why i don't trust whirlpool.

the other day we had a couple of friends over, the husband half of which sells appliances and could name the make and model number of all of our kitchen machinery.  when the discussion came around to the Whirlpool Quiet Partner III dishwasher we have, he mentioned that the higher the number (or number of I's), the lower the decibels of sound it makes when running.  which he remarked is kind of misleading.  what if you wanted a really loud dishwasher, so you were all like, III sounds louder than I, i'll take it!  then you get home and can barely hear it and you're all, this is not what i paid for!

so my proposal is that, instead of using roman numerals to (confusingly) indicate the level of noise the Quiet Partner makes, whirlpool should start using different descriptive words in the actual name of the product.  like the Quiet Partner I could be changed to something more like, The Only Semi-Respectful Partner, and the Quiet Partner II could be changed to The Partner Who Sleeps Most of the Time but Also is a Bit of a Mouth-Breather, and the Quiet Partner III could be changed to That Partner Who's Always In the Room but You Forget He's There Until it's Too Late.

just a thought.  i think it would promote transparency in advertising, and also serve to alleviate some confusion.  although i could see where it would serve to instigate some other confusion...so maybe it's a wash.  (and i have volitionally chosen not to expound upon that potential pun.)

announcing a new addition to our family!

The Quiet Partner II, meet everyone. everyone, The Quiet Partner II. (i call her The Quiet Partner for short.)

the stork (i.e., the draintech guy) brought her just this morning. isn't she beautiful? she also came with free rinse-aid and electrosol tablets, as well as coupons. freebies and coupons - she'll be right at home here!

some other highlights i haven't written about:

atticus' two-month "birthday" (his three-month will be a week from thursday. i haven't posted pictures in a while.)

atticus' newfound talent of bumbo-slouching.

todd's and my date to the olive garden (yes, we got dressed up to go to the olive garden. and i liked it.)

i also really enjoyed the andes mints they gave us.

the plethora of diapers we bought on sale. yes, if you counted SIXTEEN family-sized boxes, you counted correctly.

our trip to the willises' superbowl party. (yes, that's a football bib. he's all about it.)

how mad atticus got when the cardinals lost. here, we see jared willis comforting him.

atticus sneezing milk out his nose.

other stuff we've written about, but haven't illustrated:

the booty of todd's treasure hunt.
atticus not feeling well (here with a smile - and a bunch of snot - on his face)

close-up of the snot, in case you missed it.

guy time at the van voorst house.

me, nebulizing the heck out of that kid.

his enduring love for the nebulizer.

the tortilla mix with which i made my horrible "chips." there were more pictures, but whoops, i forgot to upload them.

and TODAY'S highlights:

learning to roll over:

step 1.

step 2.

step 3.

step 4. (he needed a bit of help getting from step 3 to step 4.)

our first outdoor adventure:

we went off-roading...apparently at the edge of where "winter"meets "spring."

all tuckered out. what a big day!

if an oak-clad dishwasher falls in the forest, how will i assuage my grief?!

well, i believe it's official.  old oaky has fallen.

you know, old oaky.  don't tell me you don't remember old oaky?!

how has this image not burned itself in your brain over the past year?  how do you not fall asleep with it swimming before your eyes?  OLD OAKY, YOU GUYS!

let's just move on, assuming you remember, but only vaguely, so i'll freshen your memory.  old oaky is the 1994 dishwasher, paneled in genuine, solid oak, that came with our house.  he got a makeover when i painted the cabinets, but he was still as sturdy and solid and honey-colored as ever under all that greasepaint.

considering he was twenty years old and still running as smoothly as a college track athlete the same age, i figured he was immortal.  i mean, i really kind of did.  but i was wrong.  very wrong.  

the day before we left on vacation (oh yeah, we've been on vacation.  i'll tell you about that later, but first things first.  we're talking about a death in the family, and the story of how i fell six inches off a tiny rock and re-sprained my ankle and just would not stop screaming about it will just have to wait.)...whoops, where did my original sentence go? oh yeah.  the day before we left on vacation, i ran a load of dishes.  and then i emptied it and tried to start another load.  and old oaky would not rumble.  he would not rouse.  he would not harumph his way awake.  he had passed over to the beyond in silence and aloneness with nary a complaint or final word.

i must say, we're all still in shock.  i mean, after all, he was as ancient and sturdy as, well, the oak tree that died to give him life.  one just never sees things like this coming.

in the meantime, we're doing our best to soldier on.  we're washing dishes by hand, and ordering takeout to avoid cooking, and reminiscing about all the ways his rusty old racks and downright wasteful water consumption got the dishes cleaner than any of my previous dishwashers combined.  Quiet Partner he was not, on decibel level alone, but he sure knew how to beat the younger models at their own game.  (you know, washing dishes.  i realize this is a tangent, but is it really too much to expect a dishwasher to wash dishes?  this good-for-nothing younger generation of appliances is just so lazy.)

anyway, we'll miss you, old oaky.  i like to imagine you're somewhere in the beyond right now, turning your heavily-grained face to the sun, and wasting all the water your ancient jets desire.  you lived a good life, buddy, and you will be missed.