In defense of being an architectural amateur (an introduction to this blog)

Welcome to the Atomic Ox: a blog about architecture, written by a well-meaning curmudgeon named Ox.

It has come to my attention that the world of modernist architecture (called "mid century" by hipsters and marketing professionals) is populated by two broad swaths of people:

1. Group one is the bevy of hipsters who, after quickly reading the Wikipedia entry for 'modernist architecture', set off to become the next Maynard Parker, armed with nothing but Instagram and youthful optimism. 
2. Group two is a small cadre of architectural academics who are constantly working to guard the architectural legacy of these modernist marvels. Theirs is an uphill battle, however, for the legions of land developers have deep pockets and an even deeper desire to turn every piece of land into some sort of 'luxury loft' work/live/space. 

This blog won't do either of those camps any justice. I'm not cool enough to roll with group one, and I'm definitely not educated enough to be counted amongst group two.

So what is this blog, exactly? That's a question for which I don't have a concise answer. I will, however, take a stab at what this blog is and what this blog isn't.

• This blog is a catalogue of architecture which, in my opinion, exudes intentionality
• This blog is not a place where I'll write paragraphs about high-minded concepts (e.g. the Staatliches Bauhaus movement)
• This blog is one which will contain lots of puns & wordplay, come ready to take yourself less seriously
• This blog is not a place to wallow in nostalgia. I like this period of architecture, but my enjoyment of it is arbitrary.
• This blog is a place for my curmudgeonly self to share architectural irks....so brace yourself for some benevolent bellyaching

Oh and here are some FAQs just in case:

• Where are the locations of the buildings you photograph? The only way I'll tell is if you send me an email making a written case as to why I should tell you. Sorry, them's the breaks. 
• What do you shoot with? I just shoot with whatever’s on me (usually just an iPhone).
• Do you consider yourself the next Julius Shulman? Not a chance. Shulman had skill, I’m an amateur through and through. Plus, I personally dislike black and white photography (sorry Ansel Adams!)
• Can you take pictures of my house? Sure! I’m always down for a new experience. 
• Why don’t you photograph things outside of Southern California? I am poor. Now if you want to pay for me to fly to your state, let’s talk 😉
• Do you live in a mid century modern house? See previous answer.
• Why are you a curmudgeon, what irks you? Early in life I had to choose between honest irkedness and hypocritical positivity. I chose the former and have seen no reason to change.
• If you dislike the term “mid century modern”, why do you use it? It just rolls off the tongue easier than “modernist.” Plus, “modernist” has a problem in that what was modern then, is not modern anymore. So current architecture is referred to as “postmodernist” but what comes after that? You can thus see the limitations of the term “modernist.”