Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Malfunction

Since moving into the new house, we've had a run of ill luck with the appliances. Is it because it sat for so long waiting for us to find her? Or is it because the appliance Gods have chosen to teach us a lesson about dependence and modern society? Who knows. But here I sit, on this beautiful morning, waiting for the technician to visit our house once again.

The first was the AC. The day we moved in, it was sweltering. But I was busy bustling around, directing traffic. Too busy to notice the upstairs registered a steamy 92. But at bedtime, I noticed. And so did every little body in the house. Three days later we had it working again, spewing cold air onto sweaty faces. The problem? No coolant in the system. A detail overlooked by the crew in the winter months when the house was finished.

The next to fall was the oven. Luckily, it was the second one. But unluckily, it was right as I was trying to bake a lemon cake for a BBQ our new neighbors had invited us to. I waited and waited for the cake to finish baking. But after preliminary browning and puffing, the center fell and the oven was stone cold. Electrical malfunction. Two weeks later it was once again warming my pizza and baking my cookies.

The day after the oven was fixed, the microwave inexplicably stopped heating. I say inexplicably because really, have you ever had a microwave completely stop waving? It looks like everything is working ... lights, motion, noise. But no heat. And I tell you, I've come to depend upon microwave heat. Melting butter, cooking oatmeal breakfasts, defrosting meat for dinner ... all daily tasks I put my microwave to.

Just a final word on the "window" service guys give. What is up with that? Is it so difficult to say, set an appointment? Like the rest of the civilized world? Can you imagine if your hairstylist said, "I'll see you sometime between 1 and 4 p.m. today. Please be waiting for me." Or if I told the school, "I'll have my children there sometime between 8 and 11 a.m." But yet they feel perfectly fine with telling me they'll be here sometime between 9 and 12 today. But because I need my microwave working again, I'm a sitting duck. Perfectly at their mercy and timeframe.

3 comments:

  1. Oh the dreaded window.

    Whats worse is the inevitable fact that the repair person is always late for the window. By at least 30-45 minutes. And sometimes then he calls, to tell you he is late (really? I must not have noticed the time) and could he please reschedule for another window? (really? I can't have priority top of the list placement for waiting this whole day???)

    ReplyDelete
  2. The joys of being a homeowner...grrr...:)

    I look forward to following your home improvements through this blog...can't wait to see some before and after pics!!!

    Also...congrats on the washer/dryer purchase...so grown up! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I hate the window. Someone needs to give THEM a window. "You'll be at the house between 9 a.m. and noon? I'll be here between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. -- see you then." It's one of (there are many) reasons I HATE moving. One more move. That's what I tell myself. Can't wait to see the washer and dryer ...

    ReplyDelete