From Service To School

It’s a few minutes before 9 a.m. when Jill Doubek walks into the Veterans Center on the ground level of Schofield Hall. Furnished with three couches, two computers and a center table, the room — although somewhat small — has a feeling of comfort to it. Softly-painted blue walls, end tables and lamps; it’s cozy.

As she opens her laptop, she’s joined by several other student veterans. One eats a bagel as he checks his morning email; another flips through a textbook on the couch. Others come to just relax between classes.

For Doubek — a 28-year-old junior business management major, single-mother of one and Navy veteran — the majority of her time on campus is spent in this room.

“It’s sort of intimidating being back in classes,” she said, shrugging her shoulders as she checks an assignment on D2L. “But we — I mean, veterans — have a different outlook on things. Most people are coming in here fresh out of high school. But for me, entering school last year at 28 … I just take it at a completely different level, I guess.”

But that’s not to say she’s hiding from anything. Of the more than 200 veterans at the university, many, she said, visit the center — coming from diverse backgrounds, both in age and military experience, the camaraderie and presence of other veterans serves as a welcoming conversion into a once-dormant academic lifestyle.

“The ease of transition is a case-by-case scenario depending on the veteran,” said Miranda Cross-Schindler, military education benefits coordinator — or, as she calls herself, the liaison between students and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. “Many have commented that having a place to relax, eat meals, do homework in the company of fellow veterans has greatly helped them adjust to college life.”

Doubek, who served aboard the George Washington Carrier and FRC Norfolk from 2004-2007, said her time in the Navy was enjoyable. After the birth of her son Reise, though, she decided to pursue a university degree.

“My time at sea was great,” she said. “Once I got done with my military time, I had the option to stay in Virginia or come back to Wisconsin — I’m originally from Rice Lake. I decided to take the school path, and I transferred in with 30 credits.”

Doubek said the most difficult aspect of her time at the university has been adjusting to the learning mind frame — specifically, trying to relate to a different generation of colleagues in class.

“We had a discussion about sexual harassment in one of my classes, and I just had to laugh — we’re trained on that subject so much in the Navy,” she said. “It’s just been odd to come in with an existing ‘life experience’ compared to most — I’ve learned a lot of what my classes are talking about already, not from other classes, but just daily routines in my adult life.”

Doubek said the biggest virtue she’s taken from her Navy experience is punctuality, being well-versed in the “if you’re on time,
you’re late” principle.

“I’m definitely on the ‘fast track’ here,” she said. “I enjoy it, but really, I’m just anxious to get my degree; at this point, there’s no time to lag.”

But the presence of campus veterans spans far beyond the center in Schofield.

Scott Janke, a sophomore-standing elementary education major and Air Force veteran, commutes to the university every day from his nearby hometown of Alma Center, Wis.

Janke — 40 years old with a strong sense of composure and patience — spent 20 years in the Air Force, stationed in and traveling to Texas, California, South Carolina, Japan, Germany, Korea and Antarctica. After earning a position as an instructor of a management course, he began to realize that teaching — coupled with a longing to return home — was becoming his true passion.

“I like being back in school, that’s for sure,” he said. “It’s definitely challenging. But now — after all the discipline I’ve learned — I feel that I have a strong sense of commitment. I like to think I’m a dedicated student because of it.”

Janke said his experience in both teaching and traveling has helped make him a diverse and patient worker.

“One of my proudest moments was being deployed after 9/11; I just really felt like I was accomplishing something,” he said. “The most important memories came from things you couldn’t control. When you’re deployed, it gives you the chance to work hard and be successful in something you have no say in … I guess there’s just a certain source of pride in that.”

Similar to Doubek, Janke said he’s steered relatively clear of being involved on campus; not because he feels alienated, necessarily, but more so as a way to focus strictly on academics.

“Everything I’ve experienced, in terms of where I’ve been, different jobs I’ve held, et cetera, will all be a big asset to my future in teaching,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot about patience from my time in the Air Force; plus, I like working with kids. It’s easy to talk about concepts when you teach, but when you can use actual examples … well, that really hits home for kids.”

