I expected better advice, Vera

The past two Septembers have featured decadent trips to European countries, which were ideal for spending binges. When we saw something we wanted--or rather, let me clarify--when I saw something I wanted for us, we bought it.

"B..." I'd say in a particular tone of voice that he is good at mimicking, "Can I have some money?" (I always carried euros but it's a pain taking them out of my money belt.)

At this point, B would sigh and ask how much I needed, but he generally didn't put up much of a fight. He sometimes thinks my proposed purchases are unnecessary but in hindsight, agrees that they are worthwhile.

This September, we have no big European trip planned. In fact, we have no trip planned for the entire month. Home we shall stay, but that doesn't mean that I can just give up my annual spending spree! Good habits like that are difficult to break.

The spree started with the flatware. Remember the flatware I wanted to buy ages ago? Well, I finally got around to buying it. It's by Vera Wang and it's called Equestrian, and it's been discontinued. I feared that if I waited any longer, I wouldn't be able to get it anymore. We ordered a single set from Amazon to make sure we liked the weight and feel, and we did, so we ordered a full set from Replacements.com. It arrived yesterday, and we've already started using it. It came with some interesting instructions:

1. Wash thoroughtly prior to first use.
No problem. This one is pretty common sense. We were able to fit about 3/4 of the set into the flatware slots in our dishwasher, and the remaining pieces will get washed next time the dishwasher fills up.

2. While Vera Wang stainless steel is dishwasher safe, we recommend stopping the cycle prior to drying and removing the knives to hand dry the blades.
Really? Really?? This recommendation reminds me of those ads with the woman running down the stairs, frantically clutching her fabric softener bottle, but always missing the point in the cycle when she's supposed to add the magic softener. I'm not going to set the alarm so I can wake up at 3 AM (which is when our dishwasher cycle usually ends - we have a 6-hour countdown timer on it and usually run it in the middle of the night to take advantage of what we hope are cheaper electricity rates) so I can dry the blades on my butter knives. Lame advice.

3. Do not allow your flatware to soak, even in plain water, or remain unwashed overnight.
There are some days when we have to run the dishwasher on a nightly basis, but we frequently can go 2-3 days without running it through. And the whole point of a dishwasher is to not have to wash annoying things like forks by hand. Definitely not practical.

4. Do not wrap in rubber bands, plastic, newspaper, or any high sulphur material.
I wonder if the plastic that the pieces came enclosed in is excluded?

Bad instructions aside, we're loving our flatware. The spending spree continued with a whale and a shoe armoire - I'll save those treasures for another time.