I used a microwave for the first time in about 7 months yesterday. I’ve never much cared for how things taste when they come out of one of those things and I’ll gladly wait a few minutes more to get things pipping hot of the oven (or toaster oven).

This has lead to an interesting set of questions for me: How long could the average person go without having a microwave? What are other ammenities that we’ve come to rely on that make our life easier? For the easy life, my most helpful tool (besides the fridge) is the washing machine. I like to have clean clothes and I like the fact I can drop them in and come back. I don’t imagine they could do that in colonial times, huh?