This is the funniest thing I ever saw. It doesn’t give much info, but it would make a cool motel. You’re own private trailer as a room?
Via Delicious Ghost
I didn’t know there was such a thing as an acoustic consultant, but Marketplace interviewed Alan Fierstein of Acoustilog and I’d imagine he does a pretty good business in these parts.
The interview focused on children, or rather one noisy little brat in particular. Not that it’s the child’s fault. It wasn’t the bouncing the ball on the ceiling or jumping on the bed that that lead me to believe the parents should take some control. It was when his mother said he was running around in the hallway. The hallway is a common area! Why is he out there playing??
But I digress. I’m sure we all think we can use some acoustic help, especially in these old rowhouses. And new buildings. And detached frame construction. I mean, I’m upstate right now and those damn crickets are driving me mad! But noise control isn’t only for our own peace of mind. Alan located Molly with his acoustic equipment, the cat that was stuck in the wall for two weeks before he entered the picture.
The company gets much of it’s business from restaurants, clubs and bars who hire them to keep the noise IN, but there are several residential tips on the site for folks to keep the noise OUT. It’s worth checking out!
OTBKB posted an interview from Center for the Urban Environment (CUE) relating to non-toxic home environments. Alexandra Zissu who will be speaking at Green Brooklyn/Green City on September 18th, had this to say:
“I often give a talk to various groups that covers a “toxic top ten list” — ten home areas where people can make changes that will really make a difference in terms of minimizing their exposure to the bad stuff. Before I launch into the top ten, I always give three beyond simple changes anyone can do tomorrow to immediately reduce indoor air pollution. Once you’re feeling proactive, it’s easier to launch into those ten areas, I have found. These three tips include:
1. Take off your shoes before or just after entering your home. The residues on your soles — gas, pesticide, dog shit and so much more — should not be tracked into your home, especially if you have a crawling baby. One scientist I often interview at the NRDC says removing your shoes should be considered an “everyone-does-it” public health measure along the lines of handwashing. Apparently Brooklyn has the second highest pesticide use in all of New York State (thanks, roaches). Kicking off your heels couldn’t be easier and the results are dramatic and instantaneous.”
Ok, obviously this woman doesn’t have pets! What good is taking off my shoes when the shit is coming from inside the house? My cats track poop from the litterbox (when they decide to use it). My dogs drag their asses on the floor. My cats pee on the counter top. It’s called building resistance. I can lick a subway pole and it won’t get me sick at this point.
2. “This is particularly important among for urban working types: don’t dry clean your clothes. Wet clean or CO2 clean instead. The chemical used in conventional dry cleaning is a probable human carcinogen. For more information: http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/ask/wetclean”
Ok, I can deal with that. Simple. Keep buying crap clothes that don’t require dry cleaning. I’ll even go a step further. Don’t wash after every wearing. Just throw them on the floor and pick them up again when you want to wear them. It saves you the energy of putting them away and it’s less wasteful on the environment.
3. “Switch all of your conventional cleaners to green ones.”
I’m the Queen of Vinegar. Yeah, that’s easy enough. When I actually clean….
Thank you for your patience during my time off for my mother’s visit. I sent her packing back to Florida yesterday, hurricane threat and all. Two weeks, she was here. Two weeks.
These old Jews, all they want to eat is diner food. In Florida, they go to dinner at 4pm for their early bird specials. They fill up on the bread and salads that are out on the table. After eating the soup, they take a few bites of their huge meal and leave some room for desert, also included in the price. Then the entree gets boxed up and they get another meal or two out of it. Or sometimes, it sits in the fridge until the children visit a few months later to throw it out.
I’ve had diner food nearly every. single. day. that my mom was here. (I won’t bore you with my protein deficiency. I can’t do veggie burgers every night. I just can’t.) We ate at Junior’s on Flatbush, El Greco in Sheepshead, Alexis in Newburgh and Historic Village Diner in Red Hook to name a few. I’ve become a diner friggin connoisseur.
The diner list I posted here back in March still makes sense, although I wasn’t all that impressed with El Greco this time around. We both made the mistake of ordering falafel plates because we were exicited to see them on the menu. They were dry as fart and when I asked for tahini I got tsatsiki instead.
I’m sad to report on the passing of our much loved Sea Garden restaurant on Neptune Avenue in Brighton Beach. Rumor has it the place was shut down for violations PLUS non payment of rent or taxes. It was a pit, but it was OUR pit.
Also, in non diner related news, Mrs. Stahls on Coney Island and Brighton Beach Aves is gone! Apparently, it’s been gone for a few years now, but I just found out when we went looking for it. It’s a Subway now. And Brighton Beach Avenue has Starbucks and many, many new facades. Oh Brighton, what happened to you?
