March 2007 Archive
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March 28, 2007
Yard Furniture Pics
As those following my twitter feed know -- and maybe I mentioned it here, too -- I'm off work this week. Of the half-dozen or so major balls in the air I'm juggling at work, 2 of them went into a (good) holding pattern recently, so I decided now was probably the best time I'm going to get this year to just take some time off. So I'm home this week, trying to catch up on piles of stuff around the house. And in some cases I mean literal piles -- the fight against entropy is endless. I'm enjoying it so much, I may make this a yearly thing.. I could call it..hmm.. "spring break" or something like that.One of the projects has been to get the yard ready for summer. Long-time readers will recall that we did a major overhaul of our backyard last year in the early fall. ("Backyard" is a bit of a generous term, but the space is much more usable now than it used to be.) Anyway, aside from a couple of adirondack chairs, we decided to postpone furnishing it until the spring. Now, it's essentially finished. We have a new grill (as of yesterday), a dining table, chairs, and sunbrella (as of this weekend). And an outdoor clock, just for fun. The weather has been warm this week (80 degrees yesterday) and I anticipate lots of sitting outside enjoying the fresh air this spring and summer. We'll probably try to fire up the grill this weekend. Should be great fun.
By popular demand (ok, 2 people asked), here are some pictures. The last one is through the screen of my office window upstairs.
<=> | in: Journalling
1 Comments --
March 27, 2007
Lyric of the Day
Today's lyric of the day is from the Indigo Girls' song, "Pendulum Swinger":I meet you for coffee
We get together periodically
I got a bad case I can't shake off of me
The fevered wandering round wondering how it ought to be
You work in the system
You see possibilities and you glisten
Eyes show the hell you're gonna give 'em
When they back off the mic for once and give it to a woman
[...] What we get from your war walk
Ticker of the nation breaking down like a bad clock
I want the pendulum to swing again
So that all your mighty mandate was just spitting in the wind
[...] If we're a drop in the bucket
With just enough science to keep from saying fuck it
Until the last drop of sun burns its sweet light
Plenty revolutions left until we get this thing right
March 26, 2007
Vermouth Needs Refrigeration
Ok, learn something new every day! Here's what I learned the other day: vermouth doesn't keep under the cupboard for months -- it should be refrigerated as it's primarily made out of wine. D'oh!Go to your liquor cabinet, fish out that ancient bottle and pour it down the drain. Now go buy a fresh bottle and, this time, keep it in the fridge. "I will die a happy man," says Brown, "if I leave this life having only succeeded in leading the world to the understanding that vermouth is a wine and, like port, spoils a month or two after opening." Spoiled vermouth tastes like, well, spoiled wine.Darn. Port, too? Now, I know that port is wine -- but had been told that the higher alcohol portion in port made it ok to just keep on shelves. My garbage disposal is a very happy garbage disposal (glug, glug, glug) after reading this article. Sigh.
I know a little bit about wine, a little bit less about beer, and hardly anything at all about spirits -- except that I can make a vodka martini the way Alton Brown recommends and I drink whatever the Engel-Coxes pour for me. I do like vermouth, though (my variation of AB's vodkatini uses more vermouth), and had no idea I was ruining it -- or that I need to drink it all within a couple of months. That ain't happening - because I make only one or two martinis a month lately. Maybe I should just resort to the miniature bottles.
This sounds pretty yummy, though -- perhaps it's time to search for bianco:
For me, the most impressive vermouth is the bianco -- another sweet vermouth -- which is available in the States but little known. The scent of thyme and oregano and the tastes of cloves and vanilla create a wonderful balance of sweet and savory. I could drink bianco vermouth on the rocks, with a twist of lemon, all afternoon. To me, it is no wonder that bianco is the most popular vermouth in Italy, accounting for half of Martini & Rossi's production.
<=> | in: Health & Food
4 Comments --
I did not know that either. There's a bottle of vermouth in my cabinet that's gotta be most of four years old* - guess my garbage disposal's gonna get a buzz on tonight as well.
Do you suppose not refrigerating the vermouth makes vodkatini hangovers worse??
*I don't drink any more.
Posted by: Liz on March 26, 2007
:: checks cupboard ::
Oh crap.
Interesting, I didn't know that either.Posted by: BEG on March 27, 2007
I did know that about vermouth (ours is in the refrigerator door), but I didn't know that about port, although I should have considered it.
