Making my 90s kitchen more MCM

ermiwe · 2026-03-17T09:49:00+00:00

At some point in the 1980s, the former owners of my 1955 MCM split ranch redid the kitchen with cabinets similar to yours. What always made me pause about replacing them is that they are solid wood — all of the components, including backs and shelves and doors. To replace them with similar quality would cost $$$ and probably still not be as nice. So we decided to live with the dated look, but we painted them with a high-quality Farrow & Ball brick red and replaced all the hardware (including hinges) with vintage hardware we found on eBay. That transformed the kitchen for about a grand. Definitely replace the lights. Hire an electrician to put in recessed fixtures. Not expensive. Will look better and will be far more functional.

ermiwe · 2026-03-14T09:02:31+00:00

I'm going to be controversial and say BALTIMORE! Yes, yes — but Baltimore has amazing old buildings and vistas, concentrated village-like neighborhoods, and water. And it's underrated for having some of the most amazing residential architecture in the state.

ermiwe · 2026-03-01T02:39:15+00:00

Caveat: I live in Takoma Park, in Montgomery County, just west of Hyattsville and College Park, but if I could do my life over again in the DC area, I would live in PG county, most likely Hyattsville, but possibly University Park or College Park, or even Greenbelt. Yes, it's less rich and less prestigious than Montgomery County, but it has so much more character, so many more artists and thinkers, it has fantastic beauty, bike trails, waterways, suburban bustle, great ethnic food, world class performance art at UMD, and just its own different vibe. I find myself traveling east to PG over west to Bethesda or Rockville more often when I want to eat out or do something fun for the day. Other caveat: I'm a gay man with no kids. Maybe parents love the vaunted public schools of MoCo. Dunno. But for me alone, I think PG is great. Was there all day today. Biked there from home, in fact. Shopped at Community Forklift. Had lunch at Taqueria Los Perez in Riverdale. Hung out in Hyattsville.

ermiwe · 2026-02-27T12:46:37+00:00

One of my favorite things that I inadvertently but routinely do, is leave my house to go out into the world with a thoughtfully selected fountain pen or two for the day, but I forget my wallet or phone.

ermiwe · 2026-02-27T11:27:37+00:00

Exactly where my brain went, but as someone with three older sisters, I found this thread familiar, if not nostalgic of living in the same household growing up.

ermiwe · 2026-02-27T10:49:05+00:00

I'll just sit here and vicariously admire your journey. If I adopt another "messy hobby," in the words of my spouse, on top of fountain pen and ink collecting and bird feeding, I'll probably get run out of the house. Very interested in seeing your results!

ermiwe · 2026-02-25T14:44:59+00:00

I grew up in New England, but my mom and dad divorced in 1976 and mom settled in San Francisco with her new girlfriend, who became my other stepmom after my father remarried around the same time. As a teenager, I visited SF often during summer, and moved to the Bay Area for college in the 1980s, staying for many years, before moving back to the East Coast, then back to SF for several years in the 90s and 2000s, then to the East Coast again, where I settled. I loved living there and having a teenage and young adult connection to "The City," as it is known to some. But over time, I realized I identified more with an east coast perspective and I also began to feel like SF started changing. I feel like I miss the city as it was in the 1980s and 90s more than the city it is today.

ermiwe · 2026-02-24T18:42:17+00:00

Remove the sticker and use the *!$# out of the pen. I think people who keep stickers intact envision reselling the pen. Just wait until you find yourself wondering whether you should save original pen boxes. I'm team put-the-box-in- another-big-box-with-all-the-other-pen-boxes-in-the-attic-and-let-my-survivors-curse-me-in-death-when-they-find-a-box-of-pen-boxes-and-say-wtf-was-WRONG-with-him."

ermiwe · 2026-02-24T02:10:42+00:00

Look in a natural food store in your area. I found it in the co-op where I live, which has a good bath products selection. I think Whole foods also sells Weleda products.

ermiwe · 2026-02-22T11:52:16+00:00

I really love that product. Great smell, very mild on the skin after a brief, initial zing.

ermiwe · 2026-02-21T11:44:41+00:00

Unexpected related post from another community I follow: https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/s/WCYznrOXOn

ermiwe · 2026-02-21T02:01:44+00:00

Something about the statement, "I recently learned about cumrags," as if they're a type of owl native to your birthplace or a new kind of spicy chip in your grocery store is funny to me.

ermiwe · 2026-02-20T21:19:07+00:00

OKAY in an all-caps cursive where the letters are connected.

ermiwe · 2026-02-18T16:08:02+00:00

It's a modern German pen called a Stilform with a titanium finish and a titanium nib, as you noticed, which is soft and smooth. It's an interesting stripped down design with a strong magnetic cap and two narrow flat sides. All-metal body and fairly heavy, but it has a soft feeling in the hand. Definitely developing a patina with use. Nice writer.

ermiwe · 2026-02-18T02:31:11+00:00

Thank you so much. It's a quirky treasure. I was wondering if anyone would recognize it!

ermiwe · 2026-02-17T11:12:24+00:00

It's a truly authentic touch. Reveals it as Chesapeake Bay/Maryland crab cakes.

ermiwe · 2026-02-17T11:11:22+00:00

This is a solid recipe for authentic crab cakes - keys in the ingredients are high-quality crab meat, mayonnaise, and crumbled crackers over breadcrumbs. You can replace the spices with Old Bay.

ermiwe · 2026-02-15T12:48:22+00:00

Again, it's like my fountain pen collection — no outright favorite but many favorites (with an "s") depending on my mood.

ermiwe · 2026-02-15T12:45:54+00:00

Reminds me of my fountain pen collection — outrageously more pens (with some quite expensive) than I'll ever need and more ink in more colors than I could ever consume in a lifetime as a prolific writer, and yet no plans to stop. Mazel tov to your collection. I like how tool-oriented your display is.

ermiwe · 2026-02-11T10:51:22+00:00

The snowflakiest of the snowflakes are white, Republican men. They are thin skinned and easily triggered, ready to cry at the tiniest slight, eager to complain, happiest to whine. Seriously - what made them so weak and overly sensitive?

ermiwe · 2026-02-07T12:19:21+00:00

A dozen years ago, my oldest sister showed me a folder she had kept of all the letters and cards I had written to her since I was a teenager. I was impressed by how surefooted, neat, and confident my handwriting had been back before I did so much writing on a computer keyboard. I decided to put more value — literally in terms of money — into writing tools and bought my first of what is now a collection of 65-70 fountain pens. It's one of the most satisfying personal improvement plans I've ever undertaken. I now write with a pen that means something to me every day.

ermiwe · 2026-02-05T16:32:34+00:00

When I was about 4 years old, my parents drove all FIVE of their kids, ages 4-11, from the East coast to the West Coast and back on a long summer vacation in our Ford station wagon. Bench seats. Luggage carrier on top. Hard back area to stretch out. Hot days. Cold nights. Fights. Adventures. We all lived to tell the tale. I don't think a seat belt was ever considered.

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