Today I've been playing the good customer and going through the paces to address this issue with the LG Washing Machine I purchased via BestBuy in January 2012. In the fall of 2013 I received a notice in the mail that my unit needed to be upgraded (you know the story). At that time we would get an occasional unbalance code. I wasn't aware of all the back-story on this washer. I called LG Recall (1-855-400-4639) and they had a local service provider come out and "upgrade" the software in October 2013. Very soon afterwards the machine consistently gave a uE code and often as not able to finish a single wash cycle, even after attempting to re-balance several times, and finally giving a UE code. We put up with this through the holidays and spring time of 2014 by running the washer and always choosing the "no spin" option. Then when the cycle finished (sometimes with a UE and sometimes not) we would then run a 13 minutes "spin only" cycle which we would have to monitor throughout the entire 13 minutes to stop the machine and attempt to re-balance the load if a uE code was given again. Most often this DID give a uE code meaning that we'd have to start the 13 minute spin only cycle again. In most cases we usually get to a point where we think most of the water had been removed, still very wet by normal standards, and just give up and throw the clothes in the dryer where they go through an extra long drying cycle since there is more water in the clothes than there should be anyway. Today I called LG Recall again and told them that the "upgrade" made the situation worse. They sent me through to the "special diagnosis" team who had me put the phone next to the washer, listen for fax-like tones and discovered that, yes, I was telling the truth. There are uE and UE codes being alerted. They then scheduled a visit from a local contractor and told me that I should expect a confirmation call from the contractor. The contractor called and said they would be charging me $89 for a diagnosis. I was not told this by LG, so I refused the service and called LG back. The recall line (who had set up the appointment) told me that they couldn't help me any further and I needed to speak with Customer Service. I called customer service (1-800-243-0000) who told me they could get the "A&E Service" to come out for a "one-time repair" at not cost. They gave me a case number and the phone number for A&E Service (888-433-3892) to schedule this visit. A&E said they couldn't accept a call from me, and could only schedule the visit if Customer Service was on the line. I called Customer Service again. (for today that is already 2 calls, and another two calls to LG Recall, and one call to A&E). This time Customer Service told me that they would cancel the previous service call request, and set up a new request for a local service to come out on Monday to service the washer, at no charge. I will come back to continue to record the events, as a means of reference for my own purposes, but also in hopes that it is useful to others. I haven't seen that anyone has had this problem resolved through these local contractor service visits, but at least I'm going through the paces and will be able to convince LG that I've been cooperative and done everything I can on my side in case I have to insist on a buy-back or replacement. I see that some others have had some success in that regard and I'm trying to follow the model.

When I told my GC I wanted an outlet behind my drawer (to plug in cellphones inside the drawer), I heard ''we don't do that; it's against Code.'' This was Waaaayyy Back in 2004, and no one I know of had done it yet, of course...surely it Must Be Against the CODE! I had to e-x-p-l-a-i-n...very patiently...and in Great Detail...why I was pretty sure it could be done. At that time, people were putting outlets in appliance garages (are people still putting AP's in?) but no one had ever yet tried to put an outlet behind a drawer box! To those of you with a tenancious spirit, please congratulate yourselves on surviving the ''experts''! I cannot believe I survived the Kitchen to remodel my bathroom; and Thank God That's Over. My basement needs attention, but at this time, I Simply Refuse to go down there...

I've gone way cheap and have liked it lot. I'm going back to 1910 or so for inspiration when a kitchen was a place to work rather than something to show off. It also means small is better. Lots of open cabinets which is cheaper. No dishwasher...seems way easier to me to hand wash dishes...but we also keep very few dishes so it's not really possible for dirty dishes to pile up. If you have 1 plate for each household member it's really hard for them to pile up. All dishes are stored right above the sink so washing, air drying and putting away takes zero steps. Can put away all the dishes in under 30 seconds. For stove top we've been using portable induction units, about $80-100 and boy do they work great. For the oven we use a toaster over...it works. I also use an electric fry pan for some dishes and a crock pot too. For turkey and such I use an electric roaster...which lots of people use at Thanksgiving so the oven can be used for other dishes. Been 5 years and haven't missed an oven. I really like being able to put whatever crooking device I'm going to use right on the butcher block counter, preparing the food and cooking right there in one spot. Zero is the smallest kitchen work triangle. For the fridge I like using an chest freezer, just need to turn down the temp, and another for actual freezer. Covering the tops for more counter space is easy, covering with a cabinet front is also easy. Super cheap and use about 1/10th the electric. So cheap you can afford to have 2 fridges at different temps. One a bit warmer for vegetables, white wine, condiments. Of course the huge downside that almost no one can deal with is having to bend over or "everything gets covered so you can't get at anything". Oh how I've heard that. Of course people have to bend over to get into their bottom freezer units and good luck digging thru to the back of those..."oh look, frozen peas endorsed by President Truman". Well, you don't actually have to cram them full of stuff you're never going to eat. In the history of the world ice cream has never gotten lost in the back of a freezer. Brussel sprouts? You're never going to see those babies again. I've also gone without a garbage disposal. No problem. I never have to stick my hand down in that sewer to pull out a chuck of bone, bottle cap, or whatever that thing was. Lots more flexibility. I look at my kitchen like a guy looks at a work shop. Lots of tools for specific tasks. Definitely not an option for people wanting to keep up with the Jones however.

Scotch whisky - I like some of the single malts - but I don't care for the really peaty ones like Laphroiag, I don't like gin, or tonic water. Fake sugars leave a bad aftertaste in my mouth, and diet sodas leave me thirstier than before - longing for something to wash away the aftertaste. Stevia, while it's healthy, doesn't even taste sweet to me. Tastes rather moldy or something. Other than those carrots (and I'll still eat those if served them, if cooked or well-shredded), I don't have any vegetables I actively dislike. Forgot to mention another food I dislike - cottage cheese. It's the curds, I probably had some milk gone bad as a kid and associate those curdy things with that experience. I can certainly eat it if hidden away in something like a lasagna. Ministrone soup is something that stirs up a similar reaction in me - I remember getting violently ill after eating some for lunch during a summer job in NYC. I am certain that the minestrone was not at fault and it was something I caught - but it left me with an instinctual revulsion that I just can't overcome quite yet. The memory is trapped into the horrible trip I took leaving work to go home early - getting into the train at Grand Central well before it was ready to leave... they had a few bathrooms then, but the doors were locked as the train wasn't underway, and... Let's just say, no more minestrone soup for me. I don't like the texture or concentrated sweetness of most dried fruits. Dates are particularly awful. Figs? Give me fresh ones every time! I can't think of a single dish that is improved with the addition of raisins, but at least they are small. On the other paw, I do dehydrate strawberries and grape tomatoes and love those. Otherwise, I like okra and offal/organ meats, and love lamb. Not fond of chicken breast - inferior to the tasty and moister dark meat. I love kale, but I prefer the less bitter variants - or to eat the more bitter ones when they are still "baby leafed".