In vermouth-like bottlings, I'm a little partial to Dubonnet or Lillet Blanc, which are both excellent additions (in small amounts) to gin or vodka for your martini experience.
Posted by: Glen Engel-Cox on March 27, 2007
eep, I'm another with antiquated vermouth. (and also not drinking much.) out she goes!!
Posted by: acm on March 28, 2007
March 25, 2007
Wise Words
In that SFWA thread that I mentioned the other day, Will Shetterly types some wise words that apply in many contexts - online and off:The easiest way to quit being an asshole online is to decide that your opponent is a nice idiot rather than an evil one. The hardest way is to decide that you may be the nice idiot in the discussion. Remember that there are fundamentally nice people on both sides. How then do you help people committed to flawed visions see the right one? You try to be very patient. When they're evasive, be sympathetic; after all, they're hiding something that embarrasses them. Being sympathetic doesn't stop you from being pursuing the truth. But as you pursue it, be prepared for the possibility that the truth may not look like what you expect to find. A last bit of advice: If a conversation is extremely frustrating, leave. Online, the person with the last word is often the biggest asshole.I almost never participate in online debates or discussion fora anymore. Every once in awhile I might chime in with a fact or anecdote that seems relevant, but, really, who has time for endless discussions that just repeat the same tropes over and over? Apart from some small email lists, the last couple of forums I really cared about devolved into stupid flamewars. I just left one of them silently after the forum admin got too nasty and personal--I admire that person in a lot of ways, so rather than pick a public flight I just walked away. Another just sort of dissolved after a "feelings" vs. "rationality" flamewar. Those are fun, lemme tell ya'.
But those situations were years ago. A friend said to me just recently: "The Internet is kind of boring these days -- I feel like it's just the same old conversations over and over." Most days, I feel that way, too. Doesn't mean the ol' intertubes aren't still useful and integral, but I begin to think that part of the appeal of something like Twitter is the ability to stop having the same old endless debates and 'deep' conversations about ... whatever. Instead, sometimes, I just wanna' know what my peeps are up to... Everyone doing ok? Having an ok day? Sometimes the ties that bind are forged from the idlest and most trivial of chitchat rather than grand policy architectures. That's ok. Reassuring, in a way, actually.
<=> | in: General Musings
1 Comments --
I've started realizing that that's a large part of why I'm pulling away anymore. I don't want to have the same conversations over and over, and worse -- when I feel like I am, I start getting pissed off for trivial reasons. When I feel like there's nothing new, I get bored and, after that, combative. Boredom is not my friend and does not make me a nice person.
Hence an almost total pullout. Yapping and getting nowhere ... I can't tolerate it anymore. It's not quite "picking my fights," but picking where I want to put my energy. And pointlessly running over and over the same points, and watching the same stupid arguments surface time and again, is not where I want it to go.
The Internet is a conduit to others of interest to me right now, a means to an end, not the end in itself. It's gotten to the point where, with limited exceptions, if I don't know the person offline, I don't bother.
Posted by: Janis on March 26, 2007
Baseball Summer
This season is the last season the Washington Nationals will play at RFK stadium -- assuming the new stadium stays on schedule. TheGuy and I continue to follow the Nats (even though they will in all likelihood really, really suck this year) because during the last 2 seasons we have found it amazingly low-key, cheap, and yet compelling entertainment. The PR drive pre-season has an amusing tagline: "Pledge your allegiance!" which makes me laugh. The little DC-ish jokes the team can employ are always good for a chuckle.Driving home from work (we commute together) we'll put the game on the radio. On the weekends and some evenings, we'll either have the radio on, or watch on the tv (baseball with Tivo is great for multitasking -- I get a lot of quilting done during baseball games). And once in awhile TheGuy's company will offer their primo season ticket seats to the employees -- so we've been to a few games in person. We also pay MLB's very cheap tax to subscribe to streaming radio broadcasts of the games (for when reception around here is bad.) I also tend to read the WaPo sports section in the summer for Nats coverage (much better than their coverage of politics--there are still some actual journalists who cover sports in this town). I'm a bit of a narrow fan, though, in that, honestly, I couldn't even tell you which other teams are in the Nationals' division. And I'm only barely aware which league we're in. There's following the hometown team and then there's obsession, y'know. One other vector for Nats news is the intertubes, of course. The "Natosphere" that has sprung up is pretty entertaining as well. My favorite Nats blog so far is Nats 320 (the 320 is the section number where these folks have their season tickets.) I keep an eye on The Curly W and Just a Nats Fan in my feed reader, as well, in addition to a few others.
