Since it’s the first Friday of the month, I’m joining Coco and Deborah for our monthly coffee date! I don’t drink coffee, but I’m currently drinking some very delicious tea. But we’ll get to that in a minute.
If we were having coffee (tea) together, I would tell you that I’ve been having quite a week. On Monday, my laptop started behaving strangely. Everything was going along just fine, and then it suddenly froze up. I tried shutting it down and restarting (my usual “miracle cure” for anything that goes wrong with an appliance) but that didn’t help. The only thing that fixed it- temporarily- was to leave it alone for a couple hours and then it was magically back to normal. But a couple days later it happened again, and has been occurring randomly throughout the week.
This has been causing me a lot of stress. I REALLY need my laptop! I would say the top two things I need in my life are my car and my laptop. MacBooks are expensive, right? I don’t want to have to get a new one! Arg.
On the same day my computer woes began, I did a load of laundry and then discovered that our DRYER isn’t working. WHAT????? Okay, the top three things I need in my life are my car, my laptop, and my dryer. Somehow, our family generates a tremendous amount of laundry, and I do a load almost every day.
The earliest a repairman can come out when someone will actually be home is next Wednesday. In the meantime I’ve been washing the clothes and letting them air dry. Remember how I shared last week that my house is a mess? Well, the only thing that could possibly have made it worse would be damp clothes draped across every surface. Oh well- at least it’s only for five more days.
Let’s move on to a happier subject. Last week I talked about my love for Earl Grey tea, and how I’ve been enjoying Stash Double Bergamot, which was suggested by Suzanne. She also recommended a tea called Uncle Grey which is from a Canadian company called Tea Squared. Uncle Grey is described as “the smoother cousin of the pretentious Earl Grey.” Well, my tea has arrived, and as promised it is smooth and delicious! And, in addition to the Uncle Grey, they sent me several samples.
I’m not a fan of fruity teas, but my husband will happily drink them. I’m really excited to try the Ginseng Oolong though! I used to drink Oolong tea, and this one sounds interesting. Overall I’m very happy with this purchase- thank you Suzanne!
Do you like tea? What’s your favorite kind?
Will I need to buy a new laptop AND a dryer at the same time? And what will be the next thing to break- my phone? The refrigerator? Stay tuned to find out!
48 Responses
I love black tea, herbal teas and roisboos. I am not a huge fan of fruity teas, but will make an exception for rosehip sometimes. Reminds me of my childhood. 🙂
I hope your laptop will fix itself. How old is it? Macbooks are supposed to last forever!! 😉
Well, the truth is when I bought this one, it was refurbished. And I’ve had it for several years, so I’m not sure how long a refurbished MacBook usually lasts???
Our dryer died in late 2021, and I was so happy to get a new one! Although, I would much rather the dryer go than the washer. Imagine! At least you can air dry things.
I like herbal tea occasionally, but I don’t enjoy black or green tea at all.
At first I though the dryer was worse, because I could have washed things by hand. But that doesn’t work for things like towels. Air drying is actually working pretty well!
Ugh ugh ugh so annoying. I’m sending good vibes your way that your computer will magically snap back to life, the dryer repair will be simple, and that you don’t have any other shoes waiting to drop
I can’t remember the last time that I had tea. I used to drink it to warm up back when I worked in a freezing cold office but there’s no need for that at home.
I’m guessing you like coffee? I’m assuming you drink something hot and caffeinated in the morning. I read somewhere that drinking something warm actually wakes you up in the morning, regardless of whether it’s caffeinated (but I’ll take the caffeine as well.)
Oh no, Jenny! What a tough January you’ve had. We couldn’t use our dishwasher for about a week last spring and I couldn’t believe how much it impacted my daily routines. We’ve had our washing machine die once (right before my husband left on a work trip and NEEDED CLEAN CLOTHES)…but since that was repaired it has been smooth sailing. But…our washer/dryer came with our house and are definitely quite old. So we’ll see how long they last…I feel like I’m living on borrowed time.
And an issue with a laptop is a worst nightmare! Ugh. I hope it self-corrects and is back to working normally soon.
When I go out for tea, I always order Earl Grey, but at home my favourite is Chai. Orange pekoe is okay, but I don’t like any fruity herbal teas at all.
My laptop has been working beautifully today! Go figure. The dryer I’m not so optimistic about.
I used to only have Earl Grey on special occasions, but then started having it more and more, until I finally decided life is too short! I might as well have it every day. But it is nice to have different variations to switch things up.
I used to drink tea a lot. I actually liked chocolate and peppermint. But I’ve replaced it with red wine. Lol.
My laptop has been acting strange too. And I use it to teach live classes. Ugh.
Oh no- you REALLY need yours! And I’m laughing at you replacing tea with red wine, ha ha. I like red wine.
NOT THE DRYER!!! We bought a new one mid-panny because we just couldn’t get a repair person to come out. I hope yours is fixed fast.
Yes, I would imagine you can’t exist without a dryer for long!!!
