Astrid Cook's Profile

re: throttling--if you have an unlimited data plan, it's illegal for a provider to throttle your access.

I live in a 375 sq ft apt and use World's Best, too. The litter box has to be in my bedroom, and this one is totally fine. There is some tracking but we don't really have a great mat for in front of the box -- if you get one of those that simulates grass I imagine it should really trap the dust and stray litter.

Also, a note on Feline Pine: my cat has a severe allergy to pine that we discovered through using the litter. Feline Pine was the first litter we got after we adopted our cat and she was so allergic that her eyes swelled up and she refused to go in the litter box. We've used Swheat Scoop which is really great, but switched to World's Best because it clumps a bit better and it a comparable price on Wag.com (where we buy all our cat stuff).

i would love to get one of those poufs, but the website's confusing!

for savory, something like a lentils in phyllo cups -- avoids allergies and is handheld. for sweet, this recipe for almond pignoli cookies: http://www.theppk.com/2009/09/pignoli-almond-cookies/

both recipes are easy but have sophisticated flavors. another cookie would be these tahini lime cookies, which are INSANE and beautiful: http://anxiouspastry.blogspot.com/2010/02/tahini-lime-cookies.html

i have it mixed with unrefined shea butter & almond oil for a winter moisturizer, and also use this lotion as a deodorant. it works really well and moisturizes, too :)

FYI paperwhites are poisonous to cats & dogs.

Since I'm a young person -- in my 20s and living in NYC -- I like having a mix of old and new traditions, as well as others that reflect where I currently live. I really enjoy the tradition of travelling home for Christmas, and spend one week (through Christmas Day) with my family and then fly to visit my partner and his family for one week. I really like having the extra-long vacation and spending it with family. I also like going to see the tree at Rockefeller Center and going up to Bryant Park and walking down Fifth Avenue to see the holiday decorations and the store displays at Macy's, Saks, etc.

Since my partner and I have only spent two Christmas seasons together (this year will be our third) we're still making our own, new traditions, like making sure to bake cookies, make some presents to send out to our extended family, and making our own Christmas cards the weekend after Thanksgiving to usher in the winter holidays. Living in a tiny apartment with a cat allergic to pine, we haven't been able to get a real tree, but make do with a large Christmas cactus and red fabric draped as a "skirt" and our presents to each other (and our cat :) ) stacked around the tree as they are bought and wrapped.

This is my favorite time of the year! I've already spent months planning which gifts I'm going to make (soy candles & lots of cozy crocheted items) and just put together a vegan Thanksgiving menu for myself and my partner. While it's a bit embarrassing to be pinning Christmas gift ideas in July, all that prepwork really comes in handy now!

I second a few other people's comments: I do have many of what this post and some commenters list as their own "grown-up" items but I really just don't feel like a grown-up. I don't think I ever will, even though I have a very nicely-stocked kitchen, an air mattress without holes in it for guests, spare sheets, even a budding collection of tools. Sometimes I feel like an adult when I can actually afford a full-priced item like a duvet cover (even if it's from Ikea) or just a new pair of winter boots without having to scrounge sales.

However, I just think I'm getting older and wiser without feeling like a "grown-up." I have a happy cat and a happy partner and a pretty clean, sometimes tidy apartment in NYC and I pay my rent on time, but... nope. Probably never going to be a grown-up.

I work full-time and try to leave every day at 5pm sharp so I can get home by 5:30pm (if I don't have to stop for groceries on the way home). My and my partner's appetites wane in the afternoon, so we don't mind having a later dinner around 7pm or so. That gives me a bit of time to relax before starting dinner. We also alternate making dinner plans every other week so planning the recipes and meals makes it pretty clear how long something's going to take, and then we decide upfront at the beginning of the week if it's worth spending extra time, or we try and find recipes that don't take more than one hour total. Also, since my partner works from home, he can start on parts of the meal if I don't want to make everything from scratch, and I can help when I get home if he's making dinner. :)