Casey's Apartment

99 Days

2011-05-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

I dropped Bob off at LAX last night. The week went way too fast, and it was painful to have to work while he was home. When we talk to people about our long-distance relationship, we usually say that it's been easier than we expected, and the first year was especially fast. As I am sitting here to write about it, though, I have to admit that it's beginning to get to me. I hate my empty bed. I hate coming home to an empty house and spending most evenings alone. I hate that weeks go by and I'll realize that I haven't been touched affectionately. And I'm not even talking about sex; I just mean the stupid little touches that I think people need. I'm like that baby monkey with the wire mother.

It will get better soon, though! He will be in Los Angeles in July for one rotation, and then he'll do most of his other rotations in San Diego. I will never have to spend a Thanksgiving in Erie, Pennsylvania! This is definitely good. I will also say that there have been some other positive things to come out of the long-distance relationship. First, when he's a resident and never home, at least I will be able to look back at this time and know that it could be much, much worse. Bob has also been able to see some of his old friends a lot more. A friend from high school lives in Colorado, and Bob gets to see him when he drives back and forth from school each summer and fall. There's also a friend from college who lives in Cleveland that Bob gets to see much more frequently. Both guys are groomsmen, and I really like them and their wives. I am glad that Bob has such great friends who have become my friends, too. Finally, there's book club. My book club is great! I got to a point about a year ago when I knew I needed to go find something to do with myself on weeknights or I would become a cat lady. Anyway, we meet twice a month, and there's an offshoot dinner club that meets about twice a month, and I've made some really good friends. I haven't really formed any non-work relationships since college, and it was really getting to me.

Anyway, I started this post to reflect upon the fact that we will be getting married in 99 days. This is very exciting, but also kind of scary. It blows my mind that we've already been together five years, and I am happy to be spending the rest of my life with the guy. Still, I know that many marriages don't work out. It's weird to think that the person I adore now and agonize over being separated from might someday be someone I hate. I realize this is a pessimistic view, but I think it's naive to go into marriage without thinking it's a possibility. We know that marriage is not going to be easy, and ours will be especially challenging. We basically acknowledge that I will be alone with babies, possibly in a state where I know no one. This is terrifying! To this end, we have promised each other that we will go to counseling the second we feel that we're drifting, and we will not live out the plot of Angle of Repose. Also, Bob is great about managing time. I know that he may be super busy, but when he does have time, it will go to me. So yes, I'm nervous, but I'm also really, really excited. So excited that I may or may not wear my wedding band around the house. I'm not saying.

Brussels sprouts???? Brussels sprouts!!!!!!!!

2011-05-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

It will probably come as no surprise to most people that I don't like vegetables. But you probably don't understand the deep, searing, white-hot hate I have for vegetables. I hate them. Let me say it again: I hate them. I would rather eat my own face than most vegetables. True story. Bob and I were talking about it (he's in town! Yay!), and we think it probably has a lot to do with the vegetables I ate while I was growing up. The thing is, aside from White People Salad (iceberg lettuce with ranch dressing), I seem to remember them all coming from cans. Ugh. Canned, salty S&W string beans were the bane of my existence, and a big reason I am veggie-resistant to this day. Oh, and that corn, peas, and carrots frozen stuff. Yeck. Aside from less-than-savory childhood options, I also have to say that I am a texture eater. There are whole groups of food I can't (notice I didn't say won't! I mean CAN'T) eat-- eggs, guacamole, and bananas are soft foods I hate. Celery, carrots, and beets are crunchy things that gross me out. Combine all this with the year I spent in Ireland, where we ate hastily cooked veggies 6 days a week, and you will begin to understand my feelings toward all things green.

In our five years together, though, Bob has gotten me to accept some vegetables. I will eat asparagus without too much complaining. I throw hand fulls of spinach into my morning smoothie every day. I have slices of red bell pepper (but never green!) with turkey for lunch most days. I really liked the roasted cauliflower with sage salt and lemon brown butter we had two Thanksgivings ago. Brussels sprouts, however, were something I was getting nowhere near. I hate Brussels sprouts! I don't like how they taste or how they feel in my mouth. And, I'll be honest, I think they smell like farts. There, I said it.

But how things have changed. Why? Because of this recipe. Oh my sweet baby Jesus, guys. I love Brussels sprouts!!!!

They still kind of smell like farts, though.

Years!

2011-04-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, I acknowledge that it's been YEARS since I last posted. I am going to try to do better, I promise. Here are some of the topics I'd like to cover.

Wedding-- I guess the biggest news is that I'm getting married in a few months (wait! TheKnot.com check: 110 days!). I will also be turning thirty that week. Milestones! In the coming weeks, I will try to bring you some wedding craftiness. I know you care about my thoughts on different brands of glass glue.

Long distance-- Bob and I have been "enjoying" a long distance relationship for nearly two years. This is awful, awful, awful, but I've been really proud of how we've handled this less than ideal situation and how our relationship remains strong. Good news: he'll be moving to San Diego for the next two years. Better news: I will never have to spend another vacation in Erie, Pennsylvania again. I hope to use this blog to talk about being a med student's wife and later, what it's like to be a doctor's wife. I don't anticipate having an easy road ahead of us, but I think we'll figure it out.

The apartment-- I have been living in the same apartment for six years now. Sometimes I love it, because it does have a lot going for it. We only share one wall, we have a garage, we're allowed to have a dog, we have laundry. All this is great, and a tough combination to find. I've made some updates to it lately that I'm pretty excited about (see the new bookshelves?). There are also things I hate about our place. Mostly, it's OLD. I will talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly (namely, the hideous bathroom).

The job-- Right now, I am seriously burned out on teaching. I will try to talk about this is a not-too-negative way.

Books-- I lead a book club that meets twice a month. I love my book club! I will talk about the stuff we read, as well as the stuff I read on my own.

Weight loss-- This is a little hard for me to talk about, but I've lost nearly 130 pounds, and I have thoughts, people.

Okay. That should do it for now. Comment, and let me know if anyone's out there.

Election Excitement

2008-11-03T21:41:00.000-08:00

I am SO excited about tomorrow. More exciting, though? I'm going to the Inauguration. How cool is that??

Catch Up

2008-09-23T15:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been so MIA, guys. The beginning of school is always hectic for me. It's going really, really well so far, though. I have most of my kids from last year, which is thrilling because last year was awesome. I wanted to share my newest Donors Choose proposals with you:

Here

And here.

Also, I've signed up with Adopt-a-Classroom, which is pretty cool. It does the same thing as Donors Choose--it sets up teachers with donors--but it provides a little more freedom, plus it doesn't charge the overhead that DC does. My page is here.

Give them a look. If you can't afford to donate, perhaps you can forward the links on to someone who can.

Finally, I found this clip on YouTube today. It's about Ballytobin, where I lived for a year. The clip gives you a pretty decent idea of our lives there. Enjoy!

This actually made me like her a little

2008-08-05T15:24:00.001-07:00

Paris Hilton was actually kind of funny. I'd embed it, but it was too wide for my page. Just go, will you?

Also, by the way, Sharon Osbourne recently said this about Ms. Hilton:

"She's got a look that a lot of younger girls liked and copied but she has no talent. I'm sure Paris would tell you that herself. The timing was right for her. A lot of younger women looked up to her.

"She's a very sweet, nice girl. But that's it. Then you put a full stop. It's over."

Um, somebody's glass house had a reality show, too...

I'm pretty sure we need to get Anderson Cooper to join the DGSC.

2008-08-05T15:19:00.000-07:00

Totally Overpriced but Perhaps Worth it Product Review

2008-08-04T17:08:00.000-07:00

Every year, my dad's side of the family visits Lake Tahoe. The highlight for me is our trip to Shannon's Day Spa. The first year, I got a massage. I loved it, but I kind of felt drunk for the rest of the day. It was disconcertingly odd. For the last few years, then, I've been getting facials. I'm pretty happy with my skin these days. I went on Proactiv for a month, and though it made me feel like my face was covered in snake skin, it did clear me up. After that, I moved onto Cetaphil, and I've been clear and haven't had too many blemishes. So now I'm working on cultivating a bit of a glow.

I think that exfoliating is a key step for that. I used to use Kiehl's Milk, Honey, and Almond Scrub. I really liked it--it was like scrubbing my face with cookie dough. It smelled wonderful. My esthetician, however, said that after 25 or so, people should really stop using anything that uses shells or nuts, because they're too rough. Instead, she suggested the Ayur-Medic Papaya Enzyme Peel.

Now, I think $44 for 2 oz. is just stupid. I will be the first to admit this. I will attempt to justify myself by saying that a little goes a very, very long way. A teeny dip of the fingers in the green goop covers my whole face, and I will only use it once a week. And boy, does it seem to work. In the shower, I spread a truly small amount over my face, wait a minute, and then rinse it off. Ta. Da. It feels warm while it's on, but not uncomfortably so. After, my skin is crazy smooth and really glows.

Overpriced? Probably. Effective? Hell yes.

Reason I dislike my neighbor #3,973

2008-08-03T12:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, in addition to the drums, the smoking, and the sinister house guests, he is currently playing a song whose title, as far as I can tell, is "Move those N*****s North." Awesome.

Dear John, please move. Love, Casey.

Sadly, he is a friend of my landlord's, so I doubt complaining will get me anywhere...

Unrelated, but I'd like to throw out a wag of my finger to Obama for kind of sorta saying he would kind of sorta think about offshore drilling. Yeah, yeah, if it's a part of a plan that includes energy conservation and alternative energy solutions. Get a spine, my friend.

I got Katie Holmes' hair cut.

2008-07-25T16:29:00.000-07:00

No, not the weird-ass curled monstrosity of late that just begs, begs for a dicky bow. The one before. Since I take shitty pictures, you're just going to have to picture that haircut. On my head. I'm going for highlights next week. I've never dyed my hair, but I figured, meh, what the hell.

