BlogHer has an article on Why You Should Run Your Life Like a Business; namely, on why prioritizing and scheduling are ways to live a more effective, enjoyable life.
I wonder if Megan McArdle cooks and cleans in her own kitchen, which she’s now remodeling. Instapundit quotes her post, Stainless Steel and Granite: The Harvest Gold of the Future?
…as the mania for huge kitchens grew unabated, everyone started thinking of stainless steel as generically upscale. And so it became a moderately pricey option on otherwise downscale appliances. (I have to assume that it does not actually cost more to put a steel sheath on your appliance, since steel is presumably what the appliances are made of). Now everyone but the very cheapest landlords has stainless steel, and laminate and various composites and synthetics do a very passable imitation of granite.
My understanding of the luxury cycle is that as soon as everyone can afford a decent replica of high-priced items, the replicated qualities become outre. By that metric, stainless steel and granite have to be on their way out; the only thing more ubiquitous in the American kitchen is the George Foreman grill.
What Megan doesn’t realize is that stainless is exactly that, it remains stain-free after a thorough cleaning, unlike the “harvest gold” appliances of the title (and white appliances). Granite, while initially expensive, doesn’t burn and is extremely tough, unlike Corian, Formica, and other “laminate and various composites and synthetics”. Granite is also easy to sanitize.
So it’s not so much a fad, it’s a matter of practicality. By the way, the most impractical stone countertop material is white marble. Your children will inherit those stains.
Speaking of cooking, Suzette has a recipe for lemon cake. She also buys her handbags from Handbag Heaven, “handbags starting at $10. All under $85″, which means Cristina Fernandez is not among her customers.
Jane’s making grilled cheese sandwiches. My favorite version of a grilled cheese sandwich involves semolina bread, fresh tomatoes picked at their peak in the summer, Swiss cheese, and butter: butter on both sides of the bread and on the pan.
After you’re done running your life like a business, cooking the lemon cake and grilled cheese, cleaning your stainless and granite, and admiring your new handbag, there’s time for a little wine. Mr. Bingley, who is a fabulous cook (and Claude’s pack leader), buys his at Costco. Denny has more Fine Wine suggestions.
Political blogging shall resume shortly.
