Taken for Granite

But it's really quartz. (The title is one of those phrases I see students get wrong often, I suppose because they have heard it but not seen it written. Of all these, my two eternal favorites are "fast-pasted world" and "wreckless driving", the latter of which I saw recently.)

I went to choose my cabinets and countertops today, and I was floored by the price. (Actually, the flooring is next.) The cabinets I chose are relatively plain; I ended up going with a dark wood and a lighter countertop. I think it will look good because through most of my house I have dark furniture and light walls and floors (the new tile will be white with some striations), and with my open floor plan almost everything is visible no matter where I am. My adjuster has been pushing me to go over and choose something, but he knows I haven't gotten the insurance check yet. When the woman at the kitchen store told me I had to pay for the cabinets before she ordered them, I said that wouldn't be happening today. Tomorrow I'll go to the bank and see if I need to do anything else for them to cut the check. There's no way I'm paying for anything else out of pocket.

On the plus side, the place I went to look at both cabinets and countertops does a large volume of business, so I was able to choose a quartz I really liked for the same price as granite (less) as it is a big remnant. It really is gorgeous and will look terrific with the dark wood of the cabinets. From what I understand, quartz is more durable and less porous, making it good for baking and cutting. I probably didn't express that very clearly, but what I mean is that it stays cleaner so I can roll out dough, etc., and it's nearly indestructable so I don't have to use cutting boards.

At some point, hopefully within the next month, my kitchen will be new and beautiful. In a few days I'll be back at home with a not beautiful -- but mold-free -- kitchen. I'll be glad to go home, although if I'd had to be away, the latter part of the week would have been better; I didn't think that through very well. Getting ready for my classes is definitely harder from a hotel than from home. But I made it, and I stopped for a salad on my way "home". I'm really craving chocolate, but there's no way I'm going back out! It won't hurt me to miss one night's chocolate. On the other hand, I'm sure there must be vending machines around here somewhere . . .