In other news, can they really say "douche bag" on TV? They just did. I didn't know that.

Mickey is going to be pissed

2008-07-25T09:50:00.000-07:00

This is SO bitchy!!! I can't believe that Miley Cyrus would be so stupid to put something like this up. If I were her parents, I'd be really disappointed. I know, I KNOW, I'm posting something about Hannah Montana. Totally lame. But:

Just So You Know

2008-07-22T16:37:00.000-07:00

My landlord watered our sidewalks again. And porches, patios, and stairs. You know, like he does every day. As, in fact, many of our neighbors do every day. How are people so clueless???

I enjoyed this.

2008-07-22T16:24:00.001-07:00

Pop Culture Confession

2008-07-21T16:56:00.000-07:00

I've got a pretty bad confession to make: I kind of adore ABC Family's The Secret Life of the American Teenager. It's by the creators of 7th Heaven and it's bad in all the same ways, except maybe even more so. And the pregnant teen isn't just some side character Hilary Duff sister. No, it's the main character. And drama abounds, I promise. My favorite part, though, is when kids (usually Amy's best friends, who annoyed me at first but are growing on me) will be having regular "OMG she's pregnant!" conversations, but then one of them will slip in a phrase like, "Amy needs to start eating right and taking prenatal vitamins for the fetus." It's sounds so unnatural and scripted; it verges on awesome because it is so, so bad. Also, one of the Dukes of Hazard is the super Christian doctor dad of the celibate cheerleader character, and he sways when he talks. It's super annoying. But again, awesome. The Christian cheerleader's mom was Amy's dad's first wife. AND there's the SPICY Latina majorette character who's also a slut and whose mom is a stewardess and always gone. And her major secret, along with the fact that she really just wants Jack, the boyfriend of the Christian cheerleader, or Ricky, the drummer who impregnated Amy, to love her, is that she's also really smart, and scored almost perfect on the verbal section on the PSAT. Also, she has sex with Ricky and it's pretty clear that she gave Jack a blow job. I think it's hilarious that the slutty character is the only Latina on the show. It is so unabashedly racist. Oh, another important point: Ricky has sex with everyone he possibly can because his dad sexually abused him and he's trying to prove his masculinity. He now lives with foster parents and sees a pretty cool shrink. What else? Amy's little sister is Goth, and really sarcastic and I like her. And Amy's new boyfriend doesn't care that she's had sex (but doesn't know she's pregnant yet) and he's such a geek but very endearing. His two best friends are this funny Asian couple. The girl of the couple is kind of a mix between Paris and Lane, and keeps spewing sex stats.

And the mom is Molly Ringwald. Snap.

Again, I recommend.

Inexcusable

2008-07-09T23:36:00.000-07:00

Obama explains his inexcusable vote FOR the FISA bill today:

I want to take this opportunity to speak directly to those of you who oppose my decision to support the FISA compromise.
This was not an easy call for me. I know that the FISA bill that passed the House is far from perfect. I wouldn't have drafted the legislation like this, and it does not resolve all of the concerns that we have about President Bush's abuse of executive power. It grants retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that may have violated the law by cooperating with the Bush Administration's program of warrantless wiretapping. This potentially weakens the deterrent effect of the law and removes an important tool for the American people to demand accountability for past abuses. That's why I support striking Title II from the bill, and will work with Chris Dodd, Jeff Bingaman and others in an effort to remove this provision in the Senate.
But I also believe that the compromise bill is far better than the Protect America Act that I voted against last year. The exclusivity provision makes it clear to any President or telecommunications company that no law supersedes the authority of the FISA court. In a dangerous world, government must have the authority to collect the intelligence we need to protect the American people. But in a free society, that authority cannot be unlimited. As I've said many times, an independent monitor must watch the watchers to prevent abuses and to protect the civil liberties of the American people. This compromise law assures that the FISA court has that responsibility
The Inspectors General report also provides a real mechanism for accountability and should not be discounted. It will allow a close look at past misconduct without hurdles that would exist in federal court because of classification issues. The recent investigation uncovering the illegal politicization of Justice Department hiring sets a strong example of the accountability that can come from a tough and thorough IG report.
The ability to monitor and track individuals who want to attack the United States is a vital counter-terrorism tool, and I'm persuaded that it is necessary to keep the American people safe -- particularly since certain electronic surveillance orders will begin to expire later this summer. Given the choice between voting for an improved yet imperfect bill, and losing important surveillance tools, I've chosen to support the current compromise. I do so with the firm intention -- once I’m sworn in as President -- to have my Attorney General conduct a comprehensive review of all our surveillance programs, and to make further recommendations on any steps needed to preserve civil liberties and to prevent executive branch abuse in the future.
Now, I understand why some of you feel differently about the current bill, and I'm happy to take my lumps on this side and elsewhere. For the truth is that your organizing, your activism and your passion is an important reason why this bill is better than previous versions. No tool has been more important in focusing peoples' attention on the abuses of executive power in this Administration than the active and sustained engagement of American citizens. That holds true -- not just on wiretapping, but on a range of issues where Washington has let the American people down.
I learned long ago, when working as an organizer on the South Side of Chicago, that when citizens join their voices together, they can hold their leaders accountable. I'm not exempt from that. I'm certainly not perfect, and expect to be held accountable too. I cannot promise to agree with you on every issue. But I do promise to listen to your concerns, take them seriously, and seek to earn your ongoing support to change the country. That is why we have built the largest grassroots campaign in the history of presidential politics, and that is the kind of White House that I intend to run as President of the United States -- a White House that takes the Constitution seriously, conducts the peoples' business out in the open, welcomes and listens to dissenting views, and asks you to play your part in shaping our country’s destiny.
Democracy cannot exist without strong differences. And going forward, some of you may decide that my FISA position is a deal breaker. That's ok. But I think it is worth pointing out that our agreement on the vast majority of issues that matter outweighs the differences we may have. After all, the choice in this election could not be clearer. Whether it is the economy, foreign policy, or the Supreme Court, my opponent has embraced the failed course of the last eight years, while I want to take this country in a new direction. Make no mistake: if John McCain is elected, the fundamental direction of this country that we love will not change. But if we come together, we have an historic opportunity to chart a new course, a better course.
So I appreciate the feedback through my.barackobama.com, and I look forward to continuing the conversation in the months and years to come. Together, we have a lot of work to do.

This makes me sad. I've left the links to his justifications in. I really want to like him. I really do.

New Donors Choose Proposal

2008-07-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

I put up another Donors Choose proposal. You can find it here:

http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=191500

Be warned, I am basically incapable of getting my thank you packet out on time, because it's nearly impossible to get into my school's computer lab, and there's no way I'm letting my kids send out their hand-written stuff. It's kind of embarrassing. Trust me, I'm working on it.

In other news, I just cleaned the walls of my bathroom. Not fun. It's amazing what goes into keeping a place clean. Next, I'm going to go do my least favorite chore of all time: cleaning off the thin film of grease that accumulates on the stuff on the shelf over the oven. I hope Bob appreciates me.

By the way, Cristina, I've got your white people beat. I went sailing this weekend. I know!!! Bob grew up on boats--his dad loves to sail. When Bob was a kid, they would go on multiple-week long sailing excursions. His dad has been offering to take us out for a while, and we finally went on Sunday. OMG. I was terrified. I mean, looking back, I definitely had fun, but only because I was repeating my mantra of "You can swim, you can swim," to myself. I just don't think I'll ever be able to get used to that nearly-tipping-over feeling. Scary. Although I must say, I enjoyed watching Bob sail-- hand on the rudder, the breeze blowing back his curls, wearing a collared shirt and saying things like "Okay, coming about"--it was cute.

OMG

2008-07-03T15:09:00.000-07:00

The ALA convention was held in Anaheim this past week. Are teachers allowed to go to these? How does this work? It sounds like shitloads of fun, I have to tell you. Why?
1. Books
2. Writers
3. Librarians
4. OH MY GOD STEVE KLUGER, AUTHOR OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK, THE LAST DAYS OF SUMMER, AND JOHN GREEN, MY CURRENT OBSESSION, ATE PIZZA TOGETHER. How cool is that? Do you think the pizza came with a side dish of AWESOME?

Emily, this reminds me of your obsession with the bloggerazzi. I have a fantasy about hanging out with YA writers.

Next, I would like to note that I have thus far been a complete failure at "getting really fucking good" at Guitar Hero. Turns out that practicing pseudo-guitar is not much different from being nine and putting off doing scales on my flute.

I am getting my carpet steamed on Monday (huh, huh, she said that she's getting her carpet steamed!). It's sad how excited I am about this. I am at the point, though, that I am so sick of living in a always slightly-dingy apartment. No matter how much I clean, there's nothing I can do about some areas. The bathtub has no veneer on it any more, and apparently the previous residents here were swamp monsters. Same goes with the tile in the bathroom. I can't tell you how many times I've scrubbed them. They're just too old.

It's funny, though, because one of the things that I don't like about a lot of apartments is how new and blah they feel. I don't want blah, but I don't want to be embarrassed when company comes.

Whoops!

2008-07-01T17:08:00.000-07:00

My daily blogging lasted one day. Forgive me. I have a semi-excuse: my Mac's power chord broke, so I had to buy a new one. Okay, so maybe I bought a new one immediately, but you don't have to know that.

So, what have I been up to? Basically, I am living the life of a housewife. I kind of like it. I clean a lot, I read a lot. I would also be watching copious amounts of Oprah, except Oprah's suck levels have been exceedingly high lately. My biggest accomplishment so far is that I finally took control of our increasingly desperate book situation. You all know that I am a compulsive book buyer. It had gotten to the point where there were little stacks of books on every free surface. Also, poor Bob's library has been stuck out in the garage. We've lived together a year now (!), and it was certainly time to invite his books in.

