#cafopen

[ursula-greatwitchofthesea]

Hey guys! I'm so so so sorry for being MIA for so long! I've had a LOT of family stuff going on and I'll get to that later as it'll take a lot of time to word things correctly but I am very sorry and I see that the group has become quite inactive (at least it seems so from checking the CAFRP page) so I'm going to try and be a lot more active to help out anyone who would like to stay and so I can see the updates from the admin of CAFRP. 

[headsheldhigh-touchthesky]

//Anyone want to start a thread? I don't think I've done one on this blog in almost a year...

[miesiit-blog]

Open House Chicago Offers Look Inside Chicago’s Best-Known and Little-Known Spaces During a FREE Two-Day Event

CHICAGO—The largest architectural festival in Chicago is back for its fourth year! Drawing more than 55,000 people, the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s (CAF) Open House Chicago (OHC) event is October 18 and 19, and includes more than 150 of the city’s greatest spaces and places from 18 neighborhoods across the city. This free public event offers participants behind-the-scenes access to many areas that are normally open “by invitation only.” Whether you are an architecture buff, history enthusiast or just looking for a unique weekend festival, OHC is a fun must-see event for every kind of adventurer:  locals and visitors to suburbanites and city dwellers.

Showcasing the diversity of Chicago’s architecture, sites include uncommonly seen and “restricted access” areas of public buildings, factories, historic mansions, private clubs, sacred spaces, schools, professional offices and cultural institutions, among others. Illinois Institute of Technology is a proud participant in this year's event, which will include S. R. Crown Hall, Carr Chapel, and the McCormick Tribune Campus Center.

“CAF inspires people to discover why design matters, and OHC is the perfect example of that. This event gives locals and visitors a reason to explore Chicago’s culturally rich neighborhoods and engages the public in experiencing and learning about the city's built environment,” said Lynn Osmond, CAF president and CEO. “We hear from thousands who participate in this annual event that OHC fosters civic pride in neighborhood landmarks, histories and culture.”

In 2013, the third OHC event attracted more than 55,000 guests from all 50 states and 71 countries around the world. The economic impact of that event weekend was $5.1million.

Modeled after popular programs in New York, London and Tel Aviv, OHC invites visitors to take self-guided visits throughout the following Chicago neighborhoods:

 Ukrainian Village – New for 2014

Bronzeville - New for 2014

Edgewater – New for 2014

Lincoln Square/Ravenswood – New for 2014

Goose Island – New for 2014

Bridgeport/Back of the Yards

Downtown

Garfield Park/North Lawndale

Gold Coast

Hyde Park

Lincoln Park

Near West Side/West Town

Pilsen

Prairie District

Pullman

Rogers Park

South Shore

Uptown

Using a printed event guide or openhousechicago.org, OHC guests can select the sites and neighborhoods they want to explore and create their own self-guided experiences.

For a complete list of participating sites, visit www.openhousechicago.org. Get the latest news and fun facts about OHC too by following Chicago Architecture Foundation on Facebook and Twitter. You can also sign up to receive the OHC newsletter for updates on venues and the latest information on special programming.

Access to OHCsites is free and does not require a reservation, but participants are encouraged to sign up to receive event newsletters and last-minute announcements. Sites will accept visitors on a first-come, first-served basis. In addition to free access, OHC offers activities in various sites all weekend long, including cultural performances, lectures, workshops and more.

Become a CAF member at architecture.org to receive a “CAF Member Priority Access Pass,” which grants you preferred access to OHC sites. Similar to last year’s event, there are a select handful of Members Only Sites. Consider volunteering over the weekend. It’s fun, easy and provides special benefits including priority access to all OHC sites!

