Still Don't Like Pho

I think I might be the only person I know who doesn't love pho. Sorry, just can't get into it...

Daria was in town this week and she wanted Vietnamese. Is there more to Vietnamese food then pho? Of course! However, outside of Taste of Saigon in Harrisonburg, I've never really seen it. It's like most Vietnamese restaurants put all their focus on pho and everything else is just a passing thought. I would go out to a Vietnamese place and everyone else is like, "This place is amazing!!!" and I'm like, "Really? 'cause this chicken is really dry and so not good..." I imagine the chef in the back was like, "Wait, someone didn't order pho? Shit, well... um... oh, here's that chicken dish I made a few days ago... I'll just douse it in fish sauce and stick it in the microwave for a few minutes.

Several years ago Daria fell hard for some Vietnamese quail dish. Fell. HARD. As in we ate there once or twice a week... for like a month or so... She was back in town this week and wanted some quail. I wasn't too thrilled at the thought of Vietnamese but agree to eat at Taste of Vietnam in Sterling/Countryside.

I was pleasantly surprised!

I hadn't been there in years and when we walked in, I was a bit scared. The interior was very ummm... not impressive, the waiter barely spoke any English, and there was this catatonic old Asian lady just starting off into space behind the register. Spooky.

One of the liberating things about not ordering pho at a Vietnamese place is that you kind of expect everything will suck. With the low expectation comes the freedom of choosing whatever on the menu. Does it matter? It'll probably suck anyway!

So, I tried something new and started off my meal with Vietnamese coffee.


It was good! If you've never had it, it tastes like Starbucks Double Shot (the canned kind). If you've never had that it tastes like your typical Asian canned coffee. If you've ever had that, then you should, 'cause you're missing out.

When I want to play it safe I usually go for the chicken since it's really hard to mess up chicken. Well, it's actually easy to mess up chicken but it's hard to make it offensive, unlike pork or beef. However, I noticed most Vietnamese places use dark meat and the waiter confirmed it so I decided to go with beef. If you think about it, dark meat is the more superior meat since it's softer and more flavorful but I've grown really accustomed to the bland white meat and that's what I feel most comfortable eating.

I really wish I could remember the name of what I ordered because it's the best dish I've had in a Vietnamese restaurant (other than the bun thing in Harrisonburg, of course).


I can tell you it was #29 on the menu.

The smell of jasmine rice hit me as soon as the waiter put the plate down. The beef was perfectly marinated and perfectly seared. It reminded me a lot of something you would find at a Korean BBQ place, which could be why I liked it so much.

Best of all, it was $7.95 (for just the meal, coffee not included)!

Hmmm... Awesomely delicious beef satay or a quarter pounder meal from McDonlads? It's not a tough choice.

Viddied

In a few days we will be calling Leesburg our new home. While driving around, trying to familiarize ourselves with our (soon to be) new surrounding, I found this:


I see "dairy bar" and I think "milk bar". I think "milk bar" and I think Korova. An actual "milk bar" like Korova would be a pretty frightening thing to have in your town. Thankfully, according to some internet research, Razzle only sells ice creams, soft serves, and things made of ice creams and soft serves- sans vellocets or other "knives"... Or so I assume...

Leesburg has a good mix of new, old, upscale and ghetto so it should be a fun place to explore. Our number one goal will be to locate a good Chinese, Japanese, and a pizza place. Oh, did I mention there's a Sheetz pretty close to our house?! Oh yeah... We're going to get so fat off of their onion rings!!!

Should it Stay or Should it Go

We were supposed to have closed on our house yesterday so you would think I'd be all packed already but no... just got started.

The problem is that I am resolved, kind of, to NOT to pack and haul anything that I don't love or need. I own a lot of things that I don't love, or need, but it's still hard to let go. Daria has moved around so much that she can fit all her belongings into her Corolla. She has a few pieces of furniture but they are the disposable kind and she often rents furnished rooms. I'm not trying to be that intense but I am trying to minimize.

Michael doesn't seem to understand since he's a hoarder. He's not like one of those crazy hoarder who still holds unto old phone books and take out containers. He has no problem letting go if he can make some money selling his stuff. If he can't why not hold unto it if you have the space? You already paid for it.