Now here was the hard part. I am incapable of just putting books on shelves. They must be alphabetized, damn it. I have been like this since I was a kid; it's one of my bigger obsessions. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to merge and alphabetize books??? Let me tell you, it took me around four hours and it was not fun. I did succeed in getting everything on a shelf. The bad news is that Bob and I can either only buy about three more books total, or we have to move. My Edith Sitwell and Walt Whitman have already been relegated to shelf-top "decorative accessories." Desperate, indeed.

I had a few other points to share with you. First, my desire to be more natural, more environment-friendly around the house has directed me to a few new techniques. I've started using Dr. Bronner's M agic Soap for lots of cleaning, and also for laundry (with a little baking soda thrown in). A little goes a long way, and it really cuts dirt. I've also been using vinegar to do some basic cleaning. It takes me back to Ireland, where each Saturday I'd clean the entire house with vinegar and newspaper. And of course I have continued devotion to Mrs. Meyers. I feel good about not spraying weird chemicals all over the apartment, especially since Lucie has a need to lick everything.

We've also finally completely stopped using paper towels. This one has been a little hard. It's so easy to just grab a paper towel for a quick clean up. I have to keep telling myself that it's just as easy to use a rag. It's also provided some comedy around the apartment: I had to pause and laugh at myself as I explained to Bob the difference between my "nice" rags and my "whatever" rags. Ridiculous. Okay, okay, I'm high maintenance.

One of the fun things about being more Earth-conscious, though, is that I get to look for new solutions to problems. For example, our basil plant in the kitchen keeps attracting fruit flies. The solution? I bought a Venus fly trap. It has been happily munching on flies all day.

Oh! I keep forgetting to talk about my new hobby. It's not that new, actually, but I haven't taken pictures. Ladies and gentlemen, I present ironic embroidery:

Call me Little Susie Homemaker and die.

And finally, a gratuitous picture of Lucie:

An Open Letter to Oprah

2008-06-26T14:59:00.000-07:00

Dear Oprah,

What gives? As a teacher, I look forward to summer vacation for three reasons: first, I like to read. Next, I get the chance to clean even more obsessively than I do during the school year. And finally, finally Oprah, I get to watch your show. I don't know quite how to say this, Ope. I don't want to hurt your feelings, but man, what a let down. So far we've had murderer confrontations, past lives, YouTube stars, and Suse Orman. Blech!!! Where are the house makeovers?? Where are the people makeovers? Get it together, Oprah.

Love,
Casey

In other news, I am a cleaning MACHINE. This is both good and bad. It is good because, well, I really like it when the apartment is nice. It is bad because for the first time, it's becoming really, really clear that cleaning never stops. No matter how much I do, there's always more. OMG, what will it be like with kids??? OMG. Yesterday, in a very nice two-and-a-half hour breakfast with my friend Jami, we discussed how I worry about things years and years before they are actually a problem. I do indeed. It's become clear that I will soon need to implement an infrastructure to curtail offspring disorder. ICOD.

Also, I can't find the charger to my camera's battery. I wish I had it this week, because I undertook A Major Project. We've recently been in a little bit of crisis mode at our apartment. Books have started to take over. I am addicted to book buying. Bob has his books, and a lot of them, poor guy, were stuck in the garage. Piles were everywhere. It was a desperate situation. So I bought a new bookshelf, and set to getting stuff in order. What a job! You see, this was not just a matter of putting some books on shelves. I HAD to merge and alphabetize. Yikes, that sucked. But it is done, and I am happy. The only problem is that Bob and I can only buy about four more books for the rest of our lives.

Oh, and by the way, it turns out I like Suze Orman. Sorry Suze.

Why Are People Fucking Crazy????

2008-06-20T15:24:00.001-07:00

Now that I am on vacation, street sweeping day poses a little bit of a problem. It used to be that Bob would park in the driveway, and I would be gone to work before the ticket guy showed up, but now I will be, you know, asleep. Also, there is no way Bob is going to be up and out before the ticket guy. It's just not going to happen, so let's not use that as an option. Anyway, Bob moved my car for me Wednesday night (because I was drunk; it was the last day of school). Little did he know he was setting me up to later meet the craziest freaking guy I've ever encountered. I just went to move my car (a day and a half after parking it), and this old man literally sprinted to knock on my passenger window in order to yell at me. And yell he did.

Now, you need to know two things about me: a) I am extremely polite to strangers and my elders; b) I hate when people yell at me c) I am out of Diet Coke (that's just in case Bob's reading this). And so when an old stranger started yelling at me, I did not know what to do. First, I calmly explained that my car was not parked in front of his house for "four days," but one. After he kept yelling, I pointed out that I was parked on a public street. When he countered that "everyone suffers" when I park in front of his house, I also noted that it seemed both of his cars were parked in his driveway. He admitted that he always parks in his driveway, but I had "no business" parking in front of his house. And then he screamed, literally screamed for a couple more minutes, and then I rolled up my window, almost taking his finger with me, and burned rubber out of there.

And now I feel GUILTY!!! Why do I care about this?? Why are people in my neighborhood completely INSANE about where other people park??? Is this a middle-class white person thing? When I get old, will I also get inappropriately territorial?

One of the things I like about my city is that it is in L.A., but it is small and still feels like a community. Something that gets on my nerves, though, are entitled freaks. I need to stay, the entitled freaks need to leave. Or leave me the hell alone.

Day Two of Vacation

2008-06-20T11:37:00.000-07:00

In this, my second day of my first work-free summer since I was 14, I have decided I will set some goals for vacation. These are not like New Year's resolutions, I would like to point out, though, as I think resolutions are really just another way for girls to hate themselves. So here, the goals:

1. Clean/organize at least three drawers/storage spaces a week.

2. Go outside.

3. Watch Oprah daily, except when it's one of those episodes where people confront murderers (Ahem, Oprah, wait to fuck it up on my first day of vacation).

4. Write on this blog daily, even if no one reads it.

5. Do some actual writing.

6. Finish watching the Brotherhood 2.0 vlogs.

7. Get really fucking good at Guitar Hero.

8. Read like crazy.

I can't help myself

2008-06-19T20:37:00.000-07:00

Also:

Complications in Your Pants

Good Omens in Your Pants

and, forgive me,

The Tao of Pooh in Your Pants

Awesome.

2008-06-19T12:48:00.001-07:00

In your pants

2008-06-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

My new favorite people, John and Hank Green have this thing where every book title is funnier when you add the term "in your pants." John and Hank Green are geniuses. Here, some of the highlights from my personal library:

The Shock of the New in Your Pants

Let it Blurt in Your Pants

Backlash in Your Pants

The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing in Your Pants

An Honorable Profession in Your Pants

The Dharma Bums in Your Pants

(obvious, but still fun) Inferno in Your Pants (also, certainly better than The Divine Comedy in Your Pants)

The Hours in Your Pants

Eleven Minutes in Your Pants

Running with Scissors in Your Pants (not recommended)

How to be Alone in Your Pants

The Great Santini in Your Pants

Things Fall Apart in Your Pants

Flaubert's Parrot in Your Pants

and that classic, The Joke in Your Pants

Anyway, I could literally do this for hours. I urge you to do an In Your Pants review of your library.

AH!

2008-06-14T16:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, I am going to try to keep up with this more. I always think of stuff I want to talk about, but then I forget. So, while I'm at it:

1. I have discovered that I have a slight infatuation with Whole Foods. I mean, I'd been in a few, but the new one near my house was overwhelming. I almost bought vegan shoes. The was a wall off Mrs. Meyers products. They had Ed Belgley, Jr.'s cleaning stuff. It was awesome. I've returned a few times for cleaning products and CFLs (we finally switched the whole apartment over) and I just can't help myself. Freaking Whole Foods. Oh, by the way, I don't actually buy food there--that would just be silly.

2. Bob and I met Emily and her friend Peattie at Father's Office today. I just love that office burger. And the Rogue Hazelnut Nectar. Mmm. It was delightful to hang out with Emily--we talked about Dawson's Creek and YA novels. Peattie was very cool. After that we hit up Surfas. We got a butcher block, spicy peanut butter, lemon curd, creole chocolate, and a lime squeeze-y thing. White People like me.

3. I have recently become semi-obsessed with a YA novelist called John Green. He is funny and knows his stuff. Sparksflyup.com. Read the blog.

Perfectomundo

2008-04-30T17:59:00.000-07:00

First, let me say that I hated Bee Season. It did not make me happy. However, the mother was always on a quest for something she called "perfectomundo." This quest led her to break into to strangers' houses and steal truly odd, random things: a lipstick, a teacup, a rubber ball, a piece of brightly colored thread. Eventually, it's discovered that she's packed her loot into a storage facility (and if you see the movie, they do this part really well). And it's beautiful. It's also clear that the bitch is CRAZY.

And though I did not like the book, I loved perfectomundo. It's why I love tchotchkes. So I bring you my own perfectomundo. I take crap pictures, but I'm going to try to make a bit of a series out of this...

Have I mentioned that I sold out?

2008-04-28T21:20:00.000-07:00

I bought a Play Station. Guitar Hero: You are an evil bitch.

I've moved on to cheese

2008-04-26T19:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I started making yogurt. We always made it in Ireland, and at the time I thought it was kind of gross. However, I am trying to cut down on packaging, and making stuff instead of buying it makes sense. So I've made a couple batches now. It's pretty good. I sweeten it with vanilla and honey or berries. I like dipping apples in it. Also, I made some yogurt cheese. I put a folded tea towel in a strainer and set that over a bowl. I put the yogurt in the strainer and let the whey separate. Apparently whey can be used in a bunch of different ways, but I don't think I'm emotionally prepared to deal with whey. Anyway, it turned into a pretty decent cheese spread. It's good with the basil that I'm trying not to kill. I also made some humus. 'Tis tasty.

