BarbieQ's Profile

In a rental, with a tragic kitchen...I used clear Rubbermaid drawer liner to collage the cabinets with colorful 50s food ads. When applied and smoothed-out...it is pretty much invisible. It was easy to work with, move around, and it didn't leave any residue at all. I cleaned it all the time--spatters wiped right off. I also encased the appliances...all good!

Great menu! I shared it with some vegetarian friends in hopes of rallying a crowd for a dinner in a few weeks. I love the ample and interesting courses...without a salad in sight.

Depends on how rowdy the crowd appears to be...

What celebrity could you NOT be trapped in an elevator with for 6 hours?
What songs are on your jukebox from hell?
What is your least favorite food?
If you were an orchestral musical virtuouso (assuming you are not) what instrument would you play? <saw, triangle, theremin, swiss horn, digeridoo...etc
Would you rather live in a world without colors or flavors?
What one crazy/irresponsible thing would you buy if you won the lottery?
What was your greatest most irrational childhood fear? <quicksand
Super hero or super villian or mad scientst?

With a 100 year old home...you get over the spontaneous urges pretty quickly...as they often result in big, expensive, complex revelations. Sigh. Now, I make sure I have the funds and time to deal with worst-case scenario before getting rowdy on a project.

In the 1970's my family lived in MCM house with full-on grotto/fish pond in our living room...no casualties, neither klutzy child nor tipsy adult! It was a major source of entertainment and creative inspiration to me and all of my childhood posse. My parents were very much of the 'I am sure you can figure it out...' school of child-rearing.

Ha! The 'find the best city' quiz gave me the primary option of the city I grew up in (and spent most of my adult life actively avoiding)...and two alternative cities I have lived in. Maybe I need to revisit my life path??

I used to have to trek up and down the stairs from my 11th floor apt all the time when the elevators were out or the power went out...I cannot imagine doing that, say for the 30th floor. I did have great views living in a high rise, and solid/quiet construction...but the 3 am fire alarms, the random door buzzing from the lobby, and unpredictable elevators were a mess...

"Semi-furnished" seems to mean that the apartment will feature 2 dilapidated particle board wardrobes, a TV from 1985, and a queen sized box-spring that were all abandoned by prior tenants.

After losing a camera to crack in my waterproof housing/adventure suit (another brand--which didn't hold up to rough travel)...I made the switch to a Nikon Waterproof/shockproof camera. Really affordable and takes great pictures. You can't dive with it (10m depth rating)...but I have had it in the water for surfing and snorkeling without issue. Flash is great in rain, snow, surf. Also just fine for my day to day picture taking. I do need a floating strap, though--that is a great idea!

When I relocated from Boston to Detroit, I came from a [nice] 650 sq ft apartment and got settled in a 1800 sq ft loft. I literally could cartwheel through the kitchen...and I had plenty of space for all my stuff--and more. Need I mention it was on the riverfront, had a parking garage (at no charge!), and had a gym with a pool? Beautiflly maintained, freshly updated. I mean, say what you will about Detroit--it was a very luxe upgrade for me. Prior to that, I did have a brilliant rental house about 12 years ago in Cambridge--it was pitched as a 3 bdr, and it wasn't renting because the '3rd bedroom' had no window and was about 8x8...but it was perfect for us as a 2 bdr w/office. It had a magnificent butler's pantry, 3 fireplaces--and a coveted washer and dryer. It was a fortune, but it was the first place I had ever rented that didn't look/feel like a rental...