His parent's use about half of their (good sized) home for storage so I can see where he gets this mentality. My parents couldn't afford storage until later in life (we grew up in a rather small house) so I was used to constant purging. Possibly as an act of rebellion my sister and I became a bit of a hoarder. There was just something kind of romantic about holding unto mementos. There was something glamorous about having lots of stuff.

By the way, the stuff that I thought would mean so much to me later in life means absolutely nothing to me now. Oh look, a report card from 4th grade. What's this, Valentine cards from 2nd grade? I don't remember any of these people... Oh, pressed flowers from our old back yard... okay... Journals from sixth grade? Yeah, definitely do NOT want to read that...

It's taking me forever to pack because everything I touch I wrestle with these stupid questions: Do I need this? Can I sell it? Will I actually get around to selling it? Why not just pack it? Sigh... Put then I have to pack it, haul it, unpack it and for what, so it can just continue to sit in my closet, unused?

I finally whittled down my CD collection to approximately 100 CDs last night. You don't even want to know how long that endeavor took me... Augh, this is so sad.

I Hope My Math is Very Wrong

Michael's parents are getting new flooring. They're doing their entire kitchen and foyer in this absolutely fancy and gorgeous looking marble. According to Michael it's going to cost them $12+ labor per square foot. Yikes! He's got to be wrong about the price... Well, their home owner's insurance is going to kick in a few thousand since their kitchen floor is currently um... not there... due to some water damage. I guess they figured if they're going to get new flooring, they might as well get one that they love.

We, unfortunately, do not have that luxury.

We were at Lowe's today looking at, amongst other things, kitchen flooring since this:


is what it currently looks like.

I was thinking vinyl- cheap, easy, and good enough until we can save up for something better. Michael, thanks to his parent's tile talks, want like real tiles. I said no way, we can't afford it and if we try to do it ourselves... It will not end well. However, we saw these:


and I'm having second thoughts. They're locking tiles, kind of like those locking laminates. It seems pretty easy and, at $42 for 7 tiles, not too cost prohibitive... I think.

The stereotype is a myth; I am Asian and I am not good at math. So, let me know if I'm calculating this correctly...

The kitchen is probably 10x12. It's a rough estimate based on a rather vague floor plan and, since I didn't factor in cabinets, it's probably an overestimate. Better to overestimate a cost rather than under, right? Okay, so we have 10x12 which is 120 square feet. Each box comes with 7 tiles so 120/7= 17 boxes. Each box costs $42 so it's... OMG, $720!!!

Wait, that can't be right. It can't be that expensive... No... I think the math is right... Crap, sticky vinyl tiles it is!

Maybe we should look into putting in our own ceramic tiles; they're like $2 per square foot. Wait, how much are grouts are tools and stuff? Is $720 reasonable for a new kitchen floor? It is an over estimate...

House Tour: Part 5- The Upstairs

Welcome back to my house! Let's take a tour upstairs, shall we?


Oh, yeah... Did I mention that the previous tenant lived with a GIANT dog? My sister had laminates installed in her house. She said the contractor suggested she goes with the real wood for the stairs for durability and safety or something. I think she said it was over $100 per step! Yikes!

Maybe I'll rip the carpet off an wall paper part of it, like this:


If it's just cheap plywood on top I can just carpet the top part. Would that look funny?

I'm pretty stoked to have a linen closet!


I'm not a fan of the doors, I think they look cheap. Replacing the doors, however, will the be the very last thing we spend our money on, if we even bother.

So, this is the master bedroom!


It's not the biggest bedroom but it'll fit a bed, two side tables, and a dresser. For the colors I want to go with yellow, gray, and white, with accents of black. I found a comforter that I really like:


It's the Springmaid Daffordil Maura Bedding from Target. Click on the link and check out the print!

Did you see the door parallel to the window? That's my bathroom.


It's kind of small but I won't be sharing it with anyone so it's the perfect size for me. Well, that's the plan that we agreed on. Michael is slowly starting to renege on that agreement.

"Well, what if it's the middle of the night and I really have to pee?"
"Your bathroom is not that far."

"What if I get like really sick at night?"
"Yeah, definitely don't want you puking all over my bathroom..."

