Taco Towers and Ticky Tacky

 

As the heathen I am, I  did enjoy both of the shows Weeds and Breaking Bad. Both of these shows had moments where illegal activities were hosted inside suburban houses thus these activities were disguised in the security of the sameness of the ticky tacky little boxes.

"Little boxes on the hillside, Little boxes made of ticky-tacky, Little boxes on the hillside, Little boxes all the same, There’s a pink one and a green one, And a blue one and a yellow one, And they’re all made out of ticky-tacky, And they all look just the same." -Malvina Reynolds

This quote was the opening theme song to the show Weeds which lead me to the Margaret Crawford reading, "Little Boxes - High-Tech and the Silicon Valley." One thing that I found quite fascinating in this reading was the impact the garage had on the suburban realm of architecture. For example the company of Apple was founded in the garage of Steve Job's parent's home. I have found in my personal experience the range of uses for one's garage varies on the user. The garage can hold vehicles, become a buffer for entry into the home, become a work shed, laundry room, and even a painter's studio. 

My biggest issue I think I have with suburbia is the sameness that comes from the construction. Yes it is smarter to systematize a building process so that the construction cost and building time is low; however, the cost of that is seen today with these ticky tacky boxes that all look the same with different colors. 

The image above is an image from the intro sequence of the show "Weeds" which hit home with me not only due to the squiggly sketch nature but also the house on fire. If you did not know almost a year ago I lost my aunt and uncle to their house catching flames. Sorry to end the semester on a sad note. It is just where I am.