Chumsickles for Old Hitler Joanna Ireland 8/12 '14

I'm watching "Monster Hammerheads" on Shark Week. The narrator hasn't clarified whether hammerheads occasionally dine on humans, but these divers are seeking sharks in excess of 12 feet. At the moment, they're seeking one nicknamed Old Hitler - a gigantic shark who, according to legend, has terrorized the fish in Florida's waters since WWII.

How, you ask, do these divers attract sharks? Silly me - I thought the way to invite sharks to one's location involves dumping chum into the water. Nope. Passé and very 2013. These divers make chumsickles. I suppose they're like McDonalds' chicken mcnuggets - comprised of ground up bits that have no other food use. Yum. 

While these amazing, graceful creatures attract and fascinate me (hence my losing hours of my life one week each summer to the Discovery Channel), I remain quite grateful that my 4 1/2 yo's not a strong enough swimmer, yet, to request venturing out beyond the ocean's breakers!

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8/12 '14 1 Comment
I'm sure they won't clarify it, not if the answer is "no" or "hardly ever." That wouldn't be much fun. (:
Thomas Boutell
 

Up the Stairs Thomas Boutell 8/12 '14

This morning a friend announced her box spring wasn't gonna make it up the stairs. She was given two options: cut it in half or buy a split box spring.

I smiled because I've been there. Cutting a box spring in half sounds like a pain in the ass and a dodgy move; you can buy a split box spring from 1-800-MATTRESS and they work fine. Or get an IKEA bed with wooden slats; they don't require a box spring. That's just rowhouse life.

That reminded me of my longstanding wish for a regularly updated catalog of Stuff Rowhouse Owners Need. My dream catalog would include:

Flat-pack couches you can assemble in your "almost full height" finished basement

Split box springs

Split mattress "bridges"

Smaller ovens, stoves, sinks and fridges that are of high quality

Collapsible shopping carts

Walking shoes (because you're going to)

There is, or was, a Rowhouse Magazine, which eventually became a Wordpress. It was a worthy effort, but I'd like to see resources for ordinary rowhouse owners, rather than the occasional person who lives on Elfreth's Alley and needs to know about Restoration Hardware and $30,000 high-pressure air conditioning that won't violate their historic home status.

And... it's 2014. I could do this. Who's stopping me from doing this?

Me, dammit! At least until One Post Wonder is launched!

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8/12 '14 10 Comments
The Spanish company Playmarket makes lovely shopping trolleys that are well designed and constructed for people who walk and take transit a lot. We have had a Go Two for several months and I find it indispensable for long or heavy slogs.
Dawn Keenan
IKEA slat beds rule - especially King sized beds that must live on the third floor. Perhaps, once the scientists figure out how to transport and reassemble more than one or two atoms, we can use transporter technology to more efficiently move furniture in older homes with narrow halls and staircases.
Joanna Ireland
Absolutely. I'm flexible, I don't even mind if it has to happen no faster than the speed of light.
Thomas Boutell
Haven't the Japanese cornered the whole small-space-high-quality-appliances-and-furniture market? Why haven't they opened the Japanese IKEA somewhere exactly between New York and Washington DC? and who is this "they?"
Lindsay Harris Friel
They might be japanese, or giants, or...
Thomas Boutell
We need more modular furniture here. Attic apartments have a few drawbacks. #noghost
Brett Heller

This comment has been deleted.

Some people just have mattress-sized chunks of foam cut by people who are absolutely positively not selling mattresses, because of legal issues of some sort.
Thomas Boutell
Just after college my friends and I moved to an old farmhouse. None of the box springs could make it up the tight spiral steps to the second floor. Guys on the second floor had to deal with that. Luckily I was on the first floor. Unluckily the only bathroom was through my bedroom.

This is a new paragraph. Is it formatting correctly?
Kevin Niemi
On the high-quality appliance front, don't forget the space-saving washer/dryer (may you have room for them). And if it makes you feel better, even after buying an honest-to-goodness detached house, we had to take off the laundry closet doors to fit most modern washers and dryers.
Ari Kleiman
 
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