THE FLIP FLOP LIFE

This is an AUTOMATIC english translation of a post originally published in spanish “Viajando en el tiempo”.

To avoid major disappointments, I must warn you that this blog is not about time travelling machines that allow you to move to another era. Nope.

Nor is it about the clear antidiluvian traces of some of the animals and plants that one sees around here, such as crocodiles or giant ferns.

It is not even about how it is frequent it is around here to come across authentic cowboys, those who throw laces at cattle or use the horse as their usual means of transport.

The blog is about something much, much more mundane, but which is perfect to discuss on women’s day: the invention of the washing machine.

Surely you are thinking that I have finally lost it…. But I am convinced that the washing machine we have in our new house is one of the first models invented back at the dawn of the twentieth century, which contributed so much to the “liberation” of women.

It has a very special peculiarity and that is that instead of saving you time and taking your job, it keeps you entertained all morning. Come on, if you were wondering why this Saturday I did not write the expected weekly blog in Spanish, the answer is very simple: I was putting the washing machine on. But let me introduce you to the “Frigidaire double deluxe” without further delay.

The first thing that jumps out at you is its discreet size. Industrial freezer type.

The second is the two drums. Two drums? you will wonder. Can you put two washing machines at the same time?

Nope. One drum is for washing and the other is for spinning. That when they designed this washing machine, that totally radical and revolutionary innovation had not yet arrived, which is that washing and spinning are done in the SAME drum.

Without need to take out the clothes of one to put it in the other … once, and another time, and another, and another and so on up to eight times … because the inventor of the Frigidaire did not think that the spin drum could, at Better, perhaps, perhaps, to be the same size as the wash.

No. That had to be very advanced. Better to make it small and shiny.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s go step by step.

As in a washing machine of the European models, the laundry starts loading the clothes. Right?

Haha. Here it starts by closing the drum cap.

You have read well. I repeat it just in case. You have to close the drum cap, because if you do not close it, when you open the tap to DIRECTLY pour the water into the drum, the water will drain down the drain and you will not be able to wash.

Once the cap is closed, one loads the clothes. Up to 13 kilos. And look for the washing program.

Ooops. There is none.

You have to do it manually: open the tap to fill the drum and wait for the clothes to be covered. Close the tap. Add the detergent. Put on the plastic cover and set the timer (like the one on kitchen clocks) for a maximum of 15 minutes. Rack Rack Rack and tiquitiquitiquitiqui … the timer starts and the drum begins to spin. Good good! I have 15 minutes to do other things. Well, it does save time with the washing machine. What an invention !!

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After 15 minutes the cap must be removed again. Wait for the drum to empty and close the cap. Open the tap. Wait for the drum to fill up. Close the tap. Close the lid. Set the timer. And …

Wow. I have another 15 minutes free. I am EUFORICA. I don’t know what to do with so much time! Can you imagine what happens after 15 minutes? Rewind!

One more rinse cycle and I decide I’m going to start spinning. To spin, you have to manually pass the clothes from one drum to the other. But not more than a kilogram per spin. Ie: double bed fitted sheet? a spin. Top sheet double bed ?. Another spin. Finally, I tell myself breathing deeply to achieve Zen calm. I have time. So I put my first spin on.

And as soon as the drum starts to turn I hear a voice-over from upstairs saying “I think we should rinse three times so there is no soap left” (in English in the original).

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Shit. I’m on the verge of responding in bad ways when I reconnect with my Zen calm and remember that I have time. And breathing deeply, I close the cap and start the cycle again.

One rinse cycle later and eight spin cycles, the laundry is ready to be run. Wow, yes it saves time the machine is. I started at 8 and now its…WHAAAAAT…? It’s already lunch time?

Aside from being very free, I feel like a fulfilled and empowered woman. After spending the morning opening and closing keys, gates, covers and adjusting all kinds of buttons (no flashing lights, sadly) I feel like I’ve been in the Cape Canaveral operations center. If I can put a washing machine, I can rule the world!

P.S. Surely you are wondering what Frank was doing all this time. Well, in what I, as a liberated woman, put A washing machine, Frank had cleaned the whole house, including the bathrooms and was ready to have lunch.