I am cruising around the ‘sphere trying to nail down what really happened with Sheehan last night, and I came across Rep. Lynn Woolsey’s website.
This may be the most attractive political website I have ever seen. I really like the colors and the cleanness. It feels like a breezy room with open windows and linen curtains and hardwood floors on a nice cool spring afternoon.
Or maybe that is just me.
srv
And not an american flag anywhere. Not one!
BadTux
It reflects her constituency well. Her district is affluent Californians in the Wine Country, folks who drive Jaguars and BMW’s, have wine cellars the size of some people’s houses, and put on graceful wine-and-cheese parties for themselves and their friends on a regular basis. Their houses are tastefully decorated with designer furniture from Crate & Barrel or IKEA, and their clothing is tasteful and elegant. They’re also flaming liberals of the most liberal sort, and there is a large contingent of gay web designers who live up there (but *tasteful* gay web designers, not the tacky sort who clutter up San Francisco), one of whom undoubtedly gave the feminine touch to this web site.
It’s pretty much the law that any new home built up there has to cost at least a million dollars. So we’re not talking about the sort of tacky liberals who drive old beater Toyotas and wave hand-painted signs outside the White House. We’re talking about the sort of liberals who make a lot of money as bank executives and media company executives and consultants and such.
And no, I have absolutely no desire to live up there. Too expensive, and rather boring, actually.
Anyhow, that should fill you in on who she represents, and why her web site is the way it is…
– BadTux the Temporary Californian
ppGaz
It’s just you. To me it looks like oatmeal.
I hate those colors. Colors are personal thing.
Paul L.
OMG, I agree with ppGaz.
Earth tones/Browns yuck.
That and there is a ugly gray-haired woman on the top of page.
Must cleanse eyes.
chopper
this makes no sense whatsoever.
VidaLoca
BadTux —
geez, BT, I dunno … sounds a little like sour grapes to me…
Paul L.
Here let me fix that for you VidaLoca.
ppGaz
Group hugs at 3:00 EST.
ppGaz
Tux: Affluent people do not shop at IKEA.
Trust me. They have people who order them furniture from the best furniture makers. Top quality hardwoods and fabrics. The fabric or leather alone on a good sofa can cost more than a whole houseful of IKEA furniture.
IKEA sells mass produced machine made crap.
ppGaz
PS — Yes, I have IKEA items in my house. How else can I save up for the Shelby?
Jimmie
Yeah, it’s definitely an attractive website.
Too bad about the content, though.
Laura
I used to work in San Rafael. It had a nice small town, middle class feel. At the time, it was affordable, probably not so much now, but it still doesn’t fit with the image of of Marin. And then there’s Marin City, a low income unicorporated area. It’s probably mostly an African American community, which would shock people who believe all the stereotypes of Marin County. Novato is another town that doesn’t fit people’s perceptions. It’s grown a bit over the past few years, but still has a rural feel to it. I’m sure it’s too expensive to buy a house now, but I know people who have lived there for years who think of it as a family town. Not all of Marin is Sausalito.
And as ppGAZ pointed out, rich people do not shop at IKEA. Recent college graduates do. Or new divorcees who didn’t get any of the furniture and have to completely start over. Or they could be a public school teacher like my brother who buys his children’s furniture there. I disagree that all their stuff is crap though. I’m not a fan of most of their furniture, but they’ve got some good throw rugs and gadgety stuff. OK, maybe it is crap, but I like anyway.
John Cole
IKEA’s stuff is not crap- it may not be the most expensive stuff in the world, and it most certainly is not very pleasing to the eye in most ases, but it is good solid stuff that a lot of people find a great deal of use for.
ppGaz
Not to be too Clintonesque, but it all depends on what we think “crap” is.
To me, in furniture, it’s machine-made, lightweight, inexpensive materials.
Compared to hand-made, more solid, expensive materials.
Huge difference. Like I said, I can show you a sofa where the fabric alone costs more than a small houseful of IKEA furniture. And the thing is, that fabric is worth the cost. It wears like iron, it feels like the most wonderful stuff you ever touched, it ignores dirt and stains, it cleans up easily. It looks good after 15 years of hard use.
In furniture more than in most things (but similar to clothes) ….. you really get what you pay for.
But hey, whatever floats your inflatable dinghy!
I’d rather have one piece of really good furniture than half a dozen pieces of … uh … lesser furniture. Same with clothes. Give me one good suit, not three or four inferior suits.
And yes, the well-heeled do not shop at IKEA.
Marx Marvelous
I am cruising around the ‘sphere trying to nail down what really happened with Sheehan last night…
Why not read the first-hand account of an eyewitness here? Seems pretty easy to nail down.
Laura
Yeah, you’re right. I don’t like light wood, so it’s not my taste, but the children’s furniture my brother bought is solid. And speaking of great use – I bought a plastic tube there with holes in it for holding plastic grocery bags (you can pull the bags out anywhere in the tube through the holes). I have it on the wall next to my litter box, so the bags are handy for straining litter. It’s such a simple idea but I love it. I can’t wait until the new store opens in West Sacramento this year. I like going to IKEA just to see what they have. Plus, they have a great reputation for how they treat their employees.
ppGaz
Nothing wrong with liking crap! Personally, I have probably eaten more Big Macs than any other retail prepared food item … probably more than all other such items put together. And I’m convinced, it’s c-r-r-r-ap. But it’s such yummy crap, who can resist it?
It’s a wonder I don’t weigh 400 lbs.
Davebo
John..
Gotta disagree John.
Furniture, and I’m talking about chairs, end tables, coffee tables, dinettes, etc, that requires assembly is, by definition, crap.
Utilitarian, definately. Well designed, sure. But crap none the less.
scs
Sorry I’m not going into Ikea anytime soon until they change their safety policy. I went into an Ikea a little while ago a few weeks after if first opened and I thought I’d never make it out alive. They hearded us in there like cattle. Or like the sheep on Brokeback Mountain. We were all walking shoulder to shoulder and I swear the oxygen was getting sucked out the the room. My life flashed before my eyes. We tried to make a run for it, but they had us trapped because the signs they have make you follow a meandering course through the top floor so you see all the furniture. Although I did appreciate the light wood furniture and low prices along the way. Finally we cut through the childrens play area and made it out alive, thank god.
Now you think I’m exaggerating, but I read after that, that Ikea openings are marked with stampedes and boxes falling on peoples heads all over the world, with people actually being killed as a result of that. After that day, I understand why.
ppGaz
So, where’s the non-temporary home?
The Jim Dandy
Greg Meeks’ website is similar, but not exactly the same.
house.gov/meeks/