This morning I was thinking about part 2 of the DIY bench. My mind loves to wander. Then I started thinking about sequels. Which lead to cliffhangers. The first one that left a buzz in my circles was Star Trek: The next Generation. The episode where Captain Picard has been transformed into a Borg. If you don’t watch Star Trek, simply put, the Borg are cybernetic people that have one simple program. They want to convert all people into Borg. But humans are the first to resist… well, that is about as far as I want to go without doing any spoilers.

The latest upgrade to our backend software for CSINext broke the site in combination with the latest Windows 10 upgrade. I spent the past 3 days digging through the code and settings trying to resolve it. Hopefully no one noticed. The good news is I found the problem and during that time, I fixed some other web interface short comings.

A couple of weeks ago I talked about the personal time spent over the year. I also noted last week that I was going to write about Elves vs Snowmen. It has been over 5 years since I left MPI Architects in Dallas. While I was there the office had a tradition of sending out a New Year’s card in lieu of a Christmas card. There was some sound logic for this, but out of respect to my former employer, I will keep it to myself. Now let’s jump into some fun.

CSINext continues to grow! We use to post these about every 90 days. But just in the last month, we've added another 3 new members. CSINext is please to welcome the following CSI members on CSINext.

• Christopher Bennett, CSI, CDT, AIA - December 2018
• Richard de Campo, PE, CSI, CCS, CDT, AIA - December 2018
• William Desrosiers, CSI, CCPR, CDT - December 2018

Something else that is exciting is the cross section of where our newest CSINext members are from. Portland, Aspen and Andover, once again welcome to CSINext. We are going to have to create one of those travel maps to see if we can cover all 50 states and beyond.

Greetings! We will be conducting our March Chapter Meeting and the presentation will be "Healing the Healthcare Environments" Presented by Casey Johnson of Forbo Flooring. Mark your calendars for March 13th at 12:00pm EDT. We look forward to having you attend this free webinar, register today as space is limited! 

Each of the following members joined CSI in January. CSINext is please to congratulate the following CSI members on their continued membership.

• 1 Year - Philip Babinec, RA, CSI, CCS, CCCA, CDT, LEED AP
• 5 Years - Lenora Hamilton, CSI, CDT, AIA, LEED AP, NCARB, RCI
• 14 Years - Keith Robinson, FCSI, CSC, FCSC, LEED AP, RSW
• 28 Years - William Rains Jr., CSI, CDT
• 34 Years - Lee Orosco, FCSI, CCS
• 40 Years - Terrence Lunn, PE, FCSI, CCS

Special recognition for Mr. Terrance Lunn, PE, FCSI, CCS for reaching the 40 year mark with CSI. Congratulations! 

Greetings! We ware excited to present a Bonus Program for January and the presentation will be "Helping the Owner help you" Presented by Mike Young, FCSI, CCCA with City and County of Denver. This program was originally scheduled for December and had to be moved. So please mark your calendars for January 30th at 12:00pm EST. We look forward to having you attend this free webinar, register today as space is limited!

Since we have wrapped up the holiday season and are full swing into the New Year. I started to write a little light-hearted article about Elves vs Snowman. But then I came across an article about the use of color documents. Being an artist at heart, I love the use of color. For my hand drawn images, I use black and white, but on the computer, I love the color pallet. Which a is great Segway back to the color article. 

I’ve come to the conclusion that this may not be a new year but a used one. I poke fun at it, because I know without a doubt that this is a new year and there is a lot of exciting things on the horizon. I will have so much to share as time marches on, but first I want to take a quick peak at the last year. If you have been following my blog, you know I get caught in some pretty rough travel cycles. December was no different, I finally made it home on the 21st.

Each of the following members joined CSI in December. CSINext is please to congratulate the following CSI members on their continued membership.

