Chrissyanthemum's Profile

For me, it's when there have been four homicides in the immediate vicinity since the beginning of the year and it's only March. Time to go, time to go...

Costco, I mean. D'oh!

My mom got caught up in the country craze, so there were geese, ducks, pigs and cows EVERYWHERE in our home, which had a predominant color scheme of delft blue & rose. There were yards and yards of gathered chintz everywhere. It was just plain ol' wrong on about twelve different levels...

Like Sally305, I also *abhor* bachelor pad decor. I had to laugh at the visual nightmare my poor sister moved into when she and my bro-in-law got married and she moved into the home her husband already owned...

There isn't one ROOM that's a "man cave"...it's the ENTIRE HOUSE. As tacky as they are, the black leather couch & gi-normous TV set pale in comparison to the walls...every wall in the living room is not only textured but also painted with bright, Indianapolis Colts BLUE GLOSS paint.

My first reaction was a very visceral "umMBBLLLLEEeeechhhhhh!" I actually put a picture up on Facebook of me, sitting on their couch and holding my *gorgeous*, 2-day-old niece...and I have YET to see a first reaction that isn't: "Whose HOUSE is that? WTF...what's with the shiny, horny-blue paint? Is that a LEATHER couch??? Wow...wow."

I hate clutter but am an avid reader with a tremendous volume of real books that I own that can be a bit hard to store in my small apartment. That said, I would NEVER buy faux books solely for decoration.

On the other hand, though, I'll be the first to admit that I'm not totally proud of all the books I read, and if I had a date come over for a movie and a glass of pinot, there's nothing to gain romantically by him seeing the embarrassing plethora of self-help books that I've managed to collect. No doubt that faux books would come in handy for storing beauties like, "How to Get Married in a Year or Less" and "How to Get and Keep a Good Man: From Successfully Single to Happily Married", titles that would surely send any man sprinting, his figure getting smaller and smaller in the distance through the silhouette-shaped hole he left in the door.

My place is small, so I try only to keep the last 2-3 issues of any given magazine. I subscribe to Domino, Allure, and Real Simple...and had just sent in my subscription card to "Blueprint" (my HOLY GRAIL of all magazines) when I got a form letter back saying that it would no longer be produced (sigh...). I also tend to accumulate a lot of InStyle, Marie Claire, etc. from work.

Before tossing my magazines, I clip out things that are ideas that are especially unique so I can go back and reference them, especially instructions for DIY projects.

I try to save them and donate them to Planned Parenthood. It has been a decade-and-a-half since I was last a patient there, but I'll never forget being 17, sitting in the waiting room for them to call my name so I could get the pill, and nothing to read but 5-year-old issues Family Circle & McCall's magazines. I really feel like I am giving something back when I donate my magazines there, but #1 reason is the unmitigated gratitude and unbridled excitement they show when I come in with grocery bags filled with hip, young, and recent periodicals. They make no secret that they are absolutely *THRILLED* to receive them.

Last time, I had so many that they even gave me a hand bringing them up in from the car and thanked me with a giant bag of condoms (which was really sweet, although, now at 33, my career sucks the life out of me to such an extreme, I no longer have the energy to date, let alone worry about sex. The condoms have an expiration date of 5/10, though, so at least I've got a deadline now! ; P).

Pretty in a picture but looks like it might be an accident waiting to happen in an earthquake.

I leave my radio on with either NPR or classical music on for my two miniature dachshunds...I used to leave my TV on for them while I was away for the day when I had a junky, old TV set but, since I replaced it with a great big flatscreen, I don't because my mom has me paranoid about wearing it out if I leave it on all day (especially not worth it since the dogs hang out in the kitchen during the day, where they can hear but not SEE the TV).

I leave for work early and get home early, so unless it's winter, I just leave my porch light on. Otherwise, I keep a light on a timer.

I think that, if it's a rescue situation, "borrowing" a dog for a few days and taking him/her on a day trip and getting to know one another to see if the two of you are a match is probably a wise idea. After all, a dog is a life-long commitment and you wouldn't want to marry someone without going on a few dates, now would you?

As far as "renting out" a "professional" dog that you have no intention of keeping, especially ON A VACATION, no less??? That's absurd and I cannot IMAGINE why anyone would want to do that. I would not give up my two miniature dachshunds for anything in the world but, when I go on vacation, they stay with my mother. Unless you are staying with a dog-loving friend, why spend your whole vacation worrying about finding a restaurant that allows dogs?

Also, I don't think that being a "rental dog" would be mentally healthy for the dogs involved. I mean, it's better than sleeping at the foot of Michael Vick's bed, but I still don't think it's ideal. A dog needs stability, routine, and to be able to establish strong bonds with a loving family that he/she can count on to be there for him and give a sense of permanence..."belonging" to a different family every week will not provide that situation and I think that's really sad for the dog.

I've seen them in the Pottery Barn catalog; I'm not sure when it was, only that it was in the last year. There were two different sizes and I think they may have been on sale.