While the “fast track” may seem like a popular route for campus veterans, plenty still find time to get involved.

Broadcast journalism major Scott Morfitt, for example — who took a leave of absence from the university last year when deployed to Iraq through the Minnesota National Guard — is currently the student manager of WUEC, as well as the host of Local Independence — a weekly radio show through the organization.

“I originally enlisted in 2003,” he said. “I was pretty adamant about the war even before the declaration; I realized, though, that I had perceptions of it all with no reality … I guess I wanted to learn more about what drives soldiers.”

He describes his time abroad — which he spent as a strength manager from May 2008 to January 2009 — as predominately “boring,” remembering the days as being continually monotonous.

“It was sort of like ‘Groundhog’s Day,’” he said with a laugh. “Every day was the same.”

Despite the monotony, he said he’s grateful for the experience.

“It really answered the questions I had,” he said. “All the soldiers I worked with, I found out, had a great knowledge of world politics — I gained a lot of knowledge and respect, and learned a lot myself. I don’t necessarily see myself pursuing a political career, but I’m glad I was able to come back with that first-hand experience and knowledge.”

While the veteran presence on campus may be overlooked by most, the reality is this: A number of students on campus have spent time overseas serving the country. Some are anxious to get their degree and graduate, while others have become involved in the university’s many extra-curricular offerings.

Regardless, said Cross-Schindler, it’s important to know they’re here.

“It’s always appropriate to thank (them) for their services,” she said. “The bottom line is that (veterans) on campus ‘wear the same hat’ as everyone else … (but still), a simple ‘thank you’ goes a long way.”

*Editor’s note: Scott Morfitt has freelanced for The Spectator in the past.

Light up those ‘outdoor rooms’

Light up those ‘outdoor rooms’
A trend toward creating “outdoor rooms” has dramatically increased lighting options for homeowners who want to extend their time outside.
Most indoor lighting fixtures – chandeliers, pendant lights, table lamps – now have a counterpart designed for patios or decks.
“We have seen outdoor lights absolutely replicating indoor designs,” said Anne Robert of  a website that focuses on home trends.
“Outdoor lighting is a mood setter. It can make or break a design just like it can indoors.”
The abundance of products lets you make outdoor spaces more functional, said Rich Young of Outdoor Living Brands in Richmond, Va.
“It allows families to extend the square footage of their home,” he said. “With the right light, you can extend the evening for dining or reading or other activities outdoors.”
When choosing fixtures for outdoor entertaining areas, consider how much light is necessary, said Alene Workman, a spokeswoman for the American Society of Interior Designers. A table needs to have sufficient light so diners can eat, whereas a conversation area may need only soft mood lighting.
Be creative with table lighting, recommends Krissa Rossbund, a senior style editor at Traditional Home Magazine. “Gone are the days when people hang a chandelier over a table and call it lit,” she said.
She suggests hanging two small chandeliers instead of one large one, or buying a chandelier at a flea market and painting it a bright color.
Outdoor chandeliers come in a variety of styles, from mission to modern. Manufacturers also offer many candle chandeliers for outdoor areas that don’t have electricity.
For seating areas, choose a weighted outdoor floor lamp, said Workman, who owns an interior design firm in Hollywood, Fla. “There are wonderful new outdoor lights that are almost art pieces themselves,” she said.
Colored lights, illuminated furniture and subtle fixtures designed to blend with nature will be popular this year, according to design professionals.
Workman expects to see the use of color increase, and “I don’t mean Christmas lights,” she said. Landscapers are starting to use subtle red, blue and pink lights into their work, she said.
Color is particularly appropriate for a party, Rossbund added. It’s “a fun way to change things up,” she said.
Some homeowners are adding a bright pop of color with light-up patio furniture, Robert said. The battery-powered chairs and tables are available in a variety of colors.
International designers like Modoluce and Neoz have created lines of plastic tables and chairs that are lit from within. Avanzini has a line of wood furniture made with glowing light strips. It helps create a lounge look that Robert thinks will be popular this summer.
“With the rise of staycations, we will see a lot of designs adopting a real bar-type lounge attitude, with perhaps more extravagant and festive pieces,” she said.

