Growing pains

As promised, my post on things I find quirky and a little irritating in our new home.

1. Our washing machine. This Friday will be just about the 30th day since we've done laundry. What our bedroom lacks in decor, it makes up for in piles of dirty clothes. It's the most counter intuitive machine I've ever seen. Consequently, I'm not actually sure if it's broken or if I simply can't figure out how to use it. Last time I tried doing laundry, I returned home eight hours later to find the machine still full of water and soap. I wrote the issue in the building maintenance log, which I'm convinced nobody reads. And if they do, our laundry woes pale in comparison to unfortunate occupants who have water covering their living room floor, or other occupants who have no water at all. Anyway, the end result is that the machine locks and I can't get the clothes out. Today a man came to fix it, which he did. Until I asked him to open it, which he didn't (this gave me a sense validation that I'm not a complete idiot.) He called his supervisor to help, who got the clothes out and subsequently explained to me that the machine is manual, not automatic. As if that's going to get my clothes clean. I guess it highlighted my privileged background when I tried to explain to him that I thought machines, by nature, were automatic and that if I wanted a manual washing machine I would save electricity and buy a washboard and a basin. The clothes were dripping wet when I took them out, so it's anyone's guess how quickly they'll dry in the humidity here.

2. Waiting in line. People here don't particularly care for waiting in line and generally won't do it, despite the stores' best efforts to ask.

3. This.

This is an arrangement we saw in the floral section of a grocery store. In case you can't make it out, it's Santa Claus with his pants around his ankles, sitting in a bush. As far as I'm concerned, there are only one or two things someone is doing in a bush with his pants around his ankles, and I'd always hoped that Santa Claus wasn't the type.

4. The time it takes to get visa paperwork in order. Not to belabor the point, but I am a proud wine drinker and also unemployed, and getting a glass at the end of the day has been difficult and expensive to say the least. Rob's visa continues to get pushed back "one more week," and with that, our cable, Internet, and yes, our magical booze permit.

On a happy note, Santa came early to the Bruce household this year, thanks to some fabulous new friends who took us liquor shopping. I know life has some twists and turns, but I never guessed I'd be a 32-year-old woman on a forbidden beer run.

I hope you're all having fabulous and festive days leading up to Christmas. May they be full of love, Heineken, and may Santa Claus resist the temptation to crap in your bushes.