Q and A: Acquisitions

Val asked:

Coolest gadget you’ve picked up for under 10 bucks that you use regularly?

This is a hard question for me because I am not really a gadget-y person, so we don’t have a lot of specific doohickeys around the house. However, I highly recommend the Zyliss pizza cutter, which we bought at the suggestion of Alton Brown, our kitchen guru of choice. As he explains, this design makes the pressure from your hand push down into the pizza, not across it. Plus, its two pieces break apart for cleaning.

Although it’s not under $10, my first reaction to this question was my book light. JG gave it to me for Valentine’s Day a few years ago (swoon!), and I use it every night. I’ve only needed to replace the batteries once, so far.

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Jen asked:

Would you entertain the idea of getting a second dog, a companion for Ted? If so, what kind? And would you go through Puppydom again? (I know I wouldn’t!)

Even though JG had to persuade me over to the pro-dog side, there was a point after we got Ted when I considered getting another dog to keep him company. Ted was really energetic and tiring, and I figured the two dogs could play together and wear each other out. However, JG pointed out that we’d have double the vet visits, boarding costs, and dog hair, and did I really want to walk two dogs every morning? Then, we dogsat for Quincy, and that nixed the idea of getting a second dog. One dog is enough for us, especially now that Ted has calmed down, relatively speaking.

In terms of breeds, I love what I call “smushy-faced dogs”: bulldogs, pugs, shar peis, etc. I just love the wrinkles! But the only way we’d ever get one is if we got a puppy, and there is no way we are doing that again.

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Jen also asked:

How do you feel about Etsy? Have you ever purchased anything from Etsy, and if so, what?

I am torn about Etsy. On one hand, I like the idea of buying things that are handmade and unique, where the proceeds go to the artisan. On the other hand, I’m afraid of getting a product that’s poorly made (despite positive feedback), and I hate searching the site. If I don’t know exactly what I’m looking for, searching on Etsy is almost useless to me because I feel like I have to wade through piles of junk on the off chance that something better might come up. I wish I had more patience with the whole thing. If anyone has sellers to recommend, I would appreciate it.

Nevertheless, I have made several purchases from Etsy:

• Gold leaf earrings from Hello Berlin, for my sister
• Jane Austen letterpress cards from Letterary Press, for my mom
• Books print (with green text) from The Black Apple, soon to be hung in our library

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NGS asked:

Do people ever think you’re going to steal their child/dog/bicycle/car/purse because you are eying them so covetously?

Um, no. The only item in that list that might be in remote danger of me stealing it would be the purse.