So it’s not because it’s the beginning of the year that so many new things have populated my life recently. It’s more because sales were good or we finally had time that we’ve been replacing and upgrading and inviting in so much new.
We replaced our roof two summers ago, about a year before we were told we should start getting bids. Having watched two neighbors recently attach blue tarps to their roofs after a huge wind storm and then try to replace so many shingles in the rain, I felt vindicated in my dedication to replacing things just slightly too early.
It is therefore totally within character that a year ago we decided that sometime in 2015 we would replace some major appliances. Yes, I’m a planner. And no, there is no spreadsheet involved (but, fine, there is a Word document tracking annual goals and such. I am so predictable.).
Thanks to some great Christmas sales and a slow drip of research throughout 2015, we jumped pretty quickly on a well-priced washer, dryer, and dishwasher a couple of weeks ago. Super easy purchases in store and online, delivery, set-up, rebates, haul-away. All Eazy McSqueezy as my dad would say.
Except it wasn’t.
The washer and dryer delivery was fine but the dryer didn’t work. We ran out and bought a new circuit breaker, hoping that was the problem. I congratulated myself for marrying a handy engineer as I watched Rob install the new breaker. Exasperatingly, the dryer still tripped it within 5 seconds. An early morning phone call to the Big Box Store that we purchased it from resulted in assurances that they would be happy to exchange it…except none of their stores in the Portland metro had that model. Of course.
The nice delivery guys came back, hauled away the sparkling new but dead dryer, and refunded my credit card. Happily, a different Big Box Store had what we needed for 99 cents more. Seemed like a bargain, especially since this dryer hasn’t tripped the new circuit at all. Five loads of laundry later, I’m starting to trust my new machines even though I’m still confused by all the songs the dryer keeps playing at different intervals. The owner’s manual is of no help; I’ve scoured it. Google is probably next.
That adventure behind us (I'm leaving out the part about finding someone on a community Facebook page who wanted our old set and watching a mom and her gangly 14-year-old son smush both machines into a Suburban), Rob dove into installing the dishwasher. Surely that would be simple, right? I mean, 11 years ago he installed the one we were replacing and it was Eazy McSqueezy all the way. At least as I remember it, having mostly stood there with my hands on my hips offering cold beverages and lighting.
Sadly, though, this installation came to a dramatic halt on Saturday when we realized that the lip of our kitchen counters is about 1/8” too long. We had the counters replaced a couple of years after we got that other dishwasher, so we had no idea that the long lip was basically trapping our appliance in the cabinetry. Go us!
Rob managed to wriggle out the old one (mostly since we didn't care about scratches or operability) but there is no way the new one is going in. As I type, I am waiting for a guy from the granite place to come do something with tools and dust and noise to shave off 1/8” to allow our new dishwasher the freedom to move about the cabinets. The guy was supposed to come yesterday but there was an ice storm and nobody was going anywhere. Because Portland. And because that's just how things are rolling at the moment.
In other newness:
We’ve also replaced Rob’s cell phone which naturally necessitated upgrading iTunes. Which naturally messed up all of the birthdays in my phone for some inexplicable but widely discussed and loathed reason. And those so-called Geniuses? Yeah, not so much. So unimpressed, although they do have pretty cool glasses and tattoos. I got it all working again despite the Geniuses; I only had to create about 20 new contacts and leave out the birthday info. Eh, that’s what ice storms are for, right?
I thankfully stopped short of upgrading the operating system on my cell phone to match Rob's. A cooler head and snail-paced DSL prevailed in making me realize my year-old operating system is working just fine, despite what the musthavethelastestthingNOW Apple culture would have me think. Really, why bring on the inevitable headaches (see birthday mess) to simply have more little yellow faces to express emotions I am encouraged not to take the words or time to express?
Last week, after many phone calls and much smooth jazz hold music, we finally found a solution to make our internet go faster (and cheaper?!?). However, I have resisted making the switch calls to customer service in India until our chocolate supply is replenished. Things would be so much easier if we weren't so darned sentimental about an old email address (truly, it's vintage at over 20 years old; so many memories).
Realizing that our favorite airline doesn’t fly direct anymore to the places we most often want to go, we decided a few weeks ago to switch loyalties on our primary credit cards. Twenty minutes yesterday with customer service (in Pasadena!) and I think I have opted out of all the in-house, third-party, non-affiliates, joint-marketing shenanigans Bank of America would love to offer me. We'll find out soon enough.
And lastly, yesterday, finally thawed out enough to tackle the rural roads around Woodhaven, I got my hair cut about 2 weeks past schedule due to my haircutter’s holiday travel. I was certain I would be camped out in front of her salon with scissors in my hand, desperate to lose the 7 extra pounds I was carrying on my head. But much to my surprise, I have sort of enjoyed seeing some waves again. I have been wearing my hair short enough, everything was more straight and less wavy. Just like I had wished back in 1979.
But well, I had unknowingly missed the waves. So one more change to add to the new year – my hair is purposely longer than it has been in several years. I am pretty sure I caught Rob doing a Snoopy Happy Dance out of the corner of my eye yesterday (like pretty much every man alive, he prefers long hair. A testament to his love given my pixie cuts since forever, right?). We'll see how long my longer locks last. My hair stylist expects a desperation call in about 2 weeks.
So it’s been a lot of new and change here recently. All our decisions, all with intent, but I don’t think I realized how disconcerting it would be to make so many little changes all at the same time. My whole world feels a little unfamiliar and off center, with owner’s manuals and calls to customer service and so much Googling.
I know all this newness will morph into status quo soon and I will hardly remember this nagging desire to have my old comfy stuff back. But for now, I am grateful I’m not also trying to make some major January 1st life change like reducing the amount of Tabasco I consume or how much stuff sporting llamas I need beautifying my world. Changes like that would require more chocolate than Hershey or Moonstruck can make.
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