My boyfriend is an RA at the University of Otago, Denudin, New Zealand — we met doing postgrad psychology there.

It was always one of his dreams to be an RA. He signed up this year and the first years move in this weekend. Floor themes used to only consist of RA's sticking up printed posters on doors, but, as it was a competition we decided to lift the game 500%.

Now other floors have lifted their game too! Needless to say, the other staff are very impressed.

This is what happens when two geeks decide to go hard out to win a dorm floor decorating competition: pure epicness!

This took all Sunday afternoon… and evening… and night. I hope the first years coming to University this week appreciate it!

Assembly Line Dance © by jurvetson, used under Creative Commons license.

What with recent events in the news about Foxconn, the Chinese company that produces gadgets for Apple, Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, and others, I've started to sit down and wonder if I really want to be purchasing products that were made by people living and working in poor conditions.

Going without technology isn't an option for me, as I'm a full-time college student whose teachers submit all their homework online…But how can I make a protest of these crimes against humanity when it seems like everywhere I turn, another product I use is/was made in a similar situation? -Lolly

Golly, I wish I had an answer for you. For us. It seems like the options are:

1. Turn our heads and ignore the implications of our tech addiction.
2. Be conscientious objectors. Buy no tech (because…aside from a company making TVs in Arizona, I can't find a manufacturer working in technology and working in the US.)

My plan has been, simply, to try to curb my consumption. Oh I know: I did my share of philosophy classes. I'm sure there is a parable which explains that If I'm consuming ANY electronics, it's no different from ME, PERSONALLY, causing people around the world to work 20 hour days and then sleep in beds the size of coffins.

But here I am, on my VAIO, with an iPhone next to me…and a Roku not far from that.

Well, my purchasing/lifestyle decisions, while small, certainly impact the rest of the world.

I did find a good resource in this article from Kanel Strand:

Don't be an American. Imagine you have to move to a quaint little 4th floor walk up apartment in Paris and it has no storage space for anything. What would you take with you to live there? Think about what is most valuable to you and what you can't live without. Ok. you can stop daydreaming about moving to Paris now but de-clutter and simplify your living space as if you are. — Step 12: How to Overcome Consumerism

But this is a conversation I'm ready to have. Help us, Homies! Do we have a choice beyond "don't use electronics"?

Source: flickr.com via Stacie on Pinterest

We are in the middle of making our living room awesome, and we need curtains.

All the curtains I can find are way boring. Where do you guys go for curtains?

I've thought about buying fabric and making my own, but I'd prefer not to. Also, when I say redo, I mean going from a "Hey, this is cheap and we can use it" to a "Hey, this is thoughtfully put together and really shows off the occupants' personalities." Which in this case is retro '60s (him) and anything glittery (me).

So if anybody has any ideas or links to cool curtains, I would love you forever. But since this is the internet I think forever means like a nanosecond…whatever, I would be really grateful. -Christine

Right! Well first off:

I love these. I am not an all-things-shiny sort of girl, but these are nice. They're a sequin stripe curtain in gray from Urban Outfitters.

IDEA:

Buy a pretty standard fabric panel — I think the chevron stripes lean towards classic. You can tape off every other stripe, then take the thing outside and apply spray adhesive. Dump on the glitter (maybe in an awesome shape?) and…shake it off well before you head back inside.

Okay, these aren't glittery OR retro — but they're completely rad.

Until Dawn curtain, available on Amazon.

You said you're not interested in making curtains, but maybe it would be worth it? Take something shiny, like that swatch at the top of the post, and use it to make a VERY '50s-'60s style drop curtain:

And my last-ditch ideas take a different swing at this:

Because that's just rad. And so's this:

Twinkle lights layered in between two sheer curtains.

I'm sure this is just the tip of the iceberg, though. Homies, cough up your ideas!

lots of lamps © by allielovestea, used under Creative Commons license.

Growing up, my dad was legally blind, so to help him see better in the house, he installed an 8 foot ballast fluorescent light in the dining room of our 800-square-foot trailer. That was all the light anyone needed in the common living area. That thing was bright! There were also four different windows that let in natural light throughout the day if you didn't want to feel like you were living in a science lab. I got used to this. When I moved to college I lived in dorms that had huge windows and fluorescent lighting as well, so in that sense I was right at home.

Then I got my first apartment.

There was one light fixture in the kitchen and that was it. I have come to realize that this is normal. I guess most people use lamps in common areas. Up to that point, I was unaware of this commonality. There were no light fixtures in the bedrooms either. This was much more confusing. We got some lamps, but I still found it to be rather dim. I was also surprised by the lack of windows. There were three windows and a sliding glass door in the entirety of the 1000-square-foot floor plan. It's no wonder that I went through one of the worst cases of depression I can remember while living there. It was flipping dark.