You know I feel you on the appliances. And our washer/dryer are extremely old. Like seriously old. Fingers crossed. Of course the stove is old (not REALLY old, just old, LOL!).
I also only drink tea, but I like fruity teas! Mostly though I drink herbal. Although at the moment I’m drinking Yogi Blueberry Green Tea Slim Lite (not that it helps with weight, just because I enjoy the taste).
Well…. I need caffeine. Although maybe “need” is the wrong word- I ENJOY caffeine in the morning. You’re probably used to not having it though.
I can’t even remember how old our dryer is. Pretty old, sigh!
I am just getting into teas! I accidentally ordered way too much of an English breakfast tea that I’m trying to work through. I am quite taken with Uncle Grey’s description, though, and will have to look at that! I am so sorry you had one of those weeks where things broke – our dryer breaking would cause such chaos! All the good thoughts for quick fixes!
Thank you Lindsay! At first when the dryer broke I panicked, but somehow we’re getting through it.
I like English breakfast, but it would be good to have something to alternate it with. Oh, and I also love English breakfast iced, later in the day. But that could be because it’s usually pretty warm here. That might not sound appetizing if it’s cold where you are.
I have found that the MacBooks last about 3-4 years and then they die. I just replaced mine with a large size iPad w a keyboard its easier to take along w me. My dishwasher is acting up! I have a repair appt on Wednesday between 8-4 yes I will sit at home and wait all day
Oh, I HATE those repair windows!!! Our window next Wednesday is 12-4, but I have a trail run in the morning… this is really cramping my style.
Interesting about the MacBooks… mine is about that old, eek.
That stinks about your laptop and dryer. I hope your laptop stops acting up snd your dryer gets fixed soon. As much as everyone hates doing laundry, it’s kind of a necessity. I love tea. I drink more tea definitely in the winter during the evenings.
Yes, laundry is a necessity!!! And so is my laptop, ha ha. It’s been really well-behaved today… my it heard me talking trash about it.
Oh, no! When it rains, it pours, I guess. I’m so sorry. It’s so scary to think about what you would lose if your laptop crashed, isn’t it? I just got a new laptop a couple of months ago and moving everything from one computer to another really stressed me out! Fingers crossed that they are both easy fixes!
If I do need a new laptop, I’m hoping it can wait until my son is home again. He’s really good at getting these things all set up.
I don’t like hot tea, but I brew my own and use it for iced tea! I’m a big fan of Green Matcha tea (I like RIshi, which is local from Milwaukee). It’s so good.
I’m sorry to hear about your laptop. I do love my MacBook Air and if you need to get a new one, they usually let you finance it for free over a year. It’s a pretty good deal. They may even give you $$ for a trade-in of your old one. The dryer…I got nothing. My hubs always insists on buying the cheapest washer and dryer and as a consequence, we replace them frequently. Makes me crazy but I have to pick my battles.
That’s good to know about the MacBooks! There’s always a solution. For the dryer… I have to admit I’m kind of like your husband and always want to go with the cheapest one. My husband is more on your side though.
Ugh it’s frustrating when appliances stop cooperating! I hope the dryer is an easy fix – that would make me nuts to be without one. I’m a PC gal so don’t know much about Mac Books and how well they hold up.
That Uncle Grey tea sounds like a good one – I do drink a fair amount of Earl Grey. I’m not a fan of fruity teas either.
I’m already looking forward to my Uncle Grey tomorrow morning! I’m rotating different teas so I don’t get tired of any of them.
Oh I hope your puter and your dryer are ok. Can you take your stuff to a laundromat? A PIA I know but at least it’d dry. When we did our kitchen/mudroom reno we were at the laundromat weekly. Ugh! I like tea but I only tend to drink it when I’m sick. Sounds like you found some good ones.
I could go to a laundromat- I’m keeping that as a last resort though. Air drying has been working for the most part although the towels are a little crunchy.
Oh no! That is really terrible luck, and 2 expensive things that are very essential! I would be screwed if our dryer stopped working! We don’t have as much laundry as the average family seems to have (we do 2-3 loads of laundry/week but they are VERY BIG loads) but so many of the items are so small so I would not have places to hang them in the house and clearly hanging them outside in our subzero weather is not an option. 😉 Our fridge stopped working in the spring of 2020. The service company came out multiple times and couldn’t figure out what was wrong but they wanted to send some data to the manufacturer, but then the manufacturer wasn’t getting back to them so my husband finally strong-armed them into letting us buy a new fridge and giving us a credit for the service fees we had paid. But I think we had service people at our house 3 times at least, and we’d have to store things in coolers when the fridge stopped cooling properly and gah. It was a pain. I was in the exhausting 1st trimester and it was the start of the pandemic and gah. We did not need an extra thing to deal with!
I want to like tea but I just don’t… I will drink cinnamon tea but that is not really traditional tea. In general, I prefer herbal tea but I’d rather have a latte. But I am not a true coffee drinker because I can’t drink it black! I at least need milk in it but ideally my sugar-free vanilla creamer, ideally from Aldi because that is the only SF creamer I’ve found that doesn’t take SUPER SUGARY. I hate how sugar free stuff tends to taste extra sugary, I guess because of whatever sugar alternative is used.