"What if I promise to never poop in there?"
"...?!?!?"

"You know I'm just going to make a point of using it when you're not home, right?
"!!!"

I will have to grant him toilet access to my bathroom for a bit since the toilet in his bathroom is broken.

One of my favorite feature of the house is the window in the bathroom.


I don't know why but I've always wanted a window in my bathroom. Oh... What if I do my makeup in natural light only to discover that all these years what I thought was natural and subtle has been garish and obvious? Scary...

This is what the floor looks like when you leave the bathroom.


Now, did they just have really shitty contractors build this place or did they decide to replace one of the flooring themselves and just couldn't be bothered to cut a straight line or spend a little time and money to put in a transition bar?

And, over to the right side of the room you have my walk in closet.


Did you notice the ceiling fan on top? Pretty much all of the rooms have ceiling fans with overhead lights. Ceiling fans are supposed to cut down on heating and cooling costs, right? Awesome!

So yes, here is the closet:


Note the weird slanty thing to the right. The floor slants to the wall because of the stair case down stairs. It cuts into our closet space but it comes in handy if you have to tie your shoe laces.

Back when we were just looking at the house Michael and I agreed that the walk in would be mine and that he would use the closet in the office. Since then he has totally reneged on that deal and is insisting on full use of the bedroom closet.

"Well, if I can't use the bathroom and the closet then it's just not going to feel like my room at all. It'll just feel like I'm sleeping in your room."

I suppose it's a valid point. I told him he can have the wall with the weird slanty thing.

Now, onto the next bedroom!


This room is also a suite (with a slightly bigger bathroom) and the room itself is about the same size. I briefly considered using this as the master because it faces the back instead of the street. The closet isn't small...


...but it's not exactly very big either, especially if I have to share.

I think we'll keep this as the office/media library. Michael says he likes the idea of a red office. I'm not opposed to red rooms but his entire man cave is red; it's just too much red for one house.

I Had Good Taste Back Then!

I took today off to do some serious packing but I got a phone call from our realtor saying that we will not be able to settle on the 26th and, if we're lucky, we might be able to settle on Sept. 1st. This is worrisome for several reason, which I won't get into because, when I'm stressed, I prefer to just distract myself.

That's not to say I've been distracting myself by packing. The delayed settlement buys me some time so... Why not procrastinate? I did attempt to pack but I got excitedly distracted when I found these:


Liberty of London for Target pillows, you ask? No! These are linen pillows I bought from Old Navy for like a dollar each several years ago. Even though I have a pair of similar ones in green sitting on my bed I had totally forgotten about these.

Many thanks to Jin From the Past for having such an excellent style. Jin From the Future thanks you profusely.

I also found these:


I got them from JC Penny, back when I used to work there, for about a dollar each. Sad truth is that customers never even get a chance at the really good deals because employees snatch them up as soon as they're marked down.

Oh, and here's a random bit of awesomeness for you:


I picked it up for a dollar during my ANTIQUE FEST 2010!!!

Sad truth is I don't know how to iron. My parents used to own dry cleaners so I always gave them my ironing. My dad saw it and called it a toy. Well, not everyone needs giant commercial grade quality ironing boards dad. Besides, it's more for decoration. Me, iron? Pfffft!

I want to hang it on the wall next to the laundry closet. Unfortunately the laundry closet is located in the very red man cave. It will clash horribly. Michael will just have to repaint his man cave to accommodate. I'm thinking... mint green?

Drunken Noodles: Faang Thai of Leesburg

Remember my quest to find the best drunken noodle in NoVa? Well, the search continues!

Awhile back Michael and I tried the new Thai place that opened in Landsdowne, Faang Thai. The sign just reads "Faang" and I thought maybe it was a new place trying to cash in on the whole vampire craze but no, it's just your run of the mill Thai bistro. We went there on their grand opening night and either they're very cheap or their AC was busted because it was uncomfortably warm inside. The whole place also reeked of laminate flooring and Ikea-ish furniture.

How was the food? Hmmm... Well...


It was... Okay. I don't think I've ever had drunken noodle with tomatoes. The tomatoes didn't add anything to the dish, just made it seem kind of odd. The minced chicken was a new twist and I liked that you got a bit of chicken goodness with every bite. The noodles were cooked well but didn't have any of that awesome wok hay flavor.

