Just off the top of my head, and not in any particular order, are 10 things I don't see myself needing any time soon.
A lawn mower
A health club membership
A water softening unit
A radar detector
An ironing board
A business suit
An espresso machine
A fax machine
A text messaging device
A gun
(I live in a high-rise with lots of stairs. I grew up with hard water and anything softer coming out the shower head feels like vaseline. The cops never seem to stop speeders, and I don't need to go 110. I don't own any clothes that need to be ironed, or go anywhere where people care. If a sport coat, black t-shirt and cargo pants aren't dressy enough, I'm not going. Dark roast is the white bread of the coffee world. If I can't email it, it's not going anywhere; if it needs a box, I can't fax it anyway. I like to write. I don't hunt, and guns make for messy fishing.)
How about you? What 10 things can you do without and why?
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a hairbrush
a hair dryer
a cloths dryer
a lawn mower
saran wrap
an egg separator
a bread maker
makeup
a vacuum cleaner
a car compass
I have curly hair, and the first two items lead to a fro. I live in desert, so there's no grass and no reason to not put clothing on a line. Saran wrap is packaged aggravation. The most satisfying way to separate an egg is to break the shell in two and toss the yoke back and forth from piece to piece, and for me a breadmaker would take away from the experience of making bread. I don't have time for makeup. My house has tile floors, which I've grown to like. I have a tendency to get lost but I've learned to be patient when it happens and sometimes run into neat new places that way. (Also, through past attempts to navigate with one I've discovered my car generates it's own magnetic field, centered around the dashboard which renders the compass useless when I would need it the most. This took a while to figure out, and I think it means I was just meant to be lost sometimes).
lawn mower - I have a gardner
SUV - I think they are immoral and should be illegal
gun - I would never have it in my hand when I needed it, and the risk of it being used accidentally or in anger by me, another family member, or somebody else is just too high.
Ipod - I am a music lover, but I don't walk around listening to music. I listen to it in the car or at home. The rest of the time, I would rather be involved with what is going on around me.
A pipe for smoking tobacco or anything else - DUH
power boat - noisy, smelly, wasteful and too expensive.
tuxedo - anywhere I have to wear one, I don't want to be
Rolex watch - big, ugly, heavy, ostentatious and too expensive
baby buggy - been there, done that
walker - I never, ever want to use one!
Branwen ; ) I wouldn't use makeup either. I do need a rake though; without it I'm afraid my new beard would get a bit nappy. Kitty looks so darned relaxed. Hall homes are quite cat friendly I believe.
Anyone else?
2. makeup
3. anything bought at Walmart
4. bread machine
5. Hot Pockets or Pizza rolls
6. Snowmobile
7. Chocolate Fountain
8. a TV with a screen bigger than 30"
9. a FAX
10. stiletto heeled shoes ( for that matter nothing higher than 1/2 inch)
We do have a shotgun, as we live out in the boonies and have critters.
health club membership - Yup, go there at least three days a week. I mostly use it as a locker and shower, although I do use some weight machines for short upper-body workouts. Basically, I am a runner/walker, and I meet people there and we go out together to a local park.
radar detector - Used one for a few years when I had a hot sports car, but it (the detector, not the car) died and I never replaced it. It saved a few tickets, I think. I recently got a speeding ticket that I would not have gotten if I had it. First one in 14 years.
ironing board - we have one, but it is rarely used...wife insists on no-iron or it goes to the laundry.
business suit - I make do with blazer and slacks...usually sans tie.
espresso machine - got one, rarely use it, but we do make STRONG coffee every day.
fax machine - wife uses it almost every day in her work...mostly travel documents.
hairbrush and hair dryer - Yup. We both have all our hair and sometimes there isn't time to air-dry. What would I do without a brush?
Clothes dryer - Yeah. I know it's wasteful, but nobody hangs laundry out around here. They might kick us out of the neighborhood if I hung out my jockstraps.
vacuum cleaner - How do you get your house clean without one?
car compass - I don't have one, but I have seen them in other people's cars, and they seemed to work fine.
Hey, we're retired! (I rarely watch it, but Suzanne logs a lot of time. It really has a gorgeous picture.)
