Snappaloosa's Profile

I have to second the responses of people who have noted that the novelty would wear off over time. It does. It seriously does.

I "inherited" a royal blue veneer kitchen counter top when we bought our apartment 5 years ago. I hate it. Perhaps because it was not something I chose, and perhaps because it was yet one more element in a garish and not particularly well-executed 80's kitchen makeover, but all the same: I look at it every day and I hate it.

It goes without saying that you should make sure whatever material you choose is hardy and stain-resistant. Our blue veneers have been scratch-resistant so far, but seem to stain easily, which only deepens my resentment of them. I'm really hoping 2013 is the year we can begin a long-overdue kitchen reno. And it will NOT involve bold colored countertops.

Wow, I'm surprised to see so many negative experiences here! We used Moishe's this past December to move from Brooklyn to Queens and had absolutely no complaints-- the quote they gave us was very reasonable and binding, they showed up on time, were pleasant, worked quickly, and our stuff showed up in Queens in good order.

(I suppose I should add, in the interest of full disclosure, that my husband and I packed up everything ourselves, so they essentially provided the "muscle," and we moved our "valuables" (computers and music gear) in a Zip Car by ourselves)

In any case, I'm sorry that the rest of you didn't have a similar experience.

A friend of mine went to a restaurant supply store (www.bowerykitchens.com) and got a heavy-duty stainless steel table top, custom-sized for his 42" TV, and they were willing to cut the legs to order. He later went back and got a second one with shorter legs, no casters, and an additional, lighter-weight anodized aluminum lower shelf to use as a coffee table.

In December we bought a natural latex mattress. It seemed to split the difference between an innerspring mattress and the tempurpedic-- when we tested the tempurpedic, I had a very difficult time turning over, and I tend to roll around and change positions quite a bit when I sleep. It was easier for me to move on the latex. I can hardly feel my husband (or my cats) getting on and off the bed. I would *absolutely* buy another natural latex mattress in the future, assuming this one continues to perform as well as it has initially. My only caveat is that it traps heat, so even in the dead of winter, I only need a very light blanket or else I'm sweating to death (and then getting chills). All in all, I don't think I'd ever go back to a conventional innerspring.

Also, as an aside, I switched to a really soft, fluffy pillow after using firm pillows for my entire life. This has also made a VAST difference for me. I haven't woken up with a crick in my neck once since I went fluffy.

Jane-- It was my parents' building that had the big heroin bust. My dad stuck his head out his window and saw a bunch of NYPD and SWAT guys swarming the place. He thought it had to do with a rash of burglaries in the building, and he thought it was a bit of overkill. Once he saw the story in the Post, he made about a dozen copies of it and mailed it to all his friends and relatives, thus guaranteeing that if they ever come to NYC, they will *NOT* be staying at my parents' place! :)

Goulash, baby!

Man, with three cats, I could *seriously* use this!

My episode wasn't quite as nightmarish as most of these, and in hindsight, it's almost funny.

I had an acquaintance/friend-of-a-friend in another state who had always wanted to try living in NYC for a while. Meanwhile, my [totally 100% awesome] roommate wanted to go away for the summer. He allowed me to sublet his room to "Acquaintance."

We agreed to the terms ahead of time, which were *very* generous-- 1 month up front, the balance by the time he left to go home. He sent me a money order for the first month, and appeared on my doorstep a week later. By the end of the summer, he was really getting on my nerves, had been fired from 2 bar-back jobs and a retail job, and was becoming a nuisance. I reminded him that my totally 100% awesome roommate would be home within a couple of weeks, and he needed to make his departure plans, including paying me the balance of the rent.

In complete and total seriousness, he looked at me and said "I didn't think you'd actually make me pay the rest. I thought we'd be sleeping together by now and you wouldn't care."

I was absolutely flabbergasted. I gave him 24hrs to get his ass on a bus. Which he did. To his credit, he actually sent me 1/3 of what he owed me about a year later, but I never heard from him after that.