No, not that speed. C'mon. Do you think I'd even know where to get the stuff?

It seems that on Saturday morning, there were a significant number (id est, more than one) of garage sales in my community with microwaves on offer.

But I did not go to garage sales on Saturday.

I did not know on Saturday morning that I needed a microwave.

In fact, I did not need a microwave on Saturday morning.

I didn't need a microwave until Saturday evening. Bad timing! Why didn't it conk out 24 hours earlier?

I took it rather personally when the microwave quit working. Like it had something against me. Then I reminded myself that I only spent something like $10 on it and got three years of use out of it, so I've probably got my money's worth and then some.

My 90-year-old grandfather (retired engineer, U.S. Navy) could almost certainly set the thing right. Probably in less than an hour, with less than $10 in replacement parts. He refuses to throw away his old microwave, despite the fact that his four daughters have been harping that its malfunction could be bad news for someone with a PACEMAKER, because he likes to tinker with it. But he lives 3,000 miles away.

From a few minute's internet research (yeah, that's a source you want to trust when dealing with high-voltage home appliances), I found that my malfunction could be caused by any of about seven different problems, six of which are relatively easy to correct if you know what you're doing (i.e., if you're my grandfather, not if you're me), and one of which would require replacing the machine anyway. In other words, it's time for a new machine.

I looked on craigslist (multiple options available, but mostly in North Raleigh and at a higher asking price than I want to spend on a second-hand model), and would have checked out the Duke online trading post and facebook marketplace. But when I went into Target just to scope out my options, not to actually buy one, I found that their not-quite-bottom-of-the-line unit was on sale. So I figured, why bother with a used microwave when I can get a new one for under $40? (I found out the next afternoon that they're even cheaper at Linens 'n' Things, in case anyone else needs a microwave.)

It's kinda sad that I couldn't cope for more than one day without a microwave. But a working girl's gotta eat, and it's not your grandmother's kitchen anymore.