A few weeks ago I spoke to a volunteer at the naval park about the Aud.  I told him of my adventures, and spoke of the poor conditions I saw inside.  We got into a nice long discussion about how the Aud could not of logically been used for anything other then what it was purpose built for.  And while it was a great building with many memories, it was time to go.

Being a curious...  'nerd' like myself.  I love watching things grow and develop.  I also like prodding at those things and influencing them over time.  Thus the study of urban expansion has interested me for a very long time.  In grade school and high school, most of my 'art' in Art Class consisted of intricate maps which I hand drew.  Into high school my passion was directed more at studying how towns began, and sprang up.  For example, I would look at a town in an atlas, and wonder...  Okay, so why did this town settle here?

I just finished reading The Ice Beneath You by Christian Bale.  It is a wartime novel set in Somalia and follows the life of a Private during the war, before the war, and after the war.

I must say that a lot of the story seemed to revolve around the main character trying, and failing, to really come to terms with his purpose in life.  In some ways it is a story about how someones life can begin to tumble slowly, and then cascade into an epic downfall.  And after reaching rock bottom, the climb back up to a somewhat 'normal' life, was long and difficult.