I covet. This is not a point of pride. Once I coveted a pair of lace up black leather boots for so long that by the time I bought them they were on sale, out of season, and completely out of style. After oggling them from the sidewalk for 18 months, imagining the outfits they'd set off like... well, like a fine pair of boots ... I wore them twice. Don't get me wrong. I felt like a million bucks both times. It's just that the pay-off wasn't all that great, and hardly anyone buys previously enjoyed boots for a good price at a garage sale.
Sometimes, coveting pays big, the way ditching almost-but-not-quite right partners does. You find a winner. Applying this standard, I have fallen for small digital objects only twice. The first time, it was R2D2. And now, at long last, it is time for R2D2 to step aside, because I have a new best friend. Her name is Vortex.
I met the Vornado Vortex Space Heater during those wild and spirited road testing days at Home Energy Resource. I was in a cold basement, and she was wrapped in a box. She caught me off guard from the very beginning. She is smaller than your average space heater, and pretty sleek. She's digital, but these days, just about everybody is digital. What really sets her apart is that she knows what she wants, and she knows how to get it. (Yes, I am writing this late at night. How did you know?) She heats up a room like no space heater I have ever known. You can even play tricks with her - move the remote, say, to a far corner and watch her make the heat get there. She's got a good sense of humor, and she always knows where the remote is. If you are really really clever, that means that she knows where you are, too. She's quieter than a contented cat and as energy efficient as a space heater can get, because she's steady, not all rev and pause. Best of all, she warms a space when you want it warm. She's just the right kind of relentless. My buddy. My Vortex. My pal.
