Blasted Microwave...

Today I was defeated by a microwave.

And not just any microwave, but the microwave that has been the bane of my existence for the past 6 months.

You see, 6 months ago I got a new job at a very small company. I learned about week 2 of this new job that although it SEEMED like we had a microwave because there was physically a microwave in our little kitchenette- that microwave hadn't worked for months.

Over the course of the next few months I would ask from time to time if we could get it fixed or replace it and receive a half-hearted, non-response of "well, maybe we have to ask so and so"

Finally, at the end of February I asked the right person and we were given permission to get a microwave!! HURRAH! I then had to bug people for a few more days but finally a microwave was ordered off of good old Wal-Mart.com

a week later a microwave was shipped to us... a microwave that was dented. GRRRR

So, we were told to return the microwave, which worked perfectly even though it was slightly dented. After a bit of debate I decided to strategically place the microwave so you couldn't really see the dent and keep it.

This however, opened up a whole other can of worms with the original microwave- namely that we needed to get rid of it, but its a microwave and I try to care about my children's children and I therefore didn't want this particular microwave to end up in a landfill.

So I did what every normal 20-something would do- I google searched "electronic recycling Chicago" and then proceeded to call a million places who's phone numbers popped up and FINALLY after much research and time I discovered there was a place 1.5 miles from our office that CLAIMED they took microwaves.

So, today, I drove a borrowed car to work, loaded the microwave and drove, quite excited to be properly disposing of my microwave and to have that downer out of my life FOREVER. I pulled up to the recycling center and was greeted by a couple men who helped people unload and I very excitedly said "Just a little microwave!" as I put the car in park and got ready to get out to unload it. To this I was met with uncertainty and chatter among themselves and finally the answer "Um, its not on the list, we can't take microwaves." "what?" I said, "But I called the commisioner's office yesterday! They said you'd take it." again there was chatter and what-not. "I'm sorry miss, we can't take it here." "Well, what am I supposed to do with it then." To this the man responded "Just put it in your dumpster, in your regular garbage" I looked at him shocked, "BUT WHAT ABOUT OUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN?!" they laughed at me. And then when I didn't respond they just grinned and laughed again and pointed me to a dumpster across the parking lot.

I pulled up to the dumpster and as I got out of the car a different group of men sitting outside the original building started yelling at me that I couldn't use THAT dumpster... even though I'd just been told I should! I felt defeated. I laughed, because its what I do. But really, I just felt defeated.

I drove back to my office and called my co-worker. I made her come down and help me put our microwave into the dumpster. I drove away to park the car and I realized-

sometimes life is just hard.

sometimes I make life harder for myself than I need to.

sometimes its the frustrating things in life that make you laugh the hardest.