My Favorite Things (a weekly or so appreciation of real life things.)

My Favorite Thing this week is Superglue.  (Thanks, Laura, for the idea!)

In our consumer driven society, and especially in the age of plastic disposable everything, and doubly so when marketing websites masquerade as lifestyle tip sheets, (ahem,) I would like to buck the system and post a plug for repair.  The benefits of repair are multifold: economical, self-sufficient, environmentally sound and overall kick-ass.  It teaches my kids the worth of a buck, it shows them that some things are worth effort and it illustrates our commitment to living a life more in line with our values - thrift, appreciation, simplicity and a desire to lower our impact.  It also gives me great satisfaction to save something useful instead of just tossing it out.

This week, my 80+ year-old father posted on his Facebook feed that he had spent over thirty minutes using acetone to unstick three fingers and a thumb he had unwittingly fused while doing some home repair.  Several people expressed surprise and sympathy for him.  Those of us who know him well were like "Thirty minutes?  Well, it's not the record but it's definitely on the high side for him." And obviously he was successful otherwise he wouldn't have been able to type that.

My father often describes himself as 'clumsy'.  This is not really the case. While I'll admit that as he ages, he is not as spry as he once was, and his reactions times are slower, but he breaks no more nor less than he did at 40, 50, 60, or 70.  What my father is, is distracted.  Continually, always, completely.  His brain never shuts off and he is always thinking of something else when he is doing things.  Thus, he may perch an object near the edge of a counter while he turns around to do something else, then immediately knock it to the floor when he swivels back.  This is a trait my oldest child inherited: the total inability to focus on what is at hand and follow it to its natural end.

My father's train of thought often lacks a caboose.

Thus superglue has been a staple in our home since its consumer introduction.  Good old Elmer's was used before then.  I have many many trinkets in my home that have been passed to me from my parents' homes.  Anything made of glass, ceramic, pottery, china, porcelain and in some cases wood usually has a crack, chip, or piece that has been glued back together.  My Step-mom's need for constant manipulation of her environment (re-arranging,) and my Dad's propensity to zone out while doing so were not an ideal fit. And so it is in my home.


I have a bucket full of fix-its that patiently wait while I mull about the best way to repair the damage.  My children know there are two kinds of damage:
1) A Come-Apart - this is something that can be fixed rather easily, or something that will require major surgery but warrants it because of the value of the piece, either emotional or monetary.
2) A Broken - this is something I'm thrilled to throw out, no matter if it is easily repaired or not, or something that is seriously beyond repair, no matter what its value.  Items below my kids development level, annoying noise-making things, ugly or useless items will be summarily tossed by me if they are damaged.  Other things, like a seriously sentimental spoon rest that gets dropped while drying it and smashes into a hundred pieces, gets an appropriate send off, including a detailed provenance while being swept up into the trash.  If it had been a clean break, I would have glued it back together but it was way beyond that.

Works like a charm!

I have been pretty lucky so far in my repair work.  I rarely *inadvertently* fuse skin, although I have had to abandon projects in the past because what looked like an easy repair turned out to be a nightmarish threat to kitchen counters and skin.  For my father, his thirty minute foray into surgical adhesion is not his first, nor will it be his last.  In fact the only reason he keeps acetone in the house is for this reason.  *Per the asterisk above, I do have another use for superglue.  I suffer from extremely painful skin splits which I have begun treating with superglue.  It stings like hell for a few minutes but ultimately the cyanoacrylate, (also used in surgical glue) works wonders for them.


While I was visiting over the Christmas break, my dad and sister and I went to the swap meet which presented the ultimate 'bonding' experience.  After being sold on the merits of a new improved formulation of instant glue, he bought us all a bottle.  (Three for the price of two!)  I have yet to use this new formulation, I'm saving it for something 'special.'

I will in the next few weeks, bring my chachkas down from the attic and unpack them for display as we put our living room back together.  A good many of these will bear battle wounds from run-ins with my father or children.  I will carefully position them with the scar in the back.  Their secret is safe with me.

My Inspiration! My Muse!

I don't watch television anymore, and I rarely go to movies.  This leaves me at a distinct disadvantage in our celebrity driven culture.  I do like to peruse the celebrity best and worst dressed lists for events, but I usually have only heard of about half of the celebrities.  I might be able to name a 'housewife' or two, and I know who Kim Kardashian is, (although I've never seen anything she's done beside look 'ample',) but I am sadly out of the loop on my '90's stars' lives.  (Has Jennifer Aniston done anything lately? I still think she and Brad made such a cute couple.)

