#89 Shelving for dining room

Okay, so it doesn't look much like shelving, but it does take up much of that wall--we decided we didn't really need to add the storage the shelves would provide. (It was that ubiquitous Pottery Barn hanging bar sort of thing. Very chichi, too expensive.)

This is much more us anyway.

And, just because I can, a gratuitous shot of the $60 chandelier I got from Home Decorator's Outlet.

#14 Honey, Don't

Fiction: 7

#14 Read 16 Works of Fiction

Jennifer Government
By Max Barry

In this post-punk dystopia, corporations literally rule the world which has shriveled in size to three markets: USA (“free market”) countries, non-US economic blocs, and fragmented (ie emerging and hostile) markets. This book takes the reasoning of free trade to a logical but horrifying conclusion: a world where kids attend school funded by Mattel and learn about Barbie releases; where employers names their employees; where identity is supplanted by consumer goods.

I enjoyed this book. I thought it was a pointed critique of cultural and economic dominance of the US. Critics seemed to dislike the “one dimensional characters” but I think it adds to the atmosphere—where people are judged by their things, how on earth can we expect depth? Others complained about the choppiness, but clearly they didn’t see the sort of ad campaign vibe the author was creating.

Oddly, John Nike—the boss John Nike, not his underling John Nike—totally reminded me of this Wharton asshat I dated in college. I wish Jennifer Government had shot him.

Fiction: 6

Not On the List

This is how I spent my Sunday:


The dude and I put up the map in the study. And we did it without any arguments or fights. It came in eight parts, and we had to line up all the parts, so that was downright miraculous. The first photo shows the suede paint we did a few months ago. This room is really shaping up!