The World of Stuff .com

Moderate quasi-home makeover

Andy, my roommate of a year and a half (but it seems like longer), left on Thursday. His decision to move out put me into a bit of a jam, but it’s not his fault. Somehow, I’ve managed to get through three and a half years of college without having my own dishes. Or silverware. Or a bunch of other stuff.

My first two years of college, I lived in a dorm (or “residence hall,” to be politically correct), so I usually ate at the dining hall (or “dining hall”) and used paper plates and plastic silverware when I didn’t. Then I moved in to this apartment with Andy and Ryan, and each of them had a full set of cutlery and cookware and whatnot. They let me use most of it, so I didn’t need to buy my own stuff. Ryan moved out this year, so I’ve just been using Andy’s stuff and whatever Ryan left behind.

With Andy moving out, a lot of things in the kitchen (and living room, and elsewhere) would be gone, so I had to do something. Since I’m almost done with college (yikes!), I figured it would be best to skip over the cheap college-dorm furnishings and get quality stuff for myself—things that would last a lifetime (or more than four years, at least). On Sunday, Andy and I went out to Walmart, Target, and Bed Bath & Beyond so I could buy what I needed.

Since I expect to move in to my own apartment after I graduate, I’ve been thinking about how I want to decorate it. After living for so long in a dorm room and a cheap apartment, I want a place that really feels like home. That’s why I want my next apartment to be reminiscent of a mountain lodge. Think about it: what’s cozier than a warm lodge in the dead of winter? Ideally, there would be a lot of wood and stone and earth tones and things like that. So, when I was going shopping, I mostly picked things that were brown and had an old-fashioned or classic look.

One of the most important purchases of the day was a set brown stoneware plates and bowls. They have a handmade look to them (probably because they were made by hand in China, but never mind). I also got a set of silverware. It’s brushed stainless steel, so it actually kind of looks like silver (I think?), and each piece is heavy and strong. Together, they look like things your ancestors would have eaten with on the frontier. Or in a lodge.

Another major purchase was a floor lamp for the living room. Andy had a really cheap one, and I wanted to get something nicer. I ended up springing for this iron cage floor lamp with a bronze finish and an alabaster glass shade (can you tell I’m copying stuff from the description?). But it looks really nice, and I like it. I think it goes with the theme (a sentence I must have said about a hundred times while we were shopping). The lamp, the silverware, and the dishes came from Target. I love Target.

At Bed Bath & Beyond, I found one of those clocks that update themselves based on radio signals from an atomic clock. I had been wanting one for the living room for a while, and I liked this one because it was a pale gold color with wood paneling on either side. (It goes with the theme!) So, I bought it. The display model was the only one they had in stock, and it didn’t include the outdoor temperature sensor that the product’s web site says goes with it. I don’t really need that, so I set it to show seconds instead of the outdoor temperature. I still like it because it gets the radio signal and it looks really slick.

The other things I bought were:

• Wooden cutlery tray (the thing that keeps your silverware organized in the drawer)
• Dish drainer and a tray to go under it
• Dish towel
• Doormat
• Oven mitts (I don’t bake stuff, but I take hot things out of the microwave)
• Paper towel holder
• Plastic containers
• Pot with lid (I pretty much just make pasta, so I don’t need pans or anything right now)
• Ladle, spatula, and various other kitchen utensils (mainly for the ladle, see above)
• Colander

It’s pretty sad without Andy being there, but at least I can eat.

An article from Wired: Placebos Are Getting More Effective. Drugmakers Are Desperate to Know Why.