sensing

As you know I work from home, so when I need a break from whatever project I’m working on I usually take time to do something useful around the house: prep for dinner, empty the dishwasher, do the laundry, pick up Eleanor’s room (or my own). It’s a blessing – to still be productive (at home) even when I’m not being productive (at work) – and a curse – to have to be productive (at home) even when I’m not being productive (at work).
{Oh, whoa is me.}

This is partly why I found the events of yesterday morning so funny. My dear husband, wanting to have some clean shirts to wear for work, put several in the washing machine. “I’d like to just wash a few shirts,” he informed me.

“Okay,” I said.

He put them into the machine. And paused.

“How do I do this?” To be fair, what he was really asking (I’m pretty sure) is “How do you select “small load,” or something similar, so that you’re not filling this huge machine with water to wash just a handful of shirts?” and I knew this. But I was distracted.

“Just select the appropriate settings,” I responded. Which he proceeded to do. Normal wash, warm water, high spin, etc, etc.

I squeezed by him in the hall, trying to wrangle this kids downstairs for breakfast. I heard the machine lock and the drum begin to spin. Then it stopped. Tim just stood there. It spun briefly again. And the light bulb went on. “Oh my God,” he said, “it’s sensing.”

“Of course it is.” I thought. “It’s also going to balance itself a bit so it can get the most even spin possible, do you want to stick around for that part of the show as well?” But I realized that (a) this was incredibly rude and (b) that he didn’t have the pleasure experience of being “productive” on his work breaks  He could walk across campus for a cup of coffee or talk to an actual person – in person – rather than watch the washing machine sense and balance. So I stopped myself and smiled.

“Yes,” I said. “Yes it is.”

{to be fair, again, he has had bigger things on his mind than how our washing machine senses load size. I love you, honey.}