Death of an appliance

My microwave has waved its last. I'm somewhat sad about it, but only in the sentimental aspect. Skeeter seems to be grieving much more than I.

I got the microwave, a huge Tappan, in the fall of 1992. My roommates and I were seniors that year, so we all moved into the campus apartments. My mom bought the microwave for us as a "happy senior year" gift, and believe me -- we used it.

I'm quite astonished that it lasted this long. Between rowdy college students and rowdy children, it hasn't exactly been treated gently.

Skeeter is grieving because I'm not rushing out to buy another one. I've thought (more than once) about getting rid of it before now, but I haven't been brave enough for that. But now that I don't have a choice, I'm just going to see what happens.

It actually stopped working on Sunday, and I've been thinking about the appliance itself and how we use it. With the single exception of popcorn, everything we use the microwave for is just to save time. I can't see it as a necessity. I even made "Easy Mac" on the stove today! (Hey, it was in the pantry, and I didn't want to (a) throw it out, or (b) buy a new microwave just to make it. And it tasted just fine.)

Now I need to practice making popcorn on the stove. It's been a long time, and I know there will be errors at the beginning.