Friday, June 18, 2010

Random rantings, ravings and grumblings or a few of my thoughts as I did the dishes

As I was doing the dishes tonight, I began to think. At first, I was doing a little self analysis. (This is what psychologists do when they aren't mentally engaged elsewhere, it's really kind of sad.) And I was thinking to my self, "Self, why do you have such an aversion to using the dish towel on the dirty dishes before you put them in the dishwasher. The purpose of the dish towel is to clean the dishes, so why are you so aversive to getting it dirty?" As I contemplated my cognitive misperception the thought occurred to me "I am not so much adversed to using it on the dirty dishes, as I am to using it on the dirty dishes that are going into the dishwasher." Carol and I have a long list of dishes that are to be hand washed, including but not limited to all cutlery, and pots, pans, etc... These, I have no problem cleaning with the dish towel, (so long as it goes in a logical order, with the dirtiest of the dishes waiting to be cleaned last). So, my cognitive misperception is not actually a cognitive misperception but actually a sub-concious anger at my dishwasher for not doing its job. Here is how I perceive it. The dishwasher has two functions: 1) clean dishes, and 2) drying the dishes. My dishwasher does neither. This upsets me. When I have left some small bit of food or heaven forbid, a chocolate milk ring on a plate or cup, my dishwasher does nothing. Ergo, I am putting clean dishes into the dishwasher so that it can splash some soapy water on it, and then rinse it, and attempt to dry them. I continued to think, "Why do I do this, it would be far more efficient to simply wash the dishes by hand and let them air dry. I would probably use less water, less electricity for sure, and they would certainly be drier by morning than they currently are when they come out of this POS." To that end, I decided the reason I tolerate this, isn't because it is efficient or saves me work, the reason I tolerate it is because I can stick the breakfast dishes out of site, not have to dry them and so on through out the day, until the next morning when I wake up to supposedly clean and dry dishes. If I had the room in a drying rack it would certainly be better to simply leave them out. Then my imagination got to working and I started thinking of products that would be better. I began with a dishdryer. Essentially looks just like a dishwasher but only dries, and ideally since it only has one function it should at least do that well (but if chalkboard erasers have taught me anything, it is not to rely on something that has one simple function to actually function). Then I started getting elaborate, and since it is my imagination, some day I may just build a cupboard system with a built in drying rack on a conveyer belt so that I can load wet dishes into it above the sink, and when I go to get out dishes by the range and or oven, they should be dry (however, this may take purchasing more dishes than it is worth). Either that or as Carol just suggested, we will just eat on paper plates for the duration. Anyway, small glimpse inside my continually overcrowding mind. Enjoy.

`Josh

3 comments:

Michelle said...

that is random, even by your standards :)!

Serge said...

We also have a dishwasher than does not wash dishes. It does dry them, making whatever food remnants were left on the dishes more difficult to remove.
Jen

Leah said...

Well I would be ticked off too if my dishwasher didn't do either of it's 2 functions. Lame-o!