Michael ordered the Chili Basil Chicken.


It kind of reminded me off the chili barbecue chicken my mom used to make, which really isn't a compliment since my mom is not a good cook. I mean, I liked it because it's my mom's cooking but I certainly wouldn't pay for it.

There was one bright star of the meal and that was the Thai Tea.


It was creamy and smooth and spicy and sweet. The drunken noodle might have been mediocre but I officially declare that Faang Thai has the best Thai tea!

Moving to a new area means having to find a new favorite spot for certain foods. Leesburg is only about 6 miles from Ashburn so it's not like we can't still visit our favorite restaurants but when it's late and we're tired we're not about to drive all that way to eat some Chinese food. Normally, we're huge fans of trying out new spots but money will be tight and we both hate wasting money on bad food. I guess we better start asking around!

House Tour: Part 4- The Main Floor

This picture pretty much sums up the state of my new house:


What are you looking at? It's the space between the foyer and the half bath. It's very cheaply half-assed DIY. There are randomly placed carpet remnants on they foyer (Got to protect that precious vinyl!). They decided to put some effort in the half bath with the fake parquet tiles but didn't bother to lift up the old vinyl flooring underneath. I could be wrong but I don't think you're supposed to stick vinyl on top of vinyl... They ran out or got lazy and didn't bother to tile all the way to the edge leaving a pretty substantial chunk of gross space where the glue residue has picked up all the grime from the bottom of people's shoes. Nice!

I do, however, love the fake parquet flooring.


I am a big fan of 60's and 70's decor and, since the "parquets" are already there, I think it would be fun to indulge my cheesy side and just go all out retro on the half bath. I've never been the biggest fan of wallpapers but I thought it would be fun to put up some retro wallpapers, or, at least do one wall.


However, I kind of tend to half-ass my DIY projects as well so maybe it's not a good idea. Measuring? Cutting straight lines? lining things up? Sounds hard. Besides, the bathroom has very high ceilings.


Trying to get things straight while being up on a ladder? I don't know... Sigh... But how amazing would it look?


Wallpaper from the 70's, is an amazing site, btw.

Maybe I'll just paint. It's cheaper.

Anyway, moving on... The foyer!


The foyer is a problem. As you can see, there really isn't a foyer. When you walk in you have to walk up the mini stairs into the living area or the kitchen (that door to the right, btw, is the half bath, not a closet). This sucks because the first thing we do when we come in is take our shoes off. Not a huge deal unless you're coming in with someone else. There's only enough room for one person to take their shoes off so some one's going to be stuck outside, waiting.

This house has a pretty large kitchen, which is awesome, but it comes at a price. The rest of the main floor is kind of small.

The main focus of the room is the bay window.


At first I thought it would be a perfect place for a little reading nook. Sadly, no. Well, I can still have my reading nook if I want to give up a dining room. Given its location, it's pretty obvious that the bay window area is suppose to be the dining room.

Next to the dining room is the living room.


As you can see, it's very small. I can fit what, an armchair in that spot?


There's no place to put a sofa. I can probably put a love seat parallel to the wall after the window but I don't know if it will run into the dining room. Maybe I'll turn that corner into my reading nook. I've always wanted a window seat. Maybe I'll try making something like this:


And by "make" I of course mean buy a low bookshelf from Ikea and put some patio chaise lounge cushion on top.

Reading nook or not, aside from the kitchen, we probably won't be spending too much time on the main floor so it's kind of ironic that it's the floor where we will probably be spending the most money to fix up. You see, the carpet is gross. Very gross.


And, it smell of dog- big, sweaty, stinky dog. It reeks of dog.

The carpet needs to come out before we move in. Ideally, we would LOVE to have hardwood or laminate but they're expensive. Carpet is cheap(er) but is it financially sensible to get carpet only to rip it off a few years later and get hardwood? Wouldn't it be cheaper, in the long run, to stick with the flooring that we will keep forever... Or, until we sell the house. Speaking of which, when we do sell, hardwood will be more impressive than carpet.

