The power of pink

Since we got married in April, things have been very smooth between Jean and I. People think we're joking when we say that in three-plus years together, we've never had a real argument. But we do have "discussions" in which we express our differences, which any two people who enter nuptials for the first time in their late thirties are bound to have. Probably the most frequent topic has been vacuum cleaners.

I inherited from the gal I bought my house from a Kirby 2000, which is supposed to be a very high-end vacuum that costs over $1,000 new. Even old used ones on Ebay go for a few hundred bucks. It's a self-propelling vacuum, with a motorized assist for going both forward and backward. I love it, but Jean complains that it smells. That's probably because I don't empty the bag often enough, but my wife's sense of smell approaches near-Superman levels, so stinkiness is high on her list of beefs. So anything that gets hit with the "it smells" tag is likely branded for life.

She also didn't like my old Dirt Devil because it falls over unless you've got a hand on it. A pretty big design flaw, I'll grant you, but to me the solution seemed obvious: don't let go of it.

Our problems were solved on Christmas morning by a gift of one of those fancy Dyson vacuums you see in TV commercials starring the designer, who's a nice British guy but seems to be a bit of a wanker.

The thing is amazing. Its no-suction-loss feature is as good as advertised. After vacuuming one bedroom, it was filled with an astonishing amount of pet hair and crud. And we just steam-cleaned the carpets a few weeks ago.

And the thing rivals Apple for the sleek, ergonomically-friendly design. I love how it empties -- you pull on a hook, and the bottom opens up, dumping everything out.

There's only one drawback -- it's pink.

Yes, I am now the co-owner of a hot pink vacuum cleaner. It apparently was a special Breast Cancer Awareness edition -- although what breast cancer and vacuum cleaners have to do with each other is beyond me. Anyway, no one wanted to own a pink vacuum cleaner, which is why it was discounted heavily enough that our kind benefactor was able to buy one as a gift.

I guess it's not a big deal, since what guests are going to see your vacuum? Still, since vacuuming is on my list of household duties, I'll be the main user of the Pink Wonder.

Also, if anyone's interested in a good deal on a used Kirby 2000...