That is a terrible story about the fridge!!! When the fridge stops working you need it fixed (or a new one) ASAP.
Yes, it’s too bad we don’t have a clothesline outside! Our weather would definitely be conducive to it. On the other hand, I’m usually doing laundry at night and I guess that wouldn’t be a good time to hand clothes outside.
The only tea I really DON’T like is herbal. I like my tea a little bitter, and I definitely like caffeine!
All things relatable to me. I do so much laundry. When our washer or dryer go down it’s a huge problem. I’m very fortunate that my husband is a mechanic and can fix things. He almost always can fix our washer or dryer when it breaks. However, sometimes that’s worse because I have to wait on him and he has to wait on parts.
As for your computer, no advice that sucks. Hopefully you get that resolved (and your washing machine too).
Oh tea. I almost forgot. I drink tea. I drink coffee more than tea, but I do drink tea as well. I like hibiscus and my newest one is dandelion tea. I usually drink herbal teas.
Teresa, that’s where I went wrong- I should have married a mechanic!!! Believe me, waiting on parts is better than waiting an entire week for the repairman to show up.
My desktop is on the verge of dying as well, so I’m eyeing out options. I use a Mac at work, and LOVE it, but I’m on the fence with which direction to go. That’s a bummer on the dryer! I prefer hot tea over coffee (obviously), but really don’t drink it often enough to call myself a tea drinker. I love my chai latte’s, but they’re pretty foo-foo, LOL.
Oh, I used to LOVE the Starbucks chai tea lattes!!! I have a “poor mans” version that I get now- their chai tea (the kind in teabags) with some oatmilk and stevia. It’s not QUITE as delicious as the real thing but it’s pretty good.
Ugh, I hope your dryer is fixable — unless you really want a new one. These days it can be cheaper to replace than repair — if you can find a replacement. An appointment Wednesay seems pretty fast to me, but I’m not the one with the broken dryer. 😉
I’m not a huge tea drinker but I do like Earl Gray or spicy tea like Constant Comment or one with chai spices.
I’m lobbying my husband for a possible new dryer- we’ll see how that goes!
Oh no Jenny!!! I am so sorry that your laptop and dryer are BOTH on the fritz! When it rains, it pours, right? UGH! I hope that one or both of them magically repair themselves.
So glad you are enjoying the Uncle Grey!
The computer has magically repaired itself!!! For now, at least. The dryer has not, sigh.
Ugh, I’m so sorry to hear that you’ve got so many things breaking. Fingers crossed that nothing else major breaks anytime soon!
I don’t like tea or coffee (I know, I’m weird).
Yes, I can’t believe you don’t start the day with SOMETHING hot! But, water is probably best for you.
Noo, I’m sorry to hear about your laptop + dryer! :[
I like the sound of Tea Squared! (My favorite is probably jasmine green tea, but definitely a fan of Earl Grey as well!)!
I used to love jasmine green tea! I kind of forgot all about it- I should try it again.
I’m not very sophisticated about my tea. I know that I like black tea, and I do not like green tea, and that I sometimes like orange tea, but not always. Mostly I just drink black tea. I rarely branch out and try other kinds, or even varieties of black tea. I drink Tetly from the Indian Store, which I thought was from England but maybe it’s not…
I’m sorry about your laptop and your dryer! What a pain. We used to have a clothes line outside to save energy, and I hated it. I like my clothes to be softer, which you don’t really get with a clothes line. I hope the fix isn’t too expensive, and that your laptop fixes itself!
Yes, the one thing the dryer does is make everything soft! Our towels are a little crunchy these days. But overall it’s been working well to air dry the clothes… for now.
I have a MacBook Air and love mine. I’ve had mine for 7 years and it is still working. However, it isn’t as fast as it used to be. I might get a new one and give it to my sister. I also want to have Lasik surgery and buy a house. We do not have a washer or dryer so I have to go to the laundromat. I love to air dry. I do that with my running clothes. I am not a tea person but do love my coffee.
I also want to have Lasik surgery! And my car needs new tires. SIGH. There are so many things to spend money on. I’ve actually gotten pretty good at air drying our clothes and haven’t had to go to the laundromat once!
I am constantly scared that my computer is going to crash and I’ll have to buy a new one ASAP. Thankfully, I have a work laptop I can use in the interim. I need to start socking money away into a fund to pay for a new laptop when the time comes. This one is probably 6+ years old, and it’s a PC so this is usually when these laptops start dying on me. Wah. But I think my next computer will be a Chromebook since those are pretty inexpensive and I only really use my computer for blogging and podcast stuff!
I’m not a tea drinker, though I wish I was. I can do a fruity tea every now and then, but I much prefer coffee to tea.
Weirdly, my computer has worked perfectly ever since I wrote that post! The dryer… not so much. A new one is arriving this week.