The used-stuff market is an awesome place. A couple years ago, I thought I might like having an electric water kettle, and I snagged one for $10 off of Craigslist. Do I like it? Indeed I do . . . enough that when I saw a fancier model on my college's bulletin board a few months ago, I snagged that one, too. (What makes it fancier? The second one has a stainless steel interior and is insulated, so the hot water stays hot longer).
I so much love the ability to put water on to boil and then walk away . . . it makes my mornings much, much easier, because I can start the water for my oatmeal and tea as I come back from a run, and take a shower while the breakfast water is heating up, and then come back downstairs to water ready to pour. Whoop!
I was being grateful in my head about this kettle earlier this week, and decided to start a list of "Things that turn off by themselves". My husband helped me add to this list.
What turns off? There are modern kitchen gadgets that change the way I cook:
- the hot water kettle, aforementioned
- Instant Pot
There are things I set to timers each time I use them:
- the bathroom fan
- the microwave (but I wish it went ALL the way off; ours keeps beeping annoyingly until we come back and open the door)
There are things on timers that cycle on and off appropriately, to fit the schedules of our life:
- Christmas lights
- our radiators
There are annoying office lights that turn on and off according to motion sensors that have very little to do with whether I'm actually in the office at the danged time they turn on or off [grump grump grump]
There are things that I had forgotten to appreciate for their ability to turn off when done . . . just imagine a life where people had to both start and stop these, and you'll see what I mean:
- toaster
- dishwasher
- toilets
And then there are things that just stop whenever they want:
- Prewash
In the Pre-wash category are also the sun and weather phenomena.
ReplyDeleteAnd then there's the category of things that just stop working (not as fun as your other categories):
* coupons (with expiration dates)
* perishables
* fashion
In my house, I do get to appreciate the microwave, toaster oven and central air/heat turning themselves off, plus alarm clocks (which are similarly set-and-forget). Hmm, I guess alarm clocks turn themselves on, as do calendar alerts and smoke detectors. That's pretty cool, too.
Great list! I've become increasingly grateful for calendar alerts, especially now that I have so many random meetings. The alerts have saved me from a bunch of potential embarrassing absences in the past week, even!
DeleteI love my toaster! My husband and I got a toaster about two years ago. Up until that point, we made toast under the broiler and it was always stressful to try to pull it out at the right moment. The toaster has been a much bigger quality of life improvement than I expected!
ReplyDeleteYes! Especially for those in our family who have a bit of ADHD. The broiler in the oven has been the cause of lots of exhaust fan action, but the toaster seems to not require external ventilation intervention, thank goodness!
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