My building isn't close enough to another to run a clothesline over to the neighbors. I do hang about half my wash around the house to keep the guitars from drying out.
Snowmobiles are one reason I don't own a gun.
Someone to tell me I'm going to hell.
A harp.
A house with more than 200 sq. ft. per person.
More than two or three kids.
A plumber, carpenter or landscape architect.
Canned "pie" filling.
Liquor.
A subsidy for not planting a crop next spring.
A car that gets less than 30 miles per gallon.
Shag carpet.
A powerboat – I prefer sailing or cannoning.
Snowmobile – I prefer cross-country skiing.
Camping trailer or RV – I prefer tent camping.
A house that's not really energy efficient – See House of Arden
A coffee maker of any kind – I don't touch the stuff. (It does really bad things to me!)
Down hill skies – I'd probably kill myself.
A really small house – we enjoy having lots of company – then there are parties! See See House of Arden
Jewelry, other than my wedding band and my wristwatch. Although I could do without the watch – but others couldn't.
Anything, - just because it's the latest "IN" thing. See What's In?.
Bonus items:
Golf clubs – golf is a good walk ruined.
Shag carpet
Power lawn mower - I use an old fashioned push reel mower.
Canned pie filling - unless we can it ourselves
leaf blower -
We have a lot of jewelry in our house, but only because it's the kind of thing that cost $30-$90 retail, and later ends up at a yard sale for a quarter.
I love to downhill ski, but I'm not willing to work for a ski area, so I don't.
What's golf? : )
My dad was an expert on which Southwestern cafes had good pie. Gooey plastic filling was a big peeve of his.
"Go outside. The graphics are amazing!"
Wow. I love that.
An ironing board
Dogs
An SUV or Minivan
A big house in the suburbs
An I-pod
new clothes
A big yard
fast food
going out to movies
wine
Some of those I don't care about, some I just don't WANT to nee and am trying NOT to need, like fast food! Nothing against dogs, just more time and money than I have. I probably would love a big house, but it's not going to happen, so I try to make myself decide I don't need it. Never have had an iron, never will. And I get great brands and great quality of clothes at the Goodwill or other thrift stores, or lawn sales.
Lots of funny reading here, thanks!
Nosy neighbors
Judgmentalism
People who know everything
Power outages
Beggars on email from Africa ha ha
Wrong numbers at dawn or midnight
Forgetting to get T-paper
Running out of gas
- and copy paper and stamps!
An Ill Tempered Moose
A collection of Sports Barbies
A Two Way Radio/cellphone
Exotic fruits that I can't pronounce the name of
Plutonium Rods
sneakers that blink when I walk
movies about Green Tomotoes (Fried, or otherwise)
Things that explode
Bidet that plays the Macarena
I have no use for:
- a 10,000 sq. ft. home
- a jumbo SUV (and you are right; they are obscene)
- a phone in my ear (pretentious as hell!)
- other people's children in restaurants
- reality television
- Paris Hilton - good grief!
- high heels (a barbaric invention!)
Now, how about some of the things we wouldn't want to live without?
- dunkin donuts coffee
- bass ale
- comfortable clothes (i.e.: sweats, t's, and flannels)
(yes, I am female, but I love my comfy-clothes!)
- Law & Order SVU - my only tv indulgence
- Sunday mornings at home
2. a Blockbuster card
3. call waiting, call forwarding, caller id, call block, call anything else
4. smokeless tobacco. (okay, I'm a smoker)
5. processed meat products
6. another husband (just got rid of one)
7. another mother-in-law (haha got rid of her too!)
8. a boob job
9. a leaf blower
10. guns
1. rap and any other genre of music that doesn't have discernable words ro a melody
2. cell phone rings in public (since its right on your person, no reason not to just use vibrate)
3. factory-type fluorescent lighting
4. clocks, calendars, and schedules (after six months in south africa, i'm a huuuuge fan of the 'africa' time mentality, it WILL get done, so don't stress too much)
5. make up (hmmm sleep for 15 more minutes or paint my face with goop that goes everywhere for the rest of the day? hard choice.)
