Friday odds & ends & updates

• The Dyson saga:  Since I last bitched... errr, vented (lol) about my very expensive, non-functioning air purifier/humidifier/fan unit and the crazy runaround I was getting from Dyson customer service: we still didn't have confirmation of where we were supposed to take our unit for repair, but we decided to go to the address I'd found anyway, a week ago Wednesday (Jan. 18th). (It did turn out to be the right place.) 
• For all my complaints about the customer service runaround I'd received to that point, I will give props to the young guy we spoke with and left our unit with -- he was very nice and efficient and reassuring. He gave me his card (with a DIRECT phone number!!), told us the repair would take 24 to 48 hours, and that we'd be notified by email when our unit was ready.  
• Needless to say, based on how quickly my previous questions and concerns had been handled, I was skeptical.  But lo and behold!! the very next morning, an email landed in my inbox advising our unit had been repaired and was ready for pickup.!!!!!! 
• We were otherwise occupied on Thursday, but last Friday morning (Jan. 20th), we headed back out to the warehouse to claim our unit (just in time for the weekend). The same young guy told us they'd replaced a faulty pump unit, as well as the filters (albeit they are still showing the same usage levels on the app as before we took the unit in??), and run a deep clean cycle successfully. Hopefully we won't have any further issues the next time we try to run it ourselves...!  
• Plugged it in, filled the tank (we used water filtered through our Brita pitcher this time around vs water straight from the tap before;  we'll see if that makes a difference...) and turned it on. It started up again, and also instantly reconnected with our wi-fi. So far, so good...! (knocking wood, LOUDLY!).  
• Ann Douglas's latest book, "Navigating the Messy Middle," which I read and reviewed here, will be published in the U.S. on March 28th.  :)  
• When I was a kid in the 1960s, I wanted to be Agent 99 from "Get Smart."  ;)  Did you know Barbara Feldon, the actress who played 99, is childless/free?  I was reminded recently by this article from Salon. She wrote a book about living single, about 20 years ago, and now has a memoir -- titled "Get Smarter," lol. It's now on my reading wish list! 
• Oh, for more articles like this one!:  "Jennifer Aniston Isn’t the Only One Without a Baby After IVF" by Aisha Balesaria of Mind-Body Revival Coach. 
• This piece by Ali Hall in Medium practically had me standing up and applauding... it deserves to be shared & read widely!:  "Why Do Some Parents Condescend and Belittle Non-Parents?" 
• But (content warning/caveat!):  whyyyyyy is it that so many great articles about non-parents are illustrated with photos of women (presumably mothers) and children??  
• I commented to that effect on the article:  "I felt like standing up & cheering when I read this... thank you!  I do find it a little ironic, though, that a piece advocating for childless/childfree people is accompanied by... a photo of a woman (presumably a mother) and a child?"
• The author responded: "Thank you Loribeth for your kind comment. I hear your second point and you raise it well. I know many other childfree and childless may well share your sentiments. I was in two minds about choosing this pic. Ultimately I chose it as I want to draw the attention of parents to this article and I hoped this pic may help do that. I can understand your frustration at the use of the pic, I promise I don't normally use pics with children in them for my childfree oriented articles. Your feedback is very valid and relevant."  
• Fair point. But still...  What do you think?
• I'm waaaayyyyy behind on my podcast listening -- and many podcasts have been on hiatus over the Christmas holiday period, posting reruns of past episodes (reruns:  they're not just for TV!  lol) -- but New Legacy Radio had a new episode this past Tuesday afternoon that I listened to live -- and it was a really good one with a very important message for all of us without children, for whatever reason:  "Why is Policy Engagement Essential for People Without Children?"  Host Christine Erickson delved into this topic with Nandita Bajaj, Executive Director of Population Balance;  Jody Day, founder of Gateway Women; Dr. Robin Hadley, an expert and researcher on male childlessness; and Therese Shechter, a childfree filmmaker and founder of Trixie Films -- all advisors with the New Legacy Institute. You can listen at the link above, or on any of the usual podcast platforms. (Jody Day has shared the link as well as a transcript on the Gateway Women website.) 

Have a great weekend!  :)