Thursday, March 6, 2014

Day 11: And I Still Don't Miss My Dishwasher...

Everyone knows the best way to keep readers interested in your blog is only to post once a month, right?

Since my last couple updates, the missing plumbing was replaced, and with the addition of that modern convenience came an influx of activity.  The past 4+ weeks has been more doing, less reflecting, as you can imagine; and as the last of the boxes begin to disappear and things settle into a routine, I'll be able to sit back and reminisce with you about the process.  And I look forward to that!

Temporary home


Right now, I'm writing from the temporary location we've chosen for our computer in the living room, and listening to a songbird warble a gentle promise of Spring in the morning sun just outside my window.  With the help of a team of friends and family (and one huge-ass truck - thank you, Tim), we moved last Sunday (11 days ago) and have been sleeping here ever since.  We gathered the last of our things a week ago today, and forfeited our keys to the apartment on the 28th.  We officially occupy our house as our primary and only residence.

Pretty little warbler

I would just like to take a moment to recognize that, not only was I fighting a cold/flu the day of our big move, but I had also taken my Krav Maga level 1 test the day before.  If you've never heard of this infamous test, it's essentially several hours of a high-cardio, technically precise workout where you basically prove that, even stressed and fatigued, you can kill anyone who tries to choke you from any angle.  It is intense, exhausting, a little painful... and everyone should do it once.

And I did mine with a cold, and then moved the following day.  Yes, I am Wonder Woman.

My "Wonder Woman" Look

But I digress...

I'm here to talk about our dishwasher.


Oh, tiny dishwasher... what shall we call you?

Yes, this guy.  The tiniest dishwasher in the world.  I feel like he needs a pet name (and not a particularly flattering one).

My new toy

I've used it exactly twice since we moved in.  It just somehow seems easier to wash everything by hand.  I bought myself a small dish drainer (on clearance at Target, thank-you-very-much) that tucks away nicely under the sink when not in use, and I place an old dishtowel under it to catch drips.  Fill the sink with hot water and a bit of dish soap, soak the dishes while I check my email, and come back at them with a sponge.  Let them dry, then put them (and the drainer) away.  It feels so novel to do it in my amazing kitchen that I love so much (more on that in the future) that I actually enjoy it more than loading up the machine.  I often have more than one drainer-full of dishes, so it requires coming back at it several times a day and refreshing the hot water a bit... and I don't care.  I can't explain it, and it probably won't last, but I look forward to this little chore every day.



Meanwhile, somewhere in Ohio, my Dad just stroked out a little and doesn't know why.  If only he knew "Today Me" half my life ago...

Somehow, it seems more manageable than the puzzle that is dishwasher-loading.  I mean, don't get me wrong: I love puzzles.  Sudoku is totally my drug.  But, when that puzzle results in some dishes being disappointingly unclean and needing to be hand washed anyway; or worse yet, with coffee grounds all over everything because I didn't rinse the Mill & Brew grinder-basket well enough... it's sucks the joy right out of it.

So for now, I'm addicted.

(Hi, my name is Lauren, and I wash my dishes by hand.

-Hi, Lauren!)

Which is probably good, because when it's time to replace that machine, I don't know what we're gonna do.  A larger one is the only answer that makes any sense, but that means losing valuable drawer space, unless we can figure out how to rearrange the lower cabinets somehow that makes it less noticeable....  Another dishwasher-related puzzle I'm dreading.

I'm off to drown my sorrows in dishwater.

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