Ah, modern conveniences

Okay, before I venture forth and risk incurring the wrath of the millions of people who don’t have a dishwasher – let me apologize right here and right now. I’m sorry for this post. I’m sorry if it appears selfish and inconsiderate to rejoice in appliances. I fall on the sword and admit that I’m lucky to be able to afford modern conveniences. Heaven forbid that I give any indication that working a zillion hours a week could possibly result in something that could be perceived as materialistic. I get it. But, right now – I don’t really care. The dishwasher in our house broke just after Thanksgiving last year. And, yesterday, finally…it was fixed. For the last three months, G and I have been washing and drying every single dirty dish by hand. No, it’s probably not such a huge sacrifice and, at first, it wasn’t that big of a deal. But, after a while, it becomes a huge pain in the arse. After a while, we got to the point where we wouldn’t even eat anything that required a dish. Or, I’d eat first, rise the dish and then give it to G – just so we didn’t have to wash more than one dish. Sure, it seems petty. I mean, BFD! So what if you have to wash a few dishes by hand, right? I would agree, except for the fact that we have a dishwasher! We paid for one. We own one. Our feeling is that it would be nice to use the damn thing! Oh, and it was a relatively new dishwasher. Maybe a year old? So, if we make the decision to use our hard-earned American Folding Money on a freakin’ dishwasher – I don’t think it’s too much to ask to be able to use it! Three freakin’ months the part – the electronic board – was on backorder. This tells me one important thing: That we bought a dishwasher that breaks. A lot. Otherwise, why would it take three months to get a part? In today’s marketplace, there’s really no reason for anything to take three months to deliver (much less build). I’m guessing that this model of dishwasher is breaking down all over the place and the demand on the motherboards is just too high. Yesterday, as I waited for the repair dude (with no computer, as our wireless is also out – tough week), I heard him pull into the driveway. And waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, I went outside to find out where he was and…he was gone. Forty-five minutes later, he came back. I asked him what happened, “Oh, I left the part back at the office.” So, we’ve been waiting for this ONE part for three months and get the bonus “insult to injury” as he forgot the part. I never realized just how big of a gift a dishwasher is. Usually, after a big dinner party, I’ll wash and dry the dishes myself – just get it done. Doesn’t bother me. But, after three months without a dishwasher, I’m ready to run the thing for each individual gift. (Oh, settle down environmentalists – I wouldn’t do that. I do think, however, that we used more water hand washing our dishes each day than we would normally use by running a full load of dirty dishes and glasses.) The last three months have been an eye-opening, learning experience. For starters, I learned that I can live in the most dire conditions with no dishwasher. (Oh, stop. I’m kidding. I really hate the fact that I feel the need to add these disclaimers after any sentence that might be remotely construed as insensitive, but after using the “n”- word, that’s right – nanny – and getting blasted, I’m not about to risk anything.) I also learned that not having a dishwasher may be a fantastic diet tool. I’ve lost a ton of weight in the last few months. Turns out I’d rather go hungry than wash another freaking dish.

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