New Ceiling Fan: I'm Still Not Happy

I've been living with the ugliest ceiling fan in the world in my bedroom for three years too long. I resolved to replace it months ago during the Cure. So after scouring the ceiling fans at every store in the area many, many times, I finally found one at Home Depot that fit my criteria of no visible bulbs, white and nickle, and not hideously ugly.

The boyfriend, who is the only one who's been getting any DIY done around here for oh, months, put it up right away and replaced the monstrosity above with this.


Nice huh? But I'm still not happy. Now before you think this is solely my freakish perfectionist nature and my strong aversion to change, hear me out. When I first saw the ceiling fan, and better yet heard how it did not shake and quiver and give one the sense of impending doom when trying to sleep beneath it, I was thrilled. Then it got dark and I turned on the light. Ugh. The three wimpy 40W candelabra bulbs (the max you can use) give off the worst light and the frosted shade doesn't help of course. Forget about reading (there's no room for night tables or lamps), I can't even stand to be in the room when the light is on. Something about it makes me a bit seasick feeling.

So the boy and I have been "discussing" this for the last few days. He thinks I should be happy I finally found a fan that I (and he) like the design of and should install reading lights on the wall. I contend that a key reason for the ceiling fan light is missing if said light is too dim and makes my skin crawl. He immediately ordered CFLs online which came yesterday. They probably would have solved the problem, but of course they didn't fit; that would have been too easy.

So now, despite many, many discussions, we're at a standstill. Is my only choice a nice-looking ceiling fan or a fully functional one? Has anyone found CFLs that fit in an enclosed ceiling fan fixture? (and what happens when incandescents are all outlawed?) Why was it decided to stop making ceiling fan lights that accommodate regular light bulbs? I know people were installing bulbs with too high of wattage and causing fires, but why do I have to be punished for others stupidity? Whine, whine, whine.

Update (6/28/11): The lighting issue has been solved, courtesy of three new 60W equivalent micro-mini CFLs. Full story here.