2008 Wordle

I have been wanting to create a Wordle for a while, but wasn’t able to on my old computer thanks to my ancient operating system. Anyway, pictured below are the most used words from my 2008 posts. The size of the words corresponds to their frequency of use. I guess it’s no surprise that “Max” is the most frequently used word, but I am kind of shocked at the prominence of “just.” I always think twice about using that word thanks to having an English teacher in college who would always say, “Nothing ‘just’ happens, there is always a cause. Just Say No to “Just”!” Sorry Dr. Dave, it appears I have failed you.

Image courtesy of http://www.wordle.net

Sticky

These might be the cutest sticky notes I’ve ever seen. I spied them in a store today and though I REEEEEAAALLY wanted them, I resisted. I’m trying to be more careful about my spending, and have severely limited the amount of gifts I buy for myself. Which just means I’ll have to buy them for someone else. They would make a perfect birthday gift.

Wanting

I am such a sucker for good design. I saw these Japanese floor cushions at a maternity/baby store the other day and had an almost overwhelming compulsion to buy one, even though I have no real need for such an item. In the end I resisted. I know we have a whole mess of “stuff” already, so I TRY to keep my “gatherer” mode in check.

Here are some more items I’ve avoided buying recently, despite their grand appeal:

—Spinal Tap onesie (so appropriate!)
—Angela Adams correspondence cards (so pretty!)
—I Could Tell You But Then You Would Have to be Destroyed by Me: Emblems from the Pentegon’s Black World book (so interesting!)
—Paul Frank onesie (so cute!)
—Hip t-shirt (so monstery!)

Business cards & architecture

Two great tastes that taste great together. These are uber-cool.

Slippery Slope

Jim got me a new iPod for Christmas. It was a very exciting and momentous occasion until we realized that the beautiful silver jewel is not compatible with my home computer. I haven’t upgraded operating systems since I bought my G5 a couple of years ago, so now it’s practically obsolete. I started researching what it would take to make things right and started to realize that it wouldn’t be simple.

So we spent part of the afternoon at the Apple store today (along with the veritable throng of humanity who were engaged in post-Xmas shopping madness) , trying to figure out what to do. Apple stores are offering a new personal shopping service, which came in quite handy. You can utilize the service when you’re looking to buy/upgrade and you have more questions than can be quickly answered by one of the standard floor personnel. The personal shopper will spend up to an hour with you to helping to figure out what you need, and the service is free.

I can’t remember our personal shopper’s name but she was very knowledgeable and TINY. Like, I’m talking 4′5″ or so. But what she lacked in size she made up for in helpfulness. The big question was whether I should upgrade my current system or “just” buy a new computer. I say “just” because COME ON. My computer is barely 3 years old and I paid out the nose for it. It was a top-o-the-line professional beast when I got it, but unfortunately it’s now it’s just run-of-the-mill. If even.

Anyway, we determined that in order to upgrade I would not only have to buy the new operating system, but a couple of gigs of memory to help everything run smoothly. So we pondered which option would make the most sense in the end.

I could tell Jim was totally annoyed by the whole scenario and was second guessing his choice in gifts. At one point he said, “You know, I think this is a real racket they’re running here” and I said “You think?” because OBVIOUSLY they reel you in with new features, periperhals (the iPod), etc. and then you’re sucked in and forced to commit to upgrades, new hardware, etc. It’s the same way with cell phones and satellite radio and you name it. One of the sales people told us a story about his (PC-using friend) who bought an iPhone and then proceeded to shell out another $1500 buying whatever else he needed to make the phone sync up with all the other software/hardware he was running.

After quite a bit of debate we determined that upgrading my current system makes the most sense, at least monetarily. I couldn’t stomach the idea of a new computer, and an upgrade is a decent fix until I’m ready to go whole hog and buy a new system a couple of years from now. So I ponied up for an external memory drive (which I’ve been needing for a while) and over $1200 worth of software. The good news is that we can write off the entire cost thanks to my freelance work. That’s actually why we were scrambling to get everything done before January 1st: I needed to spend some $$ on business-related expenses to help balance out my design income. Between our outrageous medical expenses and business expenses we should get a decent return. At least that’s the hope.

So now I need to get my computer in the shop for a memory upgrade and then I can start installing all the new programs. I’m going to cross my fingers extra tightly once that happens because you never know what ill winds will blow when you start messing with your computer. At the moment everything works perfectly and I’ll be beyond bummed if it all goes to hell in a hand-basket once I start the renovations.

At the very least I figure I should be able to use my new iPod once everything is in place. And that alone might offset any related headaches. So pretty and shiny!

Progress

So Jim and I finally decided to get moving on the nursery now that Jr. will be here in less than 2 months. We spent last weekend painting, like the true painting professionals that we are. If there is one thing that we’ve done a lot of in our relationship, it’s paint. And REpaint. This time we went with zero-VOC paint so I could help out a bit and not have to worry about fumes. It’s really amazing how much of a difference it makes—it barely smells at all in comparison to the normal stuff. And luckily, we were happy with the way the job turned out the first time, so no repainting necessary.