This year, we're taking our summer baseball entertainment a step further. We bought a pair of 20-game season tickets -- cheapest possible seats way out in left field. We won't be able to make all of the 20 games, but we'll try to get most of them. Supposedly it puts us on a special list for seats at the new stadium -- but if they do as badly as predicted this season, I doubt there'll be a huge rush for tickets next year. Who knows, though? We also bought tickets (better seats than our cheapies in the outfield) for opening day next week. Should be a hoot. They're handing out red hats with the curly 'W' on them. Longtime readers may recall that I swore I would never wear a hat with a 'W' on it after the way the current White House occupier has defiled the consonant. But maybe in a couple of years after the town of Crawford reclaims its idiot the stigma will have washed away, we'll see.
Anyway, point is - we're going to be going to a bunch of ballgames this year. If any Metro DC-types want to join us (there'll probably be plenty of empty seats in that part of the stadium most games), let us know. Should be fun.
<=> | in: Entertainment
2 Comments --
Let me know when you two start going to Washington Capitals games. I might just have to fly out to join you... :)
Posted by: Neil on March 25, 2007
The Washington who???
(Hehehehehe.)
Posted by: Medley on March 26, 2007
March 22, 2007
Someone Else's Drama
It can be fascinating, on the Internets, to read about someone else's drama. In the online journalling community, there are things called 'train-wreck' journals -- people whose lives are, well, a mess, for one reason or the other. But, if they're good and engaging writers, they can be very fascinating to read. And even the people who aren't a mess - if they're good writers and have even 'normal' amounts of drama in their lives, it can still be compelling reading.I found an organization going through a bit of drama at the moment. It's an organization I'll never be a member of, but it's still fascinating to read. See, John Scalzi is fed up with the leadership of the SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America - the people who do the Nebulas, among other things), and is offering himself as a write-in candidate for SFWA President in the current ongoing election. Now, Scalzi is a true master of self-promotion and this is merely the latest example. Nevertheless, he seems reasonably serious about it. Read subsequent posts to the one I linked for more about the previously-uncontested election.
Where it gets really interesting is in this discussion that's going on publicly among SFWA members in a specially-created election blog/newsgroup. There are some fascinating personalities and some interesting organizational dysfunction on display. It's not so different than other kinds of dysfunctions the groups of humans develop over time, but having no stake -- beyond being an occasional sf reader -- helps make some of the pathologies and fault lines very clear and visible. It's someone else's drama -- I can just be a disinterested voyeur, y'know? At some point Patrick Nielsen Hayden weighs in - he's Scalzi's editor as well as a member of SFWA from what I can tell. And does his usual sharp contributions.
Anyway, if you find online group dynamics or small organization dynamics interesting, check it out..
1 Comments --
I have found the same thing sort of interesting on LJ communities created for interests I either have no opinion about at all (like crochet, say) or for ones I think are absurd (I won't bother to list those).
It fascinates me how human communities form and how they always manage to create the same models for politics and group dynamics, pretty much no matter what. In some ways, I find it depressing, and in others, I find it really refreshing.
Posted by: dan on March 23, 2007
March 18, 2007
Restarting the Yard Work
It's just about spring, so time for us to get back to work on the yard overhaul that we started late last summer. And that means we need to get some more outdoor furniture and a grill.After finding little but incredibly expensive outdoor table and chair sets at places that supposedly specialize in outdoor furniture, I decided to just have a peek at what Lowe's was offering this season. Turns out we found a great set that we both really like for much less than some of the other comparable things we'd seen. I had narrowed things down online, we went to check it out in-person yesterday, and ordered it today. It will arrive Friday. Yay.
We also decided to go with a Weber charcoal grill that has a quickstart option using a gas canister. I've really missed having a grill, so this summer should be fun. Haven't got that yet, but will probably do that this week as well. So hopefully by next week we'll have the major pieces in place.
Then we can start hemorrhaging money on stuff inside the house... whee!