Light in full bloom at the Chrysler Museum of Art

Last Wednesday, daffodils bloomed both outside and in the Chrysler Museum of Art.

The outdoor blossoms festooned the entrance. The indoor ones glowed on century-old, leaded-glass lampshades designed by Tiffany Studios that are on display in a new exhibition.

Composing a three-dimensional flower in flat glass isn't easy. But the "Tiffany girls" assigned to floral-pattern lampshades found ways to bring their interpretations to life - and light.

Glass selection was critical, since the right piece of studio-made glass could suggest the characteristics of flowers, from color to texture.

Kelly Conway, the museum's curator of glass, examined the golden daffodils on one of the lamps. "See how they used a darker glass inside the trumpet? It adds depth," she said.

Conway toured the show that day just as "Tiffany Lamps: Articles of Utility, Objects of Art" opened to the public. The 40 or so leaded-glass shades with bases come from the New York City-based Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass, which organized the show.

She might have been strolling through a spring garden, passing peachy peonies and floppy red poppies, with blue-eyed dragon-flies zipping through.

"If I had to take one home, it would be that one," Conway said, staring up at a large dragon-fly hanging shade.

Unlike the famous dragon-fly table lamps that look as though the insects have just landed and will soon flutter away, this one features a dense, interlocking pattern. The creatures might be engaged in a kind of air ballet, their wings resembling flower petals.

"I imagine myself lying in a field with all these dragonflies swirling overhead," Conway said. "It's very kinetic."



The exhibition is "really one of the first in-depth studies of the lamps from a more scholarly perspective," Conway said.

That was made possible by the discovery in 2005 of richly detailed letters written by Clara Driscoll, who designed nearly all the floral shades. She is now credited with first having the idea to make lamp designs based on nature.

She joined Tiffany Studios in the late 1880s and became the head of the women's glass-cutting department. Starting in 1898, Tiffany manufactured lamps she designed featuring flowers and insects. (Men designed the geometric shades.)





The show opens with a display illustrating the process of making a Tiffany lamp: A watercolor sketch was translated into a plaster mold, and that design got transferred onto a wooden mold. Workers then created templates to use as guides in cutting the glass.

Each glass piece had to be selected, cut, wrapped in copper foil and, finally, soldered together with lead. The last step was applying a patina, often bronze or gold, to the silvery solder lines.

"We start with that in the exhibition, because it's important to know how labor-intensive these shades were," Conway said.

Louis Comfort Tiffany, a former painter who shifted into decorative arts, loved nature and embraced Driscoll's designs.

"Here's something fun about the installation," Conway said. She walked over to a display of two peony library lamps dating from 1900-1913.

Both used the same pattern, but the one on the left cleanly defined its leaves and flower petals.

A glass selector chose a lot more red for the other lamp, which made the petals bleed into the leaves. "It's very hard to distinguish what's flower, what's leaf, what's background."

Conway said the crisper one was "a more successful execution of the lamp." About the other, she had to wonder: "Was this a rush order? Was the designer having a bad day?" Or was it a matter of catering to a customer's taste?

As with many of the pieces, the shade's design repeated a section, three times in this case.



Another section of the show displayed 10 lamps in order of cost, an acknowledgement that Tiffany created a commercial product. "He wanted to sell goods, but he wanted everything to be beautiful and harmonious."

The least expensive lamp in the bunch was a small wave-design reading lamp. The shade with gold-patina base sold for $32 in 1906.

The costliest item in the lineup was a magnolia floor lamp with a 28-inch-diameter shade. With base, it cost $456 in 1913, when the average yearly income was $620, according to the show's label text.

In 2005, a similar lamp auctioned by Christie's brought just over $2 million, www.christies.com reported.

"It shows the magnolia flower front, back, side, bud, full bloom and on its way out - in all its life cycles," the curator said.



The Neustadt collection is famous for its many Tiffany lamps and its vast, colorful array of flat and pressed glass used in so many Tiffany products.