Both Jamie and my sister suggested ripping out the carpet and having plywood floors until we save up for hardwood/laminate. Oddly, there was a space in the corner where the previous tenant had cut out, and hastily replaced, where his corner cabinet used to be. We peaked underneath and...


Hmmm... We could probably live with that for awhile... You know, with area rugs and stuff.

Finally!!!

I'm excited!!!

I checked my email and...

I GOT MY VERY FIRST NIGERIAN SCAM EMAIL!!!

You read about these things and you're made to believe that everyone gets one, all the time. Why not me? Why aren't I special?! Well, now I have one. Yay!

Sadly, it's a knock-off. The rich person in need of my help is from Congo, not Nigeria. Oh well, close enough, right?

Even though Mrs. Mable has asked me to keep this on the DL I thought I'd share it with you.

(All the spelling mistakes are hers.)

From: Mrs.Mable Kabila.

My Dearest One,
Good day, Firstly, I apologize for sending you this sensitive information via e-mail instead of a Certified/Post-mail. It is understandable that you might be a little bit apprehensive because you do not know me but I have a lucrative business proposal of mutualinterest to share with you. Hence, this letter to you.I humbly crave your indulgence to read this e-mail with all seriousness of purpose devoid of any doubt in your mind because this project is based on Trust Confidentiality and Sincerity of purpose in order to have an acceptable meeting of the minds.

Please I seek your permission and would want to get myself introduce to you. I am Mrs.Mable Kabila, from Democratic Republic of Congo in East Africa.There is an information I would like you to keep very confidential. There is sum amount of money my Husband Late President Luarent Desire Kabila deposited in a security company here in Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire in West Africa for safe keeping. Before he was killed by his Eldest Millitary Son. The squable happened as immediately we returned back from our London trip,My husband married us two.I am the second wife,I will not be able to give you the full details that led to that urgly incidents.

The Eldest Son is the current President of our country now.For now I am staying in Abijdan, the enconomic capital of Republic of Cote d'voire,just to save my life,with my two children. The money in question,is 22Million U.S.Dollars.I can not make the withdrawal of this fund,because my husband registered the Beneficiary of the fund as his (Foriegn Bussiness Patner) and also(Family valuables as the content of the deposit) The documents of the deposit are here with me.
What I would want you to do, is to assist me to get the consignment withdrawn from the security company, and we shall open a small account in a Bank here in your name, and transfer the money to your country, through the account.We shall replace the name Foriegn Patner to your own name, because the code was used for security reason.I will give you 10% out of the total money for your assitance.There is no risk in this transaction.

I will use the remaining balance of the money for an investiment in your country and for the future of my children.If you are intrested, and can maintain the very confidential of this transaction,you e-mail me at (mrsm.kabila3@yahoo.com)
Immediately for more clearification, and also note that I am a refugees in Abidjan Cote d'lvoire becuase of the assasnation of my late husband,and the civil war going on in our country,Democratic Republic of Congo.
I will be waiting for your soonest response.

Thank you very much.

Mrs.Mable Kabila

I am going to pass on Mrs. Mable's offer.

BACK OFF, OLD LADY!!!

When shopping at Target I always check the girl's section as well as the grown up side. One of the perks of being short and small is that I can fit into a girl's large/extra large. Though most of the stuff is too juvenile, even for me, it's not rare to find something grown up looking for like half the grown up price.

Michael finds it hilarious and he has his fingers crossed that, one day, there will be that awkward moment when I come across a 7 year old wearing the same thing as me. He lives for such awkward moments and he still wears his Don't Be a Sad Panda shirt


in hopes that one day, he'll have an awkward moment of his own.

Mommy, why is that beardy man wearing the same shirt as me? It's a girl shirt.
Don't make eye contact honey, and just walk away!

I've yet to run into a tween wearing the same thing as me, and so what if I did? There's nothing wrong with a grown women wearing kids stuff, right? Right!

Well, there's an old lady at Target that seems to an issue with me shopping off the girl's rack.

Every time I run into her she gives me this look, this, "Oh, I've got my eyes on you so don't even think about trying anything funny!" look. She hovers around me with her stink eye and huffily rearranges everything I touch. The first time I ran into her, I didn't mind all that much. It was, after all, close to closing time and I know how frustrating it can be when you're just trying to get your area clean so you can go home and some inconsiderate jerk with nothing better to do on a Saturday night comes tearing in and rips apart your whole area, 15 min. before close. It sucks and you start to really hate all late night shoppers. But, I am a neat shopper, I don't mess things up and, when I do, I fold them back the way they were, sometimes better.

