Retro Wish List: Tinted Toilet Paper

ABM enjoys real-estate shows like House Hunters and Property Virgins. Lately these shows have been featuring houses built in the 1960s and 1970s. There is usually a scene where the prospective home buyers step into the bathroom and express horror at the dated decor. I, on the other hand, see the blue tile that matches the blue tub and blue sink and blue toilet and my first thought is, "What they need now is blue toilet paper!" When someone has gone to all the trouble to match everything perfectly in her bathroom, white loo roll seems like an affront to her hard work.

Tinted toilet paper is one of those products that slipped away without me really noticing.  You can find designer toilet paper at a premium, but it is not the same as walking into a grocery store and picking whatever color you want. According to my brief internet research, the rainbow variety of toilet paper was taken off the market in the 1980s due to concerns that the dye and fragrance may lead to infection and even cancer. Goodness knows I don't want to make anyone sick, but if there was a safe and cost-effective way to bring tinted toilet paper back to the supermarket I would welcome it.

Retro Wish List: Metal Ice Cube Trays

The other day I was wondering how I could get my blog back to the spirit of its name. I call it Straddling the Century Line because my intention was to blog about my passions old and new. In keeping with that, I'm going to start doing some posts under the heading Retro Wish List. These will be posts about things that I either had once and wish I had again, or things that I am too young to have experienced but wish I had.




The first item on my Retro Wish List is metal ice trays. I have an automatic ice-maker in my freezer, but it only works when it is good and ready. Also, with six people in the house, the ice-maker can't keep up during the summer even when it is working. So we use plastic ice trays to supplement. Unfortunately, the plastic ones develop holes and cracks in them way too quickly. I have a vague memory of using metal trays as a kid, and jiggling the lever to break up the ice. Even though I've read on other blogs that the lever on the metal trays breaks pretty easily, I still would like to give one a try.