Sometimes I’m really impressed by things that are incredibly ingenious and other times it just aggravates me that I didn’t think of it first. Whiner and Diner pisses me off. It should’ve been me! I’m the one with an 8 pet household! I’m the one who makes reclaimed sh*t! Perhaps it’s because these brilliant pet accessories are made from wine cases. We can never buy wine by the case for fear of drinking it all at once. We’re a 1 bottle at a time household.
The pet beds and toy boxes are pretty straightforward. The beds are $225, which is semi affordable for the non DIY crew. (?) Ok, if you can’t spend the $225, just throw a damn pillow in a box. Viola!
But it’s the pet feeders that stole my heart. Singles start at $150 and doubles at $175. You can choose from stain colors or hand painted designs. I love them!
Damn you, Whiner and Diner!
Via Green Your Decor
Screw it. It’s August. Everyone but me is on vacation. My mom is visiting. I can’t think of anything to write about. I am not posting today! And I might even take Wednesday off too! What do you think of that?
The summer escaped us. Too much meshugas. Now all of those home projects have been pushed back to the fall. Exterior projects should take priority, but what’s another year? We tend to get to the more pleasant projects first.
Here’s my to do list based on the fun-o-meter.
So, what do you enjoy doing?
1. Strip paint from wainscotting. Re-paint. (Fun:0)
2. Paint shutters which are getting moldy in damp basement. (Fun:1)
3. Paint walls and decorative molding. (Fun:5)
4. Pick out new entry doors. (Fun:10)
5. Probably strip and restore entry doors. (Fun:0)
6. Replace rotted wood from front bay windows. (Husband’s job. Who cares?)
7. Paint new bay window wood. (Fun:4)
8. Pick out decking for porch. (Fun:10)
9. Pick out porch balusters. (Fun:10)
10. Help hubby install decking. (Fun:5)
11. Strip and repaint balusters. (Fun:-2)
12. Use porch before winter 2008. (Ain’t gonna happen, but would be high on the fun-o-meter)
This breathtaking mansion is sooo last week! But I didn’t spot it in The NY Times until this week so forgive me and my “old news” post.
I must’ve looked at the slide show a dozen times. Tears came to my eyes. I think I am in love. Both with the house and that cute old guy (Sorry, Pops) who looks like he’d feel just as much at home in a Florida condo. Hey guy, my mom is available!
The Astoria villa is on the market for $4mil. I think all of you moochers reading this blog for free should chip in and buy this house for me. My birthday is just around the corner as is the 1st anniversary of this blog. T’would make a lovely gift. Come on, let’s make this happen! Go, me!
But enough talk. Let’s just look at pictures and collectively drool.
He’s petting his pony! How cute is that? Does the telescope mean there’s a skylight for viewing? Oh, stop.
Geez, I was excited to uncover plain white marble mantles in my house. Plain marble, feh!
Ok, this is my favorite thing. If I could just rent out the basement, I’d be happy. A billiard room, a bar….and…a Roman bath. Oh, what cursed fate that I don’t have a Roman bath and pool table in my basement!
My storage space is full and I need to clear way for new inventory. I’ll be doing a BIG flea sale this Sunday. All tschotschkes must go! I’ve made $5 grab bags full of cute little goodies. Then I’ll have $5 and $10 bins. Clean me out!
Check out my flickr page and store and make an offer on larger items as well. I’m not so flexible on handmade or restored items. Just all that as-is stuff that I haven’t even dusted.
Brooklyn Flea, space C5, this Sunday 10am-5pm.
Chances are you know more about Hudson than I do. That’s because I’ve only been there a handful of times. But that may be about to change. I took a trip up to Hudson yesterday with mom in tow, to seek out multi dealer antiques venues. I took a fancy to Armory Antiques so I may hook up with them.
The changes in Hudson since the last time I was there are so overwhelming, it’s difficult to convey in a single post. There’s a lot going on! The main shopping district on Warren Street can take a good few days to cover. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know that many of the shops are antiques dealers. There are tons of art galleries and restaurants to keep you busy if you hate antiques.
Hudson is serviced by Amtrak and the town is completely walkable, so this can be a car free weekend destination. It’s within close proximity to Albany, The Berkshires and Upper Dutchess County. I’d give it a good 3 hours from NYC even though some like to say it’s only two.
I’ve been ignoring Hudson on this blog because I don’t think of it as being affordable. There are still some bargains to be had, but look into the real estate taxes before you leap. The homes around here are to die for!
Fun fact: The Wonder Years was filmed in Hudson.
Current cool Warren Street exhibit: Best in Show
Columbia Tourism, interactive guides
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Awesome!!!!
Comment by Renovation Therapy — August 22, 2008 @ 5:02 pm
Where is it and when do I stay?!
Comment by laura @ shorehouse chic. — August 23, 2008 @ 12:16 am
I’m not sure if it’s real or Photoshop. I just thought it would be a cool motel.
Comment by RH — August 24, 2008 @ 5:50 pm
This is a theater group’s home in Holland
Comment by jim — January 14, 2012 @ 10:28 am