Hi, I noticed a link to one of my blog posts here, so thought I'd say hello. My blog about design, gardening and art is based in sunny, hot, dry Southern California and my aesthetic bent is toward junk, industrial and flea market finds used in unique ways. Please feel free to check it out, I think your readers will find much to enjoy. Here're a couple of recent posts you might find interesting: Enjoy! http://ranchoreubidoux.com/2012/05/16/oxidized-opportunity/ http://ranchoreubidoux.com/2012/03/31/color-studies/ http://ranchoreubidoux.com/2012/03/11/backward-glance/ http://ranchoreubidoux.com/2012/02/08/strange-relations/ Here is a link that might be useful: Rancho Reubidoux

HHI - love to check out the kitchens and bathrooms! Such variety and so different from the *standard* in my hood. I hate the crazy camera work and the shift towards "reality show" status. I want information! Yeah, don't think it's going to happen. Because the new kids on the block don't seem to have much experience, knowledge, or information to share. Nothing like the folks in the line up you listed in your post, tomorrowisanotherday. I really believe that has a little something to do with this new metric that all our media MUST be short, short, short and illustrated ad nauseam. Keep it short and use lots of pictures and no one has to worry about being smart or actually having a coherent opinion to share. It's a convenient strategy.

I developed a theory in the 1980s that clothes should compliment the room that one is in. I noticed this especially when I took an Alaskan Airline flight from Seattle to San Francisco, and the interior of the plain was horrible brown colors while I was dressed in turquoise, magenta, and purple - definitely a clash with the colors of the plane interior (this was 1981, BTW). After that, I would call the airlines before flying to see if I could find out the color scheme of the plane's interior. Sadly, they were rarely able to give me that information. I also know that I always felt more comfortable in rooms where the decor complimented what I was wearing. I would therefore prefer to go to restaurants or coffee shops that had decor that I liked and that looked good with what I was wearing. I do think it is possible to link interiors and fashion. I would never require someone to dress a certain way for a particular interior, but I certainly appreciate it when they do. I got rid of all of the pink roses in my front and back yard when I first moved into my current house because they clashed with the color scheme of my yards. I gave most of them to a friend who had moved to a street called Rose Circle (or something like that) in Long Beach. But then I'm not a fan of roses anyway. I prefer plants and flowers that are more appropriate for the climate where I live, which includes cactus, succulents, and bromeliads. I still have some white roses in my front yard, as they have been difficult to remove, but I don't mind them as much as the pink roses. I think that choosing the correct color of flowers is important in landscape design.

Makes me wonder if simply ignoring the bad guys might be the way to solve some of our crime problems. While the story, and the comments, were very funny, I don't think this is a blueprint for how to behave when confronted with a robber, especially if they are armed. During my childhood years in NYC, my father told me to never carry too much cash but to always carry some so if I was robbed the robber would not get angry. I think that some robberies are done by substance abusers of various kinds and their responses might be irrational, and while that means one might be shot no matter what, if they need money for drugs because they are addicted, and they need a fix, they are likely not going to turn around and leave without something of value. Robberies done by teams, by gangs, for example, are even more dangerous, as one could assault a victim while another could hold the gun. I am glad that these ladies were not harmed, but I certainly would not count on that happening during a robbery.