History Is Made

Wednesday night saw many firsts for the JKRP softball team.  We had Dave's first 2011 appearance (he was 3 for 3), we had our first 9-run inning, and, for the first time in history, a pitching change was called for.  Glenn Werner, amassing a pitch count of 57 on his first batter, was pulled in the top of the third inning by interim manager/center fielder Mike Izzo.  The side was quickly retired after the change.  "The first one was right down the middle," said Werner on the bench, "but he didn't swing.  I guess he didn't want them like that."


There aren't many rules in slow-pitch architectural softball, but it felt like we were up against the entire ASL rulebook last night.  Two outs at the plate were nullified by a vocal Ewing Cole bench.  One in a "slide or surrender" situation (in which the runner neither slid nor surrendered), and another because "the foul tip didn't go over the batter's head."  Despite the bad calls, Marissa turned in some All-Star caliber play at the catcher's position.


What the team lacked in Krevolin brothers it more than made up for with grilled meats and cake balls.  Aggressive base running was not slowed by the pounds of hot dogs, cheeseburgers, and cake we ingested.  We were in it until the end, but ultimately walked away with a loss.  Only four more games to go before the 2011 season comes to a close. 

Happy Birthday Dear PauJaSaGreggg!!!!

Tram Fun here:  Last week, the office got together for a little pizza party on the deck to celebrate our June birthdays.  Don’t worry I won’t reveal identities or ages of our two milestone birthdays!  Despite all of this celebrating, our “singing” was just as pitiful as ever.  Everyone quickly came alive again when reaching for a delicious piece of chocolate glazed chocolate pound cake from Cake and the Beanstalk.  yummy!  Happy Birthday Paul, Jason, Sam, and Greg!!!

DISASTER AT JKR PARTNERS

Tim Here: At approximately 11:37 this morning, JKR Partners was crippled by a devastating power outage.  Within minutes, chaos had spread throughout the office.  

David Urffer, Principal at JKR partners, is being lauded as a hero after his daring call to PECO, shortly after which all power was restored.  Thanks to Urffer, no casualties have been reported.

Many suspect that the power outage was the result of unannounced maintenance conducted by PECO. However, PECO could not be reached to either confirm or deny these allegations at the time of writing. 

JKR Job Sign

Glenn F. Here: Glad that our JKR Job Sign can provide a canvas for the Philly Community.

Here we go!

Bob Here: On a cold winter day in December of 2010 the paperwork for a new cinema in the Willamsburg section of Brooklyn NY was filed with the New York Department of Buildings for permits.  Now a short six months later we officially have a permit in hand and are ready to see this vision on paper become a reality.  The seven screen art house is a composition of glass, steel, metal screen and  graffiti covered concrete block.  The Williamsburg Cinema should be a much welcomed addition to the neighborhood.

Philabundance Project on the Boards!

Izzo Here: Philabundance has asked us to come up with some schematic plans for their new space in Chester, PA only a few blocks from the new PPL Park soccer stadium.  Their plan is to put a new Philabundance food center in an existing building which is now attached to a Dollar Store and is very close to an adjacent parking lot in the rear of the building. The idea was to create a pedestrian walkway between the parking lot and the store softening up the approach to the entrance, while providing a functional outdoor plaza for seasonal vendors. Hopefully we can carry out these ideas in the near future!

Bureaucracy Triumphs

Zach checking in with the softball report:  Words cannot describe what nine (9) swinging strikes feel like on a warm summer evening, so I'm not even going to try.  It was a defensive struggle by both teams, but one inning got away from the JKR squad and we scrambled tirelessly in an attempt to make up a hefty deficit.  Two home runs were scored late in the game, but it was too late; the City Planning Commission covered us in red tape.

Lunch on the deck

Izzo Here: Sometimes when the weather is nice, we are lucky enough to be able to enjoy lunch on the deck. I mean the deck could use, well, new everything, but the umbrella is a good addition.  But sometimes I get pretty bored eating on the deck because Greg and Schmitty aren't all that interesting, but it's still better than eating at my desk.  I'm just kidding... They're alright.

!!!

Zach here with the softball report:  A record-setting crew of 17 elevated the JKRP softball team to its best record since 2009.  The team now stands at 2-3 for the year and they couldn't be happier.  Nearly flawless fielding, along with strong hitting and aggressive running, led to the 10-8 victory over the fast-pitching Mutts of Hooper Shiles.  New faces debuted on the field and a blast from the JKR softball past returned to lend a hand as well.  The tides have turned for the JKRP team, and we're hoping that the momentum will carry through the coming weeks.

Roof Plank Is Here!!

Mike S. Here:  Glenn and I were out at our weekly construction meeting over at West Oak Lane Charter School.  The roof plank had finally arrived and was being put in place.  It will add much needed classrooms, computer lab, library and gym to the growing school.

East Market Street takes a step toward glitzy

East Market Street takes a step toward glitzy
Izzo Here: I was curious what other people thought of this story. I personally think it's pretty foolish. How do bright advertisements and digital displays equate to good design and safety, and eventually economic dollars? What happens when 5 years from now this type of digital technology and flat screens are passe? Is the design still good? Will retailers want their ads on the Daktronic board? Do we need to be consumed by television and advertisements at every turn? How is this any different than what The Gallery already has? Do the flat screens over the fireplaces at the new George Washington house add to the experience? The fact that these signs are just larger, newer, and animated doesn't necessarily make them better. I'd also like to see instances in the city where boutique stores thrive on the second or third floors in this city. I could be totally wrong on this. I'd like to see the counterpoint.

Exciting Commute

Izzo Here: After deciding against partaking in happy hour yesterday, my commute home was far more exciting than usual.  While on the train, I noticed some thick black smoke coming from Camden while I was on the Ben Franklin Bridge.  We're riding along when the conductor says, "there's a small fire coming up on your left."  Naturally everyone looks to their left, and wouldn't you know it, BAM! We basically rode right through the fire.  It was huge! Check out the chopper six photos.  Look how close it was. Ridiculous. Apparently it was an abandoned tire distribution center.

[Song Title Featuring "Hot"]

Zach with the Softball update:  The thermometer read 100 degrees as the JKRP softball team took the field last night, but our bats weren't as hot as the air around us.  The trash bag quality of our plastic-dipped jerseys pushed our sweat glands into overdrive, keeping everyone sluggish and saturated.  Improvements were made throughout the game both offensively and defensively with smart hits and aggressive base-running scoring a number of runs.  The snacks committee will reevaluate their approach this week, as peanut butter cookies were not the easiest food to consume in that kind of heat.

New Summer Interns!

Izzo Here: You know that "first day at a new office feeling" when you get that pit in your stomach? It's like that feeling you get on your first day of high school when you start to stress out about who you are going to sit with at lunch.  Am I going to get stuck sitting with the dorks? Am I going to be sitting with the too cool people who will avoid sitting with me tomorrow? Is my desk going to be next to the cool people? Are there even cool people at this place? I hope there are cool people there. Luckily there are lots of cool people at our office that they don't need to worry about that.  We've got not one, but two cool interns joining us this summer and they're already fitting right in. Laura hails from Penn State, Tim from Temple University.  They are pumped to do some architecture!

Friday, I'm (Not) In Love

Zach here with the weekly softball update:  After quickly falling to a 7 point deficit Wednesday night, the JKR Partners softball squad rallied to take a 9-7 lead over Friday and Friends.  We couldn't hold on, however, and the Friends scored three runs in the bottom of the 7th to take the win.  An excessively high number of double plays were made by the JKR infield, and star second baseman Mike Bamonti had what many called The Game of His Career.