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The Landing Strip

As mentioned, this week’s Apartment Therapy tasks are pretty simple. When I first moved in to my apartment, I wanted the entryway to be really simple, so I didn’t do too much decorating. On the kitchen outer wall, I just have a big clock (the perspective looks really small in the picture though) and two really cool IKEA storage cubes that I found in the AS-IS bins (I still can’t figure out what’s “wrong” with them). The top of the wooden boxes act as a “catch all” for mail, catalogs, keys, change etc, and I put out of season stuff (beanies, gloves etc) inside.

On the opposite wall, I have a coat and shoe rack, that I try to keep only favorite shoes/jackets on.

And of course, on the wall by the door I have the .99 cent IKEA magnetic strip for reminders, and my urban outfitters birdhouse “Home Tweet Home” art. I’m officially happy with the entryway / landing strip.

#72: Apartment Therapy | Week 3

Week 3 is all about de-cluttering the entryway in your home. The theory is that if you don’t let junk cross the barrier into your home it will stay cleaner! This week is super easy for me since my apartment is pretty small.

Week 3 – The Landing Strip
Vacuum, dust
Clean entrance/doorway area
De-clutter entryway
Move catalogs, magazines to Outbox
Cancel unused mags/catalogs
Identify cool rooms and warm rooms
Apply the 80/20 rule
Cook 2 meals at home
Design an invitation for housewarming (yes, please)

#56: 52 Books in 52 Weeks | Week 8 – Don’t Think of an Elephant! Know Your Values and Frame the Debate

This week, I read Don’t Think of an Elephant! Know Your Values and Frame the Debate by George Lakoff. It was written a few years ago (pre-’04 election), so it has that kind of “frame” around it. As a voter, I’m neither a democratic or republican, (although I lean a little left) so this book was very interesting. I had never thought about politics in the sense of voting your identity versus your self-interest. It’s a great explanation for those that vote Republican over and over again, even though they’re not getting anything out of the deal. It’s like when you want to say to people, “But you don’t make enough to be a Republican!”

As far as the nurturing parent / strict father example… I agree, but I guess that’s also what puts me in the middle of the road in politics too. Although I had more of a strict father upbringing, my views are closer to the nurturing parent world view. However, I also have the conservative view of “why should I have to subsidize the laziness of others?”. I really think America needs a 3rd party (not the libertarians, they’re not ambitious enough), that is for helping/nurturing our “family” of a country, but with an end in sight. I don’t like the Republican view of just cutting off funding or the progressive view of “maintenance” funding – stringing along people with a little help instead of helping them with their root issues (job placement, substance abuse etc). It’s the Republican in me… I do have a problem with people being dependent, there should be time lines to get those that are dependent out on their own.

Enough politics for today…

The List: 52 Book | 52 Weeks

#53: Ebert’s ‘102 Movies You Must See’ List – The Manchurian Candidate

Was it really as good as it seemed? Yes, Ebert, it was. I watched The Manchurian Candidate last night. Excellent! This movie is completely timeless.

And doesn’t Jude Law look like Laurence Harvey?

#53: Ebert’s ‘102 Movies You Must See’ List – The Bicycle Thief

This film definitely deserves to be on a “greatest films” list. When you think about the plot, it seems fairly simple and boring, but it’s so real. You can feel their pain of living in poverty and needing the bicycle to have a better future. And the cycle continues. Great movie, and the ending was very appropriate.

75 to go!

#53: Ebert’s ‘102 Movies You Must See’ List – The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie

Huh? What a weird movie about nothing… I guess that was the point.

76 to go.

#56: 52 Books in 52 Weeks | Week 7 – Eats, Shoots & Leaves

This week I reread Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss (notice the proper usage of italics for the book title). I read it several years ago, and thought it was hilarious. Last month I found it on a sale table at Borders for a couple of dollars. Anyway, I decided to read it again. This copy even included a Punctuation Repair Kit, (to fix punctuation errors that you happen upon). If you ever want to know the proper usage for apostrophes, commas, colons, semicolons, or any other punctuation mark, you should definitely read this book.

The List: 52 Book | 52 Weeks

Dahlias drink lemonade

At the farmer’s market, I learned that dahlias appreciate a good glass of lemonade. If you put sugar and lemon juice in their water, they last way longer. So after 3 -4 days, you just have to cut the stems again and replace the “lemonade.” It’s excellent! I love tips like that.

Who first discovered all of these flower tips? Like the penny/tulip one… Did someone accidentally drop a penny in the bottom of a vase and then realize that it made the tulip stems stand up straight? Or did a scientist/botanist know that copper reacted with the flower? I guess I could Google it. Nah… I really just wanted to take pictures of all the flowers I bought for $5 at the farmer’s market. 16 flowers for $5… awesome!

#72: Apartment Therapy | Week 2

I did pretty good at Week 2 the first time around, so since this week is more of an introduction to the “Outbox” and finding your style, I’ll be focusing on refining my style that I wrote down previously and cleaning/outboxing the kitchen.

Week 2 – Clearing the path
Clean kitchen from top to bottom
Outbox
Buy fresh flowers
Determine your style
Find a new recipe & cook at home
Choose the date of your housewarming

*Update*
I think I really identified my style last time. At first, I thought the “list your favorites” exercise was a little silly. Really, what do my favorite actors and music, where I was raised, and who my role model is, have to do with my decorating style? However, once you have them all listed out, it’s kind of neat to see the underlying theme. So, to re-cap, I shall call my style “eclectic organic modern,” because just organic modern doesn’t quite fit me.