• 2 Years - Todd Hansen, CSI, CDT
• 10 Years - Ryan Harrington, CSI, CDT
• 14 Years - William Desrosiers, CSI, CCPR, CDT
• 23 Years - Daryl Robinson, RA, FCSI, CCS, CDT, AIA, LEED GA
• 24 Years - Edgardo Cruz, CSI, CDT, M. Arch
• 29 Years - Kent Kile, FCSI, CCPR

Special Shout out to Ryan Harrington, CSI, CDT for 10 years of continuous membership in CSI!

Greetings! We will be conducting our January Chapter Meeting and the presentation will be "Understanding Low-E Coatings" Presented by Tan Diep of Vitro Architectural Glass. Mark your calendars for February 13th at 12:00pm EST. We look forward to having you attend this free webinar, register today as space is limited! 

Greetings! We will be conducting our January Chapter Meeting and the presentation will be "The AWI Woodwork Standards Use and Development" Presented by Margaret Fisher with AWI. Mark your calendars for January 9th at 12:00pm EST. We look forward to having you attend this free webinar, register today as space is limited!

Greetings! We will be conducting our December Chapter Meeting and the presentation will be "Helping the Owner help you" Presented by Mike Young, FCSI, CCCA with City and County of Denver. Mark your calendars for December 19th at 12:00pm EST. We look forward to having you attend this free webinar, register today as space is limited!

When is part 2 of the bench DIY coming? It’s in the back of my mind and just around the corner. However, with most of us taking advantage of the four-day weekend, I wanted to give thanks. Before I jump into what I have to be thankful for. I wanted to share a little Thanksgiving history. If you know anything about me, I really enjoy history. There is so much we can learn from the past and look to the future. 

I know, I owe everyone part 2 of the DIY bench. With the holidays around the corner, I got trapped in doing other stuff. I’m still playing catch up from my 5,000+ journey for work. My dad recently bought himself a small trailer and I’ve been helping him with home repairs. Plus I started my own remodel project in creating a studio on the second floor of the home.

Last August I started another Do It Yourself (DIY) project. But I need to rewind just a little. The current placed we live has a great view in Tucson. My wife and I live in a 2-story home with a balcony and we back up a flood-controlled area. What does that mean? Simply put it is an area that can’t be developed. So, we will always have desert behind our home. 

CSINext continues to grow! We use to post these about every 90 days. But just in the last month, we've added another 4 new members. CSINext is please to welcome the following CSI members on CSINext.

• Ed Hiller, CSI, CDT - September 2018
• Craig Stanton, CSI, CDT - September 2018
• Jack Morgan, RA, FCSI, CCS, CCCA, CDT, AIA, LEED GA, NCARB, SCIP, USGBC - November 2018
• Jori Smith, CSI, CDT, LEED AP - November 2018

Something else that is exciting is the cross section of where our newest CSINext members are from. Dallas, Columbus, Indianapolis and Albuquerque, once again welcome to CSINext! 

Each of the following members joined CSI in November. CSINext is please to congratulate the following CSI members on their continued membership.

• 1 Year - Kevin Tish, CSI, CDT, AHC, EHC
• 12 Years - Jori Smith, CSI, CDT, LEED AP
• 17 Years - Jack Morgan, RA, FCSI, CCS, CCCA, CDT, AIA, LEED GA, NCARB, SCIP, USGBC
• 22 Years - F. Drucilla Brookshire, CSI, CCCA

Greetings! We will be conducting our November Chapter Meeting and the presentation will be "Greening the Specs" Presented by Amy Hockett, AIA, CSI, CDT, Leed Green Associate with National Gypsum. Mark your calendars for November 21st at 12:00pm EST. We look forward to having you attend this free webinar, register today as space is limited!

I originally wrote a 2 part blog on a wood patio bench project. For now, I’m going to set the DIY blog aside and post it next week, instead I’m writing my own “Op Ed”. While I was driving from Tucson to Winslow for work, I was listening to the news. The same thing came up over and over. It is about the shooting in Pittsburgh at the synagogue. If you know anything about me, I’m about building bridges and creating collaboration. I really wanted to take a moment and remember the victims. I don’t personally know any of them, but this story of hate goes against my very nature.