Cynical

I said, "Someday I'm going to make my way into the West. I'm going to go to America and ride the 'South 40' with my .45 on my hip and watch the sunset." . . . When I came here, I was so disappointed. [He laughs.] But I stayed.

- architect Charles Choi, 2004

This card and many others like it was part of an exhibit at the Denver Art Museum, which I saw during a 2007 visit with my brother Bill. I cleaned out my wallet the other day, finding it had faithfully stayed exactly where I put it four years prior. [Art-stuffing: it's a great way to fatten up your wallet on a budget.] The exhibit contained many small cards with various mood on the fronts and quotations on the backs. I couldn't resist this one for the quotation on the back and its architect author.

And while I don't think the sentiment on the back expresses cynicism as it claims, it's more about disappointed expectations and embitterment, tempered with eventual self-effacing humor. Which are probably much, much more valid emotions for architects, now more than ever.