rqb's Profile

I've been using the apple wireless keyboard with my ipad to work on my dissertation (another situation where it's all too easy to get distracted with all the multitasking options of a laptop!). I just got the Incase Origami Workstation which is really great. It's both a carrying case for the keyboard and a stand for the keyboard and ipad together (the keyboard snaps in so it mimics typing on a laptop). Plus it's not bulky at all, which is good for travel. http://store.apple.com/us/product/H6353ZM/A/incase-origami-workstation

I have a similar Simple Human dish rack (the one without the bamboo), and have been surprised by how much better it has made my life. We had gone through a couple of those wooden Ikea racks (both ruined within a year), as well as a $20 rack from Target that seemed totally standard and normal, but our dishes would not stack properly or fit in the designated slots - maybe they are just not the standard size dishes, I don't know. My plates would end up resting in the drip tray because of the design of the dish rack, and the drip tray was not high enough to go over the edge of the sink, so there would always be a gross pool of water collecting around it. Doing dishes actually took longer, because I had to carefully and strategically place everything in the tray. It was annoying to deal with multiple times a day.

I had been reading about these Simple Human racks and someone gave us a gift card to Bed Bath and Beyond, so we finally took the plunge. We do SO many dishes (we cook a lot plus I work from home, so there is constantly a stack), and I like that you can quickly customize the inside so that you have different stacking options - i.e. if you're washing a lot of pots and pans versus plates and bowls. It's also easy to take apart and clean, at least in my experience. $80 is a lot to spend, but if you spend a good deal of time doing dishes every day then having the right tools can really make a difference and in my opinion it has been worth it - especially since I ended up spending $50 on three crappy dish racks in three years anyway.

I think it depends on how you define homemaking and what your situation is. Sure, being able to buy beautiful things and decorate your space the way you like it is a (class) privilege, as is owning a home (or renting an apartment) that is not in disrepair, having the free time to take care of it, etc.

However, as many people have pointed out, the less fun, more onerous aspects of homemaking tend to fall on women, even when those women have full-time jobs. I.e. men tend to work on the car or mow the lawn, which is great but doesn't need to be done every day; women tend to shop for food, cook dinner, clean up daily, etc (statistically speaking). So in that case, it can definitely become a burden - and a source of resentment. Even though I love decorating my apartment and actually enjoy some "chores," I hate cleaning the bathroom, doing dishes, and dealing with clutter. Yet, all aspects of homemaking tend to fall to me in my relationship (even with a partner who tries very hard to share equally), and I see some of these as a definite burden and source of frustration.

So, I think it's about whether you get to do what you enjoy doing with your leisure time, or whether you have to spend that time doing things you don't enjoy. I would encourage people to read the book The Second Shift by Arlie Hochshild for a really engaging look at this issue on a societal level.

This seems like a great idea for those of us in disaster areas. My only question is what do you do about water for cooking? If you have all these dried grains and beans, but no basic services because of a disaster, then won't you also need to stockpile extra water for cooking everything? How do you know how much to store? And if the electricity/gas isn't working, then wouldn't you have to store lots of extra propane for your camp stove? Taking these factors into consideration makes this seem doable for a few weeks, but I'm not sure how it would work for longer than that.

Also, I think a lot of the "this is crazy" comments were in reference to the fact that the post does not say that this is being done to prepare for a natural disaster, but is more about personal economic hardship. I think that's where the "save the ten dollars" comment came from - obviously in a natural disaster that affects the entire community money is not going to get you very far, stores will be empty, prices will be exorbitant, etc. While it's the author's prerogative to prepare for personal hardship by storing a year's worth of food, I can also see how it would make sense to save the money (and potentially avoid *wasting* lots of food) as a financial security strategy. So, no one is "crazy" either way.

Wow, this looks great! How long did it take you to stencil? Seems like it would take a ton of patience.

I really like the retro look of toasters, but when it comes down to it I'm all about the multi-use toaster oven. As others have said, toaster ovens are indispensable for heating small things up with the same results as a full oven, but without all the wasted energy and excess heat. Plus our full-size oven takes forever to heat up, so the toaster oven is just much quicker. I really can't imagine using a toaster instead (or using both, since I think toaster ovens do a good job with toast - although maybe I have low toast standards!)

Our toaster oven is pretty small (it's about 10-15 years old, so came out before these new monstrosities came onto the scene), so takes up minimal counter space. We don't own a microwave, so mostly use it for heating up leftovers, which we store in little pyrex tupperware - fridge to toaster oven, and ten minutes later you have lunch! I also make and freeze a lot of slice and bake cookie dough, so if we want to eat just a couple of cookies we don't have to heat up the entire gas oven just to do it.

I love turnips! My favorite way to prepare them is to cut them into wedges and sauté them until they've browned a bit. Then add some bread crumbs, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Meanwhile, cook some penne and add the turnip greens to the pasta water in the last couple minutes of cooking so that they wilt. Toss the pasta and greens with the turnip mixture and top with parmesan. Delicious!

I also like to eat them raw - they're nice and spicy.

Wow, I do not understand all the negative comments about Rebecca's boyfriend. I hardly think sleeping in until 9am constitutes "giving up" or being lazy. Maybe he does all his job searching/resume writing late at night, or is just more productive after 9; we really don't know, so who are we to judge? All good relationships involve compromise, and even more so in a live/work space like theirs. I can't imagine being in a relationship where losing my job also meant losing my place as an equal partner in the relationship.

Great tips Rebecca - good luck to your boyfriend on finding a job and to the two of you on continuing to make it work!

Apparently there is some debate in the blogosphere about whether marketing this product as "recycled" is greenwashing or not - a writer for US News and World Report argues that it isn't, because Reynolds' original foil is made out of virgin aluminum (this is according to Reynolds). They also claim that "recycling aluminum foil uses 5 only percent of the energy needed to make the original," and that the packaging also comes from recycled sources.

I am generally suspicious of any of the environmental claims made by corporations, and share the same concerns that focusing on recycling let's people feel ok about not reducing. But if people are buying foil anyway, it does seem like this is at least more of an environmentally conscious option than the original.

I use a mini plunger, purchased just for the sink. Works every time, although you do have to deal with some gunk that comes up. But sometimes the vinegar/baking soda is not strong enough, and I feel better about using the plunger than dumping other stuff down.