Monday, January 24, 2005

Is it genetic?

So with our tax refund this year, I wanna do something really exciting. I want to buy a new vacuum cleaner! As I'm window shopping online, I'm looking at all of the possible features, and I found one that has become a must. A cord reel. You know, like your mom used to have? Where you pull the cord a bit and it zips back into the machine, and you don't have to spend what feels like an hour wrapping up the cord when you're done?

I hadn't seen one of those on an upright vacuum cleaner - ever - until last night when I started looking.

You have no idea how important that feature is to me. You see, I have this thing. I just cannot bring myself to wrap up the sweeper cord properly. I just can't do it. I will stop the vacuum and let it sit there for hours where it stands rather than wrap up the cord. I will unplug it, kind of loop the cord up a bit in my hands, and I'll hang it over the handle of the vacuum. But to actually take the time to wrap it around the pegs?!?! I. Just. Can't. Do. It. You. Can't. Make. Me.

And it drives Tai nuts. He's never said it, but I can tell. He'll sigh, he'll look at it. He'll eventually wrap it up himself. But it drives him nuts.

I've tried to be a good wife. I really have. I've moved 850 miles from my family to be with him. I've taken in the two children from his 2nd marriage and am raising them as if I gave birth to them myself. I've given up smoking because he wanted me to quit. I've tried to wrap up the cord because I know it drives him batty. But no matter how strong my love for him, I still can't seem to do it. I think it might be genetic.

See, I remember as a kid, all of Mom's sweepers had retractable cords. And then once she moved to an upright, I remember the cord being loosely wrapped around the handle much more frequently than it being wrapped up properly. So I think maybe I can blame this one on Mom. It's in my genes! I just can't help it!!