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September 15, 2006
Washer & Dryer
Up until recently, I've been completely satisfied with doing our laundry at the laundromat, or as they're called down here, lavandaría automática. However, with Shawn having to wear a specific uniform provided by his school, and as they only delivered on three of the seven uniform shirts he ordered, that means washing a lot more frequently and with smaller loads. The inconvenience factor convinced us that we needed to get a washer and dryer, and I'm waiting at the house for the delivery guys to bring them.
The lavandería is fun for me actually. The guy that owns it is very nice and very smart, and we often get into interesting discussions, or (to borrow from Oscar Wilde) at least they're interesting to me. I am sure that he often struggles to understand the nonsense I'm babbling, but I am very grateful for the practice with discussion about something other than where a certain restaurant is, or the number of bottles of water I want on any given week.
Yet while going there is relaxing and the Spanish practice is helpful, it's still inconvenient. They are open from 8 am to 2 pm, then they close from 2 pm to 4 pm, then they open again from 4 pm to 7 pm. Because I'm not usually up that early, I tend to go in the afternoon, but because it takes over an hour to wash and dry the laundry, you have to figure in that you need to get there by 5:30 pm. Having only an hour and a half window for arrival is often inconvenient for me, and it would be nice to be able to do laundry at night, or at 2:30 pm if I wanted to.
We bought the items at a place called Ekar de Gas, and they included installation as well as delivery. But the process is not necessarily simple. First, I have to call a certain number after 9:15 am to find out the time at which I am to expect the arrival of the delivery men with the washer and dryer. Then I have to call the service technicians to set up a time that they can hook up the equipment. You might think that would be simple, and that I could do it myself, but no. It's a gas dryer, and in Mexico, propane gas is used instead of natural gas. The burner in the dryer is made for natural gas because it's made in the United States. For this reason, the installers have to change out a certain part of the burner so that it can efficiently burn propane.
I don't have the machine yet, but the installers have told us that we need to give them the serial number of the stove so that they get the right converter. So after the machines are delivered and placed upstairs in our little roof enclosure, I have to look up the serial number and call them to tell them what it is. Then they're going to come on Monday to hook it all up.
Posted by crispy at September 15, 2006 09:16 AM
Comments
You kids today, with your e mail, blogs and HOOK UPS
Posted by: akira at September 15, 2006 05:44 PM
So it's going on the roof rather than in your apartment?
That sounds inconvenient, unsafe and like a sure way to ruin them.
[crispy says: there's a little room up on the roof for every apartment, and inside there's room for a bed, a shower and a toilet. The thing is, they're in great disrepair, but they're intended for the maid, so she can relax during any downtime, take a shower, etc. Nowadays, the maid doesn't spend that much time in one home (for the most part), so these little spaces have become storage rooms, or the place where residents put their washer and dryer.]
Posted by: Mark Allen at September 16, 2006 09:45 PM
So there's a bed and a shower in teh laundry room... Just what kind of hook-up are you after with those burly installers Mr. Crispy???
[crispy says: To be honest, there isn't a bed, just a space for one, so that the maid can sleep there so she doesn't have to spend any more time than necessary away from serving the needs of her employer. It's kind of gross. When you consider how hot those cement boxes on top of the building can get, it doesn't reflect well on the people that the designers thought were going to live here.]
Posted by: Gim at September 19, 2006 11:01 AM