6. ex boyfriends (until enough time has passed and you're able to contemplate referring to them as a 'friend')
7. low-fat junk food and diet soda (if i'm going to eat it, its going to taste good)
8. customer service calls (the endless numerical options, the long wait with elevator music as your only company, and the ultimate realization that the person on the other side of the phone is also on the other side of the world, and really doesn't want to help you all that badly.)
9. bosses. (although currently my boss is my dad, so I have it pretty good)
10. horror movies (why would I pay to have my sleep interrupted for the following 3 months?)
mcmansion
gas guzzler
big-screen tv
blockbuster membership (gimme netflix!)
cable/dish (gettin' by w/rabbit ears currently) - most network tv is horrendous
fast food joints (drive/walk on by - unless starving & no other choices)
top 40/computer programmed commercial radio
overpriced designer clothes
i think that's only nine, but you get the idea
ps - jim v. - those pancakes look awfully tasty ; )
seems like almost everyone i see on streets of nyc has a handset or bluetooth connected to their ear - who is everyone blabbing to?
Any gaming system (xbox, PSP, etc.)
More than two pairs of shoes
Any vehicle getting less than 25 MPH
Cable or Satellite TV (but my kids would revolt)
Beer and wine (Jack Daniel's will do, thanks)
An 8-track player (I'm getting desperate)
Anything that claims to firm my buns, my thighs or my abs
A Blackberry
Bluetooth anything
12-hour Sudafed (too much hassle buying it from the pharmacy now)
But, here's 10 things I can't live without (could but don't want to!):
My wife (completely unbalanced without her)
My kids (surprise, delight, all of those little used emotions)
My dog (happiness is your puppy sleeping with her head on your foot)
Books (need lots of books, all kinds of books)
My glasses (Yeah, I did see that episode of the Twilight Zone. Books are no good without 'em)
Jazz (Rock, Hip hop, whatever, goes in and out, but Miles Davis makes you feel alive)
My computer (OK, this is shallow, but I get a lot of my world right here in a 1 foot square screen)
My iPod (OK, this is shallow too, but getting it was a life changing event)
My motorcycle (yeah, yeah, they're dangerous and all that, but as my wife said "better you should ride a motorcycle and risk death than have an affair and be assured of it" - she's special!)
Thai food (or Indian, or Vietnamese)
OK, so I'm not very deep, but I think these are simple pleasures...
2. Giant screen TVs. There's so little worth seeing that big
3. Those walkie-talkie cell phone things and the jerks who use them, especially in restaurants
4. A fancy coffe machine. I use a press- it doesn't get any better!
5. Any "coffee drink" that includes syrup and has a nineteen syllable name
6. SUV's, especially those driven by 90 pound women
7. Dog owners who consider their animal "our kid!"
8. Dog owners who use retractable leashes. Who is walking who?? It's a walk, not a wander.
9. Food (ha!) that comes from neon-colored boxes that say "Smart" or "Healthy" or "Lean" or "Chemical Laden Food Substitute"
10. "Award Shows" on TV, especially those beginning 4 hours earlier with the "arrivals."
A leaf blower! I forget those even existed. The realization they do makes my brain hurt.
For my dad, Hal, I should add "an employer". He was very much self-made.
I really want to do a whole post "Why I Don't Own a Gun", but it might be a little embarrassing. I feel very competent, but not competent enough to own anything as half-cocked as a gun. Even if I lived in the woods again, that little voice is saying "oh, no you don't . . ."
10 things i can live w/o:
noisy machines (jet skis top the list)
idiots
greasy food
cell phones
ipods
guns
violence
tiresome clothes (skimpy, or need ironing)
the national enquirer
ethnocentrism
10 Things I can live without:
1. Luxury car/SUV
2. Leaf or snow blower (thankfully I am healthy and able right now...but for some, these may be necessities)
3. Large screen TV
4. Ann Coulter's book, How to talk to a liberal (if you must)
5. Call waiting
6. Singing bass
7. 1 more Arnold Schwarzenegger movie
8. Fashionable clothes for exercising
9. Shrimp deveiner (yes, I got one as a shower gift!)
10 Christma china
But, this exercise also got me thinking about things that make my life better
1. Libraries
2. Used book stores/Independent book stores
3. Performing arts centers
4. Parks and gardens
5. Friendly neighbors
6. Wildlife and wild places
7. Satisfying work
8. Ways to "give back"
9. A good recycling program in town
10. Tom Hanks movies
WIFI
Blackberry
Marketing, especially telemarketing
New Orleans
Reality TV (Except COPS)
Kiosks in the Mall (Excuse me Sir, have you....?)
