elainevdw's Profile

My mom taught me how to bake cookies and jam bars and the like. My boyfriend's mom taught me how to make gravy and mashed potatoes. Everything in between I've had to learn through trial, error and the internet. I'm not an intuitive cook at all -- I still have to follow recipes, maybe that's why I like baking so much? -- but I am very proud of how I can now find appropriate recipes and plan out a week's worth of home-cooked food using mostly fresh ingredients. And what's more, it's usually pretty darn tasty, too. It even passes the boyfriend test. :)

I find the "my mom didn't cook" comments interesting. My mom didn't like cooking, but as I sat here thinking about it, I realized that I did learn quite a bit from all our baking together. Like breaking eggs, measuring dry ingredients, reading recipes, etc.

It only runs for 6-10 minutes, and you have to clean it every time you clean with it? I'm not sure I'd want to spend $270 on that.

I had to replace my vacuum recently. I got a Eureka Boss after researching vacuums on consumersearch.com. The price was right, and the "pet paw" host attachment gets fur and litter out of carpeting no problemo. It's like a little mini vacuum wand.

Both.

Bookshelves for books with sentimental value, art books, beautifully bound or illustrated editions, signed editions, and books that don't have electronic versions, or wouldn't be the same as an ebook.

Ebooks for everything else, because it's fast and easy and convenient and completely enjoyable.

I love printing, binding and typography, but I'm not so sentimental that I equate those things with the true value of books... which is the content of the book itself. Nor do I feel the need to use books as posturing. You know, attempting to look superior by reading War and Peace on the subway or filling my living room bookcase with the complete works of Shakespeare.

I am sort of hoping that the advent of ebooks will open up a new market for collectible hard-bound editions of great books, though.

I've had mine on preorder for almost a year now -- just got the shipment confirmation today!!! Can't WAIT!

Also, French presses are super easy to clean. Dump out the grounds, rinse the mesh plunger, maybe scrub the inside of the canister with a little soap and you're done.

Holy crap. That is AMAZING. I can't believe what technology is progressing towards... wow.

Slightly different cooking method, but what about toaster ovens? It's got to take less energy to heat one cubic foot of space for cooking than however many cubic feet make up a typical oven. A lot of toaster ovens can accommodate an entire pizza.

I have one of these in a bright pot at the end of a dark hallway, and it really brightens things up. I also have a cat who doesn't bother trying to eat it ... maybe because it's in such an out-of-the-way location?

I don't associate these with office buildings (probably because I've always worked in small businesses). But I totally associate them with chain bar-and-grills. Like next time you go to Chile's or On the Border, take a gander, and I bet you'll see tons of snake plants!

Another low-light, hardy, air-detoxifying plant good for low-light, low-humidity areas the dracaena. I just got a variegated variety that's surprisingly pretty.

It's definitely not going to replace displaying your most cherished books. However, given online alternatives like Goodreads and Shelfari, it's both easier and less expensive to track one's reading accomplishments digitally rather than using dozens of square feet of storage space (which you have to pay for transporting every time you move ... and holy crap, boxes of books are heavy!).

Right now I have dozens of boxes of books that are yet unpacked since I moved last year. It's frustrating trying to find that ONE book in the midst of all of them. If they were all ebooks, that would be much easier.

The Kindle is definitely nice to curl up with on the couch, tea at hand and cat on lap, by the way. :) I am totally in love with mine, too.