<=> | in: Journalling
March 17, 2007
Lyric of the Day
I am really loving John Legend's album Once Again. I'll be adding his other album to our library soon. Today's lyric of the day is from the song "Coming Home."We fight to stay alive
But somebody's got to die
It's so strange to me
A new year, a new enemy
Another soldier gone to war
Another story told before
Now it's told again
It seems the wars will never end
But we'll make it home again
Back where we belong again
We're holding on to when
We used to dare to dream
We pray we live to see
Another day in history
Yes we still believe
March 15, 2007
Kids These Days are Alright. Relax.
No time -- well, even more importantly, no energy -- to do the kind of blogging I've had in mind lately. I have lots and lots of essays half-written in my head. Sigh. Figure I might as well put a few markers down here in case I never get around to writing them up.TheGuy and I took a weekend away down at Colonial Williamsburg a couple of weekends ago. It was fine - gorgeous weather while we were there, too. We had dinner one night at the Regency Room and stayed at the Williamsburg Inn. It was fun. It's a very dog-friendly place--the long 'main road' in the reconstructed Colonial part is great for dog-walking and we saw lots of them. One of these days I'll get the pictures I took while there processed.
Lots of people are buzzing about the New York magazine article describing how young people are sharing information on the web and what that portends for privacy, blah blah blah. I've been working on privacy and technology stuff for a long time, so I've loads of opinions about that, but no time to do it justice. I do think we have to a little bit careful when we assume that 1) standards of privacy remain the same for an individual over that individual's lifetime and that 2) standards of privacy remain the same over the generations. On the latter point, consider whether things you care to keep private are the same things that your grandmother does. (My great-grandmother, for example, refused to disclose who she voted for.) I also think it's interesting to ponder what the drivers for privacy are. Why is privacy a social value? Those motivators change according to context and those motivators determine what kinds of things we care to keep private. I could go on at length (and have in other contexts), but I'm slowly coming to the point of view that "privacy" is a proxy for a lot of other (differing) values for people, and getting to the roots of why people care about privacy is a more interesting conversation than *eek* that the kids these days are showing off their belly buttons via their phone cams.
This is not to say, by the way, that I don't think there are profoundly interesting questions regarding information disclosure, collection, storage, access, and long-term preservation. There are. But I don't think it's a sign of the apocalypse, either -- and in that sense the article writer's analogy to how people once reacted to rock-n-roll music may have some grounding. It's change. People fear change. We don't understand it -- so we assume it must be bad, bad, horrible, and ohhh.. they'll regret it! Some will, sure -- people will make mistakes. That's life. But the handwringing can sometimes become a bit overwrought. (By the way, the question of government intrusions on privacy and corporate enablement of government intrusions is not what I'm talking about here. There should be plenty of handwringing about those issues.)
A small microcosm of this phenomenon--not solely about privacy--is watching bloggers (like myself) react to a technology like twitter in exactly the same way people have reacted to blogs. It just seems to me that having witnessed such revolutionary changes in communications technology in our own lifetimes--and having grown to realize that, even so, people are still people even when they use email and cellphones and chatter away by typing at each other--that we could be a bit more open-minded about the 20-somethings who are negotiating their own technological and social shifts.
Which leads me another thing that's really making me bemused a bit lately. It seems that people my age are starting to do the whole cluck-clucking thing about "kids these days" and how the younger generation is just a bunch of slacker/losers and so on. I really don't agree and, besides, must we be so predictable? Didn't Socrates complain about the youth of his day? I think the kids are alright.
Anyway, this is a very truncated summary of some thoughts that have been swirling. These kinds of topics can take up hours of conversation for me and TheGuy--lots to unpack here... but what's the point of a blog if not to *gasp* spout poorly-formed short thoughts and impressions. Oh no! How.. how... unscholarly! How dare she?! Who does she think she is??!?
*cackle*
<=> | in: Journalling
4 Comments --
I'm a little ambivalent about the whole privacy thing, myself. I can see how it's a problem that kids wouldn't appreciate, but honestly if your boss is anywhere with in ten years of your age, you can probably find HIS embarrassing LJ posts, too.
Posted by: Janis on March 16, 2007
See, that's really important. I think Lyn is spot on that "privacy" is really this catch-all term for a bunch of other unarticulated things (possibly inarticulable), that naturally vary by age and context.
