McMansion Hell, kinda OT.
MizLizzie
6 years ago
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mercurygirl
6 years agoK Laurence
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Some Hippi, some OT and offer
Comments (29)Dear Elizabeth, I am so sorry that you carry so much pain inside. I think I know how bad it is...only because the death of both parents still causes much pain. We ache for them and the "hole" that they leave. Lucky you to be so close to your brother. I will never know the closeness of a sibling as he and I were the only 2 children. He was my parent's biological child and they adopted me from birth. Sometimes I think he didn't like me...and he was the only family member to ever treat me differently or said anything about me not "really" being family. This was especially obvious when my dad died and made me the executor of the estate (younger child...and in my brother's opinion "not blood"), so maybe that's why he cut me out of his life. I could try to guess for years, but am trying to close the book on a chapter that was particularly painful. I beat myself up for years, and now that he's gone, I have to let the pain and the "shoulda, coulda, woulds" go. I don't claim this to be a universal approach, but I can get on with my life not worrying about him and I am glad that he's not in need of anything. He wouldn't take any help I offered unless it involved a "dead president" (I heard someone refer to money as that and thought it was clever). So...the weight is off my shoulders. I am still sad and will be everytime I think of him...but I can't let it drag me down. MY HIPPIS NEED ME to be happy!! THE DATE was nice (ok, it's 9PM and I'm home....) this was dinner with Ed. I met him on a cruise in 1997 (they thought we were a married couple!!) and we have dinner every year. He lives in IL and I usually catch up with him on the way to a dog show. He happened to drive his new car down towards Houston and invited me to a very nice Italian resturant. New car??? His old Miata was just fine by me...fun and zippy (I used to have a convertible too), but the new car is fun and zippier. A new Porche boxter! Boys and their toys. Tomorrow is another "date" of sorts. Going to a wine tasting and meeting a friend (Alan) there. Asked him what I should bring and he recommended cheesecake, so I made a Chocolate Kaluha chocolate chip cheesecake with ganauche(?) on top! :-) see what these guys are missing?? Handy in the yard AND kitchen?? Kristi...See MoreOne word to tattoo on your body - Kinda OT
Comments (73)There was always a way to rebel when one was at that age. I think though, that it's getting harder when there's so much more "anything goes" these days. It seems every time the rebels go to extremes, the extremes become more mainstream or at least familiar enough to no longer be shocking. Back when I was growing up, a rebel only needed to grow his hair long...the longer, the more rebellious. I recall what a todo was created when the "mop head" Beatles first came on the scene. I mean their hair was actually quite short and they wore suits and ties for goodness sake! I'm not sure what kids will do next to rebel...I mean tats are common, pants can't go any lower...they even make suspenders to keep the pants from falling completely down, skirts and shorts have already been shorter than short, make-up has already gone totally goth with black eyes and lips, hair has already been every color of the rainbow and gelled to the sky, earlobes have been stretched, tongues have been split, genitalia have been pierced and ringed. I honestly don't know what's next. I remember back in the hippy days, my FIL, a prof, who was very matter of fact with his students, would comment on their long hair and baggy bell bottoms and say, "You know, if you want to get attention, you don't have to go through all that effort....you could just walk around with your fly open." (Please don't misinterpret...I'm not suggesting all tats are a statement of rebellion.)...See MoreOT: Shappy
Comments (6)I apologize in advance for butting in to this thread. I love all creatures---Fury, Feathery, Scaley and even Rodenty. I have several of the above in my home now and in the past have had some very unusual critters that found their way to me. All this to say that this board is great for decorating, learning what works, what doesn't. And the bonus is reading replies from incredibly talented and very nice people. Over the last year or so I've also found so many animal lovers here and on the Discussion side--really warms my heart! Common are the doggy and kitty parents. Not so common are the parrot parents. I too am a Parrot Parent. Yellow Nape. Many, many years ago I worked for a man who bred/sold parrots on the side. He finally opened his own Exotic Bird store and asked me to manage it. I knew zipola about birds other than the parakeets I had growing up. What an amazing learning experience I had during those 3 years. The man acquired a Nape with a disability. Couldn't sell it no matter how much he lowered the price. After working with that bird, Me and that Nape became best buds. For my bithday the man gave me the Nape, small cage and bag of food for it. That was a little over 27 years ago and me and my Nape bud are still together. My husband refers to and calls him COF (cantankerous old fart). Always promised myself I'd get another Grey Cheek or an African Grey before I die. Back to the Decorating Topic --- lol It's a tricky feat to incorporate a nice room and a huge bird and even bigger cage. These are incredibly social creatures. They need to be where the people activity is in the home. Over the years many, many people have asked my advice --whether to get a parrot or not. I usually tell them Not. These are usually people that like pristine, nice, and clean surroundings accompanied by beautiful, lush fabrics. They are not the type of people that look too kindly when they sit on some sketti (his favorite food) that has landed on our sofa, flung 4 feet from the cage. So, no matter how nicely decorated someone wants a main family room to look there will always be what we like to call 'food-flung decor' going on. *s* Again, sorry for the hijack but it's really nice to know there are some Parrot Parents here!...See MoreMcMansions on unlikely lots
Comments (41)When the word McMansion is hurled as an epithet, it comes from those who seem to genuinely hate the idea of people having the freedom to live as they wish. They are often the same ones who decry middle class flight from urban areas, and wring their hands over the alleged harm of urban sprawl. It is an attack on middle class prosperity, and against families in search of better schools and child-friendly spaces. Those who cry McMansion are every bit as contemptuous toward a subdivision filled with 2,000 sq ft vinyl clad homes with fake shutters and small, newly planted trees on 0.15 acre lots as they are of 4,000 sq ft homes on 0.35 acre lots, and of any size houses built on 2-to-5 acre lots. They don't like when the houses look the same; they don't like when a new house doesn't match the character of the older houses in the neighborhood. They don't like infill lots being developed. They are furious when an outdated 1,200 sq ft home with a leaky basement, decaying plumbing, electrical fire hazards, and cramped rooms is torn down and replaced with a more spacious, energy-efficient home designed to accommodate life in the 21st century. Why, oh why can't the middle class be herded into high-density urban communities, where they can provide a meaningful buffer between the rich and the poor? Why can't they be forced to endure a cost of living so high that they will forsake car ownership, and feel pressured to limit their family size? Why can't they just cry "uncle" already, and confess that the lives of hipsters, bohemians, affluent empty-nesters, and fashionable singles is superior to the middle-class aspirations of suburbanites?...See Moresalex
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