The next few times I ran into her she started to really get on my nerve. She would make a point to leave where ever she was to hover around me. It became obvious that she wasn't someone just trying to get her department clean because there would be a mom over in the corner making a mess and yet this old Target lady is trailing me. She looks at me with such contempt and disdain it makes me feel like I'm being a pervert for shopping in the girl's department.

Look, I can understand her reaction if I were a tall, bearded dude hanging out in the girl's department wearing a Sad Panda shirt but I'm not. And, even if she thinks it's somehow morally offensive for a grown up to wear kid's clothes, how does she know that I'm not buying them as gifts? I thought about complaining but what am I suppose to say? "Hey Target manager, I'm just a grown woman trying to save some money by shopping in the kid's department and one of your associate is making me feel like a perv for being in there!" Yeah, I don't think so.

Maybe she just thinks I'm a shop lifter...

The last time I was there I braved her hailstorm of hateful stares to buy this blazer.


It's from Target's Sonny Munroe line, Sonny being the fictional character from the Disney series, Sonny with a Chance... It's $20, which is normally more than what I would spend on clothing from Target, and it's definitely more than what I would spend on any clothing from the girl's department. Needless to say, I really like it. It fits perfectly and it's soft and comfortable. I can't wait until it cool enough to wear it.

Yeah, yeah I do feel a big goofy for buying something from the Sonny Munroe line. I feel kind of goofy that I even recognize the name Sonny Munroe. But, you know, screw it! If it's cute, it's cute, and it doesn't matter if it was inspired by a fictitious teen star or some real life fashion icon. If it fits, it fits and it doesn't matter what department it's from.

Stupid old Target Lady...

Go Big or Go Home?

At what point do you stop being a fan?

Is it when your band gets hijacked by a bunch of 14 year olds from a much misunderstood (and definitely mislabel) sub-group?


Well, that wouldn't be very fair considering I got into AFI after December Underground...

Is it when they release a not so awesome album? An album that tries to ditch their unique sound for something very mainstream and radio friendly sounding?


I would say that's a legit reason, though, you really shouldn't hate on a band for growing and trying new things. I mean, if I wanted to listen to December Underground and Art of Drowning I should just listen to December Underground and Art of Drowning. Besides, every band is allowed at least one dud in their vast discography.

Is it when, after being an ardent fan for 4 years, you finally get to see them live and you find the whole performance to be a bit... Hmmm... a bit too flamboyant? Then again, considering he used to look like this:


You have to expect some (or a lot...) of flamboyancy. Even if he is rocking a slightly more masculine Jake Gyllenhaal hair-do.


Is it when the dude, the dude you've adored for years. The dude whose songs you have enjoyed, countless times over and over again... Spits on stage, like, several times...?

Yeah, that's when it's okay to stop being a fan. I don't care who you are or what band you're in and what songs you've written. Spitting is always gross. The magic is gone.

I kid, I kid... Not about the spitting thing, he did that, several times, and each time it was gross. The show, however wasn't as bad as I may have implied. I will admit, it was more like watching someone imitate AFI than watching AFI. Have you ever seen those talent shows, like American Idol or America's Got Talent, where the contestant puts like their own sassy flair to a cover song? You know, with the exaggerated moves and the weird intonation thing? Yeah, it was like that.

Michael thinks he had to "go big" because they were the opening band, it was a very large stadium setting, and they didn't have much in terms of stage effect. It was just them. Mmm, maybe... In high school, a classmate told me that, in live theater, the actors have to exaggerate their acting so that those sitting in the back can "get it". I can see the logic behind that but I always thought he was making excuses for his tendency to over act.

I think that Davey finally feels that he has reached a level of fame where he feels comfortable being his true self, which, apparently, is a cross between this guy:


Prince, and that guy Jack from Will and Grace.

