Small Appliance Suicide

I’m starting to get a bit peeved by the fact that our appliances are in the middle of some kind of holocaust. In the last six months we’ve had to replace the vacuum, the television, the toaster, and now the microwave. And I should point out that not one of those was cheap to replace, the price on household goods like that having gone up quite a bit, particularly on microwaves. On the bright side, the only thing left to break that we would actually have the responsibility of replacing is the coffeemaker.

I don’t really object to replacing these kinds of things in general. We’d had our old vacuum since we moved in together and it has had quite a burden with two cats and my hair all over the place. And since we were able to get a top-of-the-line replacement for it, I don’t really anticipate buying another vacuum anytime soon. I was fine with replacing the television too. Alan bought that when we first started going out or not long after, so it was eight-years-old. It wasn’t particularly high quality either and had been having the occasional problem. Again, I’m not planning on getting a new TV anytime soon either.

What really annoys me is having to replace the toaster and the microwave. Because both of them are now on their third incarnations in five years. When the hell did it become acceptable to throw down money on small appliances like that every couple of years? The microwave that just died wasn’t some cheap piece of crap either. I remember it being one of the pricier models, but we needed something that we could actually fit dishes into. And now it dies after less than three years? My parents bought a microwave back in the 80’s before they were really common. They had it until well into my college years before it finally broke. Assuming I was probably five when they bought it, that means the thing was easily fifteen years old. And now I’m replacing mine every couple of years?

That just annoys me.

It annoys me enough that I’m tempted not to replace mine at all. I won’t deny that it’s a convenient invention, particularly when you’re making toast and realize you have to take butter out of the fridge. But I really didn’t rely on it. Most "microwave" meals can be made in the oven as it is and I never liked microwave popcorn. There hasn’t been any in the house in years. I just buy jars of popcorn and cook it on the stove. Unlike microwave popcorn, it never comes out burnt. The only thing I really ever used the microwave for was reheating food. And having lived without a microwave when we first got here, I do know how to reheat food on the stove or in the oven. Leftover pizza is always better when you reheat it in the oven anyway.

So at the moment, we’re microwave-less and I’m okay with that. It really opens up the counter space in the kitchen, which both of us love. Alan’s mom has an extra one for some reason, and when I’m in Connecticut in a few weeks, I’ll see if it’s worth the cost of shipping it out here. That’ll also give us a chance to get along without one and see how we like it.

I did manage to book my flight out there, which I’m only sort of looking forward too. I don’t particularly like flying and the thought of layovers makes me nervous. I did choose a bit of a longer layover after Alan’s stories of having to run from terminal to terminal to catch connecting flights. I’m just paranoid about them losing my luggage when I’m getting on a boat the next day, ya know? Maybe I’ll pack a change of clothes and my bathing suit in a smaller bag, just in case. o_0 I’m also worried about getting bumped from my flight. Oh, and I don’t fly well. Aside from the worries inherent in all forms of travel, my body hates to fly. I generally prefer to lean on the bulkhead and stare out the window the whole time. But this time I don’t get a window seat. ::sigh:: It sucks, but I’ll just have to invest in some dramamine. I did manage to get an adapter so I can charge my iPod on a regular outlet, and it has a second USB port, so I can charge my phone too.

Anyway, it’s a beautiful day to sit in a sunny spot and read, so that’s what I’m off to do. I’m rereading Harry Potter again and just started the 6th book. But I’ll be done in a couple days, which means I need another book to bring with me on the cruise, maybe two if you consider airport time. I have "Great Expectations" for when I’m done with HP, but that won’t take me long enough to last the next two and a half weeks plus vacation time.

~Liz