Me at 34

I want to be the type of person who buys nice things because (generally speaking) nice things are better for people, the planet, and the kind of economy I want to support. I want heirloom-quality furniture, ethically-made jewelry, and organic clothing. I want shoes that last longer than one season. I want to support local artists and artisans.

We are in a financial position where I can afford some of these things. Not everything I want all at once, but slowly, gradually, over time, as things need to be replaced, I can afford to upgrade to the better model.

Except that I have a problem. I am not the type of person who can own nice things. I'd like to be able to blame it on my children, and to some extent, they are part of the problem. But mostly, it's not them, it's me.

I started to list all the things I have broken or ruined in the past couple of years, but it was too sad and embarrassing. You'd think being 34 and a real grown-up that I would have grown out of it by now, but sadly no. This very morning in fact, I spaced out and boiled dry my 2-quart All Clad pot and then spent the better part of my morning scrubbing off the burn marks with an abrasive cleanser that earns an F from the Environmental Working Group. Now it's a much uglier version of itself (and no longer says All Clad on the bottom). This pot was supposed to be an investment that I could pass on to my kids...

I suppose the lesson I've learned is that if I want nice things, I better buy them off of craigslist. 

Speaking of being 34, I decided the other night at the Pinback show that I need to dye my hair blue. I've always wanted to, and folks, I'm 34 years old. Next year I'm going to have a job and will need to look all professional. I only have so much time left. What do you think - yea or nay on the blue hair?

Lastly, here's what Michael made for my "birthday cake:"

S'more Pie!!!!

  Visit the Smitten Kitchen for the recipe