If we're talking about people in close enough age ranges to have compatible views on the broadcast of self that current technology enables, then, as you point out, the guy doing the interviewing *understands* the spirit in which X's webcam photo of their new piercing is intended. Yet someone else -- particularly of a different age, and set of expectations of what should be "private" and what shouldn't -- doesn't. I skimmed that article and didn't even bother to read it fully, because it didn't seem to say anything really new. Lost my interest by the bottom of the first page. Oh, "kids" are using technology differently than we did. Well, duh. Of course they are! And of course "old fogies" of whatever age are going to think "we aren't like that", and the human default equation, as we all know, is "!us = bad".
Technology breaks down barriers. Of course concepts of "privacy" will be folded, spindled, and mutiliated as a result.
The one lesson that I would hope those of us who rested on the cusp between !Internet and Internet (or, perhaps, !Web and Web) during our 20s would learn is that change really is the only universal constant.
Posted by: Sidra Vitale on March 16, 2007
just for the record, it's New York Magazine, not the New Yorker. a little like confusing the New York Post for the New York Times...
:)
Posted by: acm on March 17, 2007
Funny - because I remember thinking in my head "New York magazine" -- fingers not always connected to brain; oh well..
Posted by: Medley on March 17, 2007
March 13, 2007
Twitter - Ok, I'm There
Fine, fine, I'm now on Twitter! You crazy people, you win!Come be my Twitter-buddy at http://twitter.com/Medley -- it'll be fun -- sho' it will.. come on, come on!
More seriously, 12 Frogs has the best write-up I've seen about Twitteriness so far:
The more I thought about data streams, lifestreams, and workstreams, the more I wondered if there really was something there. Something about awareness and presence–as Leisa Reichelt put it, ambient intimacy. Maybe it could be productive. (Or, maybe it will convince overloaded technogeeks to go Amish.) Maybe it could be a place to stick those not-quite-formed ideas that aren’t ready for their own blog posts that I keep losing in little txt files.I'm not actually convinced that it's all that -- but I suppose it has potential. Maybe. More links and stuff in her entry proper, tho, so go on over there.
6 Comments --
Interesting. I gotta say, if I had someone who was borderline stalking me or keeping really close tabs om me (I'm thinking of those guys that call up their girlfriends hundreds of times a day or something), twitter'd be the last thing I'd want to use.
It's interesting in a detached academic sort of way, I suppose...
Posted by: Anonymous on March 13, 2007
Goodness, do I have someone stalking me that I don't know about?
More on point: as with any tool, there are good and bad ways to use it, blah blah blah.
Posted by: Medley on March 14, 2007
I followed links and links and still don't really understand what this is. Is it like a real-time feed? A cross between blog and IM, or is there another aspect I"m missing?
Posted by: acm on March 14, 2007
Actually, I haven't the foggiest... to me, it seems like real-time short status updates that can be sent/received over the web, phone, and IM.
So far, I find it amusing...
Posted by: Medley on March 14, 2007
Count me in the crowd who has no idea why anyone would want to do this. I could see doing it as a short term project I suppose, but it just seems like a big waste of time. I hate keeping track of anything:)!
Posted by: Joni on March 14, 2007
Liz Lawley (sp?) suggested that the appeal of twitter was in being "present" with people who are not physically present. I've longed believed that it's the trivia of life that makes us important to one another -- not the big moments, but the small ones. Maybe that's what twitter is doing.
Posted by: Katxena on March 15, 2007
March 11, 2007
Bored Now...
Not feeling that weblogging juju, although I've got a ton of stuff in the mental queue to type away about. So, I'll steal an LJ meme that's floating around instead and regale you all with the fascinating trivia of my life:1. Where is your cell phone?
In my bag.
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend?
Nope - married.
3. Your hair?
Getting long, needs a trim.
4. Your mother?
Needs an iPod.
5. Your father?
Has an iPod.
6. Your favorite thing?
Today, it's my house (such as it is).
7. Your dream last night?
Gone, but two nights ago I dreamed that the wife of my long-ago church pastor got a new house and I was touring it with her. It had 3 pianos in it.
8. Your favorite drink?
Lately, iced tea with lemon wedges.
9. Your dream car?
This one, if it got 50 mpg.
10. The room you're in?
Office at home.
11. Your ex?
No longer answering my emails, the dork.
12. Your fears?
Many.
13. What do you want to be in 10 years?
Healthy, wealthy, wise.
14. Who did you hang out with last night?
TheNamesake and family.
15. What you're not?
Oblivious.
16. Muffins?
Blueberry.
17. One of your wish list items?
See #9. Oh, and there's also my dream house, but I shan't link to that lest I jinx it.
