One Week and Counting

So dudes, something has been going on with the electricity in our kitchen for a while now, but we weren't sure if something was really wrong. Power to our refrigerator, microwave, and phone was cutting in and out at random. We probably wouldn't have noticed as soon as we did if the phone didn't beep every time the power came back on.

About a week ago we finally decided to do something about it and I emailed the Home Owners Association. We own our living space from the paint in (some condos go studs in), which means anything going on in the walls is the HOA's responsibility. (It took me a long time to wrap my head around this kind of ownership.) And, since power wasn't cutting in and out for the entire kitchen, I thought it was going to be a wiring problem. And given our previous experience with wiring issues, we contacted the HOA first. (We never were reimbursed for that repair.)

The HOA representative said she thought it was a problem at the breaker, which makes it our problem. Turns out there are 2 outlet circuits for our kitchen, and the HOA rep may be right. So Scoob contacted our Home Buyers Protection insurance to schedule a service call. It's been a week since he called, but the serviceman should be out tomorrow.

In the meantime, our kitchen is in chaos. It is normally minimally functional and keeping it neat and orderly is a challenge on the best of days, and for the last week it has been such a chaotic space that I can hardly stand to go in there. It was a tight space before, and now it's positively claustrophobic just for one person in there.

You see, the power cut out again, but this time for several hours, so Scoob rigged up a power supply from the living room by daisy chaining several power strips together to reach the refrigerator. As much as I'm glad Scoob took the initiative to make sure the refrigerator has power, I am not a fan of this daisy chaining thing. Not to mention the deathtrap of cords running through the middle of the floor. And all the other things in the house that no longer have power because those power strips were repurposed for the fridge.

And in order for the chain to reach the refrigerator, he had to pull it out from the wall. It is now sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor and has been for a week. There's just enough room to walk around it and for heaven sakes don't try to open the fridge and dishwasher doors at the same time.

This configuration has made even the simplest tasks stressful. I can no longer just walk into the kitchen, open the refrigerator door and get some water to drink. Cooking in this space is a nightmare. And trying to keep it tidy has already sparked more than 1 argument this past week. And I know it won't be fixed when the serviceman comes tomorrow. He's just coming to inspect the problem. Then there will be part ordering. And waiting. Then we'll have to schedule another service appointment. And more waiting.