Learning to fold: everything I know about laundry I learned from working shitty retail jobs
When I was in college, I worked for The Disney Store. They taught me this thing called “The Disney Fold” … a laundry folding method that I use to this day.
Where to store your always-in-use items in the rare moments they’re not in use
I have a few things that always seem to be in use, like my laptop, mobile phone, and a jug I use all the time. The sensible-to-me place for these things is wherever I am right now. Which is fine, except when people come over I don’t have anywhere to put them. What solutions do my Homies use to store these things that are “always” in use, without giving up valuable space for the odd times these things need put away?
I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen?
Somehow, I’ve gone from a person who found herself filled with resentment and rage while cleaning to someone who actually (get this) enjoys doing my chores. Somehow, I now understand the concept of “domestic bliss.” I genuinely don’t know when this happened. Somehow, I’m that asshole who shouts “LAUNDRY ZERO!!” with a sense of genuine accomplishment once all hampers are empty and all clothes are folded. I don’t know how or why this happened, but in the interest of bottling it and sharing it, here are a few of my theories…
Are you a mover or a stayer?
In recent years, I’ve begun to develop my own theory: people are either movers or stayers. I’ve met people who have lived in the same town their whole lives, and never felt the need to leave. I’ve met others who have “itchy feet” and are constantly on the move: six months here, two years there. So, I’m a little curious, Offbeat Homies: where do you fall on the mover/stayer spectrum?
I want to have an affair with these Mad Men-style time capsule homes
Homie and guest-poster Julie F sent me an email that just said “OH MY GODZZZZZ” with a link to these Mad Men-style time capsule homes. I thought I’d ignore everyone who said they hate real estate posts, and cater to my fellow real estate boner-having Homies.
Finding a Dominant/submissive play partner
“I’m in a relationship where my partner is not interested in BDSM, but I am. My partner has decided that they’re okay with me going to someone to help me with my needs. The problem is I don’t know how to do this!”
I can help! First we’ll talk about what to consider before engaging in a BDSM relationship, and then we’ll talk about finding one.
A 100-year-old house in the middle of a West Virginia college town
We live in the middle of a college campus: it surrounds our neighborhood on three sides. We’re part of the few owner-occupied hold outs, trying to keep a nice home, surrounded by college rentals. While our neighborhood poses unique challenges — such as random frat boys passed out on our porch, and beer cans in our yard every weekend — it has amazing perks.
How to furnish an apartment with just four hours at IKEA
My husband has cystic fibrosis. Long story short: they don’t do lung transplants where we live in Albuquerque, and, with one day’s notice, we were flown to Palo Alto, California. Now the fun part. The average wait time for lungs is six months, and you can’t be more than a few hours away. So I needed to find us a place to live and wait, close to the hospital, on the cheap. Did you know you could furnish an apartment at IKEA for way cheaper than renting everything?