Monday Morning Madness

i've got a headache this big and it's got "the weekend" written all over it:

• the plumber never showed up this weekend to hook up the new stove (but, since the bottom oven is electric, i was still able to turn out a sick batch of homemade cupcakes). we haven't had a cooktop in 3 days.
• the tile guy's assistant missed the memo which said we wanted a blue glass tile trim around the room, so now we have 3 boxes of tile left and no trim. i'd be slightly less perturbed if the aforementioned assistant didn't try and take the tile with him. i guess there's a gorgeous tile topped table in our future.
• the "new" dishwasher died last night; livid is not the word.
• because of the snow, the tile guy isn't coming today to finish up.

Everything's Coming Up Roses...For Now

dunno why i'm tempting fate by putting this "on paper", thereby making it real...but i'm feeling terribly content, bordering on blissfully oblivious, at the moment. all the planets seem to be in some sort of alignment right now, as evidenced by the close of two major fiascos (the dishwasher and the photographer), my body's apparent recollection of how to lose weight (182 lbs, baby!), our upcoming trip to canada, my more recent trip to get another tattoo (this sunday! the winner, incidentally, is number 3) and my new position at work.

then, there's the fact that almost all of my friends lives are going swimmingly, with new loves, new babies on the way, engagements, world tours, and domestic bliss. i haven't had one person complain to me (rationally), in weeks! i wanna exhale like whitney, right about now.

ok...let the smiting begin!

Weekend Highlights

• After 12 weeks of stress and numerous sticky platelets, we're finally getting a new dishwasher from the manufacturer.
• the photography studio that fucked us out of our wedding pictures settled out of court with the NJ Attorney General (there was a dispute over whether or not the photographers which were hired by the studio were paid by the studio). this settlement means we'll be getting our wedding photos (read: negatives) a year after the fact. happy anniversary to us. now we need to find someone who'll turn them into an album.
• saturday was spent in search of a post office which will process passport applications; an effort in futility. apparently there is only 1 post office on staten island which issues passports on Saturday and it's only from 9 to 12. i mean really though, who's up by nine, or leaves the house before 1, on a saturday?
• Wii's Zelda: the Twilight Princess is absolutely amazing. it's almost surreal how good this game is. i was up till 2am Saturday/Sunday trying to rescue a fucking monkey from a cage, atop a totem pole, in a temple. it took me an hour and a half before i gave up and found the cheat on line. then i turned the game off without saving it. the universe gives...the universe takes away...
• we cleaned out our loft-office area, yesterday. it took the better part of the day, but stephen put together the bookshelf we got (last week) at Target , and i loaded up all my books on it. (not counting the last two years of disapproval and frustrated muttering and sighing) it really didn't take stephen a long time to get me off the couch (and away from the Wii) and into gear. we can now see the floor again; he's ecstatic.

Wednesday's Illuminations

well it's day three of my four day, husband-less, week and i'm still alive (and yes, so is the dog). here's what we've learned, so far:

1. i don't like "cooking for one"; i don't know how single people do it. since the dishwasher's still busted, i can't be bothered to dirty pots and pans and things just for lil ole moi, so i've been eating "quick and painless dinners" like chinese food (sunday), hot dogs & beans with steamed zucchini, followed by a cup of soft serve from the hot Mister Softee guy (monday) and last night's Smart One's dinner, Chicken Quesadilas and Pasta Carbonara (i haven't had a "tv dinner"since i'm eleven... i haven't missed much) with a scoop of Ben & Jerry's Peach Cobbler ice cream for dessert. i've stayed on track, within my point range, and i feel good!

2. while our "All-in-One: High Efficiency Washer/Dryer" is not the best unit on the market, its time delay settings are just a little bit fabulous. as of saturday morning, there was a pile of laundry which roughly resembled the staten island landfill, 90% of which was (were?) towels and sheets (which usually get put off till there are no clean ones left, because it takes so bloody long for our dryer to dry them). well, for the last 4 days i've been doing at least a load a day and now there is no laundry left. what there is, though, is a huge pile of clean towels and sheets which needs to be folded and put away.

3. it's no fun coming home to an empty house, but having a puppy really helps.

4. it's not as much fun getting stuff in the mail from Amazon and Woot if nobody's there to frown and/or cluck their tongue.

Appliance Horror Story Pt. 2

7/28: Repair service cancels appointment without letting us know; "no technicians" available. new appointment made.

surprised? me neither...

Appliance Horror Story: a Timeline

6/8/2007: Dishwasher purchased.

6/2/2008: dishwasher stops working.

6/3-6/6: call store dishwasher was purchased from for warranty info.

6/7: finally told by warranty company that dishwasher is still under manufacturer warranty and should be contacted directly. Manufacturer called; appointment scheduled.

6/10: confirmation call from manufacturer’s contracted repair service for appointment the following day.

6/11: 1st visit from manufacturer’s contracted repairman.
Repairman has never seen/heard of dishwasher brand.
Specs for dishwasher are not found on his computerized schematic system.
Assumes problem based on similar dishwasher (of a different brand).
Repairman orders part thought to cause problem.

6/16: part arrives; new appointment made.

6/17: confirmation call from manufacturer’s contracted repair service for appointment the following day.

6/18: 2nd visit from manufacturer’s contracted repairman.
Replacement part doesn’t work; thought to be broken.
Specs for dishwasher are still not found on computerized schematic system.
2nd possible part (#2) thought to cause problem in conjunction with faulty part #1.
2 new parts ordered (#1 and #2).

6/26: neither parts have arrived.
Call manufacturer for status; neither parts were ever ordered. Order placed.

6/30: part #1 arrives. Appointment scheduled.

7/1: 3rd visit from manufacturer’s contracted repairman.
Specs for dishwasher still not in on computerized schematic system.
Replacement part #1 is functioning but doesn’t fix dishwasher.

7/11: call manufacturer for status of part #2.
Part not ordered. Order placed on 7/12.

7/18: part #2 arrives; appointment scheduled.

7/21: confirmation call from manufacturer’s contracted repair service for appointment the following day.

7/23: 3 hours after scheduled appointment, repairman has not shown.
per repair service, no call was received to notify them that part #2 was received; appointment was cancelled.

7/24: new appointment scheduled.

the lesson: Never by another product made by Haier. Never purchase anything from AJ Madison. Never call A & E Factory Services for any reason.