Dirty clothes

I went back to Lowe's at a later time in the day and found Mr Albania was not there. There was another man (do women ever sell appliances? The only one I have seen owned the Maytag store I went to) who actually knew what he was talking about.

He offered to help. I asked him to show me a nice washer and dryer, and that I would then tell him which one I wanted. He smiled, and took the challenge. He showed me a nice Whirlpool, and a Frigidaire. I listened politely and then showed him the one I wanted. His whole face lit up. He said he has the same washer at home and has ordered the dryer. I bought the Fisher Paykel set that I had already decided to get and it will be delivered and hooked up on Wednesday next week. I could hook it up myself, but with what those two appliances cost another $20 to do the gas line isn't going to break me, and I am not feeling much in the mood to be playing with pipe dope while sitting behind a gas dryer with dogs licking my face.

The stove I am still wavering on. I would need a 220 line, and I am not feeling the love to put one of those in myself after dragging a top-and-bottom stove away from the wall and out of the house. I really do prefer to cook with gas, and since I will probably move....I just can't make up my mind. Cooking with electric is so - non-eventful. The most exciting thing to do is set something plastic on a burner you thought was cool. No flames, no gas leaks. Boring. I need excitement. Cooking should be fun.

I also re-wandered to the flooring department and Nice Young Man must have gone home with Mr Albania. Instead I get Mr Six Pack. Not his abs, but in his belly. He definitely had been drinking before work. For years.

Last night I stopped in Home Depot to discuss flooring. There were two guys there who had nothing to do except tell me that I do not want to install boring linoleum. I want to put in ceramic tiles by myself. We talked about expense. First they told me that the cost would be about the same. Then I asked them to walk me through the prices and work involved. I could put in a cheap linoleum floor for about $150, but it looked pretty cheap, I thought. I could put in a good linoleum floor for about $450. Peel and stick. Or, I could buy three layers of stuff, get a wet saw, and spend a week or so doing the nice ceramic tiles. That would cost at least $1000, if I do it myself. Really good tiles would be a lot more. They said I wouldn't have to worry about staying off it for any period of time, and no risk with the dogs.

Mr Six Pack said he has dogs too, and that I would pretty much have to build a platform to keep the dogs off for most of a week, not really allowing for the fact that I couldn't spend 8 hours a day on the job. He encouraged me to do the linoleum tiles, saying he has used some in his home and they look nice, are easy enough to do, and can be replaced easily enough if I sell the house to someone who doesn't like what I put down. No issue with the dogs on the linoleum, plus it can accommodate the laundry room floor that dips down to a drain.

What's with the employees at Lowe's telling me they already have the products in their own homes? I hope I never need to buy a toilet there, because I think I would get TMI from the sales person.

To add to my confusion, on the way to Lowe's (come on people, it's not really even 5 miles from here, how did I not see this before?) I passed a new condo complex going in, with the sign "luxury condominiums" out front. I stopped back at 4:55 pm, and they closed at 5 pm. The saleslady gave me a few minutes to peek around. The nice thing in that complex is that they actually have a third bedroom, or a study. No upstairs to deal with, no lofts. However, the kitchen in the other condos is absolutely to die for, and this one isn't. It's nice, but no where near as impressive. The bedroom is set up nicer and is bigger. However, no appliances besides the dishwasher are included. No heated bathroom floors, no trash compactor. There was a lady in there who had already purchased a condo in the new place, and she was familiar with the other ones I was looking into. We discussed the merits of each.

So if I get Condo 1, then I wouldn't need to consider taking any appliances with me, because the condo furnishes all. If I got Condo 2, I need everything new myself. Even the garage door opener is included in 1, and not in 2. Either way, I plan to keep my new washer and dryer with me.

Condo 1 and 2 are both set up for electric stoves. If I buy a very nice new stove and then move, I would want to take it with me. I could buy something less expensive for this house, if necessary. I am so confused.

Also, Condo 1 people are not really happy about the dogs, and Condo 2 doesn't come with a patio or deck, so I could pretty much design my own and add it. As long as it's tasteful, I think I would be able to get one in that has a fence adequate to hold the dogs. I am trying to figure out if I could swing a hot tub out there too.

Will someone come here, sell my house, pick a condo, and when I get back home from a cruise, just pick me up from the airport, hand me the keys, and tell me the address where all my things have been moved to? I am not scheduled for a cruise, but I could be. Any time!