heypielady's Profile

This is much classier than my "Hawaii" bathroom which consists of bright blue walls, a hula girl shower curtain and a soap dispenser shaped like a pineapple.

I don't necessarily think of this as a "bad bar" question so much as a "bar that doesn't really do cocktails" question. Sort of along the lines of what would I order at a wedding if I wanted a cocktail. Probably a rum and coke with a lime (cuba libre)

My usual order at a bar would be a bourbon neat. I once asked for whisky with a splash of water in it and they gave a me equal parts whisky and water on the rocks. Blech! Tasted like dishwater.

@ANNIE-O: I saw that painting on OneKingsLane today. I don't know if they are prints or what.

Not based on science but from my own personal experience... I question the ball chair as being somehow better than a regular chair. I was doing contract work at an office where the only free office had an exercise ball instead of a conventional chair. I was fine with that as I have very good core strength and posture. What I also have is very loose joints (not to be confused with muscle flexibility). Sitting on the convex surface all day really took a toll on my alignment and sacral joint... I was in a great deal of pain the rest of the week. I think the ball is fine short term but not for an entire workday.

I'm lucky enough to have a teeny-tiny urban balcony with a fabulous view of Boston. The only thing I didn't like about it is that the lining of it was the same black rubber used on the roof of my building so it was kind of an eyesore. I thought about covering it with bamboo or some other material but all of that seemed a little expensive and probably wouldn't last more than a few seasons. I strung up some oversized lights last year and it has made a big difference. Highly recommend lighting on any tiny balcony!

@PI: I don't know about the laws in other states but in Massachusetts its illegal to have a grill on deck or balcony. A lot of suburbanites do it anyway because... who's looking? But in the city, it's kind of obvious so most people follow that rule. Even if it wasn't illegal, on a small balcony it does seem a bit foolish to have an open flame within inches of your exterior wall.

I had this idea stuck in my craw that I needed a "file cabinet" and that really I had outgrown my tupperware style file box. My husband and I did a giant purge of old paper work one weekend (it was painful) and set up a new folders similar to those suggested above. It's actually not that many folders. With the ability to store so many files electronically, there are only a handful of documents your really need the hardcopy of.

So I was happy that we could pare two file boxes down to one file box with plenty of room to spare and save money by using what we already had instead of buying something new.

I love Trader Joe's Tomato Roasted Red Pepper Soup. But add a little smoked paprika and sherry vinegar to it and, wow, you've got a gourmet meal.

Cheers to all of you who are anti-texting. Everyone with an expensive phone makes me feel like a pariah. (I have a flip phone that came free with my plan- a grandfathered plan from the 90s-- I doubt there's a more affordable one out there). That said, I'm not cheap. There are plenty of things I choose to spend my money on that others would think are ludicrous. I just don't value having that technology enough to pay the steep cost.

My dad is definitely in the no VM camp. His message states that if you need a quick response to please text or email him as he doesn't often check VM. I think that is a good solution if it really irks you.

I have nothing to say about napping but I am seriously in love with that dog.

I have a glass table so I always use placemats (lovely wool felt ones from Filzfelt) both to protect the table and to avoid loud clinking and clattering of ceramic dishes and metal cutlery on glass. The glass is also cold so the felt placemats warm it up a bit. As long as spills are attended to promptly the felt is pretty forgiving.

I never thought of them as formal.