jeffur's Profile

we have two cats, and know that every once in a while an overnight guest will be allergic. so we keep a single set of guest sheets and towels that live in a closet, stored in one of those plastic zip-up bags that comforters come in. we still wash them before guests arrive and before we put them away, of course, but by not using them ourselves, we mostly avoid getting any cat hair on them at all. it really seems to help!

white white white white white for everything but the floor. once you have all your stuff loaded in i don't think it will look stark at all.

our toolbox lives in right inside the door of our "everything" closet. open the door and it's within easy reach.

good thing the closet, which is one of two in our apt., is a decent size; in addition to the toolbox it holds golf clubs, a cooler, all our camping equipment, an easel, shoes, coats, board games, laundry supplies, and more!

also, i second what others have said about dog-friendly places being a challenge to find, but they are certainly out there. my building in the mission has a garden and is pet-friendly (though we have two cats instead of a dog), and hell--if the number of dogs in dolores park on the weekends are any indication, there are at least several apts. in the city that allow them. they must live somewhere! personally, i love the mission for its sun, high walkability, restaurants, and nightlife ... though i have to say that we eat out more often that we "go out" ... we are generally nesters/homebodies and don't necessarily fit the hipster stereotype. the mission is dirty, to be sure. some parts are scarier than others. and parking can really suck depending on where you live. but we put up with the grime because the neighborhood works for us in so many other ways. it takes me about 30 minutes to commute to the financial district, no matter whether i take BART or muni; my boyfriend spends 45 minutes to an hour getting to palo alto everyday via caltrain. when i used to work in berkeley it was an hour on BART (after factoring in the walk on both ends) or a half an hour drive on the way there (longer coming back over the bay bridge in the evenings). hope that helps, if only a little. you have a ton of decisions ahead of you, but best of luck sorting through them and finding a place that works for you!

wow, do people always drink the same thing with dinner every night? now i'm wondering if it's weird that our choice of beverage totally depends on the day, our mood, and our meal. sometimes it's wine. sometimes it's beer. sometimes it's tap water from the brita pitcher, with or without a lemon wedge. sometimes it's milk. and, finally, sometimes it's soda.

here's to variety, i guess!

@bkg0712 and @laetitiae i love the herbed H20 suggestions! definitely going to try those. (i also recommend water with a fresh cucumber slice or two.)

i like to use 'em indoors for houseplants. because they have drainage holes, they are great for sitting within ikea's non-draining cache pots.

not my aesthetic overall but i have to say i really love the warm mix of textiles and patterns!

our "entryway" is created by a two-cubes-wide ikea expedit bookshelf laid horizontally to create a low room divider/half-wall (bonus: it provides a lot of storage). the top of the shelf is lined with large houseplants, which further separates the faux entryway from the living room. we've got a little tray among the plant jungle to hold keys, cell phones, and other on-the-go items, and shoes, jackets, and bags go directly into a coat closet that's further into the living room.

mail doesn't stay in the entryway; our household mail rules are ruthless. it gets sorted, opened, and dealt with immediately ... one of the few "systems" we have that really works!

i don't have a porch; all we've got is a fire escape. but i've found that, because the view from our kitchen and living room windows includes several back porches on the neighboring street, i've developed quite an opinion {and, er, streak of bitterness} on the subject.

if your porch is completely out-of-sight with respect to your neighbors, do whatever you want with it.

but if other view your porch from their homes, ahem:

i am all for using the space to line-dry your laundry or to "store" outdoorsy items like bicycles, terra cotta pots, shovels, firewood, bags of soil, and other things that don't look completely out of place on a porch.

but please please please keep it organized.

my neighbors' back porches look like trash heaps. there are rags and old clothes in piles on the ground. one house has an old wooden door out there, precariously balanced atop a mound of kids toys, cardboard boxes, broken chairs, and various other crap. the thing is not only an eyesore, but to make matters worse they lock their dog out there for hours on end. it's so bad that i've actually thought about calling to report animal abuse.

gross.

i should add: most us wouldn't have moved no matter *where* we were asked to go, due to family obligations, a significant other's employment, etc.