Meal Plan:

We will coordinate a Meal Plan, which will officially consist of breakfast, lunch, & dinner for Saturday, as well as breakfast & lunch for Sunday. Please realize that available provisions exist to provide for plenty of additional noshing along the way, Our goal, both with the free staples discussed later along with this Plan, is to insure that we have enough foodstuffs so that you can fress without restraint throughout the weekend. The seasonal philanthropic contribution for this bill of fare will be based upon a mere $30 per weekend. This additional funding comes to $180, and $360 for Quarter and Half Patrons respectively. It is well worth it. Beginning with the 2005 season, we decided to incorporate this contribution into the annual House Membership rather than have it remain as a per weekend donation. This plan of viands will hopefully unfold as a largely cooperative effort. Not all house members are gifted chefs, and so they will not be forced into, what is for them, unnatural culinary acts. There are other means of pitching in, which include a variety of supportive roles, particularly contending with begrimed crockery.

The Meal Plan will accomplish three things: a) It will avoid a chaotic situation in the kitchen area with many house members clamoring about, swinging various vessels, brandishing sharp instruments, and manhandling major appliances in a pell-mell crush of individual efforts at food preparation. b) It will foster a greater sense of house camaraderie. House Patrons are encouraged to fraternize, and the sharing of common foodstuffs sets the stage for high-spirited commingling. c) The potential to save money is virtually assured by opting for house provisions over the various over-priced town mess halls and dining saloons.

I make every effort to see to it that the communal rations of the Meal Plan includes a selection of cuisine which is satisfactory to as many of us as is possible. Please realize that this is not a "burgers & dogs" scheme, but is instead more of a "porterhouse & tuna steak" operation. Petty complaints along the lines of "How come you got marlin and there's no salmon." will not be indulged. If you are not able to consume a reasonable variety of fairly common food items, you are probably best off going back to browsing Craig's list for other Island share options.

Standard Staples:
The house will provide such items as paper towels, toilet tissue, soap, dishwashing liquid, aluminum foil, wax paper, plastic wrap, garbage bags, cleaning supplies, and the like. The typical edible staples such as coffee, tea, condiments, sugar, spices, olive oil, milk, eggs will naturally be furnished as well.

Premium Staples:
Going beyond what is mentioned above, in the pantry you will find viands such as pasta, fish (e.g.: tuna, salmon, King Oscar sardines, Old Vienna style gefilte, etc.), canned tomato goods, legumes of all kinds, numerous varieties of flour, various whole grains, and other assorted salutary provisions . Give a look in the frigidaire and you'll see all sorts of nice appetizing (e.g.:cold cuts, smoked salmon, cole slaw, potato salad, stuffed grape leaves, humus, taboule, etc), loaded vegetable & fruit bins, a complete dairy section (e.g.: cottage cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, yogurt, milk, etc). Please note that I take a dim view of any unwholesome chazzerei finding its way into either the frigidaire or pantry.

Beverages:
House beer, wine, soda, and seltzer are provided. In addition, we will partially stock a bar, located between the Living Room and Dining Area, which includes a most complete array of liquors, cordials, and mixers. The term "partially" is used here to imply that the house will keep up with consumption up to a point. Enthusiastic pouring at our in-house speakeasy may suggest that specific house members consider aiding in the refortifying of house spirits.

By the way, to be more specific as to "House Beer," I itemize the following American Classic lager selections: Pabst Blue Ribbon, Rheingold Extra Dry, Miller High Life, Schaefer, and Schlitz. Be not perplexed: the above mentioned are Classic American brews that are making a robust comeback in these heady days of swollen patriotism and the embrace of absolutes.

Utilities:
All utilities are included in House Membership. Invoices from LIPA, Verizon, Verizon DSL, or DirecTV are therefore not foisted upon House Patrons as sneaky extra fees, as that would be in poor taste.

All rooms at 289 Cottage are air-conditioned via roof mounted condenser units.

The high-speed DSL internet access runs two desktop Macs. Additionally, as a wireless router along with repeaters are part of the house network, Wi-Fi connectivity therefore permeates throughout the house and wafts out onto the deck. As such you may connect with your personal laptop throughout the premises.


Cleaning Service:
I will see to it that the house is meticulously maintained. As tastefully appointed as the house may be, the milieu is lost if sullied surfaces and disarray prevail. Therefore, members should make every effort to keep the house in good order. Unwashed dishes left helter-skelter, soggy towels flung askew, manhandled linens crumpled about, reading materials spread awry (yes this includes high-brow periodicals), and personal items scattered astray should most certainly be avoided.

Laundry Service:
Not only is laundry service provided, but the house is also stocked with towels, sheets (both fitted and flat), and various other linens. Therefore, you do not need to furnish such items. If at all possible, try to use towels more than once. You will find that each bedroom contains two towel racks. Damp (though otherwise clean) towels may be dried in this fashion during days of low humidity. This environmentally friendly practice will most certainly earn you the respect and admiration of other house members. A note about the laundry service: I will try to include personal items of attire within reason. However, if heaps of sullied fabrics are bestowed upon me en masse, I may well likely object to such a barrage of besmirched textiles, and stage a work slow-down in protest. The advice then is: be reasonable about the soiled glad rags.

Library Services:
A small collection of holdings consisting largely of literature, biography, history, science, and philosophy are maintained at the house for light summer reading. Additionally, a serials section containing roughly 30 current periodicals is maintained. Journals focus mostly on news, politics, commentary, and culture. It is hoped that folks will become sufficiently inspired by such materials so as to elevate the level of the banter and discourse that wafts throughout the halls of the house. Additionally, Macs 1 & 2 mentioned above are also set up to access a number of databases and electronic journals for your perusal pleasure.