Trumystique's Profile

Look at Macy's in their furniture clearance section. Sometimes people order things and never end up picking them up. I scored 2 amazing leather clubs by Sam Moore for $250 each. These chairs normally go for $11250-1500 a piece. They look a bit like this http://tinyurl.com/cozkpnt though mine had a tight back.

Also be patient searching Craiglist and you can find nice leather pieces that already have patina.

Yes I know Arlington and Newton arent in the city of Boston and if you read my posts carefully you would be clear about the fact that I made the distinction between city of Boston vs metro Boston. But Brookline, Cambridge and Somerville arent part of the city either yet Tara didnt point that out. Im from Boston and have lived all over the city and in metroBoston.

I hear what you are saying about Mission Hill but I lived and went to school in the South End and there was lots of drug deals and often there were gunshots. I didnt live in Southie but crime is alive and well there too. In any city you have to be aware of where you are living and who is living around you.

Janel the problem here is that there isnt even one "insider" thing that she posted. There isnt one single tip or trick listed ie get a renters resume and come to your listing with everything a prospective landlord would want to see especially if you are trying to sign a lease in primetime August/September. If she had just done some research she could have come up with a better post that actually rose to the level of providing insider info. It took me 15 secs to go to the link I posted from the City of Boston.

Every single thing she wrote is about neighborhoods that get a quite a bit of attention and make it on every schill real estate agents list. She didnt mention any of the lovely, affordable and accessible neighborhoods that have been mentioned by the posters ( including me). And thats why for anyone who really knows Boston this is a disappointing list.

Part of why I used to come to AT is that there were really informative posts and information I couldnt get anywhere else. This post is emblematic of the fact that the quality of AT's content is slipping and has been for the last few years. Now I just see a lot of uninformative, unoriginal and recycled posts. Whereas before 90% of the content on AT was useful to me now its down to less than 20%.

This is not a helpful list and obviously not written by someone who knows the area really well. It doesnt differentiate areas that are actually within the city of Boston versus areas that are metro Boston. Glosses over the great parts in Eastie that have been revitalized by Central American immigrants. And totally ignores great neighborhoods in Dorchester, Roxbury, Roslindale and Hyde Park where many nice and affordable housing can be found. Or how about Mission Hill and Chinatown from where you can walk to the places listed as "Established Chic"? And if we are going to metro Boston: how about Arlington and Newton?

Honestly comparing any of the neighborhoods in Boston to Brooklyn and Manhattan isnt helpful unless this is a guide for displaced NYers and shows how the person writing this is a transplant to Boston. Pretty weak writing here.

This is the first bedroom that has motivated me to vote. So lovely and elegant!!!

This is such a difficult dilemma and I totally understand because I struggled with giving away a dog with behavioral issues. I ended up by trying multiple strategies. But your sister is only able to make the best decision she can with the info she has right now.

My recommendation is to try some harm reduction techniques and if those dont work then go to Plan B. Plan B would be to do all you can to get your pet adopted into a loving home while avoiding overburdened shelters. Though I respect many of my physician brethren many of them arent always right in their diagnosis and many are uneducated about the interaction between diet and allergy. So seriously give a thought to alot of the informative posts on this thread.

Harm Reduction Techniques
If one step doesnt work go to the next and see if it will work.
1. Get rid of wall to wall carpets/curtains, vacuum rugs/upholstery, clean sheets/comforters and other soft furnishing frequently etc as described upthread
2. Open your windows everyday for a few minutes and turn on fans to move allergen heavy indoor air into the outdoors. Indoor air quality is notoriously bad in northern climes especially during the winter. Just opening windows and doors can do a world of difference by reducing the concentration of provoking indoor allergens. (FYI this is the opposite of what we recommend for people with outdoor allergies. To them we say keep windows closed during allergy season).
3. Try changing your pets diet ( as described upthread). If they are eating things that are irritating or inflammatory your cats will shed more and produce more dander.
4. Try confining cats to one area of the house to see if this makes a difference. Do this sequentially (one cat, then the other cat, then both cats) so you can see which cat is contributing to the allergen load and which pet might be more provoking.
5. Go on an food elimination diet but tell your doctor before you do. (Also be prepared for scoffing from your doctor that there is no randomized controlled clinical trial (RCT) showing the effectiveness of a food elimination diet. Ignore the scoffing, and test for yourself empirically). The gut is the largest immune organ in the body and is the site where most of the allergens in our environments are presented to our immune system. There are many foods you might be eating (peanuts, eggs, citrus, dairy, wheat etc) that may be acting in a synergistic or cumulative effect to make your cat allergies worse. These foods wont be detected well via a blood or skin prick test but nonetheless might be contributing to your allergic picture. I have found many people who eliminate a provoking food allergen from their diet and experience reduction in the severity of their symptoms from asthma, psoriasis and many other allergic/inflammation based diseases.
6. If steps 1-5 above dont work then foster your pets for 2 months. If your allergy gets better then you have your answer and can work to find them a good home. If your allergies dont get better then at least you know you can continue getting furry positive affirmation from your pets.

If you have to place your pets use your informal and career network to find them a home-look at it in the same way as when you are looking for a job. Tell everyone ( literally everyone) that you need to find a good home. Write a snappy ad with pictures and explain the cute little quirks of your pets. If you go the shelter route make sure that your ad makes clear they are being adopted out because of allergy and not behavioral issues. For many adopters learning a cat was given away by their owners can be a red flag especially with so many shiny new kittens about. And also be aware that your sweet cat may get aggressive and mean in a shelter because its a stressful environment for them so your dear kitties might not show to advantage in that setting.

Good luck and sorry for the mammoth post...

I totally feel your pain. I had a tight turn into my apartment that was such a pain to get any sofa I liked through.I didnt want to call the SofaDoctor so this is why I bought a sofa from this company http://www.divon.com/ . It was either that or one from Ikea. My sofa is still going strong 6 years later.

South Harlem? Where is that pray tell?

Dont listen to all the naysayers. For godsakes you kid isnt eating off the chair you are sitting down in it.

If you like the fabric and the foam seems in ok condition then I am with the people who say use a combination of sunlight and steam cleaning. If the foam is moldy investigate the cost of reupholsterey or making a slip cover. Enjoy your chair.

Hey Canucks, do you have any friends in the lower 48? I have a friend who buys things from US shops that dont deliver up north and then ships to my home. Then I go and mail stuff to her in Canada and she pays for the shipping. I do this because I am a good friend and plus she helps me out and returns the favor for when I read Canadian House & Home