I have a little bit of a cultist back-to-the earth in me. Self-sufficiency, man. Bob thinks I'm crazy but he likes the yogurt so he's not saying anything.

America

2008-04-26T14:41:00.000-07:00

Robert Pinsky recently did a piece for Slate answering questions about modern poetry. I thought it was completely awful. He started the article by quoting David Garrick:

The gentle reader loves the gentle Muse.
That little dares, and little means;
Who humbly sips her learning from Reviews,
Or flutters in the Magazines.

This basically says, "Hey, fuck you if you don't get it. You probably don't deserve to. And even if this article is claiming to help you understand modern poetry, it's not going to, you fucking fuck."

And then he just supplied a bunch of poems with the sage advice to "Read the following aloud, listening to the vowels and consonants, the sentence movements" There was no "see how the alliteration speeds up this line?" Or, "See how the rhyme scheme falls apart here? Don't you think it's for a reason?" Nope. Never mind that as a former Poet Laureate, he should be dedicated to forcing people to love poetry. The whole article was an exercise in complete ass hattery.

He did, however, point readers to "America." This is one of those poems that, had I been required to write a line-by-line analysis for, say, Poetry and Poetics, I would have been miserable. It's all over the place. That being said, it's one of those poems that I--I don't even know how to explain it, exactly--understand viscerally. Does that make sense at all? Well, here it is. Uh, listen to the vowels and the consonants:

America I’ve given you all and now I’m nothing.
America two dollars and twenty-seven cents January 17, 1956.
I can’t stand my own mind.
America when will we end the human war?
Go fuck yourself with your atom bomb
I don’t feel good don’t bother me.
I won’t write my poem till I’m in my right mind.
America when will you be angelic?
When will you take off your clothes?
When will you look at yourself through the grave?
When will you be worthy of your million Trotskyites?
America why are your libraries full of tears?
America when will you send your eggs to India?
I’m sick of your insane demands.
When can I go into the supermarket and buy what I need with my good looks?
America after all it is you and I who are perfect not the next world.
Your machinery is too much for me.
You made me want to be a saint.
There must be some other way to settle this argument.
Burroughs is in Tangiers I don’t think he’ll come back it’s sinister.
Are you being sinister or is this some form of practical joke?
I’m trying to come to the point.
I refuse to give up my obsession.
America stop pushing I know what I’m doing.
America the plum blossoms are falling.
I haven’t read the newspapers for months, everyday somebody goes on trial for
murder.
America I feel sentimental about the Wobblies.
America I used to be a communist when I was a kid and I’m not sorry.
I smoke marijuana every chance I get.
I sit in my house for days on end and stare at the roses in the closet.
When I go to Chinatown I get drunk and never get laid.
My mind is made up there’s going to be trouble.
You should have seen me reading Marx.
My psychoanalyst thinks I’m perfectly right.
I won’t say the Lord’s Prayer.
I have mystical visions and cosmic vibrations.
America I still haven’t told you what you did to Uncle Max after he came over
from Russia.

I’m addressing you.
Are you going to let our emotional life be run by Time Magazine?
I’m obsessed by Time Magazine.
I read it every week.
Its cover stares at me every time I slink past the corner candystore.
I read it in the basement of the Berkeley Public Library.
It’s always telling me about responsibility. Businessmen are serious. Movie
producers are serious. Everybody’s serious but me.
It occurs to me that I am America.
I am talking to myself again.

Asia is rising against me.
I haven’t got a chinaman’s chance.
I’d better consider my national resources.
My national resources consist of two joints of marijuana millions of genitals
an unpublishable private literature that goes 1400 miles and hour and
twentyfivethousand mental institutions.
I say nothing about my prisons nor the millions of underpriviliged who live in
my flowerpots under the light of five hundred suns.
I have abolished the whorehouses of France, Tangiers is the next to go.
My ambition is to be President despite the fact that I’m a Catholic.

America how can I write a holy litany in your silly mood?
I will continue like Henry Ford my strophes are as individual as his
automobiles more so they’re all different sexes
America I will sell you strophes $2500 apiece $500 down on your old strophe
America free Tom Mooney
America save the Spanish Loyalists
America Sacco Vanzetti must not die
America I am the Scottsboro boys.
America when I was seven momma took me to Communist Cell meetings they
sold us garbanzos a handful per ticket a ticket costs a nickel and the
speeches were free everybody was angelic and sentimental about the
workers it was all so sincere you have no idea what a good thing the party
was in 1935 Scott Nearing was a grand old man a real mensch Mother
Bloor made me cry I once saw Israel Amter plain. Everybody must have
been a spy.
America you don’re really want to go to war.
America it’s them bad Russians.
Them Russians them Russians and them Chinamen. And them Russians.
The Russia wants to eat us alive. The Russia’s power mad. She wants to take
our cars from out our garages.
Her wants to grab Chicago. Her needs a Red Reader’s Digest. her wants our
auto plants in Siberia. Him big bureaucracy running our fillingstations.
That no good. Ugh. Him makes Indians learn read. Him need big black niggers.
Hah. Her make us all work sixteen hours a day. Help.
America this is quite serious.
America this is the impression I get from looking in the television set.
America is this correct?
I’d better get right down to the job.
It’s true I don’t want to join the Army or turn lathes in precision parts
factories, I’m nearsighted and psychopathic anyway.
America I’m putting my queer shoulder to the wheel.

--Allen Ginsberg

Anyway, I go back and forth on Ginsberg. As you both may or may not know, I went through a deeply obsessive Beat phase in seventh and eighth grade. In fact, I have to admit that I'm pretty sure the first adult penis I saw was Allen Ginsberg's (in his book Snapshot Poetics). As a result of my Phase, I knew, at twelve, more about sex between two men than I did about the act in any other form. I also started reading the Tales of the City books about the same time, so I was able to supplement my knowledge neatly. When I think about the writers now, it's not with completely the same devotion I once had. I still like Ferlinghetti, I have come to find Kerouac tedious. Ginsberg's somewhere in between. Sometimes I think, "Well, that's just a bunch of words strung together." And sometimes he hits me right between the eyes.

One thing's for sure, though: Robert Pinksy's an asshole.

WOO

2008-04-16T18:00:00.000-07:00

I have finally perfected the popover. The secret: you absolutely CANNOT, no matter what they tell you, use a muffin tin. Alton Brown be damned, go buy the unitasker. Then while the oven is preheating, put the tins inside to heat up. And when you put the batter in, only fill them about a third of the way, probably even less. They will be excellent, I promise.

The great thing about popovers is that they seem like they take a lot of work. They are therefore the perfect breakfast to make for company, because the guests will be all impressed that you went through such effort and they will feel a little guilty and then they will go out and buy you an expensive bottle of wine or a nice cheese. This has yet to actually work for me, but you should try. Also, serve with honey, jam, cheese, and microwave peanut butter and Nutella and half a chunk of Baker's chocolate and you will be a superstar. I promise.

Ay!

2008-03-10T19:34:00.000-07:00

Yeck, I'm still in the Hillary camp, but I think the joint ticket stuff she's been doing now is TAA-KEE. It also seems clumsily obvious. Hil, you do not come off well here. You successfully negotiated the too much Bill problem, I want to see you get out of this one.

Pretty.

2008-03-04T21:56:00.000-08:00

That's right. I think rotting vegetation is pretty.

Hellhole be gone!

2008-03-04T20:17:00.000-08:00

I have a confession to make. I am a closet slob. That's right, I secretly cultivate messes in all the storage areas of our apartment. I can't help myself. I am a pack rat, and also a firm believer that if you can't see it, it's technically not a mess. However, my closet had just gotten too horrible. It was at the point where I had about three things hanging up and everything else had just been shoved in there. Okay, faithful readers (both of you), please don't judge me too much....here's what my closet looked like:
Yes, I know. Disgusting. It occurred to me that I had been going about things all wrong. Yes, I hate hanging and folding, but I LOVE organizational systems. Clearly, a trip to Target was in order. I bought a bunch of linen cubes and sweater boxes and such. Also, I bought the Rubbermaid "Configurations" closet organizer thing. The problem with my closet was that it only had one rod. There was no place for folded clothes, and my shoes were everywhere. So, I talked my beloved boyfriend into sawing out the rod and helping me to install the kit, and I was on my way to recovery. I folded everything I could, and only hung jackets and such. Here's the half-way point:

Now, some people would be done here. Some people are not crazy. I decided I needed a little more. I decided I needed some geometric cloth. And a shadowbox. And a frame-turned-tray. A a vase. With a fake flower. Thank God for Ikea (Did you hear that? That was the last bit of my soul turning black). I bought some "Petronella" fabric and a couple "Ribba" frames. And here's what I came up with:

Pause for Pop Culture

2008-02-26T20:58:00.001-08:00

Yikes, I am absolutely underwhelmed by American Idol this year. I am willing to overlook a lot when it comes to Idol, but this year is just not good. I refuse to believe that these are the top twenty singers out of all the people who auditioned. I recognize that 95% of the people who audition are either psychopathic or simple, but since twelve bizitrillion people try out, Simon and the gang should have been able to do a little better. Last year, Sanjayagate aside, was truly fantastic. This time, there's nothing like Blake or Jordin or LaKisha or Melinda. They all knocked it out of the park from the very beginning. Now it's a bunch of easy grounders to first.

