As I mentioned before, I’ve been feeling a need to get back to the simple life. Now, I don’t want to do it Paris Hilton style, or even Eva Gabor style (though I do think that Eva and Zsa Zsa were much more fabulous than the Hilton girls), but I am trying to keep life as uncomplicated and organized as humanly possible.
It started with my computer late Sunday night. When we switched to Verizon DSL a month or two ago, we received a free subscription to MSN Premium. I sort of poo-poo’ed it, since I was in a Linux brat phase and tossed the CD aside. Well Sunday night I installed MSN Premium on my computer and I must admit that I like it! I must be a sucker for marketing or easily distracted by pretty baubles, because I really like the layout of the screen, the integration of e-mail and the “sidebar” stuff, including a list of my unread messages, a list of who’s currently online, my upcoming itinerary for work and the MSN Radio Station service which has a fabulous 80s channel on it. It’s more geared for the computer novice, but if the winsupersite guy can use it, so can I. And he’s such a big geek he gets to write about it for a living. If you ever want to IM me, I’m on MSN/Windows messenger. Click the icon on the left side of my blog screen to say hey.
The washer woes continue. As I always say, “Nothing sucks like an Electrolux“. After meeting the washer repairman yesterday (who wasn’t really my type), nothing has been accomplished. Apparently something is rubbing between the inner and outer tub, though he couldn’t find anything. It was not really comforting that he could shine his somewhat feeble flashlight through the outside of the tub and see into the washing machine. Talk about cheaply made! When he took the bottom panel off the washer, a screw and an important looking rubber gasket fell out, which was reassuring. The Frigidaire tech support guy that was coaching the repairman over the phone thinks that a tub support arm broke, but the only way to find out is to completely disassemble the washing machine, removing everything but the door. Then he has to, as he put it, “crack open” the sealed outer tub and see what’s wrong. Then he has to put in all new parts because it’s suppose to be sealed. And that’s if there’s something wrong with the tub, it could have something to do with a strut breaking a cement brick. Lovely. For a washer that is now 123 days old, this can’t be good. I called Frigidaire (now Frigidaire by Electrolux) and told them I wanted a new machine pronto. They had to wait for the repair guy to fax over his report, which he had done, but the faxes only print once a day and that’s at 2 a.m. Talk about customer convenience. Then the matter has to go to the “replacement review board” which will determine if I’m worthy of a new machine or not. I must say that the thought of there actually being a board called the “Replacement Review Board” is rather frightening. But not to worry, this should all be cleared up by 2012.
So, I’ve decided that tomorrow night I’m going to take a stroll through a used appliance store and see if I can find an old GE Filter-Flo washer …
…from the 70s. Those machines were indestructable. Or maybe an old Westinghouse like the one my mom used to use the garden hose in. A knob or two here, lots of water there, and viola! Clean clothes.
If anyone wants a slightly used Frigidaire front loading washing machine, have I got a deal for you.
