What's in a Name?

Just when you thought debates ended with the election, there's another one brewing.

Are these free standing things that serve hot and cold water known as water coolers or water dispensers?

Since they heat water and don't just chill it then it should be called a water dispenser because that would be politically correct. But then why do we refer to chatter and gossip occuring "Around the Water Cooler." Does it sound less formal and rigid like the action that is going on around it or is it just not "cool" to be hanging out at the dispenser? To me, "dispensers" sound very industrial and proper and not something that I want to put in my "cool" kitchen. That's why its a water cooler in my book. Yes it heats water too, but it is much more relaxed, fun and inviting, just like my kitchen. We think we are "cool" and that's why we have a cooler and not a dispenser in my house.

A Necessity of Life

As I mentioned in my last post, our water cooler has become a necessity in our life. When the little "water bottle blinker" comes on to warn us that our water is getting low, we know that exchanging the bottle moves from the bottom of the priority list to the top. The rate of which it moves to the top of the priority list is where my husband and I differ.

He must get a new bottle almost immediately because it cannot get down to the very last drop. Me on the other hand knows exactly how many glasses and bottles that I can get before it goes completely empty. This is very similar on our "filling the gas tank" philosophies. He is a half tank kind of guy, where I am pulling into the station on fumes! I guess this proves that there are more than one means to an end because our little man really doesn't care when the bottle is exchanged for a new one, as long as we can fill his sippy cup with the cold water and get the oatmeal made quick with the instant hot water.

Appliance Innovation vs. Human Wrecking Ball

Life with a 1-year-old is always interesting. My husband refers to him as a "one-man wrecking ball" and you have to make a conscious effort to a: move stuff out of his reach that you care about or b: give him stuff that you don't care if he destroys. (I also have a c: option which is to purposely give him stuff to destroy because you want the newer, cooler and up-to-date version, but keep that between us and don't tell his father).

Before our little wrecking ball came into our life, our bottom-loading cooler was just a water cooler. We used it for cold water and an occasional mug o' hot chocolate. Then he came along and it became a necessity of life. Now, this necessity has taken on a new purpose: The Ultimate Challenge; Appliance Innovation vs. Human Wrecking Ball. While the little man is doing his best in making the competition close, our water cooler is clearly winning this battle. It doesn't matter how many times he opens and closes the bottom door (within a minute time span), our flow switch has never failed us and; as hard as he tries to reach the controls to water my hardwood floors, they are still too tall for him to reach. He just smiles and laughs everytime as if to say "You might have won the battle, but you will lose the war."

I'm not sure if he will win the war with this viable opponent, but I'm sure he'll try.

Welcome to The Cooler Girl Blog

Hi! I'm Carrie and I'm the Cooler Girl! We're going to discuss what's hot, what's not, what's new, what's innovative, how-to's and whatever else I deem important in the water cooler and water dispenser industry. For complete disclosure from the get-go, I am employed by Primo Water Corporation as a director of product marketing. That's a lot of jargon that basically means that I live, breath and eat (not literally) coolers. But more importantly, I am a mom whose life was made so much easier when our little man came into the world because I had already had a water cooler. I am not sure I could've survived without instant hot water when he was screaming at the top of his lungs for a bottle, but that's another post. We love our water cooler and you will see why you can't live without too!

So let's begin our journey into the water cooler world!