My Roomba Reward

As I stated in a previous blog, I passed the exam for MS Access and obtained my MOS certificate. To my utter disappointment, Bill Gates did NOT sign my certificate. I know, I know. This really doesn’t seem like THAT big of a deal. Still, it would have been pretty cool to me. (Two Microsoft executives signed it.)

I also stated that I was going to REWARD myself for this little feat and, the iPhone seemed a tad bit indulgent. As it turns out, I have been the proud parent, uhm, make that owner, of a Roomba. (Yes, the self-vacuuming iRobot. It ROCKS!) I love Roomba. The cats are intrigued by it. No, they don’t try to ride Roomba. They perch on the sofa, chair, or even the steps (because Roomba has sensors so it doesn’t fall down them) and stare at it. Occasionally one of them gets brave enough to “dare” Roomba to touch her. Roomba knows no better than to oblige. He bumps the cat and turns the other way at the exact same time the brave cat runs in the opposite direction. While Roomba is none the worse for wear after the “bump and run”, I can’t say the same for the cat who sought higher ground (a windowsill), and seemed a little confused by the recent event.

So imagine my surprise when a fully charged Roomba greeted me with its happy little tune (“da dee, da dee, da dee”) advising me it was ready to go, and then promptly spun in circles, in the same place. (GASP! “Roombie honey, what’s wrong with you?”) I began to wonder if there was an iRobot doctor (repair person) I could contact. Now this is the original version of Roomba who has needed nothing from me except a new battery pack. Sadly, per my e-mails to iRobot, Roomba cannot be repaired. However, I was offered 30% off an upgrade, no sales tax, but did have to pay shipping and handling.

I said YES! So, I have rewarded myself with a brand new Roomba Discovery! (This is neither the least expensive nor the most expensive model and suits my needs perfectly!) Also, the upgraded battery pack ($50.00) in old Roomba will fit new Roomba Discovery.

I’m excited. I miss Roomba. The cats miss Roomba. I hate vacuuming so often and my sweeper is heavy. Plus I have to lug it up and down a couple flights of steps and that’s just not fun. The cats fear the “Big Sweeper” and once I turn it on, they run for cover – actually, they run for their little lives!

If you’ve never owned one, you would be pleasantly surprised at how ‘smart’ Roomba is and how powerful it is. Granted, I’m a bit of a geek, and when my friends got one, I was over the moon, as were they. In fact, they bought me my original Roomba as a gift. I went home that night, charged the battery, and fired Roomba up the next day. Now you can just let Roomba go work its magic - there’s no reason for you to stick around. Should Roomba get into trouble, he’ll signal you with an “uh oh” type of sound. (Like when he tried to suck up one the cat's toy mice. Oops. My bad.) To be honest, the first few times I used Roomba, like the cats, I just watched in amazement.

I found myself bringing it out when friends were over. It was quite the conversation piece and once again, I was the trailblazer of a new cool toy. Well, I could honestly do an infomercial on Roomba. I love it that much. I’m pretty jazzed about my new one, which comes with a bonus accessory kit (which is backorder for 3 weeks). My old kit contained a couple of filters and a device with an invisible beam so you could keep Roomba out of certain rooms if you so desired.

Anyway, if you haven’t already done so, the site really is worth checking out: iRobot