Tom is a hero to me and so many others because he has the ability to organize and memorize like a savant.  He is extremely well read, an intellectual, working in the Library of Congress.  He enjoys appliances like an engineer would repairing, haywiring and inventing whatever it takes tofind out what makes them tick.  Tom runs a tight ship, things are organized and in order and not even Mother Nature dares to stand in his way.  He can cook, sew a tad, clean and entertain in ways that make Martha Stewart flush with envy.  The truly amazing part is that a soft and tender heart, a discerning spirit and foracious friend co exist within this computerized human genius. To answer your question his words say it far better than I ever could.  As a fat kid who sucked at sports, liked to visit with ladies and would rather cook than breathe I was always hazed, bullied and even beaten by my father who wanted to make a man of me.  I can't say what instilled the spiritual call of appliances but I certainly got chastised for asking to see people's mixer or ask what kind of washing machine they had.  There was no place on the planet of the earth where I fit, where I could take off my iron collar and had to make a concious effort to try to act like a "man".  It was here in this club, this amazing place filled with fantasies beyond my wildest imagination could have never conjured.  I can revel in the nuance, smell, tint, clunk and hiss of every machine I have ever touched and it is all glorified and amplified within the group.  I have traveled all over the country to meet members and my heart aches to return and hungers to meet the ones that have spoken to my heart.  I might need to get a bus and paint the side with Appliance Camp Meeting and become an Appliavengelist zooming from one place to next to meet everyone and see their collections.  It beats in my veins and pulses out my fingertips.  My wife was furious with my collecting and for several years I legitimized it with a second hand outlet.  Now, six years into a new relationship, Peter seems to think its completely normal to have 30 mixers, 5 washers and 9 ranges in those 6 years.  Patrick invited us to spend three days with them and both Patrick and I who have water cooled jaw muscles to keep our tongues from flaming worried how our stoic husbands would do.  It was pure bliss!!  We will see each other again and both guys look at each other and shrug when we're fussing over belt drive, direct drive and fluid drive.  Now the new normal is living without fear, without hiding, doing the dance of joy when a new appliance shows up and most of all it is these men who show up everyday to support me, laugh with me, give me advice and slap my lala when I get too full of myself.  This has become my heaven on earth and appliances have now become machines that do housework that are the conduit to every expanding joy.  I have learned if anything causes me to bristle with Peter, in that moment in love and a cool head we discuss it.  I state clearly what I need and never expect him to be a mind reader.  And the real truth is that there is nothing in the world, not one thing worth arguing over as long as I am with the one who adores me and gave me the greatest gift of all, love.

Welcome to the site Matt.   alr2903