Tiamat_the_Red's Profile

Why, hello there, Uncanny Valley Denizen.

Yeah...ask your kids. I personally think these are creep-tastic. They remind me of dolls and dolls pretty much give me the heeby-jeebies. I would NOT want this in my space at all.

I live in an apartment with exactly this quirk. It's from the 30s and I love it. I don't use a blow-dryer or other heat styling tools so the bathroom thing isn't an issue for me but a cute dressing area in your bedroom sounds like fun. As for the kitchen, there are two outlets in the breakfast area off that it opens into and I just use those. I don't keep anything plugged in to them, just plug in what I need when I'm going to use it. There's no reason to keep the toaster, microwave and coffee pot all plugged in at once, is there? (I don't actually own two of these three things; I don't eat toast anymore as a result)

If you don't have outlets in any kind of dining area, it might be a little more difficult but my suggestion would be to skip small appliances where you can and find outlets in another room where you can't. Coffee pot on the dresser in your bedroom, maybe?

I have never regretted moving into my apartment and I've been there for going on five years now. Gadgets are just not that important.

@mdorothy Not to be rude, but your comment really rubs me the wrong way. I personally loathe doing chores. Your comment implies that I must therefore be small-minded or wrong somehow and that's insulting. It's perfectly acceptable to be miffed that you need to clean when you'd rather be outside walking on the beach or hanging out with friends or making something. It's normal to be annoyed at having to do a task and not having it stay DONE. Kim's post is about finding the balance between one's need to tidy and one's need to not be cleaning, so what's the problem?

I might also add that most of us don't ever milk goats, mend clothes or spin thread unless those happen to be our hobbies.

I believe they make stick on, removable wallpaper. I think that's the route I'd go.

I would actually recommend the dreaded orchid over air plants. I've killed 15 of 16 air plants I've brought into the house but I've only had 2 of 15 or so orchids die. I even have a phaleanopsis (the flat-faced ones that pretty much every grocery store sells now) that I've gotten to rebloom. Secrets: four feet away from a south facing window and no more, stick my fingers in the pot every time I walk by to check for dampness. The Phales are fine with a good drenching every so often (no less than ever other week!) and most of the other kinds that Trader Joe's sell do beautifully on a similar schedule.

You just have to pick plants that like the conditions you have. Have climate control going most of the year? Be sure you get plants that can tolerate dryness. Live in San Francisco? Plants native to cloud forests for you!

Succulents are super easy to overwater and under-sun, so they aren't actually all that easy in my opinion. Ferns that you just plan to water ever Monday work well (not maidenhair, they die) and so do prayer plants and peace lilies. Just set yourself an alarm. I have 8 potted plants and one potted tree in my office on exactly that schedule and they're doing great.

The most important trick? Make it easy. Put them where you'll see them all the time and put them on or in something so you can just dump water on them. If you have to move them into the sink, it's a commitment and becomes less likely that you'll remember.

I'm a fan of slices of tomatoes cooked in a skillet and served up with eggs as a breakfast food.

I also make slow-cooked greenbeans with tomatoes this time of year. It's stove-top so things don't get too warm and it's delicious if the fog is rolling in (Yay, San Francisco summers). Chop an onion and cook it in olive oil until it's soft (or in bacon grease if you have bacon. It adds a nice flavor) then throw in as many diced tomatoes as you like and cook them until they give up their liquid a bit. Toss in a bunch of greenbeans (I usually use about 4:1 beans to tomatoes but you could lean more heavily towards the tomatoes) and a large amount of red wine vinegar. Don't be shy; this is what makes or breaks the recipe. Salt to taste and let it all simmer until the beans are soft but not mushy and most of the liquid has evaporated. If it doesn't taste awesome, try adding more vinegar. I use somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 cup when I make four large servings of this. It's tasty as dinner with crusty bread and a fried egg on top. Plus, the leftovers store in the fridge beautifully and reheat well, too.

@Kaz, Maybe it helps with the texture? It IS kind of weirdly thick for icing. The filling should have enough pectin in it to stay put as is since it's basically jam. The unfrosted ones are super hard to find in my area, though.

And suddenly I find myself tempted to hit Craigslist for a new dresser...

@Madame Suggia, my thoughts exactly! This doesn't look like an uphostery job at all, just one for a seamstress.

@Elizeh, I do sort of the same thing, depending on how sick I am. I had a four or five month period at the beginning of this year where I was getting the full-on flu (fever, body aches, etc.) once a month. It sucked and for about 4 days I'd be flat on my back sleeping 16 hours a day. But once I was feeling ok enough to be bored but not good enough to focus on work, I'd clean. It made my mood better because at least I was doing SOMETHING. My apartment hasn't been that clean since I was procrastinating on studying for a professional exam.