Wow, this was a lot easier technically than I expected. I also have decided that out of shape computer geeks shouldn't plan to do more than one room a week. I hurt. I don't think I've ever been so sore.
I haven't finished the edges yet, but here's a shot of how it's progressing. You can't reallly see in this picture, but we've filled in the spaces between the boards with a lighter wood filler than the wood. I'd wanted it to match, but I came to the decision that I actually like it this way - it adds interest to the floor:

Well I finally decided to start working on the floor in the bedroom. I figured I can't make it any worse, so I'd give it a shot. You know you're in a small town when the rental place doesn't ask for ID or for payment prior to rental... Just sign the paper and take it home. Total cost for the main sander: $40 + sandpaper = $60.
Here's a nice before picture:

Yesterday I e-mailed a good deal of my notes regarding the washer to John Eye / Big Sandy corporate along with a note that I was preparing my notes to file in small claims court next week. I explained that they had until then to decide to REPLACE the washer.
Today while I was out I got a call from them saying they'd 'finally got all the paperwork through Whirlpool to replace my washer' and would like to bring me the new one on Tuesday.
imported-107

Well, I thought I'd plead with Whirlpool to do something about my defective washer and sent a letter to the president of Whirlpool USA, David Swift. It's now been two weeks and no reply...
I guess next week I'll file in small claims court against the retailer, John Eye / Big Sandy Superstore. They are the ones who hold the service agreement on my washer.

Does anyone know a reference of how much electricity and water a Duet uses on the average cycle? imported-106

Here's a fixed link to a Whirlpool service / training manual that Warren tried to post in a comment for the Whirlpool Duet washers. From his comment, I gather that his problem was a loose connection, and specifically to look at connector 10 on page 5-1.

Well, even with my spam controls installed (which are pretty darn strict) I still get around 5 to 10 spam comments every day. I considered disabling comments altogether, but decided against it. Instead, I'm automatically banning anybody from posting comments if the comment includes a linkable URL.
What good is spam, if there's no link to follow? imported-100

Been trying to get ahold of the SECOND washer repair guy for almost two weeks. I finally caught him today, and despite the fact he hasn't even looked at the washer he says he's already ordered the part. The same part that's been replaced once already. He says that whenever he orders parts through John Eye / Big Sandy that it might take three weeks for the part to arrive...
Somebody shoot me, please. imported-99

My washer gave me a present for Christmas, a NEW ERROR CODE! F-DL. This one means it can't figure out how to unlock / lock the door anymore.
Great. Photos attached:

imported-98

Last Saturday we called the repair guy, but still haven't been able to get ahold of him - no return calls, no nuthin.
Grrrr.... imported-97

I found some cool software that stitches together multiple photos to make one big panoramic shot.
Here's a sample I made with the trial version. You'll have to scroll to see the whole thing - be sure to click the image after it loads the big version, so that IE will show it full size.