*economic futility.

Holy lateness, batman! It's been a helluva day.

Pros: Planning ended a full 24 hours early. I may have scored JBSH a refrigerator on the cheap. I just ate dessert. I interpreted "casual" wear at work today to mean a glorified sweatsuit. J is snoring.

Cons: The fancy-schmancy $0.50 lunch container I bragged about here is defective (go figure); the adorable trap-door is nonfunctional. Planning was long and restless-making, and marked with the recurring fear that we're composing stories for 2010 when we may not be around in January.

Optimism may have taken a holiday. But! Should I lose my job, I will have even more time to troll the Interweb for coolness.

I love these as a replacement for the ubiquitous glass pendant. They have a sense of humor most lighting lacks.



Know what else is funny? This.



I know that in real life, hippos are dangerous, but as footstools they are decidedly adorable. I appreciate it as a riff on taxidermy, and I think it's sort of like turning a smile into an ottoman. You can put your feet up and give yourself a laugh. It's a twofer.

I love this for the marriage of form and function, too.



Retro fabulous, plus long legs to keep the double timers from melting on your stovetop.

That 1950s styling appeals to my sensibilities, which lately are mostly informed by the impossible waistlines, trembling cigarettes, and erstwhile paneling on Mad Men. Which is why I want to fill my cocktail shaker from one of these.



I can almost hear the CRACK! and the ensuing laughter as a rogue cube inevitably skitters across the pre-fab flooring.

I think these would garner some laughter, too.



I'd be hard-pressed to actually put fruit in one (The handle is made for banana-hanging. How sweet is that?), because fruit tends to become naught more than a rotten flytrap in my capable hands. But I'd love one in black as a centerpiece. Or a conversation piece.

These would definitely get people talking.



Have you ever seen anything prettier? They make me want to run grab some green tea and honey and crumpets and maybe a bonnet for J.

What, too twee?

How about this?



Anything that makes it easier for me to save trips and reduce the likelihood of falling down/spillage is imminently covetable.

For the longest time I've been drooling over these.



Ina uses one, and it's a genius design. Most recipes call for freshly ground black pepper, but it's difficult to freshly grind into a measuring spoon. You can just eyeball it, but I utterly lack any powers of estimation. This allows you to crack pepper into a reservoir that you can then measure from. Lovely!

Almost as lovely as this.



I love a piece of furniture with something to hide.

However, this is the prettiest thing I've seen all week.



(Sidebar: Why is my inferior toast not shaped like waffles? Discuss.) It's pristine, with a hint of fragility.

Just like me.