Cheating the One Called Death

I just remembered that I almost could have seriously injured or killed myself at Coscia's construction site the other day. I used to work for the guy and he's been working on his very own Denari-esque abode for the past seven years, the 747 House. The guy has invested so much time and money on this beast, an indulgence and burden of epic proportions. The cost of materials, such as steel, has skyrocketed and he's had to refinance loans numerous times since the start of the project.

I'm in Venice for a meeting and I track down Coscia, being that he is within earshot of my client's house. I haven't seen him or the progress of his house in years. I climb up the long, wobbly ladder to the second story, Tony is meeting with a solar energy rep up top. I give him a pound and proceed with exploring the rest of the structure. The building is still without most of the skin, exposing the impressive tube structure of steel and concrete. As I am admiring this large clerestory window, I take a couple steps backward. Luckily, I stop short of the twenty-five foot drop. I am a step away from getting paralyzed or dying, impaling myself on a pile of re-bar and 2x4's. I realize this and all I can say is, "damn." I think of Chris Oberle, a fellow SCI-Arc alum who recently paralyzed himself in a mountain biking accident. These moments happen from time to time and you think about the "almosts", the "what-ifs" and how your life, as you know it, can change in a nanosecond. You take pause and be gracious and then a while later it wares off.

I make small talk with Tony as his better-half arrives home from work, she makes a beeline for the house on site. She is some sort of physician, as I remember, a somewhat fashionable Asian gal. I drive back to Koreatown from Venice with the hair standing on the back of my neck.

Note: Safety first. Always be aware of your surroundings on a construction/job site.