Appliance meltdown. Literally.

So remember my tale of air conditioning woe? That issue was resolved with a chunk of change and a diagnosis of "overflowing drain pan." We were back in business. Until two weeks ago, when I was sitting at the computer and heard what sounded like something dropping or popping. The cats freaked out, too, and I headed down the hall toward the bedrooms when I realized that I smelled something weird and realized the AC unit was making a noise like it was struggling to kick in. (In hindsight, I'm not sure why the AC was on because a gorgeous cold front has finally moved through and cooled everything off.) I turned it off, and as I headed back to the kitchen to get a flashlight I noticed a light, hazy smoke - which was coming out of the AC vent. It was around 10 p.m., and like I said, we didn't NEED the AC, so we decided Tim would call someone to deal with it the next morning.

I feared the worst, though - I figured this would be some huge, thouands-of-dollars needed to replace the whole unit operation.

Tim texted me to give me the report the next morning - another few hundred dollars out the door, but it was "only" a partially melted circuit board:

Charbroiled circuit board.

I'm thankful that I was home when it happened and was able to shut the AC off right away - who knows what kind of electrical nightmare could have unfolded? Eek.

About 10 days ago, I was looking forward to my morning cups of coffee when I realized the coffee maker had decided it was done, about a third of the way in to the pot I was brewing.

I've had that coffee pot since my bridal shower in August 2008, so it's been a good run. It brewed a lot of coffee for me. When my sister heard the news of my coffee maker's passing, she asked if I wanted an early Christmas present in the form of a spiffy Keurig. I like to think it was a half-birthday present, too, as I turned 30.5(?!) on Saturday. We consulted about which one I would like, and on Thursday, I begged and pleaded with Tim to please answer the door if the UPS guy knocked. Initially, Tim didn't understand the gravity of the situation, but I crazily calmly explained that I NEEDED THAT COFFEE MAKER IN THE HOUSE ASAP, not sitting in the complex office or a UPS truck waiting to be redelivered on the next business day. Luckily, the coffee maker was delivered, and I was able to enjoy my Keurig all weekend. I feel quite spoiled - thanks, Sister Santa!

Isn't it pretty?

Apparently appliance angst comes in threes, because my iPod freaked out on my run on Sunday. This isn't the first issue I've had with it recently, but I'm just praying it keeps working because I don't feel like buying a new one. I do use it a lot, so it would stink to not have one. But for now, fingers crossed that it's just being a temporarily temperamental.