It is with this limited knowledge that I began Fluff (a parody) as an answer to Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop site.  I had heard so many unbelievable quotes attributed to her.  And this week, when she succumbed to Hollywood marriage malaise, it kind of pushed me over the top of incredulity. So this morning I finally opened up Goop to see what I was up against.

It's the 'best of' oracle.  Things that people who don't live in the real world love!  Case in point:  I'd love to make some Larb Gai, but it will take me all day to get the ingredients together, including making my own toasted rice powder.  Instead, we're going international with taco night! (Again.)  And while I may have 'forgotten' to make vacation plans, $2500/3 days (double occupancy) at a terrific domestic spa isn't going to happen... ever.  And here's something cool - Goop collaborates with designers to create products that they think are ducky.

GOOP $115

TARGET $12

Ok, I will admit the GOOP tshirt is cuter, but is it $100 cuter?  Is it worth the premium I would rather spend on buying better quality food for my family?  T-shirts are pretty well disposable for me, between stains and holes, so I can't see buying something cute for that much money.  Who is with me on this?

Enough of the Gwyneth bashing.  It's just so easy!  I will, however, attempt to put a real world spin on some of her postings.

The RA 10 (a real world answer to the GP 13)
Here are ten of my favorite restaurants in Dayton, in no particular order.
Buckin' Donkey Grill - Wilmington Road  
Diverse menu of lots of in-house-made items.  Economical and kid friendly, but Dad can still get a beer, and Mom a wine.  This is our current "King's Crown."
Olive, an Urban Dive - 3rd street downtown
Fresh and local with unique offerings.  A little pricey and no liquor license so you can splurge on food and BYOB (for a corkage fee.) The kids like it, but it's too good for them.  More of a date night joint.
Treasure Island Supper Club - Moraine
Die hard following of bar flies, in their 70's.  Good basic food reasonably priced for sensible portions - steaks, burgers, salads.  Strong drinks. Restaurant section is family friendly, but you are going to want to save it for a date night and sit at the bar.  The pork chops are excellent.
Taqueria Mixteca - 3rd Street Dayton
Off the beaten path and worth it. Great Mexican food.  Inexpensive and family friendly.
Southpark Tavern - Wayne Ave.
Sometimes I just want to eat full on pizza, cheese fries, etc.  And sometimes not, but my family wants to.  We like the sandwiches, pizza and salads.  Full bar and family friendly.  Economical, it has a patio and it's pretty friendly.
Lihn's - Airway Rd.
Often when a restaurant changes locations it loses some of its charm (ahem, Jimmie's and Coco's) but in this case, the cinderella makeover of a once hole-in-the-wall Lihn's is a resounding success. Inexpensive, family friendly and really superior Vietnamese food.  Feel the flu coming on?  Get a bowl of Pho to go and knock that shit out.
Meadowlark - Kettering (and it's newest incarnation, Wheat Penny on Wayne Ave.)
Pricey! And fabulous! Inspired cuisine and drinks with quality local ingredients.  Leave the kids at home unless you want to take out a second mortgage.  Wheat Penny is slightly more modest with wood-fired pizza on the menu.
Pasha Grille - the Greene 
Although we generally try to avoid faux-ville, we love Pasha.  The food is outstanding, it's reasonably priced, family friendly, has a full bar and the staff is earnest and helpful.  We usually order family style and split a large appetizer plate and a mixed grill which is enough food for the four of us.  The bread with dip they serve is addicting.
Lucky's Taproom - Oregon District
I don't like beer, but as a nod to the explosion of beer joints Dayton has birthed in the past year or so, I'm going to have to mention one of the first.  When Lucky's opened (3? years ago?) it did so with the same passion that Blind Bob's did for food. But while the latter let their kitchen slip into mediocrity, Lucky's is still putting out good quality inspired offerings with choices for vegans, gluten-sensitive and omnivores alike.  The kids like the food, although the little one is put off by tattoos so it's not her favorite place.  Hubby likes the copious choice of beer and the quality of the experience.  (They are rumored to have the cleanest beer lines in Dayton.)
Dewey's - Brown Street
My one nod to a chain restaurant, Dewey's seems to 'dew' it right, with plenty of fresh quality ingredients and a pizza menu that includes some of the best salads in town.  Very family friendly (with beer and wine!) it satisfies a lot of what this family wants.  Including signature pint glasses on one's birthday.  We have a collection.