Since moving on, I have yet to find a domicile that adequately meets my unique lighting needs. My current rental home is better than the previous one, but it doesn't get "OMG SCIENCE LAB!" bright. I hadn't even thought about the lighting issue until recently, when I was contemplating dragging a table into the yard to work on a project. I assure you, in future house hunting, checking the lighting situation will be near the top of my checklist. It's not that I can't see in here. I really think it's just a comfort thing. I don't like having to turn on the lights. I would rather let the sun do the work. However, if the lights are on, I want it to be, like, effective.

Here's what I've learned.

For those who like it bright

• Are there windows in every room?
• Are there windows on all sides of the domicile?
• Are there (at least) windows on the east and west sides of the domicile?
• Are any windows obstructed by buildings, trees, or otherwise immoveable objects?
• How many light fixtures are in the domicile?
• Are the light fixtures compatible with fluorescent lights?
• Are the walls/floors a light reflective color? (White walls are the best.)
• Are there enough outlets to add auxiliary lighting if needed?
• If there are covered porches or decks, how do they effect the natural lighting?
• Are candles allowed as per your lease?

If you prefer it dark

• Do you want "work third shift" dark, or do you just prefer it to be dim?
• How big are the windows?
• How many windows are there?
• Will you have to purchase window treatments?
• Are there blinds on the windows?
• How easily can you block out the light with curtains/paper/tin foil/all of the above?
• Are the walls/floors color absorbent? (Wood paneling is good.)
• Are there any rooms without windows? (Bathrooms usually.)
• Are the light fixtures low-watt bulb compatible?
• Is the light coming from doors (windows or sliding glass) easily obstructed without blocking the egress?

So, what do you look for, you light-finicky renters?

Psst: Need some lighting ideas? Offbeat Home has a whole board of 'em on Pinterest. Enjoy!

We've been talking about single-use appliances a bit — mostly with disdain. Ange is here now with her own take on the utility of single-use appliances.

Shared by jbcurio, used under Creative Commons license.

My husband has given up eating toast because we lost the toaster under the Great Appliance Avalanche of 2010. He says we don't need any more gadgets but good business practise has taught us to identify the problem first before we try to solve it. The problem is: The kitchen is full of gadgets. So the obvious solution is: Get a bigger kitchen…

A Day in the Life of a Gadget Addict

Saturday morning
Me: Husband-man darling…
Husband Man Darling: *worried sigh* What?
Me: Did you know we send over 300 soda water bottles off to the recycling center every year? We're creating a mini environmental disaster! I think we should really do something about it because precycling makes so much more sense than recycling.
HMD: You mean: We should buy another gadget?
Me: Well a Soda Stream would be a great way to PRECYCLE and it would pay for itself in three months.
HMD: But we need a new satellite receiver so we can actually watch the TV — wherever it is…?
Me: I suppose we should head to Harvey Norman and look for one then…

30 Minutes later at Harvey Norman
Harvey Norman Dude: Sorry, we're out of satellite receivers; the next shipment is in three weeks — but the Soda Stream Machines are on special this weekend!

Saturday afternoon
Me: We should totally have a seventies party for your birthday so I can try out that vintage fondue set I just bought. I can do two fondues! — using the other fondue set we got for our wedding.
HMD: That sounds awesome. I'll vacuum the lounge.
Me: That would be really helpful because I have no idea where the vacuum cleaner is kept. [Sad, but true.]
I can try out that new cake recipe for your birthday too…but my hand mixer is on the blink. What I could really do with is a new cake mixer — preferably in red to match that kettle I saw at Harvey Norman this morning…

And so it goes…

Mmm. Winter arouned here finally looks like the little winter scene *Mirre* shared.

Eric De Queker's dog is being tested by this pot of hot spaghetti sauce.

Taking my mind off winter, I'm enjoying zenobia_joy's photos of Puerto Rico. Do you see the tiny lizard under her feet?

Jammy dodgers and a fetz shared her weekend project to spruce up a New Zealand dorm. More on this later today!

Ariel and Dre make a pretty picture before their Valentine's Day date.

RAD bathroom remodel from BreadNBadger. Orange! Blue! SKULLS!

Click click click Clicky Links!

• Okay okay okay. You've got to see the dual-decorated room Mark Rodriguez created for his very different twin daughters. One half forest fun, one half Superman RADness.
• Offbeat Mama's jawdropping story from last week: "How I support my family as a sex worker."
• Ang sent me these cool palette coasters — particularly cool because of how they're shipped.
• And hey! Check out the Instant Frame the next time you want to paste up a poster over your bed.
• Has your cat ever sent an unwanted missive off to a chat buddy? Prevent it: help your computer identify and disable "cat-like typing."

Share your photos by posting to our Flickr group, and share your inspirations with us on Pinterest.

Yesterday, we talked about my thought strategies and meal planning. Today, it's all about the listing.

Like I said, I list out all the foods that we have that I want to use up.

Then, I list out all the recipes I've seen that I want to make.