18. Where you grew up?
Maine.
19. The last thing you did?
Showered.
20. What are you wearing?
Bathrobe.
21. Your TV?
If Tivo ever dies, it will be thrown out.
22. Your pet(s)?
Two nice kitties.
23. Your computer?
Currently migrating desktop PC crap to a new PC. Mac laptop.
24. Your life?
B+
25. Your mood?
Enjoying the spring temps (windows are open - nice fresh air.)
26. Missing?
Organization of all this data I'm migrating -- but, alas, I don't think it was ever organized.
27. What are you thinking about right now?
That data transfer.
28. Your car?
We still manage with just one car -- I'm very pleased about that. It's now 6 years old - still runs fine.
29. Your work?
It continues to have potential.
30. Your summer?
Need to plan some vacations.
31. Like someone?
This must have been written for teenybopper LJers.
32. Your favorite color
Today, blue.
33. When is the last time you laughed?
This morning.
34. Last time you cried?
Within the last month -- out of sheer frustration.
35. School?
Had enough.
<=> | in: Journalling
6 Comments --
This post makes me wonder -- what do you think of twitter? I'm both fascinated and appalled by it, which is probably why I've registered there but haven't posted anything yet.
Posted by: js on March 11, 2007
I forgot to say... please tell me the post title is a Buffy reference. (We recently got the The Chosen collection and rewatched everything.)
Posted by: js on March 11, 2007
Genehack pointed to Twitter a little while ago. I believe what I IM'd hiim was something along the lines of "I know I'm getting old, but what. is. the. point??"
And yes - Buffy reference. :)Posted by: Medley on March 11, 2007
No one asked what I thought, but I'll tell you all anyway: I am deeply fascinated by twitter. So fascinated that I'm afraid to use it.
Posted by: Katxena on March 12, 2007
I get both the "what is the point" and the deep fascination -- I have been afraid it will turn out to be... I don't know what, but not healthy. I decided there's only one way to find out, so I logged in. You can find me as jspad on twitter, if you are so inclined.
Posted by: js on March 12, 2007
...as far as #30, the Iowa State Fair is in August...
Posted by: Neil on March 13, 2007
March 8, 2007
Lyric of the Day
This song just came on while I was sipping my coffee. I like it -- it will probably be on my 2007 mix. Today's lyric of the day is from Charlotte Martin.Though I misunderstandAside: comments in the previous thread about what kind of flooring to install were pretty unanimous. You people are going to cost me a lot of money, aren't you?
And been misunderstood
So love me 'cause you can
And not because you should
Every time it rains
I know it's good to be alive
Every time it rains
I know I'm trying to survive
March 7, 2007
Flooring
One of this year's house projects might be new flooring on the main level. We may also redo the stairs that go to the top level. So, the question becomes: hardwood or carpet? (It's carpet right now.)What's the word, people? Any suggestions? I'll probably start getting estimates sometime in the next few weeks.
<=> | in: Journalling
16 Comments --
I've removed quite a bit of carpeting in my house in favor of hardwood or tile and have never regretted it. It's so much cleaner and looks really good. The interesting thing is that hardwood floors are not nearly as cold in the winter as I would have thought (tile now, brrrr).
But I'm perfectly content with adding rugs in some areas where I still want something underfoot. Rugs are easier to clean and replace.Posted by: BEG on March 7, 2007
Carpet blows. It's ugly, retains dirt, and shows wear badly. If you want to walk on something soft, you can always buy rugs. There are a ton of interesting options available in the hardwood floor world these days, including sustainable stuff like bamboo floors that are completely renewable and look great.
Posted by: Rafe on March 7, 2007
Another +1 for the wood (or laminate, or whatever). IMO looks better, is easier to care of, and, hey, you can slide around in sock feet!
Posted by: genehack on March 7, 2007
We replaced carpet in the living room and hallway with laminate flooring when we did the kitchen several years ago. It is easier to care for and looks cleaner than it usually is (a big plus given my housekeeping skillz), and it stands up well to dogs much better than carpeting (a very important criterion in our decision-making).
Posted by: Liz on March 7, 2007
I think hardwood floors would look great chez Medley. But remember that if you get any heavy traffic at all, you'll need to do a sanding-and-resurface dance every few years. Those are expensive, in terms of both time and money. That's the only thing I don't like about mine. You'd probably get less wear and tear than us, though, unless I've forgotten about a giant dog or something.