We spent this snowy weekend putting together furniture, and once again our efforts were successful. I kept waiting for something to go drastically wrong, but it never did. We have determined one thing though: the Scandinavians have a serious edge on the Americans as far as assembly directions go. Though it did take a while to put together the three items we ordered from IKEA, we did so with relatively little difficulty. The diagrams were clear, all the parts were there, etc. The crib from Wal-Mart was another story. I felt guilty for buying a crib from them in the first place after seeing The High Cost of a Low Price, but I just couldn’t find another crib that I liked for less than $500. And believe me, I tried. I searched the internet obsessivley.

Anyway, I know it’s not specifically Wal-Mart that we can blame for the crappy crib instructions—it’s the manufacturer. But I like to think Wal-Mart is somehow culpable because I don’t like their business practices. AND because they failed to notify me that my shipment had arrived at the store like they were supposed to.

But we powered through and now everything is set up and ready to go, furniture-wise, with the exception of a rocker/recliner (no assembly required!) that should be arriving soon. Progress pictures below.

We’re going to change out the hardware on everything from the black to a brushed silver, but overall I like the way it’s all coming together. We also need to add some flava to the walls—I’m planning to create a series of friendly monster illustrations (with Jim’s help) and arrange the frames above the crib. And I think we’ll put these up above the dresser/changing table. Probably painted yellow and orange.

In case anyone is wondering, the pig represents the fact that Max will be born in the Year of the Pig, according to the Chinese calendar. Apparently this is a special Pig year, a lucky golden Pig year. I’ve seen several news stories about how the hospitals in China have been inundated with women having babies. And the monkey is there because as I’ve mentioned before, I heart monkeys.

It’s still hard for be to believe that in 7 weeks (at most) we’ll be parents. I’m still a bit nervous about everything, to the point that when we were in the middle of assembling the crib I had a moment of panic wondering if we’re jinxing ourselves by preparing the room. Ridiculous, I know, but at some moments it’s still hard to get past The Fear. I think it will take me a few more weeks to have the courage to prepare Max’s clothes and other items. Let’s just hope he sticks to the schedule and makes his debut in 2008. If he’s anything like his extremely punctual and anal retentive mom, he’ll be right on time.

Paper and cans

These toilet paper wedding dresses are insane. I can’t even imagine having the patience to construct such creations.

They’re ALMOST as fun as this year’s canstruction entries. The venus flytrap is my fave.

My new favorite web site

I can’t believe how fabulous this is. I had to buy an early birthday present for myself.

Less is more

A couple of weeks ago we finally decided to hit the streets in search of a new couch for our office. Our old one was pretty scratched up (thanks to Beast’s handiwork) and didn’t go with the new desk furniture we bought when we moved into our house a year and a half ago. Now, Jim isn’t one who likes to spend a lot of money on furniture. And I’m not one who’s willing to settle. And we both have strong opinions about how things should look—in this case, modern but not TOO modern. So I knew we were up for a challenge.

We started off at Crate and Barrel, and although there were a couple of options that I liked aesthetically, Jim didn’t think they were comfortable enough. And he ruled out a few options based on price. So we headed off to Sofa Mart, just to check it out. I figured it was a long shot since they don’t typically carry modern-looking furniture. And of course we couldn’t find anything that worked—all the styles were too traditional or fancy pants. And that’s when I started to get a little irritated.

I just don’t understand why furniture with simple, clean lines is so damn expensive. Wouldn’t it be easier and thus cheaper to make something without frou-frou details? I can’t remember who coined the adage “less is more” but I’m positive they weren’t talking about price. However, that’s the way things generally pan out. Granted, Target has done a fabulous job recently of selling well designed furniture and home accessories for reasonable prices. But you definitely sacrifice a level of quality, and they don’t sell couches (at least not in their stores, and I’m not going to buy a couch I haven’t sat on). I just don’t understand why other discount retailers (hello, Sofa Mart!) can’t do the same thing. Just hire a couple of decent furniture designers and go to it. It’s not rocket science.

But it seems in practice that “less” is usually more in every sense of the word. Ever looked at a Design Within Reach catalog? I find the name of the store hilarious because it’s not even CLOSE to being within reach for most people. So I like to call it “Design Not Within YOUR Reach”. I mean, I get that they sell furniture designed or inspired by famous designers and yes, these items would typically be more expensive if you were to go out and try to buy an original Eames chair, for example. But who does that? I guess people with really long arms.

Anyway, we eventually ended up at Room and Board. I was worried the prices would be out of our comfort zone. But luckily I was wrong. It didn’t take us long to find a couch we loved, and while it wasn’t cheap, it was actually less expensive than some of the choices at Crate and Barrel. And it was in stock, which was even better. It was delivered last Friday, and we love it.

Now we just need to repaint the office since it’s a horrible shade of red that was recommended by an interior designer who clearly didn’t know what she was doing. That’s next weekend’s project, and I know Jim can’t wait. Ha! This will be the second room in the house we’ve had to completely repaint. You’d think an architect and a graphic designer could figure out colors, but it’s clearly not that easy. I guess in our case more is more. More paint, more time, more opportunities to bitch about the perils of home improvement.

Open letter

Not sure if I think this is so funny because I work at an architecture firm, or because it’s truly humorous. Anywho, worth a read if you’ve spent any time with architects.