neadods | Food, Flooring, and I'm still not clearing out the library

Fandom
For them who haven't seen it: Saturday's Teefury T-shirt is an Abbey Road knockoff with Doctors Ten, Seven, Nine, and Four walking across the zebra crossing. I'm very tempted, but I've got drawers full of T-shirts and all the big American Whocons are in winter. (I froze my butt off at Gally. Sunny California my icy ass.)

Renovations
House renovation wise, I have come to a conclusion about the floors. The bad news is, it's going to mean I need more measurements taken. The good news is, when it's all done, it's going to be stunning! Living room and library floors will be refinished to the dark oak that matches the molding. In the center hall, I'm not just going to replace the carpet, but rip up the linoleum in front of the door and have all that area refinished to match the molding.

Then (when I can afford this, because it won't be cheap, so it may take until 2012) I'm going to lay down permanent ceramic tile to create "landing pads" by the front and side doors where shoes can come off, umbrellas can drip, etc. This will not only protect the floors and be, IMO, beautiful, it will deal with the issue of the random bit of lino in front of the front door that matches the kitchen and nothing else.

I'm supposed to be clearing out the library right now in preparation for them to come in and refinish that (God willin' and the ~~crick don't rise~~ gummint don't shut).

I am not in the library at the moment. *ahem*

Food/Cooking
I've been flailing a bit for a new history of food book, and I've just started The Edible History of Humanity, but I may put it down for the intriguing joys of the "Square Meals" cookbook I picked up at Book Thing. I love the philosophy of the book, which was created not in a test kitchen, but by mining community fundraising and product placement cookbooks from the last 50 years:

The point was that the right product could make the cook charming or patriotic, ladylike or butch - whichever quality was most highly prized at that time. Recipes are not arbitrary formulas for appetizers, entrees, and dessert; they are affirmations of values and cultural priorities. The authors go on to point out that this is why the book is divided into concepts - Ladies' Lunch, Lunch Counter Cooking, Sunday Dinner, Victory Dinner, Suburbia - rather than into "meat, fish, veg." It isn't remotely politically correct - there are recipes with names like "Hindoo sandwiches" and "Ming Dynasty Cassarole" which I'm a bit nervous will be as culturally sensitive as a Rabbi's Despair sandwich (don't ask. They haven't been called that for years). And the idea of "Shrimp Wriggle" simply terrifies me. But I'm still intrigued by the book.