Posted by: Zach on March 7, 2007
wood. that is all.
Posted by: d on March 8, 2007
wood is very trendy -- everybody seems to be pulling up their carpets these days. I don't agree -- I hate the dustbunnies that roll around in my uncarpeted rooms, have no problem vacuuming and generally keeping the carpet nice, and find carpeted rooms generally more livable (even though the wood looks nice). you also have to factor in your general lifestyle -- we're down on the floor a lot, sitting there, playing with cats, etc., so comfort is a nontrivial factor.
just to ripple the pond. :)
Posted by: acm on March 8, 2007
(p.s.) if your cats are big race-around chasers (as ours are), then area rugs and so forth end up piled into corners of the room, and/or somebody's neck gets broken. this is less of a problem if your pets (and other household members) are more sedentary...
Posted by: acm on March 8, 2007
We did laminate in the kitchen and family room recently. Had wood in the house already. Laminate works great and is pretty easy to install. If you've got a costco membership you can pick it up pretty cheaply too.
Dust bunnies can be vacuumed up on wood floors. I vacuum my wood/laminate floors all the time and put slip pats under the carpets to prevent cats & kids from pulling them up.
Laminate can be mopped with water from a spray bottle which is environmentally friendly which appeals to me as well.
When we bought this place 4 years ago they ripped out the shag carpet and refinished the hardwood to increase the sale value. You can tell it was pretty thick stuff as they had to cut 2 inches off the bottoms of all the doors!
Posted by: Staci on March 8, 2007
We're thinking about ripping out our ugly carpet too - not just for looks, but also because my husband has terrible cat allergies. I guess the really smart thing would be to give our cats away, but it would break his heart. (and mine.) ;)
Your house would look awesome with wood floors, and I like the idea of using different area rugs when you want a change of scenery. It will probably cost a lot to do the stairs in wood, however.
Posted by: JenB on March 8, 2007
P.S. - now that I look at that comment, it sounds like I'm dissing your carpet. Not so. YOUR carpet looks very nice! OUR carpet is ugly.
Posted by: JenB on March 8, 2007
ps - Looking back on this mornings comment, I forgot to mention - do not chose maple laminate! Jason was wistful for the maple hardwood we had in Milwaukee and well the one thing I HATED about the light color was that you saw every speck of dirt and dust. He had already purchases and installed half the room while I was out one day before I could put my two cents in. Sure enough laminate is the same. I would recommend a darker wood if you have options if dirt and dust bother you at all.
Posted by: Staci on March 8, 2007
Hard floors are definitely "in," for what I imagine to be a good long while. My parents equate carpet with being rich because coming out of the depression everyone had wood floors and wall-to-wall was a sign of affluence. Now it's the other way around; wall-to-wall means your builder was too cheap to put anything in but a plywood subfloor. My parents house was built in 1978 and every room has gorgeous oak flooring covered with W2W. Cork might be an interesting option for a living space, but when you go to sell, it might be too weird.
Posted by: Andrew on March 8, 2007
Oh, also. I found dealing with Home Depot to get flooring quotes needlessly difficult. The price also comes out much, much higher than you'd expect from the prices shown in the store. Installation is at least equal to the cost of materials.
Also, redoing stairs is "custom millwork" and was something like 75-100 dollars per step. The reason is that if you have carpeted stairs, you basically have nothing but plywood underneath there.
Posted by: Andrew on March 8, 2007
I agree with the comment above about how fashions have changed. Our house was very stylish for the mid-'70s when we bought it (it was owned by decorators who owned a wallpaper and paint store), and had tons and tons of carpet.
At this point, we have one carpeted room left, which probably will keep it, since the dog really likes sleeping on the carpet.
I think the most distinctive thing to me about hardwood is that it does age better than does carpet: old carpet almost by definition looks dreadful. Old hardwood can look "well aged".
Posted by: dan on March 9, 2007
You won't like this, but I'm a huge fan of laminate. It's easier to care for than wood and cheaper to install, with fewer issues about what's underneath it. Modern laminates much better than the old kind (although I won't lie -- they look like laminate). It might be a nice compromise between carpet and wood.
Posted by: Katxena on March 9, 2007
looks very inviting!
I think this is the weekend we take the covers off of our patio furniture, although the weather is still in that swingy period...
Posted by: acm on March 29, 2007