Artichokes
Lines
Evangelists
Lottery tickets as gifts (Merry Christmas, Loser)
Tattoos
Liver
Anything recorded by Green Day
.......
Things I prefer not to live without:
Single Malt Scotch
Aleve
KY Jelly
Reliable Transportation
A good sound system
friends
1 bathroom per adult
grandchildren
daily delivery of the morning paper
a good sense of humor
poland springs water
a good dentist, plumber, mechanic
fresh ripe tomatoes
Memories
... it could go on....
A companion. (see left)
A guitar. Two really.
A record collection. Ah, analog.
A digital camera. My kind of toy.
Lots of plants. All adopted.
Old colorful bottles for the window sill.
A kalimba.
My own patch of woods.
The library of Alexandria on my desk top.
Sheaf stout.
a turtle
VD
Anything Martha
any gaming system
more student loans
Whitey tighties
nair or hair wax
a cell phone ear piece
credit cards
Fox News
1. my family
2. poetry
3. Scrapbooker's Dream
4. Diet Dr. Pepper
5. Wal-Mart
6. my dayplanner
7. highlighters
8. country music
9. memories
10. chocolate
1. NASCAR – it's like watching traffic
2. Rap stuff – to call it music is just plain wrong
3. Entertainment "news" – who cares what any movie star thinks about anything?
4. Born again Christians who think the Bible is literal, word for word
5. Republicans who believe that tax cuts, not the lowest interest rates in recent history, caused the post-9/11 economic recovery.
6. Adults only housing developments. - Sun City, AZ has a park for pets, but not for (grand) children.
7. Ice hockey – it's a street brawl on skates
8. People who think the 2nd Amendment is the only one worth keeping.
9. The Olympics
10. PETA
1. Jerry Springer
2. Maury Povitch
3. Dancing with the Stars
4. Wife Swap
5. Skating with Celebrities
6. Blind Date
7. America's Next Top Model
8. Fear Factor
9. Survivor: Whatever
10. American Idol
Unwanted pregnancies
Religous extremists bin Laden and Falwell
The concept of kidnapping
The Death Penalty
Domestic Violence
Corruption in the Halls of Government
Planned Obsolescence
Cancer Reoccurrance
Internet Pornography
Customer Service Answering Machines (an oxymoron)
1. Guilt - that's what Roman Catholic Asian mothers are for
2. Religion - see #1
3. A gun - could never bring myself to use it
4. An apron - that's what husbands are for
5. Manual transmissions - ask me about that sometime
6. Singing off key - my pet peeve
7. Cigarettes - best thing my ex ever did was make me quit
8. 40 extra pounds - I'm working on it!
9. The blue screen of death - ask me about my PC crashing last night
10. Nurses who tell very pregnant laboring women, "You can't be in that much pain yet."
1.liars/cheats
2.violence/ abuse of any sort against kids and animals(if a woman is getting beat up she is an adult and should get her ass up, take the kids and get help)
3.murder, horror, slasher flicks
4.alcoholics/drug addicts
5.disease of any sort, including mental
6.reality tv
7.Brangelina, Jessica& Nick(or any other combo, they shit too, they just do it with more money)
8.Athletes who make millions for playing with balls.
9. congressmen who vote their own raises, and get a full pension after one day of service(also only one congressman has a child in the military)
10. BUSH
If I could find a manual transmission that permitted cruise control I'd be done with automatic. I drive in the mountains too much and I park on the 11th level of a parking ramp (hell on brakes).
Those wing nuts who crashed into the world trade center - totally faith based.
Who are Jessica and Nick?
