my favorite things

a stand-in review for the box fan, which is a complete game-changer. all forms of air conditioning are important, of course, but this machine has really changed my life for the better. my bedroom is poorly ventilated, so the box does its job *and* provides a perfect source of calming, white noise in the process. it is placed on a short bookshelf in front of my bed, next to my stack of records. for years i had a Lasko Wind Machine, but one day the blades wouldn't spin properly, cleaning it did nothing, and i was starting to have a physical reaction to the absence of noise (i have a similar reaction to being in my brother's awfully quiet room). so instead of waiting to buy a brand new one, my parents found an old, visibly damaged Lasko Box Fan in the farm shed, which took its spot. i had my doubts, being that it's quite dusty and cracked, but for over a year now, it's gotten the job done, is even louder than the Wind Machine (ideal), and provides a good aesthetic contrast to the rest of my room.