I always knew that if it got soooooooooo bad, that we could indeed get another micro. But suprisingly, we haven't missed it much. I mean really, there are alternatives to heating up water in the micro. Who knew? Only 2 or 3 occasions has it been a major inconvenience. But not enough of an inconvenience to make me want to give up my beloved counter space for a space hogging micro.
So what have I learned from this experiment? That water does boil on the stove in a pot. That air popped popcorn doesn't burn. That you have to plan ahead if you want to make baked potatoes in the oven--it takes an hour! And that micro dinners/lunches cooked in the oven just don't taste the same.
I don't know that I'll ever go back to having that space hog appliance in my kitchen again. It's been a good thing!