apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

And sometimes it is important to indulge and yes even splurge. As long as one can enjoy the raven and not let the guilt or remorse pile up afterwards.

:)

I don't get how heavy is an inconvenience. Heavy to me = well-made. It looks good.

This post doubly reminds me of my buddhist meditation retreat this year. "Desire creates suffering" is one of the main tenets of buddhism, and I have adapted it to my life and pretty much devoided myself of all earthly possessions (except for my camera and my laptop, the modern day pen and paper). After I had finished ten days of silence, I went back and volunteered in the kitchen, and we had a Robot Coupe, only the box that it was stored in said "Robot Coup."

It's coming sooner than you think . . .

Though the concept of something being heavy never stops me from purchasing something that I need and that I know will last forever... I can see how it is an issue when living in an apt where everything is up high on shelves and when it becomes annoying and almost deterring to have to get your step ladder to reach up and then carefully pull this heavy beast down to make something, and then wash it and put it back up.

My raven requests weekly visits to Crate & Barrel... just to look (um, and to caress lovely shiny things a bit).

Lost in translation? Are magpies called ravens in the US? In all the stories I've read, magpies are perpetually acquisitive, and ravens are harbingers of evil - though I suppose needless consumption isn't exactly a good thing...!

@marmite: I thought of magpie, too, and almost used it but the first time I heard about raven nature was when I was in a cluttered little shop and the owner and I got to talking and joking about being seduced by lovely objects. Not to worry, she said. It's just your raven nature coming out. So I decided, after a look at wiki, to stick with the original phrase:

Common Ravens are known to steal and cache shiny objects such as pebbles, pieces of metal, and golf balls. One theory is that they hoard shiny objects to impress other ravens. Other research indicates that juveniles are deeply curious about all new things, and that Common Ravens retain an attraction to bright, round objects based on their similarity to bird eggs...

A deeper look into magpie this morning revealed the following:

Magpie, a person who collects or accumulates things widely and indiscriminately.

Haha... that's a nice anecdote. I'm no ornithologist. I've definitely been guilty of both of the above! Damn the internet for making it even easier :)

Magpie collects stuff and raccoons are known to like shiny things. These were the comparisons I've heard in the past. I suffer from both or all three.

Shiny!

I'm so glad you wrote this article on "I-want-a's" and recognizing when you are being pulled by commercialism or peer pressure. You've help validate my feelings, especially after being called to task two weeks ago with the ESTY catalog items. I'm happy with what I have in the kitchen and am not driven by the lasted gizmo that comes across the market. It's important to be satisfied with what we have, buy only the very best we can, buy classic modals that hold up in time, and save our precious pennies for emergencies. How many times have you purchased something, gotten home and said, "Why did I get this? This wasn't a smart move."

What I try to live by is don't buy something that duplicates the task of another thing that is still functional. When my 2Q Analon non-stick sauce pot started shedding Teflon, it was time to go. A local store had a sale, and I hope that I've bought my last 2 saucepot, opting for a bright shiny Mauvier SS multiclad model. But my raven or magpie is trying to redeem all of the old Analon NS pieces (OK bought in 1999) for the equivalent nice shiny bits. I must resist (at least until they show signs of flaking...)...

My husband's nickname for me is magpie. I think he means it lovingly... :-)

I just went to a Tupperware party (Lord help us all...) - I'd sworn them off forever, but my friend asked really nicely...
Anyway, I went and only bought one thing, even though I'd circled 11 items in the catalogue - and although we don't "need" a hamburger press, I'm getting it for the nostalgia value for my husband (His mom had - still has - one).

It's amazing what you DON'T buy when you ask "do I _need_ this" for each potential purchase.

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful” - William Morris.