My Two Cents

2008-02-24T11:17:00.000-08:00

So, I love the Academy Awards. Even when they suck. Even when they are waaaaay too long. Even when I've actually only seen Juno, No Country for Old Men, Ratatouille, Sicko, Lars and the Real Girl, and The Bourne Ultimatum this year. I know, sad. Movies are expensive, people. Despite this, I still have my opinions on who will win. And how do I form these opinions?? By obsessive, systematic research. After consulting Roger Ebert, The Washington Post's Probe, David Ansen, David Carr, The Los Angeles Times' Buzzmeter, the Gurus o' Gold and the Guros o' Gold 2.0 (No, I don't know why there's a 2.0), and even Ramin Setoodeh, who now works at Newsweek and who lived in my dorm when I was an RA, here are my (and really, they couldn't be anything but) guesses:

Update: I didn't win the pool. I came in third. Bob came in second, but only because I told him to go for Ratatouille and The Counterfeiters. We lost to a guy who kept leaving the party to check on his steaks. Needless to say, I am upset. Upset in that overly upset way that overly competitive people become upset but don't want to admit. Here's the debrief:

Actor--Leading: Daniel Day Lewis, There Will be Blood
He is probably the most sure thing this year. Sure I didn't see the movie, but I did see In the Name of the Father and My Left Foot, and even though I was too young to actually understand them, I knew enough to recognize that D.D.L. was a great actor. That's enough for me.

Got it.

Actor--Supporting: Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Bardem is a pretty safe bet. I'm a little tempted to go with Hal Holbrook, who dressed as Mark Twain and did an awesome performance for my Mark Twain and the Gilded Age class. He did a Q & A session afterward, and he was such a neat guy. And he's married to Dixie Carter. That's cool. If Hal Holbrook wins, I won't mind.

Got it.

Actress--Leading: Julie Christie, Away from Her
This is one of the the least agreed-upon categories. The consensus seems to be that Ellen Page is too young and too new, that Laura Linney's performance was great but the movie wasn't big enough, and no one liked Elizabeth (I did, though). I may be kicking myself for not going with Marion Cotillard, who has been very graciously marketing herself, and has the fact that she played a real person in her favor. The Academy loves real people movies, especially destructive real people movies. However, the fact that her movie is in French might go against her. Julie Christie is an old favorite. Also, I must admit that I went for her because Away from Her was written and directed by Sarah Polley, who played Sara Stanley in Road to Avonlea, and we all know about my L.M. Montgomery adoration.

Argh. Marion Cotillard, I can almost forgive you because your speech was sweet.

Actress--Supporting: Cate Blanchett, I'm not There
This is the most hotly contested category. I went with Cate because the Academy seems to love Cate. They also like the whole gender-bending thing. Saoirse Ronan seems to have been written off by everyone because of age, which I don't necessarily think is fair (or wise--let's not forget Tatum O'Neal). Ruby Dee is getting a lot of support, and she won the SAG award, but that could be either an indicator of a win tonight or a "We like you, but that's enough" acknowledgment. Amy Ryan's performance was widely appreciated, but I don't think the Academy will take her seriously. Tilda may be the dark horse here. I'm going with Blanchett, but I have no clue, really.

Tilda!

Animated Feature: Ratatouille
Everyone agrees on this one.

Got it.

Art Direction and Cinematography: I'm going There Will be Blood for both. I'm wondering if I'm making a mistake by not going with Atonement. Ah!

Only the Gurus went with Sweeney Todd; I don't feel too bad for missing that one. I got There Will be Blood for Cinematography.

Costume Design: Atonement
At first, I thought it would be Elizabeth. None of the experts think so, though.

I should have gone with my gut. I am mad about this one.

Directing/Best Picture/Adapted Screenplay: The Coen Brothers, No Country for Old Men
Everyone seems to agree.

Got it.

Documentary Feature: No End in Sight
People are upset. This movie shows why.

EVERYONE thought this one would win. I am really surprised it didn't. Taxi to the Dark Side won for the same reasons everyone thought No End in Sight would, I think.

Documentary Short: Freeheld
I had to go with what the Buzzmeter says on this one; no one else was saying anything about the category. I figure that the Buzzmeter's 32 person panel is as good a bet as any...

At the party, only Steak Guy and I got this one right. Research paid off for both of us.

Film Editing: The Bourne Ultimatum
This isn't everyone's favorite, but I think that the movie deserves it. I might pay for this one.

Got it.

Foreign Language Film: The Counterfeiters
WWII is always a safe choice.

Got it.

Makeup: La Vie en Rose
The makeup job here has been called "magic" by several sources. I would be very surprised if this isn't the winner.

Got it.

Original Score: Atonement
This is widely agreed upon, though several sources say to watch out for Ratatouille.

Got it.

Original Song: "Falling Slowly," Once
Three songs from Enchanted split the vote, and "Falling Slowly" is great anyway. This one looks sure thing-ish.

Got it. Why haven't I seen this movie?

Short Film--Animated: I Met the Walrus
I'm not so sure about this category. But when in doubt, go with a movie about meeting John Lennon.

I almost went with Peter & the Wolf. I am bitter about this one, because I used to listen to my Peter & the Wolf album on my Fischer Price record player incessantly as a kid. That should have been enough of a sign.

Short Film--Live Action: At Night
This is a flip-the-coin category. I'm going with cancer patients.

The Boyfriend chose Le Mozart des Pickpockets, the bastard, "because it was French." I am withholding sex for two weeks.

Sound Editing and Sound Mixing: No Country for Old Men
Hell if I know...

I think it was David Ansen who said go for Bourne here. I almost listened to him, but I really thought that Academy would go more highbrow.

Visual Effects: Transformers
Lasers!

Polar bears! Shoot!

Screenplay--Adapted: Juno
I think Diablo Cody has a decent chance. It feels the most innovative, although the dialog in the first ten minutes of the movie made me want to commit Seppuku (I have HONOR). I think Lars and the Real Girl is just as deserving in the innovative category, though.

Good for her. Cody's speech was excellent, I thought.

So there you have it, kids. This is the first year I've really gone out of my way to do research. I'm feeling pretty good about these, though I'm afraid the more obscure categories are going to bite me in the ass. Good luck to fellow poolers!

So there you have it, kids. Steak Guy takes my win. It will probably still bug me until next year. Next year, by the way, I'm choosing the nominees with the most vowels. Steak Guy!

Rustic Dinner

2008-02-18T19:36:00.000-08:00

For some reason, today I became obsessed with the idea of making a "farmhouse dinner." When I lived on a farm, we ate a lot of beets and Ryvita crackers. So consider this a modified farmhouse dinner. We started with potato leek soup. The leeks in this case were refreshing, as I didn't actually have to harvest them myself. My fingernails would get really dirty on gardening mornings. It made me bitchy, let me tell you. The soup was okay. The recipe was from America's Test Kitchen. I tried to find a link for you, but it's "premium content" on their website. Anyway, the recipe just says to cook the leeks and potatoes until the potatoes are tender. Bob liked it, but I thought it was too watery, so I mixed it with our hand blender. With cream, it was much better. I also made popovers. They were awesome, even though the tops collapsed. The recipe comes from my beloved Apartment Therapy's kitchen page. The recipe is here, and it's stupid easy. Even if I did sort of mess it up. In my defense, I was trying to do a million things before Bob got home, so I don't think I mixed the batter well enough. Still, though, they were delicious. I served them with honey and some black currant preserves I got at Surfas, the best kitchen supply store ever (we also got new cookie sheets, a pan, a muffin tin, a highly unnecessary handle sleeve for our cast iron frying pan, a pepper mill, a mesh strainer, a couple ramekins, a cooling rack, and, you know...bacon-flavored chocolate). Then for desert we had fruit and cheese. And in honor of the stuff I made under my bed and in my closet that lovely year, we drank hard apple cider throughout. The dinner was hardy and pretty darn good.

Oh, also, I picked up some Bar Keepers Friend. Aside from their dubious omission of an apostrophe, I'm a fan. It's a very effective cleaner.

(Images from Apartment Therapy and the Bar Keepers Friend page)

Fun with fonts

2008-02-02T00:28:00.000-08:00

I downloaded free fonts tonight and entertained myself. I am a wild woman on Friday nights, let me tell you!

New Addition

2008-01-27T11:56:00.000-08:00

So, we got a dog (it occurs to me that the "new addition" of the title is in reference to the dog, but also I've failed to mention that I finally lured the boif into cohabitation last summer. I'm a little late on that one. Sorry, Bob). I saw her get hit by a car, and then I took her home. The actual story is longer than that, but there's the gist. Anyway, her name is Lucie, and I adore her. Please don't think that I only kept her because she perfectly matches the color scheme of my living room. That's just a bonus.

Oooh, art.

2008-01-24T19:05:00.000-08:00

One of the unfortunate things about teaching is that one's will to live gets ever-so-slowly drained from one's body while one sits in meeting after meeting after meeting. Seriously, we're talking A LOT of meetings. Meetings that usually smack of the feeling that the administration
hasn't actually planned anything, but as they are required by the district to make us meet, they are going to have us do something that a) takes three hours and b) involves making a chart of some sort.

Today, though, was nice. We got to do art. Specifically, the art teacher led us through a couple of activities that would get ELL kids interacting with language. The project I most enjoyed was altering a book page. Here's my finished product:

And a close-up of the text:

It was much better than making a chart.

My Class

2008-01-24T17:51:00.001-08:00

Anyone who ever stepped foot in any of my college dorm rooms knows I love color. I love bright rooms with, well, stuff. My apartment is much more restrained than my old spaces, though. I am pretty happy with this. It was time to grow up and cut down on the clutter and kitch. I sometimes feel a pang of nostalgia, however, when looking at Ikea stuff. Luckily, I have my classroom as an outlet. I have to take a bunch of pictures of the room for BTSA (let me take this opportunity to say that I loathe BTSA. I cannot put into words the hate and rage I feel toward it. BTSA is shit. I hate BTSA. BTSA blows, stinks, sucks, and swallows. BTSA has been the most negative aspect of teaching. There. Make a portfolio outta that, Evil BTSA Masterminds.) so I thought I show you, too.

