Something's Fishy in the Bathroom

View the Fish 'n Flush slide show

I've had bad luck with goldfish. Charlie lived for six years, which must be some kind of record for a pet won at a kindergarten fair. He survived two cross-country car trips in a tin canister, turned from bright orange to the lovely pinkish hue of rose gold as he aged, and met an untimely death when a cloud of bug spray that was meant for a palmetto roach drifted over his uncovered bowl. (Sorry, Charlie!) Orange Julius, a pet-store purchase, came next. I don't recall the precise details of his demise; by that time we had a cat and…wait a minute, what did happen to that fish?

Perhaps I would have taken better care of my piscine pets had I been able to keep them in a Fish 'n Flush. In fact, I'm sure I would have. For one thing, I would have sunk about $299 into the toilet-tank kit, an investment sure to capture my attention. And for another, I would have spent more time in their company, perhaps even reading them One Fish, Two Fish.

How Do They Make That? The HomeSnark™ Investigates

View the Eames slide show

Blame elementary school field trips and Picture Picture on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, but I've always been a sucker for a factory tour. Cookies, bread, crayons, air conditioners, sunrooms: Whatever the item, the must-know gal in me will, at the drop of a hard hat, don safety goggles and ear protectors and venture to the far ends of the earth just to see how something is put together. When I'm not on the road, I satisfy my curiosity by visiting the “Cool Stuff Being Made” podcasts on the National Association of Manufacturers' website (http://blog.nam.org/archives/coolstuffbeingmadecom_weekend_video/index.php). Here, snackers can dig into tutorials on Krispy Kreme doughnuts, candy, beer, etc.—though I prefer learning about bricks, duct tape, and hand tools. The site also features a two-minute 1950s film about the Charles and Ray Eames lounge chair by Herman Miller. This podcast is timely because the comfy molded wood-and-leather seat is winding up its year-long, 50th Anniversary exhibition tour with a final stop at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan (thehenryford.org), from February 3 to April 29.

Mealtime Makeover: HomeSnark™ Skewers Ugly Salads

New Year's Resolution: Day 9

Dear Food Diary, If I have to look at another bowl of messy salad fixin's, I'm going to starting throwing things...

See the step-by-step instructions for this salad

Although I vowed to return to healthy eating habits this year (more veggies, less starch and sugar), the current fad for having a behind-the-counter “mixin' master” tong and toss greens and toppings in a large bowl leaves me cold. For starters, the people ahead of me in line need to have their mixin'-pickin' privileges revoked. Water chestnuts and corn drenched in Thousand Island dressing? Are you kidding me? You—yes, you! Step away from the counter. Move directly to the cooler of prepared foods.

Adding to my crankiness, no matter how creative and varied my order, the blend always looks and tastes the same: somewhat like pond scum. To rid my life of shaken-salad syndrome, I've resolved to upgrade my quick-lunch options to establishments such as Pret A Manger (pret.com), where the salads may be pre-made but are hours-fresh, organic, and appear mostly unmolested (bed of greens, artfully arranged toppings, dressing on the side).

HomeSnark™ Takes on Travel Souvenirs

With all due respect to the legion of Times Square vendors down the street from our office, I’ve never been into decorating with mass-produced trinkets from tourist traps. I’ve bought my fair share of postcards, and even a t-shirt or two, but I’m just not convinced that a tapestry pillow emblazoned with the skyline of, well, any city that has a skyline and an airport gift shop, is something to build a decor around.

Certainly, kitsch can be cute. Elvis dish towels, aprons, oven mitts, and refrigerator magnets from Memphis or Las Vegas are whimsical—not in your kitchen, of course, but in that of a relative or close friend. And plenty of style savvy hipsters collect vintage travel memorabilia and display it with great flair.

I wish them happy trails and dusting. But even if your home office is begging for a beautiful new paperweight in the shape of the Golden Gate Bridge, am I—I mean, are you—ever going to make money twenty years from now by selling it on eBay? Besides, how would I—I mean, you—ever have gotten that pointy thing through airport security?