Why is it that when the gift horse rides into town, I whine about his timing?

So...7:30 p.m., and I planned to sew for an hour while watching an episode of Monk, then hit the hay. Tomorrow is a whirlwind of errands that really have to be done, and lunch with a college student friend that could happen anytime between noon and two o'clock, based on when she finishes cutting the grass.

Didn't happen. Landlady called around 7:30, saying she and her husband had been at Home Depot and happened to look at ranges. There was one they were thinking of buying for my apartment, and she wanted to know what features were important to me.

Whoo hoo - finally a reprieve from the oven from somewhere hot that heats 100 degrees high!

But wait - as always, there is a catch: they are leaving for up north on Sunday, and won't be back until late Thursday or Friday morning. There is currently a 10% off of appliances sale running at Home Depot. Naturally, they never thought to find out when the sale ends, they just assumed I would drop everything I'm doing tomorrow to spend hours wandering around Home Depot. Oh - and they didn't happen to write down the model number of the range they looked at, either.

If I learned anything from last year's refrigerator saga , it's that our shopping styles do not mix well.

After getting basic info from my landlady - what color was it, what was the price, what features do you remember, I called up Home Depot's website. I found the range they looked at, plus one cheaper model from the same manufacturer. After printing out the specs pages for each, I did a short summary of the differences between the two. Checked the measurements on the current range, and found out that both the new ones are the same size as the old, so there will be none of the size angst that was a big part of the refrigerator saga. Taped the spec sheets and my summary to the wall where I put my rent check (which would cover the cost of the cheaper range - suppose I need to write that check soon) so they can pick it up in the morning.

Naturally, I'd prefer the more expensive model (the one they were looking at in the first place), if only because it is self-cleaning. Sticking your head in an oven full of oven cleaner fumes to scrub it out is no fun. And yes, I do clean it regularly (even if it's only once a year - I'm a neat cook).

We'll see how this plays out.