The Dishwasher Tale
I finally broke down and bought a new dishwasher. It was mostly because I was tired of seeing the old one partially torn apart and just sitting there, partially because I was tired of doing dishes and a lot of "I need to start cooking again" which leads back to reason two.
Of course, once I made up my mind I was all over getting it done ASAP. The Rocket Scientist had offered to install it for me and he's getting his kids for two weeks starting a week from today so I needed to give him time to get it done. I figured this past weekend was about all I had so I got online on Thursday to shop.
I ended up with a Kenmore from Sears.com. It was on sale, had good ratings and had the food processing feature which is a must. I see no sense in rinsing dishes just so the dishwasher can clean them.
The earliest they could deliver it was Sunday. I really wanted it on Saturday (immediate gratification girl that I am) so I checked a couple of other models but they were all Sunday, too. As I stepped through checkout, I chose installation by their folks and pick up of my old unit. That was $139. Ouch. I only paid $300 for the machine itself.
I called up TRS and said, "Do you think $139 is too much to pay for installation and before you answer that keep in mind that you're doing the install because you're my guy?" I would have paid it if he'd said to do so but he told me it was too much and that he would come over and do it. He's so nice.
He assumed it was coming on Saturday and I told him it was Sunday. Our next step was to check if we could just pick it up at the store. It would have taken even longer. Apparently, they deliver them to the store then you have to go pick them up and it can take 3-5 days. I coughed up the $65 delivery fee. Again, once I have my mind made up, I don't want to wait.
They were set to call me on Saturday to give me a 2 hour delivery window. I missed the call because we were at Happy Hour(s) then went to Tracy's. There, TRS checked out her ice cube maker because she had asked him if he could hook it up for her.
That's when a brilliant idea came to me. Why couldn't he hook mine up, too? When I got my new fridge, it came with an ice maker but there was no water line and we would have had to run one behind the dishwasher and through a cupboard. Since the dishwasher was going to be out anyway, it seemed like the perfect time to hook it up. TRS didn't seem to appreciate my brilliance (probably because he's thinking "what else is she going to make me do?") but he did agree to the plan.
As I was stumbling to bed at 12:30 AM, I listened to my voice mail to find they were coming between 8:30 and 10:30. Dang. I would have given an extra $65 for deliver a few hours later.
TRS came over a little before 9 to disconnect the old machine. I would have been clueless but he knew what he was doing, mostly. He turned off the valve under the sink then disconnected the hose expecting a little bit of water to fall into the bucket we had waiting. What he got was a full torrent of hot water with no end in sight. Neither of us knows where my water turns off but I had a smart idea, if I do say so myself, to turn off the water heater. That worked. The valve under the sink was a red herring as they'd piped directly from the water heater.
He did manage to spill water all over my freshly mopped floor. Why do I bother with housework? As he was leaving with the unit to take it and his trailer back to his house, the delivery guys pulled up with the new one. I had them dump it in the dining room and settled down to wait for TRS's return.
I didn't get to sit for long because I had to go move the box. George had climbed on it to get to the drawer where I keep my iPod earbuds. She LOVES them. She's busted into the little bag I keep my Shuffle in to get to them and she's snagged them out of my purse more times than I can count. Crazy cat.
Several hours later, he was done. As was I with my Cooking Light magazine that I'd been reading. It's good to be The Princess.
I'm not sure who was more exhausted, TRS or George. She watched his every move while he worked. At first, she was on the counter behind his tool box so she could peer over it. Then, she got brave enough to climb over and stand directly above him while he worked. She kept getting startled when he moved so she went into a low key "I'm not watching you" surveillance mode and repeatedly walked up and down the hallway, watching him out of the corner of her eye. Her nap time was severely shortened and we laughed at her because she did the little kid thing where her eyes would close but then she'd jerk herself awake.
TRS ran a mini cycle before dinner and all went well. I washed a full load last night and they are sparkling clean.
The ice maker is working well, too. Although, every time it dumps ice, George freaks out and has to investigate. I'm sure she'll get used to it but it's fun to watch for now.
