Archive for December, 2007
Dude, Put Down That Domino
I can hardly keep track of all the home decor magazines that Sherry reads. Domino, Elle Decor, Cottage Living, Better Homes & Garden, House Beautiful, O at Home and a seemingly endless list of other titles with the word “house” or “home” wedged in there somewhere. Any attempts I’ve made to share this interest with her have left me feeling somewhat confused and emasculated.
Thank goodness the editors of Men’s Health came to my rescue and just introduced Men’s Health Living, the self-declared “world’s first home magazine for men.” I think this calls for a chest bump – who’s with me?
I snagged the premiere issue on our way out of town last weekend, which meant Sherry actually took the first peek at it while I was busy navigating our Nissan through the Appalachians (a very manly endeavor, I should point out).
She fell in love with it. Not because it was girly (phew), but because it was well written and had a great collection of articles and advice…many of which were read aloud to me, so I can attest to its quality. It also got the stamp of approval from Sherry’s BFF who once worked at one of those pubs with “home” on the cover.
Here are some of the things we learned:
- 5 warning signs that a contractor is trying to rip you off
- 137 ways a home can make you a better man
- Tips for picking a neighborhood that will help you exercise
- Easy ways to up your handy-man skills
- The 100 best and worst cities for men to live (Richmond was #36)
There’s plenty more in there, but I’m determined not to spoil it. I want you to go buy the issue – no matter your gender – because I need this new mag to be successful enough that it’ll start offering subscriptions. I can’t let it join the recently canceled Blueprint in that big magazine rack in the sky.
Better Late Than Never
Even though it’s only the 30th, we’ve noticed that almost every store in town has already taken down their festive Christmas decor in favor of Valentine’s Day paraphernalia. Holy hearts everywhere, Batman- it’s not even January yet.
So in an effort to buck the fast-forward trend, I thought I’d share this simple and amazingly creative Christmas tree idea (even if it’s 5 days late). It’s a fun way to “recycle” your books for the holiday, and there’s no pile of pine needles to vacuum when your holiday spirit runs out. Here’s the link for ya.
Kitchen, You Are Missed
This not having a functioning kitchen thing is getting old.
It may sound strange, but we were too lazy to go out to eat tonight. Instead, we mustered the energy to attempt cooking in our counterless and sinkless kitchen. Fortunately, the meal itself (chocolate chip pancakes) was relatively easy to make using a cabinet top as our work surface. We also confirmed that our stovetop still functions after almost 3 months of dormancy.
It’s the already annoying task of clean-up that reminds you how frustrating it is to not have a kitchen sink. Let’s just say doing dishes in the bathroom doesn’t exactly inspire me to play chef again anytime soon.