Egon Neustadt and his wife, Hildegard, began purchasing Tiffany lamps in 1935, when Tiffany's decorative arts were not in style. An Austrian-born orthodontist, Neustadt continued to add to his Tiffany holdings until his death in 1984, The New York Times reported.

The show complements the Chrysler's equally renowned Tiffany collection, which emphasizes blown glass forms but also includes about 17 lamps.

Walter P. Chrysler Jr., the museum's chief benefactor, collected Tiffany items around the same time as Neustadt, Conway said, but she knows of no record of the two having met.

In 1931, Chrysler visited the great artist-designer Tiffany at his exotic, palatial home on Long Island, N.Y., called Laurelton Hall.

That encounter led to a friendship that ended with Tiffany's death in 1933 at age 84. Five years later, his studios closed following bankruptcy.

Chrysler and Tiffany were children of famous and accomplished men.

Chrysler, who died in 1988, was the namesake of the founder of the Chrysler Corp. Tiffany was the son of the founder of the Tiffany & Co. jewelry stores.

For a Tiffany catalog the Norfolk museum published in 1978, Chrysler wrote that the designer was "one of the most creative and imaginative taste-makers the United States has produced."

"The resurgence of interest in Tiffany is due in large measure to the serious review of the decorative arts" of the circa 1900 period, he wrote. That review took place after World War II and involved museum experts as well as collectors and scholars "who refused to allow the great ideas and objects of the recent past to fall into oblivion."

If it glows indoors, you can find it outdoors too

A trend toward creating "outdoor rooms" has dramatically increased lighting options for homeowners who want to extend their time outside.

Most indoor lighting fixtures - chandeliers, pendant lights, table lamps - now have a counterpart designed for patios or decks.

"We have seen outdoor lights absolutely replicating indoor designs," said Anne Robert of theoutdoorstylist.com, a website that focuses on home trends.

"Outdoor lighting is a mood setter. It can make or break a design just like it can indoors."

The abundance of products lets you make outdoor spaces more functional, said Rich Young of Outdoor Living Brands in Richmond, Va. "It allows families to extend the square footage of their home," he said. "With the right light, you can extend the evening for dining or reading or other activities outdoors."

When choosing fixtures for outdoor entertaining areas, consider how much light is necessary, said Alene Workman, a spokeswoman for the American Society of Interior Designers. A table needs to have sufficient light so diners can eat, whereas a conversation area may need only soft mood lighting.

Be creative with table lighting, recommends Krissa Rossbund, a senior style editor at Traditional Home Magazine.

"Gone are the days when people hang a chandelier over a table and call it lit," she said.

She suggests hanging two small chandeliers instead of one large one, or buying a chandelier at a flea market and painting it a bright color.

Outdoor chandeliers come in a variety of styles, from mission to modern. Manufacturers also offer many candle chandeliers for outdoor areas that don't have electricity.

For seating areas, choose a weighted outdoor floor lamp, said Workman, who owns an interior design firm in Hollywood, Fla. "There are wonderful new outdoor lights that are almost art pieces themselves," she said.

Colored lights, illuminated furniture and subtle fixtures designed to blend with nature will be popular this year, according to design professionals.

Workman expects to see the use of color increase, and "I don't mean Christmas lights," she said. Landscapers are starting to incorporate subtle red, blue and pink lights into their work, she said.

Color is particularly appropriate if you are planning a party, Rossbund added. It's "a fun way to change things up," she said.

Some homeowners are adding a bright pop of color with light-up patio furniture, Robert said. The battery-powered chairs and tables are available in a variety of colors.

International designers like Modoluce and Neoz have created lines of plastic tables and chairs that are lit from within.

Avanzini has a line of wood furniture made with glowing light strips. It helps create a lounge look that Robert thinks will be popular this summer.

"With the rise of staycations, we will see a lot of designs adopting a real bar-type lounge attitude, with perhaps more extravagant and festive pieces," she said.

