{ Didn't She Get the Memo? }

I guess she just couldn't stay away. A few months ago, I posted about a contest Matel hosted where fans could vote on Barbie's next career, and at the time Computer Engineer won out over Architect... but I guess she wasn't feelin' the whole computer crowd. While normally I find it awesome to have little girls aspire to be / do something other than being a model (or skank) or living off her rich husband, I don't think Barbie made the right career move by pursuing architecture. This is one of the worst times to enter this job market... while things are pointing to an economic upturn, still more of my friends (with architecture degrees) are unemployed than not, and have even gone back to school to avoid this dire time.  Plus what's up with all the color? I don't think Barbie, contrary to what the article says about working with architects, has ever visited a firm. It's pretty rare to find an architect with so much color in her wardrobe... but at least they got the thick rimmed glasses right.  {via}

I always wanted to go there!

seems like the failing economy is hurting everyone (but who didn't know this?) Parie Avenue Bookstore in Chicago will be closing its door at the end of the summer. How sad. There are not many great architectural bookstores, so this is truly a sad day for the architecture community.
Marilyn Hasbrouck, who owns the store along with her husband Wilbert, said that changes in the bookselling market have taken a toll, including competition from online retailers like Amazon and big-box stores like Barnes & Noble. “Amazon has a clout that is just unimaginable. Their discounts are larger than our costs,” she told AN. The recession, however, has had an even more acute impact. “Everyone knows this is a terrible time for architects,” she said. “People have less money to spend.”
-via the architect's newspaper