AFI opened for Green Day and it was obvious that 95% of the people there were for Green Day and Green Day alone. It was cool since we got very close to the stage but it sucked because their set was only about 40 minutes long. They were trying to cram as much songs into their sets as possible. Unfortunately, most of the songs were from their new album, Crash Love, an album that ranks right there with Black Sails as my least favorite.

Still, it was an enjoyable experience and now I can finally say that I have seen AFI live. I would love to see them in their own show one day. Maybe, when they're the headlining act, they will slow down their pace a bit and appear less spastic.

House Tour: Part 3- The Kitchen!

And now, I present to you, the most important room of the house, The Kitchen!


When we were discussing what room to fix first, both of us were like, "The kitchen!" simultaneously, like they do in a cheesy sitcoms. We even nodded our heads a bit like, "Yup, there's no doubt."

It's actually not too bad... The stove definitely needs to go since it doesn't work.


When the inspector told us it's busted I was not so secretly happy. Spending money isn't fun but that stove is old and ugly and I'm glad to have a legit excuse to get a new one. I would also like a new microwave since that one is very... sticky. But, since we don't use the microwave all that often, it's an expense that can wait.

The walls are painted a surprisingly un-patriotic color! The cabinets aren't super fab but it's better than most cabinets in houses that are in our price range, so that's cool.


I would definitely like some new window dressing. Are cafe curtains cheesy? The kitchen is actually half a story up so covering up just the bottom part of the window will still give us complete privacy. I'm figuring cafe curtains are cheaper than regular curtains since they're only half as long.

One of the reason I really wanted this house is because it's almost impossible to find a town house, in our price range, with a kitchen this big. There's enough room for an island or a table, which is good because, as big as it is, there's very little counter space. I like to sprawl out when I cook so, yeah, we're definitely going to need a table or an island.


I'm leaning towards a table. Michael's leaning towards an island.

If we have space, I would also like a shelving unit of some kind to display all of our colorful enameled cast iron cookwares. By all I mean four, but it's a growing collection.

I know it's fallen out of favor with the modern American family and all but, if I were to design my own house one day, a forever house that I don't have to worry about reselling, I would totally get a narrow galley kitchen. I can see why people love open design kitchens; you can't hang out in a galley kitchen. But, if you want a kitchen to serve its original function, galley kitchens are awesome.


Every second counts when you cook and, when you're carrying a giant pot of boiling hotness, every step counts. It's so efficient to have the a compact layout. I think galley kitchens require less counter space than an open kitchen. Everything is so close by you don't have to leave stuff out on the counter to grab when needed.

However, this is not our forever house and I can see the larger kitchen being a huge selling point later on, "Oh my goodness! The kitchen is so big! We can put a table here where Johnny can do his homework while I make dinner!"

The flooring is pretty gross.


I'm not flooring snob. I have no problem with vinyl, I actually prefer them. It's easy to clean, very low maintenance, and it doesn't get really cold during winter, which is important since I walk around barefoot. However, this floor is pretty gross.


And, like all the floors, it wasn't laid down well and there are gaps every where along the edges.

The sink is also a big disappointment.


I'm okay with having only one sink, though, I prefer two. I wash most of my dishes by hand and it's nice to have a second sink for a draining rack. Is it just me or is that sink unusually shallow? I'm definitely going to require a goose neck faucet. How else am I going to fill my pasta pot?

Maybe a granite counter top will be in our future. I'm fine with laminate but they're kind of high maintenance. Maybe one day, if we saved enough money, we'll consider it but it's not something I want to actively save for. Shouldn't be all that expensive; at least there's one good thing about lack of counter space! What I would really like is a butcher block counter top. I wonder if those are cheaper... Would definitely have to re-paint the cabinets if we do that...

Oh, I forgot to mention the lack of pantry. We live like 10 minutes away from a grocery store, and that grocery store is a Bloom, which I am not a fan of. I estimate that most of the cabinets will be used to store plates, cups, pans, etc. Because of that weird window cut out thing with spindles (refer to pic #4) I don't think we can get a free standing one in the kitchen. Would it be weird to get like an armoire for coats and such and use the hall closet as a pantry...?

So, that's my future kitchen!

The first thing we're going to do is give it a good scrub. Thankfully the previous tenant was kind enough to leave behind some cleaning supplies.


How thoughtful.