Facelift

Our living room wall before ...


... and after ...


Thanks for your input. You convinced me.



JEM

Poll: How Do You Do?

So I notice that in the English book I am required to teach from, it says that the correct and polite response to the question "How do you do?" is "How do you do?"

Did I miss something? Doesn't "How do you do?" mean the same thing as "How are you doing?" Isn't the response "fine" or "very well"? I tell the students that I think the book is mistaken, that I have never heard someone respond like that, and of course, one of the students disagrees with me. I am wrong and the book is right. I say I'm sorry, but all I have to go on is 24 years of BEING AN AMERICAN.

And then I consider telling them that the only people who say "How do you do?" anyway are limp-wristed tea-party goers and that saying it can, in some American cities, get you killed. But I don't. They'll have to learn that the hard way.

So now you tell me, what is the correct response to "How do you do?" Together we will settle this once and for all.



JEM

Poll: The Great Photo Mural Debate

Jake and I have been entertaining the idea of putting a 1970s-inspired, gigantic wallpaper photo mural on one wall of our living room. We feel it could be the touch of class the place really needs. The current debate is which atmosphere-setting theme we want to go with. Here are the options we're considering:


1. Sunset/palm trees/beach. Jake likes this option because the palm trees and sunsets remind him of his home, Las Vegas. He also likes the idea of putting up a landscape that is very different from the one we currently live in as an escape. I worry that during the gray winters I might turn into a vegetable staring at what I can't have.


2. Moon landing. This is arguably the classiest of the options we're considering. We like that's unusual, but Jake is concerned that it will clash with our Christmas decor. Considering our "Christmas decor" is a string of white lights and a white star in our window, I'm not only not concerned, I think it would be the perfect compliment.


3. Forest. This is a nice, safe option. It would likely set off the room well and be a pleasant reference to the woodsy landscape we currently live in.


4. Map. Honestly we haven't found a lot of good photo mural maps, but if we did find one we think it would be a fun way to track or travels and plot our world domination.


5. Desert. This is also a reference to Jake's American Southwest homeland. We like the bold colors and the stark shapes, but apparently so does everyone else because this wallpaper is sold out everywhere we've looked.

Keeping these arguments in mind, I encourage all readers to place their votes in AD's latest poll: "Which photo mural theme should we use to class up our living room?"

And don't just sit there thinking, "Oh, my vote won't count anyway. I'll let everybody else worry about it," or, "I've got too many things to worry about to be concerned with issues that don't directly affect me and my loved ones," or, "All the candidates disgust me and I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing I had given my vote to any of them."

Gentle readers, American Dresdner needs you now more than ever. Please exercise your right as an empowered user of the Information Super Highway and make your opinion known viciously and anonymously.

If you don't vote, the terrorists have won.



JEM