Then, I list the ingredients I need to get at the store.

The Listing of the Recipes

It's hard to come up with recipes.

New recipes are scary and daunting and not to mention all of the questions in my head:

• Will my picky three-year-old eat it?
• Will my meat-obsessed husband eat it?
• Will it be good in leftovers?
• Can I make twice as much ahead of time and freeze?

The only way I overcome my fear of new recipes is by challenging myself.

Self-challenges include:

• No recycling a food-related magazine unless I've prepared at least one recipe from it.
• Make at least five recipes from every cookbook.
• Clean out my Epicurious recipe box every six months.

These help me consistently make new foods and try new techniques. And for reals, I am honest with my shortcomings. As aspirationally Vegan as I am, there's just no getting around that dinner for my family includes a starch, a veggie and a big chunk of protein, usually meat.

A great way I challenge myself is through making interesting side dishes. Side dishes are perfect for safe weekday dinner experimentation. I've made an amazing spinach and ricotta filled cannelloni slathered with marinara that I served with just plain roasted chicken breasts. (That's another dish that can be made ahead of time, frozen and tastes good in leftovers.)

The Listing of Meals, part one

I already have my list of foods in our cupboard and refrigerator.
With that list, I get some recipe ideas. Then I write down a sketchy, ugly list (list number two!). I list out a tentative first meal plan. On that meal plan, I make it scribbly. Then, I add dishes I want to make, ingredients be damned.

I look at when we're eating chicken and what dishes leftover chicken can go into.

I look at when it's a good time for something complicated.

I look at if I'll be home for dinner.

Then, I look through the recipes I want to make and list out what I need to buy.

On that same piece of paper as I've scribbled draft 1 of our meal plan, I write my shopping list.

This same piece of paper thing is important. When I have the meals I want to eat all on the same list as my ingredients, I'm constantly surprised about what I forget.
(e.g. Oh RIGHT, I forgot we're out of rice.)

The shopping list includes new ingredients as well as items copied from the big chalkboard in our house that holds notes and reminders and as we run out of supplies (contact solution! diaper wipes!) during the week.

The Listing of Groceries

The shopping list is also grouped in terms of grocery store layout. You know your grocery store as well as I do mine, so group it in the way you shop. It saves oodles of time.

(My grocery list is grouped: Vegetables, Meat, Pantry, Non-foods, Dairy, Bakery.)

Now I'm not going to pretend I always only go to the store once a week. We house a tiny almond milk addict as well as a handsome dairy milk addict. We eat roughly 89 eggs a week. We're going to run out sometimes.

But by making this effort, I keep my trips minimal. I do my best.

Meal planning, the details

I pick up groceries, I bring them home, I put them away.
You know how it is.

Shopping only once a week makes the unloadening quite a trial. (Though it always takes less time than I think it will.)

I still have my list, you know. It's the ugliest piece of paper you ever did see. By this time in the meal planning process it's a mess for sure — crunched, scratched off and pocketed.

It's not until the very end of my weekly meal planning project that I make the meal plan look nice. Copying it onto the piece of paper I post for the week, I tape it up on our calendar.

(We used to put it on the fridge, but now our fridge takes no magnets.)

Sometimes it takes me more than one try to make my meal plan look the way I want. This used to cause lots of internal friction. ("I'm being a perfectionist! I should just be happy with it the way it is!")

But then I made peace with my process. Heck, it's public in our home and I look at it several times a week (day!). If I want to avoid that familiar pang of disappointment, I'll take the time to make it look the way I want it.

(Pssst. Are you feeling a pang of disappointment about a trivial, visual something? Do something about it! Today! I promise it'll take less effort than you think and the payoff will be big.)

If it's Sunday, I get to cooking and preparing.

On the evening before I go to the city, I set up the coffee, make the lunches, know what the girls will be eating for breakfast, usually have my lunch ready and dinner for that night is either made or very close to made.

I know, I know, it seems like a lot.
But it's setting us up to make fewer choices when our brains are tired and overloaded.
It's setting us up to make healthier choices at those tricky times.
And best yet, it's setting us up to save a little money.

Now if only lunch were so easy — by the way, what are you eating for lunch these days? How do you feel about it?

I have put together some templates for a platonic solids garland. Perfect for cheering the place up now all the festive decorations have been taken down.

Simply chop, score and glue together.

Don't forget to thread your cotton in whilst glueing the pieces together….I forgot! (I did manage to thread the cotton through afterwards but it was pretty tricky and took longer than it should have).

If you want something a bit more subtle then you could make the polyhedra white with some neon/gold thread!

If you fancy having a go you can download templates here. (There are two templates on each page!)

• Cube
• Icosahedron
• Tetrahedron
• Octahedron
• Dodecahedron

Happy chopping/folding/sticking!!

Check this site out for a jawdropping collection of polyhedra templates. Amazing stuff!