The last weeks before Christmas are a sudden rush. The last big dumps of Amazon deliveries. The exams before winter break. The late-year trials God pitches at you. And then sometime on Christmas Eve or just before, for most of us, the world enters into a pause. Deliveries will be out much longer than two standard days. New projects are on hold. It’s time to rest, to review.
Or to rue. In my case, a dishwasher broke in the days before Christmas. I tried several days of addressing the error code myself, instructed by YouTube, Reddit, and even solicited replies on X. But, after examining every possible normal answer, I concluded the motor was faulty. I called the repairman. The part couldn’t be delivered before Christmas, nor during the big snowstorm. Almost two weeks later, I’m finally on the schedule. Paper plates, we have resorted to them in the breach. Until tomorrow finally comes. The world will not return to its regularly scheduled programming until this danged appliance makes it through 6 minutes of a wash cycle without spluttering and then sighing in resignation.