Here's the new classroom library (no bean bag chairs yet, but you get the idea. Em, the Google chair will be "unveiled" the same day as the others):

This isn't the greatest picture, but this is the front:

Their mobile characterization projects:

My corner of the universe:

The wall:

An example of my obsessive love for organizing bins and matching binders:

See? I can still have color!

Trying!

2008-01-04T17:36:00.000-08:00

When I lived in Ireland, it was shocking how little trash (ahem, "rubbish") we produced. First, we recycled everything. We reused as much as we could, too. I was always impressed at how inventive people were about finding new uses for junk. Compost was a big deal.
Remember, this was a working farm, so we always had a place to put the compost. And then there was the pig bucket. When I first arrived at Ballytobin, I thought "pig bucket" was a metaphor of some sort. Nope. I fed the pigs every day. They'd eat anything! Except orange peels. I don't know why, but they hated them. Because of all this, we only took out the trash every couple of weeks. It was nice.

I've been trying to live a more ecologically responsible lifestyle. Bob and I recycle like crazy, so this is nothing new. We've started using reusable grocery bags. I love these. They have a nice flat bottom and are really tough. I've also bought reusable produce bags. And darn it, I don't have a yard or a farm, but I miss composting. So countertop composting it will be!

Now, this next one I feel a little guilty about, because I don't use it exactly for the right reasons. Yes, I'm talking Mrs. Meyers. Specifically, I'm talking their lavender stuff. I LOVE the way it smells. To make myself a little less superficial, I also use Shaklee's Basic H2 Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate. It doesn't smell like much, but it lasts forever and it works. Oh, and we avoid paper towels and napkins and use microfiber cloths and cloth napkins instead.

I also recently bought the least ugly door draft stopper I could find. These tend to be atrocious, but my front door definitely makes my house lose heat.

There are still things I need to work on. Most of our house stuff is plugged into power strips, but I always forget to turn them off during the day. I haven't switched to CFLs yet. Well, this isn't completely true. I bought a bunch, but the light was sickly and blue. So as quickly as they were put in, I took them out. There's a wider range of CFLs available now, though, so I need to go buy a bunch. I also know I should switch to a low-flow showerhead, but I LOVE my shower's water pressure. I find it very hard to rinse my hair in low-flow showers. Still, I might try this one. For twelve bucks, it's worth a try.

Finally, Martha Stewart Living did an article about reducing junk mail. It took a few minutes, but I opted out from as much as I could. Here are the links:

www.optoutprescreen.com (credit card offers)
www.dmachoice.org/MPS (mailing lists)
www.coxtarget.com/mailsuppression/s/DisplayMailSuppressionForm (those pesky Valpaks)
www.catalogchoice.org/ (this one killed, because I love catalogs, but I can browse online instead)

So, I'm trying. I'm not doing this to be trendy. I'm doing it because it's easy and right.

A Slightly New Direction...

2008-01-03T15:22:00.000-08:00

Okay, for the most part I find New Year's Resolutions unhealthy. But, following Emily's lead, I will do one thing: I will write more. And I don't even mean poetry or short stories. I just mean sentences. Together. In paragraph form, even. So the blog will take a slightly different direction--as I wasn't keeping up with all the interior design stuff anyway, I'm going to be a little more general here. Life and such. I know you're excited.

I'll start later.

I don't know where it'll go...

2007-12-10T22:32:00.001-08:00

I find this appealing. I have no place for it, but whatevs.

Hey look, technology!

2007-12-10T21:40:00.000-08:00

So I finally got my act together and loaded some photos. Ta. Da.

Here's the room:
.

My favorite place to read:

Beware the yellow bathroom:

Well, don't we all feel better now?

Okay, I Give In.

2007-07-27T20:04:00.001-07:00

I'll get a new damn bed. Boyfriend, you better send Pottery Barn a thank you card.

(the crewel-floral embroid ered duvet cover and sham...)

My Boyfriend Hates Me

2007-06-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

No really. True story.

Okay, okay, he hates my bed, but that cuts deep. You see, the boy is a rather tall fellow, and my bed is a full and so he suffers from that curse that plagues boyfriends everywhere: feet dangle. And apparently this hurts his ankles and then his legs and then he can't sleep and then he begins to-- just a little-- hate me.

But gosh, what am I supposed to do? I love my pretty white duvet cover and iron headboard. They did not come cheap, let me tell you. Also, the room is not huge, and someday I will finish repainting my mother's old china cabinet so it's a bureau and I like my nightstands and the old rocking chair in the corner. There's just no space. Really. He claims otherwise but he has ulterior motives.

Cohabitation, however, is something I would like, so I know my loss on this one is inevitable. Just as is my overuse of commas. So I've been looking for duvet covers. I must say, I'm struggling a little. I kind of like the embroidered "ethnic" stuff at West Elm, but I'm not gaga over it.

What is a girl to do?

Somebody Slap Me

2007-05-24T13:48:00.000-07:00

I did it. I bought the damn hourglass. It has a delicacy to it that I really dig. I also bought a candle holder and a glass with an Indian print, which I'm actually having some buyer's regret over. My lovely boif pointed out that the glass looked kind of like a fancy version of the things fast food joints give out for a buck and a hamburger (I wanted to throw it at him, but he was right). The candle holder is cool except it turns out that its intended shelf in my bathroom slants downward slightly, which is pretty unnoticeable but becomes very obvious once you look at the top of the taper. It's the whole "if a pilot is off by two degrees he'll end up a batrillion miles from the right place" thing. Argh. Also, if I'm being completely honest, the hourglass is a little crooked.

All this made me think of my love of home goods. Why? Why do I love matching things and putting stuff together and vases with China mums and little bird figurines and why, oh God why, hourglasses? Have you read Bee Season? It's not a book I loved, but the mother turns out to be a huge thief of knick knacks. She calls them "perfectomundo," and this was an aspect of the book I really, really got. I don't know that I'm necessarily trying to fill some void, but there's a charm in tiny, perfect, beautiful things. I know I shouldn't be some happy about or want so much these material objects, but is it so bad? Isn't it okay if it gives me some satisfaction?

And that is why I will eventually buy this stupid Victoria Hagen hurricane from Target.

Time Trend

2007-05-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

What's with all the hourglasses all of a sudden? CB2, Anthropologie, and Z Gallery all have 'em. I have always thought hourglasses were kind of cool. I especially like these simple glass versions. It seems we will all have to rearrange our coral and foo dogs to find a space for this new trend.

Still alive

2007-03-09T09:54:00.000-08:00

Sorry the posts have been few and far between lately. Grades are due next week. I will return after that...

Swoon

2007-02-28T16:31:00.000-08:00

Okay, so my eyes would immediately turn purple and fall out (due to cat) the second i got near it, but do you think Nicole of Making it Lovely would notice if I stole her chair? Lovely, indeed. Thanks to Apartment Therapy Chicago for forcing me go to her page and stay at work even later. Jerks.

Tord Boontje, Thomas Paul and I Will Have Great Times Together

2007-02-28T14:39:00.000-08:00

Good news, Thomas Paul: Tord Boontje wants to be our best friend. No, don't worry if you can't say his last name. We'll call him Big T and he'll never know how clueless we are. Won't we have fun?

I'm rather the Johnny come lately when it comes to this guy---I first noticed him when he did his Christmas stuff for Target (cool plates and a nifty garland). I like how he combines bright, modern colors with whimsical nature prints. I also like his Transglass products--vases and glasses made out of recycled bottles. It's just that particular shade of green I love. Man, between Tord and Tom, I am going to have the BEST plate collection ever. They had better get started giving me stuff, though, 'cause the only plates in my family are those Norman Rockwell Christmas things. Great for Grandma, but me? Not so much.

More good news: I finally tracked down those damn white birds I've obsessed about since my boyfriend took me on a charming walk through downtown Claremont (yeah, don't think he's so great---I went to a football game first. (Okay, yeah, he's pretty cool)) and I went into a home store and I saw them and I decided I didn't want them. Anyway, I now remember why I didn't buy one. I just can't make myself pay 24 bucks for a bird. Argh. Anyway, they're at Global Table. Enjoy.

The Times They Are A'Changin'

2007-02-27T13:50:00.000-08:00

I've never liked the barrel/drum side table/stool/ottoman thing. I tend to favor straight lines. Lately, though, I've begun to think they're the bee's knees. In their February issue (that of the infamous Zac Posen dress-induced desp air), Domino showed where to find a "cheap" version. I will look tonight and post the picture and link of that. I especially like the Gervasoni take on the table; it's made of pressed newspaper. How cool is that?
I have a small space next to my adored $35 gold craigslist armchair that would be perfect for this table (without the black top though...). Pier1 has something similar--the "Handan Stool." I like it, but the color wouldn't work for me, and I'm not crazy about the trim or little dot things. Is there a technical term for little dot things? Crate and Barrel has the "Congo," but it's $379. Ouch. Do any of you have know other sources for similar pieces?

By the way, how do we feel about all this rattan/wicker/natural grass stuff? P o t t er y Barn's latest catalog featured tons of it--I liked the cover and the picture in my previous post, but wasn't nuts about the rest. And Pier1 has always had a lot, but they're just loaded with it now. By the way, the one chair I do really like, the Dayton, is on sale for $65. You still have to buy the cushion (for around $44), but I find the chair price rather reasonable.

And finally, you know what I find the most exciting thing in the whole world? I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE when I'm looking at a website and they have something that I found a near replica of at Target. It makes me feel like a winner. And perhaps I need to seek another source of validation, but the sense of satisfaction is no less real. Behold: Crate and Barrel's Kingston for $199. I bought almost the identical table at Target. Crate and Barrel: 0; Casey: 1.