I'd love to make millions playing. Show me the toy. Just don't make it a teddy bear holding a machine gun.
The best car I ever owned was a 1990 Nissan 300ZX sports car. It had a wonderful 5-speed manual transmission...and cruise control.
1. All that white stuff outside.
2. Insurance Companies
3. Lawyers
4. Yearly property taxes. (isn't once enough?}
5. Car license renewal (the plate is on the back bumper, isn't it? That should be enough.
6. Computer Hackers (also those that get paid by anti-virus companies to come up with new viruses. And you thought they did that for the fun of it?}
7. People who are where they are in life because of who their next of kin are.
8. Spam....both varieties.
9. Rap Music.
10. Fashion.
And a special request from my better half......
RUDE PEOPLE.
A health club membership
A water softening unit
A radar detector
a dust buster
An espresso machine
saran wrap (which I hate)
brussel sprouts (does that count?)
sodas
beer
Stevie, try Sheaf Stout. If you still don't like beer after that okay. If all you've tasted is say, Budweiser (a beer made out of rice for crying out loud), I recommend trying some real beer.
fundamentally offensive pop-up mansions
SUVs (especially Hummers)
reality TV
judgmentalism
rude, obnoxious, inconsiderate, closed-minded people
the tanning salon industry
cell-phone talkers holding everyone hostage to their conversations
marketing/advertising companies telling me what I need to own in order to be beautiful, popular, a supermodel, pimp of the year, etc.
people who think they know it all but don't
1. Wind
2. Daily headaches
3. Palm pilot
4. Reality tv shows
5. Most tv shows
6. Workplace jealousy/insecurity in co-workers
7. Liars/cheaters
8. Know-it-alls
9. My brother's insults
10. A van
1 - Any TV smaller then 36"
2 - Anywhere that doesn't have WIFI
3 - Slow Drivers
4 - Speeding Tickets
5 - Religion/Cults/loonies
Wow this is harder then I thought...
6 - My mother (see #5)
7 - SUV's they get in the way of fast cars
8 - George W
9 - George W (so much so I put him on twice)
10 - the Human race
1 Health problems
2 Jerks, ie. Know-it-alls, road rage drivers, people with a cruel streak, etc.
3 Telemarketing/spam/junk snail mail
4 People who'd kill others just because they are a different religion, and other violent people
5 Cruciferous vegetables and organ meats
6 Fraudulent "charities"
7 CEO's and others who ruin companies, but retire with million$
8 Shoddy merchandise, poorly constructed structures
9 Jerry Springer and his ilk (They give folks in other countries a horrible image of "Americans".)
10 Tobacco smoke/NASCAR (and other vehicle racing) = Tie!
10 Things I'm Glad I Have:
1 My support group: family, friends & cats
2 My health, such as it is ... It could be a lot worse!
3 Good things to read: Books, magazines, and newspapers
4 Music: Classical, rock 'n' roll, mariachi, r&b, jazz, etc.
5 Meat with bread/potatoes/pasta/rice
6 Ice-cold, clean, fresh water, chocolate milk and Pepsi to drink (not all at the same time!)
7 Comfy clothes/shoes
8 My home with its comfortable furniture, working appliances, creative supplies, etc.
9 Television
10 Computer (when it works!)
Margie, Pete (liars, cheaters and bushes - there ought to be enforceable laws for these snakes)
Beverly, I'm a fundraiser, so "fraudulent 'charities'" are something that get me drooling and cussing into the phone. The "disabled firefighter parents of wayward children foundation" - oh please.
And yes, give me comfy clothes and my computer any day - I'll be a happy clam.
Top Ten Things I Wish I Could Live Without
1. Sleep
okay, that's it!
nope, here's another
2. Fast food
I can live without mean people, bad drivers, disrespect, bad perfume, Wal-Mart, guilt, picking up dog poop every day, cleaning out the cat box, TV, door-to-door and telephone solicitors
Oh...speaking of dog poop, I guess I need to walk my dogs. I'm getting the stink eye.
