Who Am I To Judge?

I have a bad case of remodeler's envy going on right now. I am fixated on tearing apart our kitchen and bathroom - both of which would require a full-on gut jobs. Unfortunately, we don't have a couple extra grand hiding in a coffee can on top of the fridge, so all I can do is dream.

Unable to actually change my surroundings in any real way, I've been gettin' my fix at HGTV's website, specifically in the Rate My Space section. People send in pictures of rooms in their homes and invite others to rate their spaces on a scale of one to five. 

It is, in a word, glorious. I have learned that ...

a. my hideous kitchen ain't all THAT hideous after all, 

b. lots of money doesn't necessarily lead to lots of style, and 

c. judging others can be a whole lotta fun!

I know I'm being shallow and judgmental when I cruise this site, but that's kinda what it's designed for, so I'm just going to set guilt aside and revel in this a bit.  

It's hard to say which I like better - the people who totally own up to their room's ugliness and desperately seek the counsel of others OR the folks who've dropped a small fortune to create a room befitting the home of one Blandy McBlanderson, Mayor of Blandsville, USA. (Hardwood floors. Granite countertops. Beige paint. Yawn.)

What could possibly be finer than seeing the crap that other people treasure? There's just something about seeing someone's butt-ugly rooster collection cluttering up their kitchen that gives me a tiny, gleeful surge in the superiority center of my brain. And I'm gonna chase that high. Yes, I am.

Speaking of high... there was one twentysomething who was seeking advice for updating her kitchen. I wanted to comment on her page that, based on the shocking number of liquor bottles on top of her fridge, I felt she needed AA more than HGTV right now. Of course, I'm too nice to actually post that to her. So I put it here instead. 

The comments/advice are also fabulous. One woman actually suggested that someone should stencil seashells on the walls to liven up her bathroom. Um, I don't think the '90's are small enough in our metaphorical rearview mirror yet for their trends to be considered retro, so ixnay on the encilstay. Okay?

I also give a thumbs-down to anything that involved using a hot glue gun. 

And all things described as "country" and/or "shabby chic". 

And all rooms with a sign with the word ANTIQUES on it. 

Man, I am GOOD at this judgmental stuff!

The question now is whether I post pictures of my pad on the site and face the judgment of others...