Back in Time

I'd like to think that the start of a new year means moving forward, but today it seems I'm getting sent back in time 15 years. Because that's how long it's been since I've washed my clothes in a laundromat!



I left work early today, feeling like I was coming down with the flu. Not good since I have a solid meeting schedule the rest of the month, part of which involves flying. So after napping for a few hours and feeling marginally better, I figured I'd better get some work done while I had motivation. But when I hauled my laundry basket down to the garage, I found a pink Post-it note from Rosie saying the washer wouldn't drain and she was calling for help to fix it. Unsure how long it would take for "help" to arrive and having not done laundry since Christmas break at my Mom's, I was a little desperate. And pissed off. Now in the grand scheme of things, this is simply one of life's little inconveniences. I'm not dying of cancer or anything. But when you're already not feeling great, even the little problems suck harder, dammit!

So I loaded my laundry and detergent into the car, scrounged up some dollar bills (a challenge for someone who pays for EVERYTHING with plastic), and drove a block down the street to the nearest working washing machines.



The next hurdle was the machine directions. What do you mean I have to add fabric softener ONLY during the rinse cycle! My magic washer at home adds it automatically! Now I have to pay attention to what I'm doing....ugh!!!!!

There was some good news. People with interesting lives and working appliances don't generally do laundry on Friday nights, so it was pretty empty, and I got three loads washed in just under 30 minutes. And the dryer at home still works, so at least I didn't have to spend very long in laundry hell. And now I have clean clothes!

Of course, the most entertaining part of visiting a laundromat in my neck of the woods is the language gap. Even though all the instructions on the washers are in English, everything else in the place is in Spanish. So if you don't speak English, you know what detergent to buy but have no idea how to wash your clothes? HMMMMM......



I hope our washer is working soon... At least I'm a little less pissed off now that I've vented!