else matters?

Loving the Jelly Bean sling and mom, while hanging out at Grandpa & Nana's place.

Some of the most exciting things since coming home have been the simplest. A trip out to eat with the baby, getting in the car to visit family, sitting on the couch in the evening, and having a handful of visitors stop by for a visit.

Daddy-Daughter time.

I can’t say how many times we both heard “Better get the sleep while you can!” But, it would appear that Erynn takes after her mother in the sleep department. (In a nutshell, the more sleep, the better.)

Mom and Erynn doing the mid-morning nap.

In fairness, I’ve got it easier than Julie does, but even on a bad night, she gets about six or seven hours sleep (even if it’s not all in a row.)

Other amusing things to note:

Itchy feels the need to guard Erynn everywhere she goes, and is on high alert at the slightest squeak.

Just trying to save lives ma'am.

Erynn has her dad’s toes, with the exception of the second one from the outside on each foot. Apparently, this is the Castelli-family crooked toe.

Ten, you can count them yourself.

We did have some good times with friends and family in the last couple weeks, and tons of people have brought us meals. If anybody wants to get on the Feed-the-Longs bandwagon, feel free to email me, or leave a comment here.  Until the next post, God Bless everybody, and we’ll see you on the road!

Erynn's second favorite place in the whole world. (#1 being Mom & Dad's bed)

Erynn looking about ready to leave the hospital.

The next three days after delivery were long. Adjusting to feeding schedules, the seeming never-ending tests on mom and baby, and most of all post-surgery movement. I was nominated by Julie as an honorary nurse for my role as her caretaker while she was stuck in the not-so-comfy hospital bed.

Mom comforting little Erynn.

Even though being stuck in her bed was very frustrating for Julie, it afforded her many excellent opportunities for bonding and cuddling with our new little Marshmallow 1. Probably the most exciting part about Sunday for Julie, was being disconnected from her IV, and losing the circulation improving leg wraps.

Aunt Carla & Aunt Sarah were among our first visitors, eager to meet the new addition.

Uncle Scott got in on the baby holding action.

Then came the visitors! If there is any one thing, beyond the miracle of the child herself, that was absolutely overwhelming to me this weekend, it was the outpouring of love and affection from friends and family.

Our immediate family, and church family were faithfully praying for a healthy delivery and speedy recovery, and nobody could resist an opportunity to love the new little one.

Nana loving on Erynn. She's almost as excited as we are!

Erynn resting safely in grandpa's arms. I have the sneaking suspicion that he will be my spoiling competition.

Uncle Kris was about as awestruck as I was...

My family has been especially helpful, taking care of the dogs & house while we were gone for four days.

As you can see, the grandparents are already in love with the new little one.

Uncle Kris seems thoroughly enamored as well, I think we’re all looking forward to Erynn and her cousin Mason meeting very soon.

sleep.

My lovely niece Alyssa, who is so, so, SO excited to meet her new cousin.

Uncle David loving on Erynn. (Yes, he was "forced" to hold her... Yes, he did smile the WHOLE time.)

It was nice to have everybody come visit us, but it sure was exhausting. We had back-to-back visitors for something like four hours!

Some moments were more peaceful than others.

Our friend Angel couldn't wait to hold "her baby girl." Another candidate for head-spoiler.

Chrissy & Andy from our church family came by for well wishes and a quick baby visit.

Our church family came to visit as well. Everyone had kind words, and it was great to have time to hang out with people that we usually see only briefly on Sunday and Wednesday.

Hanging out with the Sawyers.

My good friend Roger from church, happy to meet and greet the little one.

Then, the man himself came. Roger and his wife Wendy came by a little after the last feeding, and the last of our visitors. Possibly the shortest of our visits, but Roger gets major bonus points for bringing…

COFFEE.

Now, it’s also pretty well known, at least amongst my small group of friends, that I am a coffee fanatic. You name it, I drink it. I know some folks who get grief for being “coffee snobs”, but I think that’s rarely the case. Sure some people are really hard to please, but what’s so wrong with enjoying a good thing made well?

Anyway, that’s beside the purpose of this post… I will add, that in addition to my venti Pike Place with cream, the Mays also brought some excellent snacks over for us. (It’s hard to beat a good muffin or pastry for the midnight post-feeding snack!)

The oh-so-important label on the hospital crib.

So, all in all our stay at the hospital wasn’t so bad. That first evening, and up until Erynn’s delivery itself was really rough. Though many visitors, a great day largely to ourselves on Monday, and some of the best hospital food on the planet, made the trip as a whole quite tolerable.

Beautiful baby girl resting on daddy before leaving for home.

Then there’s this wonderful little thing. I can’t write enough about how cool she is, and based on today’s Day 5 Doctor’s appointment, she’s healthy as can be, and already gained back to her birth weight!

Mom and Erynn happily sitting at home in the nursery.

Stay tuned for more babyBlog in the very near future. I’ve got so many more photos to share, and really would like to take the time to sift through them, and tell the story that goes along.

1. Why “Marshmallow?” Because she’s squishy and sweet just like one of Julie’s favorite treats.

2. Castelli Hair: It’s a relatively well known fact, all the Castelli girls have super-thick hair. Just how recessive or dominant a trait this is has not been scientifically proven, but at this point, the working assumption is “extremely dominant.”

A pregnant belly at t-16 hours.

So, it was no secret to anyone that we have been pregnant with our first child, and the due date right around the corner. What was a secret, however, was that all day Friday Julie was in labor. This didn’t stop her from enjoying the Vacation Bible School finale, and picnic.

Julie, off in her own thoughts, while watching the kids run around at the VBS picnic.

Deep thought about the night ahead, while helping Julie count contractions.

After some hot dogs, and hanging out with good friends, we made our way back by the house (to set things in order before heading out Rex.)

The usual tests & checks put us in labor, looking well on our way to having a baby before we knew it.

We walked the halls to speed things along, and came back to good news, everything as right on track and we were headed towards a regular delivery sometime Saturday morning.

Sitting in triage, we watched monitors and waited.

My nametag prior to our official admission.

Starting at midnight, we walked the halls for an hour. Attempting to keep the process going.

The IV is started.

The handiwork of Mary, our first nurse. Who made the first eight ours of our stay, quite hospitable.

Unfortunately this is approximately where the calm portion of our evening ended, and twelve long hours of heavy labor began. I don’t have any cool photos to share from the vast majority of our evening, but one epidural (which ran out), two additional painkiller failures, half numb legs, one backwards baby, and many many hours later… The order was give, and off to the O.R. we went.

This whole evening was one of the longest I can recall, even longer than my own hospital visit, a couple years ago. But the twenty minutes of sitting in the Husband’s suit-up room, were the longest moments of my life. There were several scares prior to this moment in the evening, but the idea of my wife on the operating table, was without a doubt, the scariest thing I’ve faced in my life.

The first photo of our beautiful baby girl.

But then, in what was only a matter of minutes, the doctors showed me this amazing little creature.  I can’t really put into words how cool she is, or how dumbfounded and in love we both are… but I have a handful of snapshots here that say more than I could with all the words in my vocabulary.

Her mom says she has my feet.

8 lbs 3 oz, 22 inches long.

First look at the world around her.

Finally here. Happy, but not nearly as happy as we are.

I hope everyone who reads this enjoys seeing these photos as much as I’ve enjoyed sharing them. We’ve taken many, many more, and hopefully, after heading back home sometime tomorrow, I’ll have the opportunity to share more thoughts, and moments from our new family. God Bless you all, your prayers were much appreciated, and we look forward to introducing you to our daughter whenever we next meet.