OHC is a celebration of Chicago’s neighborhoods and communities. The community partners helping make OHC 2014 happen are: Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council and Public Media Institute, Quad Communities Development Corporation,  Bronzeville Area Residents and Commerce Council, Building Owners and Managers Association, Chicago Loop Alliance, Magnificent Mile Association, 48th Ward Alderman Harry Osterman’s Office, Edgewater Historical Society, Edgewater Chamber of Commerce, Foundation for Homan Square, South East Chicago Commission, Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce, Glessner House Museum, Historic Pullman Foundation, Pullman State Historic Site, Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society, Rogers Park Business Alliance, South Shore Chamber, Inc., Ukrainian Village Neighborhood Association, Uptown United and West Loop Community Organization.

OHC is made possible through the generous support of presenting sponsor Kemper Corporation; sponsors National Endowment for the Arts, ComEd, James S. Kemper Foundation and the Chicago Transit Authority; and media sponsors Chicago Tribune, Chicago Magazine and WBEZ.

 ###

[merida-princess-of-dunbroch]

Open thread

"Faster Angus, can't make it too easy!" Merida's horse followed her command. "Much better, now we have a challenge." Merida aimed her bow and arrow at one of many targets she had set up around the forest, and released. "Bullseye!" The arrow had hit the centre of the target. Merida aimed for the next target, and then the next, hitting the middle each time. "And mum thinks a princess shouldn't have weapons!" After a while the duo came to a river. "Let's stop here, I think we both need a drink." Merida hopped of Angus and walked towards the river. Angus was hesitant. "Come on Angus, aren't you thirsty?" Angus remained still. "Alright have it your way then." Merida reached the river and began to drink. The water was cool and refreshing. "Well that's better, let's continue on Angus." As Merida made her way back to her horse, she heard a rustling in some nearby bushes. They were not alone.

[ursula-greatwitchofthesea]

OOC: IMPORTANT UPDATE!

Okay I know you guys are pretty used to me being MIA but I'm going to be a little inactive/not myself for the next couple of weeks.

This is because last night me and my Mum's boyfriend had a disagreement and he wants me to move out so I'm going back to my Dad's. But it's been four years since I lived with him so it's going to take a while to get used to my Mum not being there and no dog and yeah I'm just gonna need a little patience as my replies may not be the best standard. 

But I will try to be as active as I can because I think I could really use that escape to be honest so if any of you guys want to chat/thread just drop me an ask and I will see what we can arrange! 

Thank you so much guys for being so patient with me and yeah I hope to be back for good real soon! <3

[shrunkbyan-amateur-blog]

Open Rp 2

The city was full of people even though it was pretty late at night. Zak was taking a night walk with his headphones on like he always did. All the different sounds of the city were like a lullaby for him and he found them rather relaxing to come back to after a day at work. He loved the city so much, he didn't know if he'd ever be able to live outside of it.

[shrunkbyan-amateur-blog]

Firewood // Zak and Crysta

It was the middle of winter and Zak was taking a break from city life to relax in a log cabin covered in snow. Ok, so that wasn't exactly what was happening. After he was evicted from his appartment for not being able to pay the rent, he remembered this old log cabin near the woods his mom used to own before she passed. So, he was wearing as many layers of clothing as he could and he sat close to the fireplace, which he was very thankful to have. He had an almost never ending supply of firewood from all the trees he'd cut down at work, and he tried to relax through the bitter cold that was nipping at him.

[shrunkbyan-amateur-blog]

Working // Open Rp

Zak had better things to do than work. In fact, in his mind, everything was a better thing to do than work. He hated his job, but he needed the money. He’d been going a lot slower than he was supposed to but he didn’t care as long as he had his tunes. It was a simple tape recorder and head phones that were pretty out dated but he didn’t have the money to replace them and they had never malfunctioned before. Bugs were pretty common around the forest, and Zak hated bugs. Sometimes when they bothered him he tried to squirt them with his red spray paint can. It was actually kind of fun, but not as fun as the party he wanted to go to. Too bad he was stuck at work for another few hours, unless someone came to relieve him early. It didn’t happen too often, but he always expected it would. When someone finally did approach behind him, he was ready to go. Without facing them, he said. “You’re taking over my shift, right?”