Moonlight USA sells decorative outdoor illuminated globes, which can glow white like the moon or cast light in a rainbow of colors. The company also makes a tabletop for the globes. The clear acrylic disc has a cut-out center that allows it to rest on top of the globe so it can function as a table.

"The color is very robust," said owner Anke Kondek. "It's a wow effect."

Homeowners wanting to light a more natural setting may go for a softer, more layered look, said Beth Webb, an interior designer in Atlanta. She favors the custom copper-and-wood pieces made by The Outdoor Lights in Cumming, Ga.

Company president Chris Wakefield has created lights that cast a warm glow around fire pits, dining areas or outdoor living rooms. Some of his more popular items include punctured copper cylinders that create a firefly effect, stamped copper lanterns and illuminated, artificial birdhouses. The lanterns can hang from a shepherd's hook or a tree branch.

Before buying lights for reading, lounging or dining, the professionals recommend making sure that pathways and steps are properly lit for safety.

"You want light to help you navigate spaces near or around steps," said Jeff Dross, director of education and industry trends for Kichler Lighting.

He and the other experts warned against making outdoor spaces too bright. They suggest using subtle light that is aimed towards the ground wherever possible.

"For most tasks you only need low light," Dross said. "Avoid that glare. Glare forces you to think you need more light than you do."

Consider the basics when giving your basement a makeover

Consider the basics when giving your basement a makeover
Outside of homes in the older sections of Reno, not many houses in the Truckee Meadows are built over basements, but if you have one or you have a walk-out or daylight basement, you either have some extra living space or a dark, dank, damp storage pit.
If it's the latter, that underappreciated basement could be more.
If that's the case, consider first things first before diving into an underground decorating project.
Before you even splash a coat of paint on the walls, make sure the space is usable -- legally.
"The first thing to consider in order to make your basement legal, you must have egress other than the stairs," said Steve Stegmeir, a master trade specialist for plumbing at the Home Depot in Spanish Springs.
That means there must be more than one way out of the basement in case of an emergency.
It can be a window, for instance. And that's easy enough to install, even with a concrete or cinder block foundation, Stegmeir said.
Then there's the problem of water or dampness.
Basements "are dank and damp," Stegmeir said. "There are products, such as UGL paint, a system that waterproofs cinder block and concrete.
"Ideally, first make sure the concrete is sealed from the outside to keep from trapping water inside the concrete," he said.
If the outside ground slopes toward the house, build it up so water does not run down toward the house. Then use the paint on the interior walls.
"You can leave it at that or put sheet rock over the top," he said.
UGL is actually paint, but it's difficult to tint and is designed mainly to cover cinder blocks because it expands and fills in cracks, Stegmeir said. Consider applying it as a sealer, then paint over it with a color.
With flooring for a basement or a walk-out basement, Stegmeir said tile adheres well to a concrete basement floor.
"You do not have to do multiple steps. You do not have to put stuff on a subfloor for tile floors," he said. "There's no middle step as far as underlayment."
The only flooring material to avoid in a basement is wood, Stegmeir said, because moisture in the floor can cause the wood eventually to buckle. Read directions on laminate flooring, he said, but because it's a floating floor system, it can be installed right over the concrete.
Helpful tips
Stegmeir provided several other tips to consider before starting a basement makeover:
? Concrete walls need specialty anchors for shelf brackets. By using furring strips -- 1-by-2-inch strips attached to the concrete -- sheet rock walls can be installed over the concrete. Then, items can be hung on walls as on any sheet rock wall, but "remember you have only 3/4 inch of space, so if you put in a 2-inch nail, it'll hit concrete," Stegmeir said.
? Basement ceilings often are exposed floor joists where wiring and plumbing run. If the ceiling is to be covered with sheet rock, make sure to determine the placement of any ceiling lighting first, "so you do not have to cut it open again," Stegmeir said. "If (the ceiling) is already covered, you'll have to go into it" to install ceiling lighting.
"If it is not a finished basement, you might not want to try to make a living space, but a game room or a study," he said.
Once the basics are considered, think about what use to make of this part of the home that's usually relegated to storage or utility status.
"The place can be transformed into a luxurious hangout," said Maryann Decker of Designing Women Interiors in Sparks.
Decker agreed that protecting the space from dampness is the most important primary consideration.
"Second, select flooring. If it's concrete, you can select to paint the floor and use area rugs to give warmth, or tile, laminate or wall-to-wall carpeting," Decker said.
Consider turning the area into a game room with a pool or poker table, a pinball machine or video game.
"It also could be used as a home bar/theater/child's play area," Decker said, "an extra closet for summer-winter clothing for the family to free up space in bedroom closets, an exercise room with wall mirrors to open up and lighten the space. ... Wall mount a TV or (make) a wine cellar.
"Or have the whole area painted with a Tuscan/Italian scene," Decker said. "It will make you feel like you have escaped and gone to the wine country."
Basement spaces usually have lower ceilings and limited views, said Sheri Kovac of Kovac Design in Reno. Generally, there's one window set high on a wall and the view outside the room is a staircase.
To make the room more interesting, Kovac likes to drape an entire wall to add texture and warmth and to hide doors that lead into such areas as laundry rooms.
Before wallpapering, apply "blank stock" to the wall to keep the grooves of wood paneling or cinder blocks from showing through the final wallpaper.

