Washing Machines

The washer that came with this house broke right before I closed. So for some time, I've had a lonely dryer that needs a mate.

My 2-month supply of underwear has been holding strong, but it won't last forever. And shopping for large appliances is not fun.

I've decided to go for a simpler, more economical machine, but those are harder to find with all these new fandangled front loaders and high-efficiency machines. However, I definitely want to save energy and water, so am looking towards Energy Star qualified machines.

There are loads of sales around this Black Friday weekend, but there don't seem to be as many for large appliances. I've been looking at this top loading Maytag MVWC6ES[W] at Home Depot, well-priced at $299 (originally $549) until tomorrow.


What a good price, but in reading the mixed reviews, I need to decide whether I can live with the following:

1. Auto load senser. There is no manual load dial. The machine automatically senses the load size and adds the appropriate amount of water, thus minimizing water waste by using just the right amount of water. However, you can't open the lid once the cycle has begun. Otherwise, that will reset the senser, and you'll end up getting a full tub of water regardless of the load size.
   


2. Mover and a Shaker (mixed). I've read mixed reviews regarding the vibration and noise of this machine, with folks indicating both ways.

The Home Depot and Consumer Reports websites have the most comprehensive reviews of this product.

• Home Depot has 46 customer reviews that have rated this machine on average 4.5 out of 5 stars. The main complaints speak to the auto load senser, but if you know what you're getting, that's that. Some have indicated that the machine doesn't wash well (e.g., agitator not strong enough).
  


• Consumer Reports has tested and rated this machine with 63 out of 100 points. Excellent in washing performance, capacity, and vibration. Good in water efficiency and noice. Fair in energy efficiency. Poor in gentleness. Of the two reviewers on this website, one noted the poor vibration and shaking, in constrast to CR's "excellent" rating.

I will spend the day mulling over this.

Savvy Shopper

I got my first Savvy Shopper magazine! I'm excited. Now, I'm starting to feel like I live here! Plus, I'm slowly meeting my neighbors. Yesterday would've been the perfect opportunity with Halloween, but I didn't have the energy for it.

My house feels like autumn. The leaves are turning color and falling all around, covering the gras both in the front and back. The back gets filtered sunlight, so it's beautiful in the mornings. Not much direct sunlight into the house, but the view is quite nice to the back since there are no neighbor's houses facing directly towards that side of the house. So it feels private.

Tonight I'll be ushering the Ray LaMontagne concert at the Fox Theater. I had completely forgotten till I pulled out my penguin wall calendar this morning. I'll go; it's a much needed break!

We have HEAT!

I was really starting to doubt whether the electrician would come out to fix my heat. Last week, my inspector walked me through the steps to troubleshoot my "broken" heater. When the fan wouldn't turn on (which isn't related to the furnace at all), he concluded that it was an electrical problem. Since the fan and heater were fine during inspection, he figured that the electrician had knocked something loose when he updated the wiring.

I have a home warranty, but the inspector recommended that I try to get the electrician to come back since he knew exactly what he did. Now that was a challenge! The electrician didn't leave a paper trail b/c he had done all the work as a favor to the previous owner.

So I reached out to my agent, to the listing agent, to the former owner, to the electrician. And they eventually did respond--after several warm, cold, and warm nights--that the electrician would email/call and come either Friday or Saturday.

I never heard anything, but thank goodness I was home tonight. It was the first time someone knocked unexpectedly, so I was a little spooked. But it was the electrician!! Now that's a real sign of character. Really, what kind of motivation did he have to come back?

He went at it and found the solution quickly. The internal switch in the furnace is constructed funny with wires all criss-crossed, so he had accidentally disconnected the wire to the switch! And lickety split, I have heat! Yay!!

So this is what home ownership is all about.

Induction Stove

I used my stove for the first time today! An induction stovetop! It was really exciting to see the circle turn bright red, and then get really, really hot. And then stay hot. I guess all stoves stay hot after you turn them off, but it's nice (actually, essential) that this stove has that red button that stays lit as long as the stovetop is hot.

I don't have a dining table yet, so you can see the creative solution! :)

I'm slowly moving into my kitchen. The motivation is definitely getting rid of the clutter and boxes in every corner of the house. The best thing about this house is the kitchen. Tons of cabinet space and really open floorplan. I'll show more photos once it gets more settled in!

Power On!

But Georgia Power not good in my book!

Dark and Hungry, but not Too Cold

I am sitting in the dark, waiting for Georgia Power to come back and turn my power back on. They consciously, that’s right—on purpose—turned off my power earlier today while fulfilling the power disconnection from the previous owners, but failed to start up my service.

Imagine the surprise when I got home and I couldn’t turn my lights on! At least the Georgia Power guy was on the phone was helpful (after I got through all the annoying automatic voice prompts), although powerless. At least he figured out the issue and said someone was coming right away. Only, that was an hour ago.

OK, I just called back, and the woman said that someone would be out here in two hours. This sucks. Plus, I’m still waiting on my heat to get fixed.

While I was waiting on my front doorstep for the power guy, the cheekiest thing happened with the local fauna. A raccoon sauntered over from around my car, and then a second quickly popped his head out from underneath. One dug around my yard, while the other came brazenly close to me, peering out at me expectantly for a handout. Uh-uh! After a few minutes and nothing interesting, they finally left. Grrrrreat.

Presents!

I haven't had a housewarming party (and it's probably at least 3-5 months off, given the state of things and the onset of winter, aka hibernation), but I've already had a few warm tidings of welcome. Haven't met my neighbors yet, but I've gotten a few gift cards for Target, Home Depot, and Bed, Bath, and Beyond. More cards to Home Depot and Lowe's welcome!

Yesterday, Alex and I went to the Chopstix for Charity fundraising gala, sponsored by the National Association of Asian American Professionals' (NAAAP) Atlanta chapter. Now that I'm settling in and getting to know my community, I can see myself getting more involved in this organization, as well as the Decatur community and the refugee community of Clarkston next door.

NAAAP is definitely geared more towards the young professional sector of Atlanta's APIA community, reflected in the evening's semi-formal casino theme, DJs, and live music. The event overall was well-done, and all proceeds go to charity. Alex and I even won raffle prizes each, quite fittingly, golf certificates for him and a complete garden kit from Home Depot for me!

This this is heavy. Big ceramic pot, water hose, gardening tools, tarps, hummingbird feeder and food, birdseed, and Miracle Gro. I'll be thinking all during my hibernation about that partial sun/shady garden and how to make it blossom and grow. I see elephant ears, hydrangeas, rose bushes in the future of my grey one.