LitNerd's Profile

@Speakabooboo: Agreed. I see closets like that and I assume that the owner is fictional and/or has some pretty serious OCD. They do look pretty, though.

Ditto on the claustrophobia. Maybe a wall of cabinetry on the fridge side and open shelving or plain wall space on the other side of the room would make it better. As it is it's just oppressive, even with the light colors. The cabinetry is beautiful, though.

Three things:

1. While I appreciate the irony of someone judgmentally calling someone else judgmental, can we try to be grownups and keep the vitriol out of the conversation, please? It is quite possible that someone who has had different experiences than you has something valid to say. That doesn't necessarily make them elitist, and an adversarial attitude brings nothing useful to the conversation.

2. Regarding the abuse of welfare, I was a cashier in a grocery store for seven years, so I feel qualified to confirm that it's way more than one or two people gaming the system. I'm not going to try to attach a percentage to it, but I swiped enough food stamp cards to pay for shrimp, steak, and other foods that I can't afford even now to be thoroughly disgusted with how food assistance works in this country. Though it's not a reason to make sweeping assumptions about the poor, it absolutely IS a problem.

3. This was the original point I was going to make before the comments distracted me: While I do try to keep myself on a pretty strict food budget (which I am very fortunate to be able to fudge occasionally), someone once said something to me that has stuck with me and informs the way I buy food: What's more important to spend your money on than the food that keeps you alive? That doesn't mean I blow all my disposable income on gourmet food, but it does make me prioritize how I spend my money so that I keep in mind how important food is to my health. So, no. I don't feel bad about paying attention to what I buy and what farms/companies I support with my hard earned money. I've decided to make that a priority in my life. If other people choose a different priority, it's their life. They can judge me all they want, and I'll just be over here, happily oblivious.

I did this when I was in high school and didn't have a jewelry box. I liked it for a while but I had dust problems that were a huge pain so it wasn't worth it for me. I used clear push pins and they worked perfectly.

Yes, they taste a little bit processed, but I love these too. Sometimes you need something quick and convenient, and I'll take this over a candy bar or bag of chips any day. As much as I'd love to be completely organic and healthy and snooty all the time, that's not realistic.

I feel stupid calling myself a flexitarian, but it's pretty much what I am. I usually end up calling myself an almost vegetarian, because I eat meat once every month or two. Calling yourself an omnivore just doesn't work when you spend the vast majority of your life eating vegetarian. It also lets a little bit of the pressure off of a host or hostess by letting them know that I'd appreciate it if there are veggie options, but they don't have to go out of their way.

Thank God there are other people who find this disconcerting. I'm not saying I've never brought reading material into the bathroom with me, but to have magazines (plural!) permanently living in the bathroom weirds me out. If you're spending that much time on the toilet on a regular basis, you need to adjust your diet. Seriously. It shouldn't take you long enough to get bored.

I just fell in love with brussels sprouts about a month ago--fresh off the stalk and roasted with salt, pepper and olive oil. Completely amazing and nothing like the smelly, squishy little brains my mother used to boil for us. Yuck.

*Fully understand. Sorry, frustration makes my fingers clumsy.

I'm amused by the idea of a blog encouraging people to spend less time on a computer. If blogging paid my bills I'd be touting the brilliance of techy gadgets all the time. :-)

I haven't had cable in six months and since I moved I've turned my television on exactly three times. I do, however, spend a lot of time reading online, and I'll throw a movie in my laptop to watch in my jammies before bed. As a student and graduate assistant, there's no way I could live without a computer at home. I enjoy turning it off some days, along with the phone, but eventually I always need to go back to it (yes, need, not want) to get things done.

And no one will ever take away my music. I always have a song in my head and would seriously lose my mind without music to clean to (or organize to, or craft to, or, well, you get the idea).