Cool Idea

2007-02-26T09:57:00.000-08:00

Much like my students, my flowers never do what I tell them to do. They all lean to one side. Or they hug the rim of the vase, creating 360 degrees of stupidness. I've seen those things that go on top of vases. You know what I'm talking about, right? They're a wire grid? And kind of ugly? Anyway, I was checking out Pottery Barn today, and they've come up with a clever solution to that problem that ruins my every Thursday (Farmers Market day, you see (sub-parenthetical statement: look at the research I do for you.)): the "decorative wire sphere." Neato. And they're on sale for 4 and 5 bucks.

I just got my new PB catalog this weekend. I think it starts out strong, but I wasn't so impressed with the stuff in the middle. I am particularly ambivalent about their Francesca rug, which is supposed to be "inspired by early American quilts," and picks up on the multi-pr in t tre nd I discussed last week. I don't really like the picture of the rug alone, but I do like it in a room. Go figure. Click on the image to see it bigger. What do you guys think? As if I will ever be able to afford a PB rug...

Split Personalities

2007-02-23T14:56:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the mini-trend of objects having more than one print? I don't know how to articulate it, and I don't even know if I completely like it. I think I do. What do you think about this Amy Butler pillow? Or the rugs from Urban Outfitters?

By the way, Urban Outfitters has the closest thing to the blue lamp I like. Okay, not true. Lots of places have that blue lamp I love. UB has the cheapest one, and it's good enough. Not ceramic, though. Bummer. Not that it matches anything in my apartment. Double bummer. Also, I must say that it's a little embarrassing to not have grown out of my Urban Outfitters phase yet. I just really like some of their stuff. I can't say I actually own anything of theirs, but I still visit the webpage on a regular basis. I am so 15 years old.

Finally, please comment! I'm starting to get a decent number of hits, and would love to get to know my readership. Where are you from? How'd you find me? Have a great weekend, all!

NEEDNEEDNEED

2007-02-23T11:19:00.001-08:00

Thanks to IMEDAGOZE, I just discovered Rosanna. Rosanna has, basically, everything I've ever wanted. I also think they're incredibly reasonable. I might even get over my obsession with having only red plates. I'm not going to say anything else. I'm just going to show you, and if you know me at all, you'll get it:

Creepy Coincidence

2007-02-23T09:41:00.000-08:00

Last week, my boyfriend and I went to his parents' for dinner (side note: I think they may actually like me), and after we said our hellos, I immediately noticed the new addition to their living room. It was The Chair. The Chair haunts my dreams. Apparently, The Chair exists in reality. It's Ethan Allen's Sussex. Funnily enough, I don't really like the chair as it's pictured on the website. Bathe it in yellow damask, however, and (as my friend Cristina says-- I would never actually say this-- except for right now...) I 1-800-LOVE-IT! The boif agreed; his parents had indeed bought the chair I talk about ad naseum. Poor guy, the word "damask" has been forced into his vocabulary. It's the risk you run when you love me, I guess. I wonder how long the damask trend will continue. I really like it, I must say. Not the fussy stuff, but bold graphic prints make me a little happier than a normal person should be made by upholstery.

I am very much in the mood for flowers today. When I lived in Ireland, our farm had flowers everywhere. We had so many different kinds of daffodils it made my head spin. We had huge (and I mean HUGE) red tulips with dark black centers. When they opened all the way, well, one was reminded of Georgia O'Keefe. Little crops of flowers popped up in completely random places (next to the muck pile, for example. By the way, avoid muck whenever possible). We also had a picking garden, which was just awesome. My teeny tiny room was always filled with jars of flowers (jars, because there ain't no such thing as vases on a farm). I meant to stop by my town's farmer's market yesterday, but it was raining and I had to get the stitches out of my mouth (wisdom tooth, ick). I think I will go to the neighborhod florist this afternoon and buy myself some tulips.

Also, and I am a little upset by this, I need to buy a basket. For some reason, I have never been a fan of baskets. Unfortunately, I am a fan of piles. My living room is pretty darn neat right now, except for a pile of magazines next to my couch. And let's be honest: that pile of magazines isn't going anywhere any time soon. Because darn it, I have to keep those home design magazines that I've already read twelve times. Because I am crazy. So World Market, here I come.

Ooh, this just in: I went to the World Market website to find a basket I didn't hate, and apparently, all their rugs are up to 50% off. Nice. They're got a couple I really like. Look in the "natural fibers" section. Also, holy crap. Apparently baskets are expensive. Target, here I come?

Domino Downer

2007-02-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

I love Domino Magazine. I really do. I am enchanted by its bright pictures, and inspired by the rooms in its pages. Lately, though, I've been a bit bummed. Because, you see, they want you to think that that room could be yours. But then the lovely wife standing in her lovely room is wearing a Zac Posen dress, and you realize, "Ah crap! I'm poor." When it comes down to it, Domino has very little I can afford. Does anyone know of a magazine like Domino, but for people on a budget? Just wondering.

In other news, I have a confession to make. I really want this Buddha head from CB2. I usually stay away from religious paraphernalia. For one, I think it's semi-disrespectful to use someone else's sacred object as a paperweight or a bookend. I also am not really into the Eastern look (Although, I admit, I covet Jonat han Adler's Chinese Chippendale chairs. But in red. Why don't they have a red one??). Once in a while, though, I will be drawn to some sort of religious statue. Why? Well, in this instance, I just love the color. When these traditional objects are saturated in bright, contemporary colors, I just can't help myself. Ah, juxtaposition, how I love thee. Ah juxtaposition, how I love using thee in dubious ways.

Pause for Pop Culture

2007-02-15T08:48:00.000-08:00

Yes, you're still reading a decorating blog, but you're also reading my decorating blog, which means you're going to have to hear about American Idol.

FINALLY! I am so glad they're out of the auditions phase. I found those shows offensive, basically. I think it's one thing to show the audition of someone who's kind of a jerk and has an inflated concept of his talent. In the last few years, however, I think Idol has gone a darker, more unethical route. Would you agree that some of the early contestants seemed to be disabled? I'm a teacher, and before I started this job, I worked with kids with special needs. Some of them looked like they were just regular kids. However, after talking to them for a few minutes, one would be able to tell that there was a processing problem or autism or something. I sort of feel that Idol's audition pool was composed of similar people. But, you say, those people chose to audition, right? Yes, that's true. However, it's society's job to take care of people who can't make the best choices on their own. Idol is like the modern sideshow.

And by the way, aren't the girls MUCH better than the guys?

I will never be Buddhist.

2007-02-13T10:39:00.000-08:00

I lived with Tibetan monks the summer after my sophomore year of college. I was an intern at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, and the monks were there to build a mandala. It was an amazing time. I would watch them, transfixed, as they scraped a metal stick up and down a grooved metal cone. The vibrations of the cone caused the sand inside it to come out like water, and soon monkeys, clouds, gorgeous buildings, and writing took shape. The monks worked for a week, sometimes for 10 hours a day. When not working, they were the most kind, gentle, and surprisingly playful people I've ever met. It was probably the most formative experience of my time in college.

But that darn One Good Bumblebee has pretty much prevented me from ever becoming a Buddhist. That's right, my path to spiritual enlightenment has been permanently roadblocked by their Jar of Whimsies. Why? Because the jar is filled with stuff, stuff I desire. Buddhism calls this desire Tanha, and it's apparently not good. But Buddhists, how could you expect me not to want "glass glitter imported from Germany, vintage cotton spun mushrooms, gold foil leaves, viles, millinery supplies, vintage beads, vintage costume jewelry, vintage clothespins, typewriter keys, jingle bells, vintage marbles, wooden spools, sugared fruits, antique skeleton keys, vintage game pieces, watch parts, foil dresdens, miniature toys, vintage swizzzle sticks, charms, and so much more." So much more! Clearly I need this. Clearly enlightenment will have to wait until the next life (and maybe in my next life, I'll already HAVE all this stuff, so I won't want it. It's like the Eightfold Path loophole).

Do you think Thomas Paul will be my best friend?

2007-02-13T09:49:00.000-08:00

Isn't this a pretty pillow? And this one, too? Does anyone want to buy them for me? No? Okay, then. I am going to have to recruit Thomas Paul as my best friend. Sorry Emily, Cristina, Melika, Lisa, Allegra and Mom. You had your chances. It's Thomas Paul's turn. And if, say, while we're doing each other's nails and talking about our sex lives, T. Paul wants to load my house with his gorgeous pillows and piece-of-art plates, I guess I'll just have to let him. Because that's what best friends do.

I HAVE to have these

2007-02-09T15:48:00.001-08:00

So, I have had a mental picture of these since I moved into my apartment. Crate & Barrel has apparently read my mind. Creepy. Anyway, the Samovaari bath towels are by Marimekko, and almost make having a garish yellow and orange bathroom worth it. Almost.

Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Gorgeous West Elm Rug

2007-02-09T09:44:00.000-08:00

Basically, I really need this rug. Ah West Elm, why must you tempt me so?? I, like so many people before me, have fallen prey to the bird silhouette trend. Of course, I have no space for a runner. I kind of want to just have it, though. I could, say, roll it up and keep it in my closet. And then some day when I actually pay off my huge amounts of student debt (yeah, like that's ever going to happen), and own a house with a HALLWAY (that's right, my current "hallway" is a 2'x2' square), I'll be ready. And I will be awesome.

Por supuesto, aside from space for the rug, I also lack funds. I did recently complete a little project that incorporated birds, though. On the wall above the notorious Problem Spo t, of all places. I searched the internet for bird silhouettes, printed them out, and cut them out again on black paper. I also freehanded a few branches and birds. Then I bought two sets of the 5 for $15 frames from Target, some card stock from Michaels, and bang, instant ubercheap art. At right is an admittedly crummy picture, taken with my phone (I really, really need a digital camera). I must say, I'm pretty happy with it. It took me about an afternoon, and I only cut myself with the x-acto knife once. I do admit, I feel a little conflicted about the project. Some of the images are from t-shirts and stuff. Am I not respecting artists? Or is it okay because I'm not selling them or anything? And because I'm poor. Don't poor people deserve art, too?