Of course, once I made up my mind I was all over getting it done ASAP. The Rocket Scientist had offered to install it for me and he's getting his kids for two weeks starting a week from today so I needed to give him time to get it done. I figured this past weekend was about all I had so I got online on Thursday to shop.
I ended up with a Kenmore from Sears.com. It was on sale, had good ratings and had the food processing feature which is a must. I see no sense in rinsing dishes just so the dishwasher can clean them.
The earliest they could deliver it was Sunday. I really wanted it on Saturday (immediate gratification girl that I am) so I checked a couple of other models but they were all Sunday, too. As I stepped through checkout, I chose installation by their folks and pick up of my old unit. That was $139. Ouch. I only paid $300 for the machine itself.
I called up TRS and said, "Do you think $139 is too much to pay for installation and before you answer that keep in mind that you're doing the install because you're my guy?" I would have paid it if he'd said to do so but he told me it was too much and that he would come over and do it. He's so nice.
He assumed it was coming on Saturday and I told him it was Sunday. Our next step was to check if we could just pick it up at the store. It would have taken even longer. Apparently, they deliver them to the store then you have to go pick them up and it can take 3-5 days. I coughed up the $65 delivery fee. Again, once I have my mind made up, I don't want to wait.
They were set to call me on Saturday to give me a 2 hour delivery window. I missed the call because we were at Happy Hour(s) then went to Tracy's. There, TRS checked out her ice cube maker because she had asked him if he could hook it up for her.
That's when a brilliant idea came to me. Why couldn't he hook mine up, too? When I got my new fridge, it came with an ice maker but there was no water line and we would have had to run one behind the dishwasher and through a cupboard. Since the dishwasher was going to be out anyway, it seemed like the perfect time to hook it up. TRS didn't seem to appreciate my brilliance (probably because he's thinking "what else is she going to make me do?") but he did agree to the plan.
As I was stumbling to bed at 12:30 AM, I listened to my voice mail to find they were coming between 8:30 and 10:30. Dang. I would have given an extra $65 for deliver a few hours later.
TRS came over a little before 9 to disconnect the old machine. I would have been clueless but he knew what he was doing, mostly. He turned off the valve under the sink then disconnected the hose expecting a little bit of water to fall into the bucket we had waiting. What he got was a full torrent of hot water with no end in sight. Neither of us knows where my water turns off but I had a smart idea, if I do say so myself, to turn off the water heater. That worked. The valve under the sink was a red herring as they'd piped directly from the water heater.
He did manage to spill water all over my freshly mopped floor. Why do I bother with housework? As he was leaving with the unit to take it and his trailer back to his house, the delivery guys pulled up with the new one. I had them dump it in the dining room and settled down to wait for TRS's return.
I didn't get to sit for long because I had to go move the box. George had climbed on it to get to the drawer where I keep my iPod earbuds. She LOVES them. She's busted into the little bag I keep my Shuffle in to get to them and she's snagged them out of my purse more times than I can count. Crazy cat.
Almost got them!
TRS made a Home Depot run to get the tubing for the water line. The guy there told him it was 25 feet of tubing but he lied. It was only 10 and not long enough for the job. They wouldn't have lied to him at Lowe's, I'm sure. I think, in all, he made three trips to Home Depot but I lost count because he also had to go back home and get the power cord off the old dishwasher. I know there was one for a bolt (clamp, something like that), too.Several hours later, he was done. As was I with my Cooking Light magazine that I'd been reading. It's good to be The Princess.
I'm not sure who was more exhausted, TRS or George. She watched his every move while he worked. At first, she was on the counter behind his tool box so she could peer over it. Then, she got brave enough to climb over and stand directly above him while he worked. She kept getting startled when he moved so she went into a low key "I'm not watching you" surveillance mode and repeatedly walked up and down the hallway, watching him out of the corner of her eye. Her nap time was severely shortened and we laughed at her because she did the little kid thing where her eyes would close but then she'd jerk herself awake.
TRS ran a mini cycle before dinner and all went well. I washed a full load last night and they are sparkling clean.
The ice maker is working well, too. Although, every time it dumps ice, George freaks out and has to investigate. I'm sure she'll get used to it but it's fun to watch for now.