1. Any coffee drink that takes more than two words to describe it
2.Anyone in the 10 items or less line at the grocery store with 50 items
3.Habitually late people
4.the "it's all about me" friends
5.Loss prevention employees staring at my naked body as I try on clothes
6.Buying bread and two days later seeing a bit of mold appearing
7.Rudeness
8.Bank robbers, come on get a day job you loser
9.men in speedo suits, not a good look guys
10.banks charging for every single service they provide
Terri, I'm starting to notice that as I get older I have more difficulty telling Kenyan from Folgers. I'm not sure what to make of that. Loss prevention - my nightmare job. Speedo. Huh uh. Also, any clothing item that shows protruding hip bones grosses me out.
10 Things I can live without:
A coffee maker
a deep fat fryer
a house phone
neighbors
dog hair
phone solicitors
reality TV
tornados
cigarette smoke
Monday mornings
10 Things I'm glad I have:
My dog
my cell phone
auto racing in any form
a hair dryer
chocolate (whoever discovered chocolate should be canonized!)
cheesecake
music
family
caffeine
hair dye
Drunk drivers
taxes!!!!
allergies
smelly refrigerators
the sand and gravel trucks that drive near my house at 4 a.m.
horny old men
the bird flu
humidity
bad breath
and last but not least my ex mother- in- law!
I'm wondering how long we're all going to be able to live WITH Bush!!!
I heartily agree!
Laurie, I hope to get the bird flu just so I can develop my immunity and be done with it (I haven't met my disease match yet). I could have fresher breath, and I'm afraid my libido is going to be going strong when I'm 90.
Cecilia, I think I may be completely insane by the time that spendthrift brat is done mismanaging my country.
I'd rather have my car stolen than buy a car alarm (that is not an exaggeration).
It's getting harder and harder to find a quiet moment in this world, so dirt bikes, ATVs, snowmobiles and jet skis all get low marks from me. Shooting guns in all directions - not hunting not practicing just bang bang bang - for the fun of it I don't like much either.
symphony membership.
fondue pot.
subscription to the neyw yawk times.
SUV of any stripe, (I do own a conversion van which gets FAR better mileage and is used sparingly).
hairdryer.
'spa'.
high rise apartment (even rats become odd if jammed too close together).
pet fish.
prenuptial agreement.
1. Cell phone- life's to noisy already.
2. Truck radio- mine hasn't worked in ten years anyway. Also see #1
3. Jewelry- I've never worn any, never will, and it just bugs me.
4. A watch- I don't care what time it is. If required, there's a clock on the wall.
5. Exercise equipment- only collects dust anyway after a few uses.
6. Dressy clothes- self explanatory
7. Small cars- do room for anything, can't get out there own way, forget a hill.
8. Booze- young man's sport.
9. Neighbors- the room I have the better.
10. Apartments- never again, I'd rather live in a tent someplace.
do a COPY of the comment including error, DELETE it and then after confirming the PERM. DELETE? hit the BACK arrow twice and refresh the page.. when it settles down repost the comment correcting the error.
time consuming but works.
Auntie, I'd be happy to add it to that group. Thank you.
Lloyd, John, I always delete and repost comments to fix errors. I'm such a snob when it comes to spelling and punctuation, I have to follow my own nonsense.
A private jet
A pedicure
Armani suit
Silk boxers (although I might change my mind if I had a pair)
Stainless steel, 4 element grill
Organized religion
Rush Limbaugh and his evil offspring (Hannity, Medved, Coulter)
The death penalty
Did I say pedicure?
I'm sure there are lots of things that I don't have and don't need - I just don't think about them.
2. Speed boat - just .... no.
3. Golf Clubs: but I would take a golf cart(love to drive them) or a Vespa
4. Egg Seperator
5. Bread Machine
6. Anything tobacco related - never, ever smoking again.
7. Snowmobile
8. Skis
9. A clothes rack masquerading as another exercise machine
10. Singing Bass - oh how I hate that thing!
Cigarettes~ Why? Because it is a disgusting habit.
Butt Crack views~ Why? Because it is disgusting.
Body odor~ Why? Because soap is cheap and so is deoderant.
Spandex~ Why? Because it has a tendancy to expand too far which in turn shows butt cracks.
Politicians~ Why? Because most of them are liars.