aesthetic notes

1.) Because I do a lot of online shopping, I have been getting a shitload of emails trying to sell me stuff for Christmas. Every morning I delete and/or read about twenty and then more dribble in throughout the day. This is in addition to the giant stack of catalogs my poor postman has to dump into my mailbox just about every day. If these companies are tanking, it ain't due to lack of trying. But, anyway, I got an email from CB2 (which is to Crate and Barrel as West Elm is to Pottery Barn, and why yes, I did kick ass on those analogy questions on the SATs 30+ years ago) this morning, trying to sell me this:



Um, yeah. It's a wooden Connect 4 game, suitable for display. Now, as you know, there is a very long tradition of people having beautiful, elaborate chess sets that are left out as part of their decor. What message does it send to your giftee, or what message would they be conveying if they did leave this out on the ol' coffee table? "Too stupid to actually play chess!" (Which, frankly, I myself am, but I feel no need to broadcast it.) "Think I'm a clever, ironic hipster, but don't have the balls to display an *actual* Connect 4 game!" "People who really could give a shit about me, or might just actively dislike me, nevertheless are forced to buy me holiday gifts!" Did I miss any?

2.)I was walking by a real estate office the other day, and as I always do if I'm not in a rush, I looked at the listings up in their windows. Well. This one had a four bedroom condo in downtown Salem, in which everything like heat and electrical had been totally updated in 2007, listed at $279,900, which I thought was a damn attractive price for 4 bedrooms in a prime, convenient location with a water heater that probably isn't about to burst anyday now. Not that I'm in the position to buy it, but I was curious. So last night I went on mls to see if I could find it. This is it, if you're curious. So, naturally, while looking for it, I got sucked into looking at a bazillion other listings. And my takeaway was this: looking at other people's furnishings? people who apparently are doing the best they can to sell their homes? Most people have absolutely no taste or ability to arrange their possessions in a pleasing manner. Do you know how many condos I looked at that had beautiful hardwoods with absolutely NO area rugs? The furniture is just dropped there without anything to anchor it, and it looks idiotic. Plus there's an epidemic of my pet peeve: beds without headboards. And then there are all the living rooms centered on the gigantic TV without anything else pretty in the room to draw the eye. I guess I get brainwashed by rate my space and apartment therapy and the like into feeling like my house is super inadequate because it needs repairs and updating and I can't afford new furniture, but man, this is a nice counterpoint to reminding me that I at least am trying to make my crappy stuff look as attractive as I can.

3.) Speaking of which, figuring out what color orange to paint that door is killing me. First sample was all wrong. Back to Home Depot and the drawing board later today!

xoxo