While I'm looking around West Elm, I must also say, I kinda enjoy this duvet cover. As I get older, I'm more drawn to the natural world (see bird fetish, above). Green has always been my favorite, but I'm lately more fond of brown, a color I've never liked. I am also more comfortable with mixing graphic prints with florals, which sounds horrendous theoretically but actually looks pretty neato in reality. Can one be a serious writer and still use the word "neato"? I leave you a long weekend to ponder the question.

I Just Can't Help Myself...

2007-02-01T13:53:00.000-08:00

I am really drawn to these balls by CB2. [Yes, jerks, insert your "Well, Casey's always drawn to balls" joke here. Then grow up.] [Okay, I admit it, I still mentally make ball jokes. Someday I'll be an adult.] Anyway, the balls pretty much match my living room color scheme. I can picture a bowl or hurricane lamp full of them. I'm usually not a huge fan of these sorts of things, but I guess there's a kindergarten/yarn/plaster of Paris aspect to them that I like. While I'm on the subject of CB2, let me say that you should definitely visit their page. They are very reasonable about incredibly well-designed pieces. I covet the haiku platter. Sadly, I am destined to years of retro-red, as dictated by my kitchen.

I think this brings me to another subject. I'm really wondering: Are other people as crazy as I am?? So, I have this 1950s-ish kitchen. I like it. I put in the Pottery Barn cafe curtains, and I have a bunch of old (and, frankly, slightly bizarre) family pictures up, and Fiestaware galore, and I'm happy with it. I'm also sort of stuck with it. I feel as if every item I buy for the kitchen must be red. I don't even really like red. And really, I should let go. Take the aforementioned haiku platter, for example. It's a platter. As in, take an appetizer to a party. As in, take an appetizer to a party given by people (ahem, usually your mom) who most likely do not have a 1950s-inspired kitchen. As in, these theoretical people will love your appetizer and compliment you on your cute haiku platter which will lead to a discussion of CB2 which will lead to a discussion of your blog and maybe you'll finally get readers. Now, I know I should buy the darn platter. But I JUST CAN'T DO IT. I can't buy something that doesn't match the kitchen. Do you want to know why? Promise not to laugh? Okay. Because my cupboards won't match. I know, I know, I'm insane. It's not like they're glass-front or anything. Nope. It's just that I'll know. I wonder if there's a program for people like me.

What else, what else? Ah...I recently discovered Textile Arts. They've got a limited but cute assortment of gifts, as well as large-print Marimekko fabric, like the oilcloth piece below. I am, I must say, a little sad that I haven't been able to work this color anywhere into my apartment. There are about a million beautiful vases in the same shade. Target, Pottery Barn, and every little knick-knack home store has such vases in abundance. There are also a bunch of lamps that I want. Do you know what I mean? It's a kind of milky material? It's somehow modern and beach and farmhouse all at once. Argh, if only I didn't have a yellow and orange bathroom. I like the whole milk blue vase/white starfish combo.

Temporary Thing

2007-01-26T11:01:00.000-08:00

My friend Cristina (yay, a reader!) lives in a basement in Michigan. No really. She's getting a PhD there, and lives in someone's basement. She has a red couch. You may not understand why this matters, but when you're 25 (Cristina, you're almost there, don't split hairs and point out that you have, like, two weeks), you put special value on bigger pieces of furniture. Because they show that you're really a grown-up (grown-ups have furniture, you see). Because you ate Ramen for two months to buy them.

Cristina said I should write about one-room, temporary living (those of you with huge, gorgeous studios don't count). So, by request, the "Decorating When You're Just Going To Have To Move Anyway" post:

First of all, get settled. Don't let the knowledge that you're going to have to move eventually get to you. If you do this, you will never unpack your boxes or buy nice sheets or put anything on the wall. You will never feel comfortable, and so you will go hang out at the coffee house and spend money we all know you shouldn't be spending. At least on coffee, anyway (on Thomas Paul plates, okay). The fact is that if you're going to be somewhere for more than a few weeks, you should give the place some style. It's your home, however temporarily.

Can you paint? If you can, do. Ignore my previous post about accent walls. One of the best ways to make a room feel more like a Capital R Room is to paint. If you can't paint, get creative. But large sheets of canvas and paint them. Or get blik wall decals.

Use mirrors. Mirrors reflect both light and physical space, which make the room appear larger. I like the frameless mirror styles that have been popular the last couple years. The beveled edge simply looks cool, but it also provides a different angle for reflected light. Pottery Barn's Eleanor set is nice. I have a few like them in my room, though I found mine for a lot less at Target.

If your landlord won't let you nail stuff up, and the thing you want to hang isn't too heavy, get mounting tape from a hardware store (or in the Home Improvement section of my beloved Target). Of course, some mounting tapes strip paint from walls, which won't make you Tenant of the Year. If it's not heavy at all, I use the removable stuff meant for 3M hooks without the hooks. I hung some small mirrors about a month ago, and they haven't come a'crashin' down yet.

Another good single-room-living technique is to create separate spaces. Don't feel that all furniture has to be against a wall. Set aside a place to read, hang out with friends, work, and sleep. My senior year of college, I put up a wall-mounted, collapsible table. It gave me a place to work, but didn't take up any room when it was down. Use room dividers, like Tord Boontje's Until Dawn curtain thingy. I seem to remember Ikea having a system for ceiling-mounted glide rails. Or something.

Of course, you can pull the ultimate I'm-renting-someone's-basement-move: Put some curtains on the wall. Pretend you have windows. If you choose the right fabric (fabric that doesn't look dumb closed), and put them in places where there certainly could be windows, I think you could avoid appearing ridiculous. Place the rods high on the wall, which makes quite the statement and also seems to add height to the room itself.

Buy stretched canvas at Michael's. You can paint it and decoupage a postcard you liked, or paint it, let that dry, put lace over the canvas, spray paint in a contrasting color, and peel off the lace.

Avoid posters (this is personal bias, I admit).

When I was living in one room, I got rid of the bed. Now, I think futons are a little too this-was-passed-down-to-me-from-my-college-
RA-when-he-moved-to-a-kibbutz, but if you can find a decent couch bed, go for it (craigslist, of course). If you only have one room to furnish, I think it's better to go living room than bedroom.

The key to the nomad lifestyle is to make things look permanent, even if you know they're being held up with mounting tape. You don't have to spend a ton of money. I always look at Domino Magazine and Pottery Barn and a million other design blogs and catalogs and magazines, find things I like, and recreate the look from stuff I find at Target or make myself. My beloved gold armchair I got from craigslist for $35. My rug is from Tuesday Morning. I get my just-like-PB hurricanes from Michaels. My kitchen is decorated with old pictures of my family. The most important thing, I'd say, is to always have an idea of the next thing you want to add, and keep your eyes open.

But what if you don't plan on staying in, say, a basement in Michigan forever? What are you going to do with all that STUFF when you move?? I say, don't cross that bridge until you come to it. You should enjoy your place. Go ahead and accumulate furniture, art, and knick knacks. Rent a truck when you move. You're talking to the girl who has schlepped her belongings to and from Ireland in order to live in a space she loved. You will rarely suffer buyer's regret when it comes to the things you really like. But I can't tell you how much you're going to wish you had bought that candlestick or picture or...whatever.

The Seemingly Everpresent Accent Wall

2007-01-24T09:20:00.000-08:00

Ah, accent walls: how I covet thee. I want a light, light green in my bedroom, and a chocolate-y brown in the living room. There are a few obstacles to the attainment of accent walls, however.

a) My landlord. I think he'd say yes, actually, but he scares me so I never talk to him. Yes, I am fearless indeed.

b) Sloth. I kinda don't feel like it. I'd have to, you know, move stuff. And tape things. And, well, paint. Ew.

c) Cliché. I am already afraid my apartment looks a little too Pottery Barn-y. If I add a brown wall, I'm only a step away from putting my books in the shelves backwards (you guys know what I mean, right? Why do they do that?????).

I think that in the end, the accent wall is not for me. But a girl can have her design dreams.

But seriously, why do they do that?

Saturation Point

2007-01-23T14:58:00.001-08:00

I think I've kind of reached the point where I just really can't add any more to my little place. I haunt Etsy like I'm your dead great aunt Martha, and love much of the art there, but I just don't have any place for new stuff. I am especially drawn to "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep" by magicjelly. It's creepy, and I love it.
What do you want that just doesn't fit?

The Problem Spot.

2007-01-18T12:06:00.000-08:00

I have a problem spot in my teeny apartment. It's this weird corner, with the entrance to the kitchen on one side, and the hallway the other. Usually, I like little corners. They are a great place for shelves, cool tables, hanging lamps...you get the idea. With so many possibilities, why am I at a loss, then? Two words: floor heater. Fourteen more words: weird niche thing near the floor that IS NOT CENTERED and drives me crazy. So, the ugly brown register thing is on the floor, and directly above it a little bit to the left is this niche. Now, I would love to have a niche. If it were in the middle of the wall. And not four inches from the floor. As it is, though, it kind of makes my life hard.

I'd like to just put something over the heater and niche, my grandmother's old trunk or a chair. My apartment is oooooold, though, and I'd likely freeze in my sleep without the heat (that is if the perpetual gas leak from the ancient (but awesome) oven doesn't get me first). I finally put some pictures on the wall above, and am considering putting a console table there. The Hudson, to be exact. But will this look dumb? Or will it draw the eye up, away from the slab of old metal and the strange hole in the wall?

So, I just started this blog, and I know I don't have any readers, but I'd like to invite readers (imagined and future) to share their "problem spots." I'll throw a picture of mine in some day (my camera was broken by an autistic child in Ireland...long story).