jterriynn, the steampunk fashion stuff definitely has a sexual edginess. As for the steampunk decorating stuff, I've decided that it's not for me. ____ I really did try to take up this challenge but I've given up. Just thought I'd record a little of my journey and why I am going to quit. Surely a better thinker than I am will conjure a fabulous kitchen from the ashes of my fabulous ideas. First, I looked hard at the Metropole subway entrance and tried to channel it into a design. Didn't get anywhere. Without a grand high ceiling and skylight, this aesthetic is tough. Sure, I could have invented a high-ceilinged room with amazing glass and spidery separations between glass, but that's an architectural feature of the house or apartment that would be the impetus, not the muse itself. So then I got to thinking about Madame Curie and her cohort--now there were visionary scientists of the period! I asked my DH what he can recall of the huge science classroom that he worked in for roughly 30 years, in a c. 1900 building. He says "Hard maple floors. Oak cabinets--a whole wall of them. Long lab tables with a few sinks and bunsen burners. Tall curved faucets. Tall windows and window shades (the latter were removed when they got tacky looking. Not sure when this equipment was installed." I started working on a Marie Curie's lab theme for the kitchen olioboard--canisters lettered in that art nouveau Metropolitan typeface (see photo above) with "radium" and "pitchblende" stenciled on them and gaslight fixtures in ceiling and a steam radiator painted in an outlandish color but decided the whole thing was not worth my time. This was reinforced when I located a photo of Curie's lab, which made me recall that she had been allocated space in a "shed" outside of the physics dept, a silly woman working outside the mainstream. How's this for a setting for real-life science fiction? To quote her: "Its glass roof did not afford complete shelter against rain; the heat was suffocating in summer, and the bitter cold of winter was only a little lessened by the iron stove, except in its immediate vicinity. There was no question of obtaining the needed proper apparatus in common use by chemists. We simply had some old pine-wood tables with furnaces and gas burners. We had to use the adjoining yard for those of our chemical operations that involved producing irritating gases; even then the gas often filled our shed. With this equipment we entered on our exhausting work." All this just made me mad on behalf of Curie and did nothing for my peaceful kitchen. Besides, she was working with radium so the radioactivity might be hard on the family life and the cuisine. Here's another Curie laboratory image, I would assume for her later work== perhaps inspiring for another GW'er? a 40 x 30 print of this can be had for $200 Gotta admit: Science and cooking aren't in the same department. In fact, people make fun of modern "operating room" white kitchens--they are antimatter for a relaxing, gentle room. Then I tried to work up wallpaper based on Steiglitz's photo of a train yard...plenty of steam there! But I couldn't find a source of a blown-up version of the photo and I became afraid that the photo would be taken as being about trains--not a peaceful kitchen for me either! Then there's Joe Stella, a painter of 1920s who did numerous Brooklyn Bridge stylized paintings. I messed with his arches and colors. But this got me nowhere either. The truth: TNT explosiveness and edgy are not me and decorating with a steampunk science muse doesn't connect me to any worthwhile kitchen design. Sorry to be cranky, but I'm done here I think. I know it's fun but not the fun I can really enjoy. I look forward to somebody else's fun stuff on the postings Steampunk thread. Have fun stormin' the castle, visionaries! Here is a link that might be useful: Marie Curie lab poster from All Posters

Work and structure are part of rehabilitation for drugs BUT the person has to get clean first, and have the support to stay clean. As I mentioned, I know quite a few people who work professionally in work programs for FORMER addicts, these types of programs do exist. But getting the addict OFF of the drug and having it stick, that's a whole other ball game . . . I don't know the solution, but the revolving door of treatment does stop for some people after enough tries. I think we need to do more and be innovative. An addict who can't stop using and a person who is mentally ill and doesn't respond well to treatment are some of the worst ongoing problems anyone can face, its relentless. As a side note, I think that prevention is a big part of this, and in my experience, I think the reason we are seeing more and more drug and mental illness problems is the fraying of our social connections and social structures. Many of the folks I know who have drug and alcohol problems also seem to me to be somewhere on the autism or ADHD spectrum. In other words, they have trouble processing relationship and stimuli, and use drugs as a coping mechanism. They are much more susceptible to stress and disruption than average, and modern life these days is increasingly stressful and disrupted. The margins fray more and more under this stress. It's actually a biological phenomenon, happens in any ecosystem under stress. As I mentioned in my previous post, that's one of the reasons I live the show MOM. One of the main characters discovers she has ADHD through therapy and develops strategies to manage it. BUT, it's a step by step process. She had to get clean and stay clean first, before she could benefit from the therapy. Also, as more and more people fall into the marginal lifecycle, they have kids who grow up into this problem and the cycle doesn't stop, it multiplies. That's also what I have seen, in my generation, parents struggling with an addict child and then eventually raising grandchildren and then struggling as they sometimes fall through the cracks as well. A good friend's parents have three generations of messed up kid, grandkids and great grandkids, all of whom are involved in the revolving door of law enforcement, foster care, drug abuse, etc. They cut off all contact with the daughter other than just making sure she is housed for her lifetime. They don't even know her offspring. It's so ironic, because they have a great relationship with my friend and her kids, so it's not that they aren't caring grandparents. They just don't have the financial and emotional resources to fix the whole broken entourage. Their daughter is a lost cause, but still her brother and sister in law are both dedicated to medical and social service professionally, they keep trying to find something that works! Having no illusions on what is and is not possible though. My friend who is the social worker say that most of her drug addict clients are using just to numb themselves and help them cope with the discomfort of modern life. Obviously the solution is not remove discomfort, not going to happen, but to develop resiliency for coping with it as it comes along. There is a research base as to what that entails, so folks trying to help usually involve themselves in the components of that. Keeping people fed, housed and supported with medical and psychological treatment options. Also, my friend says a huge reason these problems continue and fester is we don't acknowledge them. There is way too much social stigma attached to them so folks just let them go untreated rather than admit to having any type of weakness that tjhey need help with. And then when they do need help, will it be available? Another interesting tv show that deals with the role of community in supporting resiliency is "The OG." It's an exploration of what does and does not work as far as keeping marginalized folks on the straight and narrow path . . . and the ongoing struggle to make it stick.

"'d wondered if there were reasons you'd disliked using a front load, but I guess you haven't had a reason to try one." I stated in my first post that "I would never own a front load washer". And clearly, I have not purchased one because I do not want one, based on personal accounts from friends, and my own research. You are correct. I have absolutely no reason, no desire and no need, to try one myself. A washer on a pedestal would not be possible in my laundry room and frankly, I would not want it on a pedestal. Too much work when painting and cleaning, and if repairs are needed. Just not something that would work for me.

Funky, i had registered long ago with my name andwhatever was required. i used my name until houzz, without my knowledge changedme to this number. i had absolutely nothing to do wth this deleting my name and changing it to a number. after my name was changed to a number, on the very few posts i have made, i have often sgned my name as westy, aka westsider40. With all due respect to your longstanding participation and helpful attitude, the fact that complex carbs turn into sugar is neither snark nor misinformation. From a weight loss pov, complex carbs turn into sugar. ”If you want to swoop in and share misinformation and snark, there are plenty of other places on the internet to do so.” You said this to me specifically. doesnt make me feel very good. westsider40, aka westy aka 86…