Switch on to the latest in lighting

If you are in your kitchen right now, take a look at your ceiling. Do you have a set of
halogen spotlights arranged like an airport landing strip? Now, walk into your living
room. Are there small table lamps wearing triangular shades like hats? If this is the
case, then join me at the bottom of the lighting class.
There is hope, however. Technology has progressed so much that with a bit of attention to
the lighting, your house will seem more spacious and inviting.
To understand this, I visit Lucy Martin, author of The Lighting Bible, in the Chelsea
showroom of lighting specialists John Cullen . The first thing, Martin tells me, is to
make the most of available light: “Don’t obscure windows with huge amounts of material.
”
When it comes to using artificial light, “having less lighting from the ceiling is a
major trend at the moment”, explains Martin. “Use it, but use it sparingly. If you only
have light coming from overhead, it closes down your room.”
According to Martin, the key to brightening up your home is layering. Light that comes
from the walls, floor and tabletops creates a textured effect that opens out a room.
Splashing light across the walls will, as she puts it, “Peel a room open like a banana.
”To do this you may have to increase the beam width of your spotlights. (This is
measured in degrees and displayed on the side of the box.) A wide angle will flood light
across your walls to very satisfying effect. A shower room can be transformed by
illuminating the back wall, and kitchens can be made to look larger by slanting spots on
to cabinets, so the light bounces down on to work surfaces.
Meanwhile back in the living room, dramatic lighting in niches and on shelves creates a
luxurious effect. And uplighters eliminate dead corners and make rooms more inviting.
The ideal set-up is to have your lights on a five-amp circuit controlled by a master
switch by the door. You will have to connect your table lamps to five-amp points, which
means fitting them with five-amp plugs.
If you don’t want to disturb your plasterwork, a simple way to spruce things up is with
LEDs (light emitting diodes). They only use a tiny amount of energy, but put out a vast
amount of light. Crucially, they don’t heat up, so you can use them in places where heat
is undesirable such as kitchen cupboards.
Long strips of LEDs can be attached to kitchen units or display shelves, while a flexible
LED lamp by your bed will take your night-time reading habits out of the twilight zone.
Strips cost £60-£100 a metre, but the more you pay, the warmer the light.
If you are serious about reviewing your lighting design, then employ a consultant. John
Cullen charges £150 per room or from £85 an hour for an entire house.
Otherwise, Habitat and The Conran Shop sell a wide selection of lights that will
transform your home.
Whatever your long-term lighting needs, bin those old triangular hats on your table
lamps. All they do is throw light down onto your coffee table. A drum-shaped lampshade
will help throw light up into your room.
For a mellow glow, make sure the inside of the shade is sprayed gold. Porta Romana
 or Heathfield & Co  are good hunting grounds for lampshades.
The possibilities today are more exciting than ever before, so take the time to do your
research. There’s no need to be left in the dark.