Are you a lister? My wife’s a lister. She’s the Grand Master of Listers. And not just the visible kind, like the ones you find scribbled on a piece of paper. She has invisible ones that only she can see.

It started with the grocery list. Fair enough. I can’t keep two drink orders in my head, so I definitely need a list for food supplies. But then I discovered there was another list. This one started showing up, bright and early, on Saturday mornings. Hand-written, it was ever so casually left on the dining table, right by my usual designated chair. It came with an ominous title: To Do.

I assumed it was her list, since she’d written it. No, no, no. It was our list.

Unbeknownst to me, Saturdays were for Getting Things Done. As God intended. Or some such loony theory. Continue reading To List, or Not To List. That is the Question. →

We have a rather fancy garbage can. And I take full responsibility, nay, pride,  for its presence in our otherwise nothing-special kitchen.

It was love at first sight. I was seduced in broad daylight by an in-store demo at a Bed, Bath and Beyond (Reason) store. I was in the checkout line, all set to leave with my new shower curtain, when I made the fatal mistake of glancing back towards Kitchenware.

In front of a pyramid of dazzling white garbage cans, a chubby sales guy was showing a couple of retirees the wonders of modern sanitation. What impressed me was the look on their faces. They were clearly in awe. And they weren’t alone. I could see a couple of other shoppers also observing from behind the safety of a stack of garden hoses.

Demo Dude stepped forward onto the garbage can pedal. The lid yawned open like the door to Aladdin’s cave. He tossed a clean paper napkin into the sanitized can, and paused, glancing around at the gathering crowd. Then, stepping back, hands in the air in full-drama mode, he stood silently staring at the can, waiting. Continue reading The Liquid Wrench Caper →