Real estate pornography

OK. Here's my dirty little secret. I have a thing for celebrities -- and a thing for real estate. Fear not, I'm not a celebrity gossip slut. I have my standards. I don't do Lohan, Britn'y, or anyone connected with reality tv. Last year I somehow started getting weekly copies of Us Magazine in the mail. No one knew why. 6 months later they stopped as mysteriously as they had started.

My heart filled with glee when I saw the plastic wrapped gaudy cover sticking out from under the bills and junk mail each week. What pure delight to flip through those vacuous photos with a bowl of ice cream perhaps. No matter that 4 minutes later, feeling slightly nauseous from the scent of perfume ads and too much nothing, I would feel satiated and want to bury the rag in the recycling bin (knowing selfishly that i would deprive another of this guilty pleasure, but wanting all evidence out of my sight). Usually I'd hide the offending rag at the bottom of some New Yorkers and pretend it never happened.

My other vice consists of lusting for New York real estate. My favorite -- and this is just disdainful I know -- are those modern glass highrises filled with sleek, minimalist furniture. Don't worry, my reality check radar is set on high: My older daughter lives in a 5th floor walk-up with 2 roommates for nearly $3K. I used to love crashing at her house when she lived elsewhere, but in this apartment one can't help but be very conscious of the precious real estate one's body takes up. If I'm in the non-bedroom area (which is the living room, dining room, kitchen), no one else can be. Having more than one guest at a time is not really an option. One bedroom is only slightly larger than a twin size mattress. The computer monitor in that room sits in the window, the TV in the closet. A special mini-mouse had to be bought from a specialty shop appropriately named "Tiny Living" (great store, btw).

Last week my younger daughter sent me a link to a blog that feeds both these nasty habits: realestalker.blogspot.com is filled with loads of photos and details on celebrity real estate, mostly in NY and CA. I freely admit that I spent far more time that I am willing to admit reading every archived post from when the site was launched last year. That 'Your Mama' blogger is quite entertaining must be an opinion shared by others, as apparently a TV show is in development.

If you're still reading this, you're probably eager to check out that nasty site -- so I won't hold you here any longer. Enjoy!