Technology update
Mini-Zune - it sizzled quietly after it's 'bath' for a day, and after drying out for slightly over 3 days, it seems to work still. The battery doesn't hold much of a charge, but given Dan usually just uses it in his office, it's come through in great shape.
Dishwasher: seems to still be working, juts needs 3 - 5 minutes to whir to itself before starting.
Car: We've had a Toyota Highlander as a loaner car for over a week now. On the 2nd of a zillion test drives, the tech experienced the problem of the skid light coming on. [In addition to the nice dash light coming on, it cuts power to the engine, and applies it to the ABS if you use the breaks; which is pretty instinctive when the engine power cuts out.] However, that was at the end of his day, so didn't investigate then & hasn't been able to replicate it since. Might be temperature related since it's been in the 50's & rainy since it happened. Last word was that they were sending him home with it to see if driving it to wherever he lives or back might trigger it.
I hate this loaner car.
1) it's new, and I mainly transport the under 5 crowd. They're not a clean bunch in rainy weather. They're not neat when eating snacks, which are sometimes required to avoid future meltdowns.
2) For being a big SUV, it's got less usable space than our minivan.
3) The third row of seats doesn't have latch. If P & I are both in the middle row, P reaches over to annoy I. Luckily, P is big enough for me to use his car seat in belt positioning booster mode.
4) The new Toyota headrests seem designed for slumpy people with dowager's humps. Instead of being able to sit up straight, the headrest forces my head uncomfortably forward.
5) Ian usually demands the skylight be open - this is not compatible with rain, or high-speed roads. His shrieking is not compatible with my hearing & sanity.
6) It's got fewer cup holders than my minivan [which admittedly has an obscene amount, but I actually use them.]
7) The front passenger detector is tripped by my diaper bag, causing the car to ding mid- trip about not having a seat belt on the passenger. I could handle this if it did it when the car was started, but 5 miles down the road is generally not a good time to try to wrestle the diaper bag into the back one-handed. Also, the flashing light to explain why it's suddenly dinging is on the lower right of the A/C controls, and not immediately obvious to a driver trying to pay attention to actually driving.
I think the only things I like are the color [light blue] and the back-up camera (Warning, objects are much closer than they appear.). It says something that I had to resort to color to find something to like.