Mpls's Profile

You can get that tub at any Farm supply store for about $100. They call it a stock tank. Teak planks sold separately.

DJS, you should consider waiting a few weeks and looking at a few of the other options that just came on the market this week at CES (Consumer Electronics Show). The streaming box market just exploded, and right now Apple TV looks to be the worst of the options. The Boxee Box and Popbox both look like promising additions to this space- you can stream Hulu, YouTube, NetFlix, Amazon, etc.

I couldn't agree more. I love the look of a lived in library, particularly when accompanied by interesting artifacts. It bespeaks an inquisitive mind and an exploring spirit.

Looks like it could be American Clay.

amidalailama- Ax Man is amazing! They have an iron lung. I love that place.

mjr, when people talk about 'breathing' with regards to a decanter, they mean letting the wine sit and oxidate for a while to open up the wine a bit. Most wines that are sold today are meant for immediate consumption and should not need to be decanted. But many wines are meant to be aged or are very structured and may benefit from decanting. Essentially, what happens when a wine is aged is that small amounts of oxygen enter the bottle through the cork. When wine is exposed to oxygen, it oxidates. Eventually, this will ruin the wine (why wine will taste bad if you leave it for a couple of days), but in small amounts it can actually open up the subtleties of the wine. When you decant a wine, you are attempting to 'age' the wine a bit, only much faster. While swirling your wine in your glass has a similar effect, it operates on a much smaller scale. Swirling also has the effect of releasing the aroma of the wine, which is where much of the flavor is contained.

Flat sheets are the devils work. As someone over 6 feet tall, I can't sleep in a bed with a tucked in flat sheet (all beds except Cali kings are only 6'). Duvet and comforter is a better way to go, if you ask me. More sophisticated and less painful.

I love our exposed old brick. It's only one wall, it is a sand color, and it has huge windows/doors on it, so it doesn't feel like it sucks up any energy. Rather, it adds warmth, and combined with the wood floors and beams, works well. I think it works best in big, open spaces- I've looked at some brownstone style places with a lot of interior brick and it felt a little stifling. And I would add that one thing that gives a lot of warehouse conversions that 'old brick' feel is that they were originally painted, and had to be sandblasted to remove the paint.

How about everywhere in the house or anywhere you want it depending on your mood? Look into the Logitech Squeezebox family of products. Like an airport express, they are affordable, and will stream music anywhere using a wireless network. They will synch up or not if you own multiple devices. Unlike Apple, they have a range of devices from high-end audiophile component devices to smaller discreet units, to boombox style units. They also have a remote that has a visual display and can control any unit if you have multiples. They play any popular format (MP3, FLAC, etc) and stream internet radio and work with almost all of the popular music services, including Pandora. Plus, you can control from a web browser or a smart phone.