Week 13: SOUNDTRACK – Fort Greene, Brooklyn

Closing update – Trying to understand why others are closing around me and I am not!!!

"Every generation needs a journey story; every generation needs a story about what it is to be transformed by geography, what it is to be transformed by encounters with cultures and people that are alien from yourself..."                                                                                                          

~ Jose Rivera

If every generation needs a journey story, then every generation needs a soundtrack that provides the music that articulates the mood of society. Gil Scott-Heron was a formative contributor to the soundtrack of the black pride and power movement and aids me in this blog entry.   

I have always believed hobbies to be vital to a healthy work life balance and if you are able to earn a living by doing something you truly love, all the better. Cooking, photography, painting, home automation and technology are all hobbies of mine. The later has been both my vocation and vacation for quite some time. Spending an additional week @ J’s allows me to forgo my muted blackberry experience for a full audio system as I am reminded that my hobby help create this solution.

I have enjoyed designing and configuring home audio systems that allow me to curse silence with the rhythm of my existence. The soundtrack of my homeFREEness needs no real order, randomly played genres and artists work well. However I do need a place for the music to be heard. I often employ my blackberry running Pandora or iHeartRadio as a means to satisfy and fuel this need.  Music is the first thing I address upon entry of my let space, trying to find solutions to ensure access to music gives me a great deal of peace and familiarity.

I missed the music that filled my home. Music in every room. Since I designed J's home audio solution, this lodge offered me a level of familiarity that I could easily navigate and enjoy. The playlist is eclectic and populated with some of my favorite artists. 

However, the Rockaways will take my audio designs to the next level, where the sound and the management of the sound will be ubiquitous. Speakers are hidden in the ceiling; access to my playlist and online music servers is easy from any mobile device. Controlling and playing different music in any of the 6 zones will be as effortless as tapping a screen.

Since pre-construction I decided that I wasn't building my dream home, rather I would build a simple home that would be a bit smarter than the average. One that would create order for the lifestyle I currently possess and one to accommodate the next 10 years.

My design starts by running CAT-5 cabling to key locations to control heat, air conditioning, security cameras, audio, video and entry access all from my mobile device. I wanted to provide order and access to the space remotely. Key-less entries will allow me to accommodate food deliveries when I am not home while securing and restricting access to key areas of my home and the attached rental space. A refrigerated drop box will hold fresh direct perishables and allow express scripts to replenish my insulin supply during the dog days of summer. No need to duplicate keys should friends fly in from JKF just 10 minutes away, user-ids and passwords will suffice. A security network will provide remote access to key points of entry but also will allow me to monitor whether the buffet requires replenishing a heaping pile of grilled grapefruit shrimp or if guest’s drinks need refreshing. Collecting energy consumption data from the online thermostat and HVAC system will allow me to build efficiencies to see a quicker return on my investment.

Now if I can just close on the space I can play in my hobby space!