I hate doing dishes. It's right up there with cleaning the toilet as far as I'm concerned. Only reason I do them is so I don't run out of dishes and I really do like it better if I have a clean home. I just don't like to be the one who does the cleaning. Ya know? So, okay, back a few years ago I got this great idea to get a minidishwasher. But, that was when I was living in a converted garden shed in San Francisco and I barely had room for my bed. Seriously, when the futon was down, I couldn't open the door, so I'd give any guests a lecture on safety exists (windows on either side of the door) and how to pull the futon up fast (scootch and pull). Anyway, eventually, I moved back down to LA and begin dreaming once again about having an countertop dishwasher. So, I shopped and scrimped and saved and checked reports (BTW Consumer Reports doesn't cover mini anything - I had to go to epinion.com to find ratings and comments). Eventually I ordered a Danby Countertop Dishwasher and to be safe, got the extended warranty.

I loved it, for about a year, when it started acting up. So, I used my warranty and yelled and bullied and got a maintenance person out and by the time it was 18 months old, it was deemed a loss and I was told to cut the cord to send back to the company and trash the rest of the machine (which I lugged downstairs and simply tossed into the apartment trash bin).

After another few months of trading phone calls and insults with the warranty people, I got a partial refund because of the warranty. Great. Look into other dishwashers and Danby is still the best rated and it's still the one that fits best in my apartment. Besides, it's cute and I really like it when it works. So, I take that money that that warranty company eventually sends me (I had to write a letter to the Better Business Bureau before I got it) and find that Target has this same Danby Dishwasher at a cheaper price, AND they have a better extended warranty system. So, I buy that Danby, and I love it great and do my best to take extra better care of it in case it was my fault that the last one broke. Well, less than a year later, it decides it's tired (I only run it 2-3 times a week). So, I put off the inevitable for a few weeks, but eventually, I contact Target's warranty department and begin the song and dance about broken dishwasher and extended warranty.

And I also go back to doing dishes by hand. :-/

Well, Target's warranty department is a lot more civilized than the other one was. Their warranty is essentially a Target giftcard for the amount of the appliance. Well last time I heard from them they had okayed the warranty and the refund, but that was weeks ago. I have had it on my list for about two weeks to give them a call and see what's up. And today I got my Target Giftcard!

Since I have learned recently that "large" appliances are not supposed to be disposed of in garbage bins but taken to the dump and since I have no car to take said appliance to the disposal facility or dump, I spent the evening taking the thing apart and putting it in lots of little bags that I will put in the bin slowly over the next couple of weeks. It was time well, spent, I think. Not quite done yet, but gettin' there and learning a bit about the inner workings in the mean time.

Now, if the giftcard had come any other time of year, I would have used it towards the upgraded model of Danby dishwasher. But, it's November 14, and that's a brief 41 days before Christmas or about 30 days before I have to have everything mailed or UPSed out. And I am broke. So, instead of buying another beloved dishwasher right away, I'm going to invest in a few pairs of latex gloves so my hands don't start to feel like sandpaper again and Christmas this year will be on Target!

While I thank the Universe/God for this little bit of serendipity, I really want to get another dishwasher. Oh well, maybe next year. Along with a new mattress, shoes, and a new life.

But still, it's a YAY! day!

I'm tired. I need to go to bed.