kkchildress's Profile

Your price point of $1200 rules out a lot of great neighborhoods in LA because it is pretty expensive. The Valley might be a bit of a commute depending on where you work, and it's not the prettiest part of LA, but most of it is fine. The edges of the Valley tend to be the best areas to live. Areas along Ventura Blvd mean you're close to a trendy shopping/eating area. You should definitely consider your commute if you're getting a job here. As others have said, LA's bad traffic reputation is well earned. While the city is trying to develop better public transportation, it currently isn't great.

A word about your cats. I also have two cats that I adore and they are indoor only. I would advise against letting your cats outdoors in LA. Others might disagree and some areas are safer than others, but if you live anywhere near hills then you have coyotes and possibly even mountain lions to worry about. Black widow spiders are also native to the area and a bite can easily kill a cat. Plus there is a LOT of traffic everywhere in this city, so that is a big risk. Just things to consider to protect your pets.

Thanks for this post! I've been trying to cut way back on the paper we use, including the mail we get. I HATE the phone book and it's great to be given a way to opt out of it.

I received several Shun knives and the scissor/shears for my wedding and I LOVE them! I can't imagine how I ever cooked without them. The scissors are super versatile and they come apart into two pieces for easy cleaning. Yes, they are pricey, but I've learned that it's better to pay more for better quality than to keep replacing cheap, shoddy items. Plus, it's more eco-friendly than throwing items out all the time.

If you have a problem with smelly shoes, you can make odor-killing inserts. Just cut off the foot and ankle part of the tights, fill them with a cup or two of clean cat litter (the standard sand kind), and tie off the tops. You can do this with nylons, too, but it helps to double up on the nylons since they're thin. A fresh-scent variety is nice, but most unscented litters are odor-killing anyway. When you take the shoes off, stuff the insert into the shoe and it molds to the shape of the shoe and kills off the odor and any dampness.

My cats were babies last year (they were my Christmas present from my husband), so they weren't allowed downstairs unsupervised. This year, I put the tree together and an hour later found one of them at eye level peering at me through the branches. Since it's a fake tree, the branches are steady metal rods in an even pattern so they appear to be really easy to climb. They are Siamese so their urge to climb is unresistable. The tree is 8 feet high and sturdy, so I don't worry about it tipping, but I am worried about the lights and ornaments once I put them on. They already steal magnets off the fridge when they can reach them, so I know this will be a problem. Maybe I'll just put the plasic and fabric ones up. Thanks to everyone for the cat-repellant tips and the cute stories!