Category Archives: Musings from the laundromat
Musings from the Laundromat: Fuzzy, hot and mean pink edition
I do not want to be here.
I’m tired, fuzzy, hot …
I’m late – super late. It’s after 10:30 and there is a strange vibe in the laundromat. A group in which no one is smiling.
Creepy.
AND all the washers I like to use were taken. I thought there were two, but a little old lady in pink said “These four are taken!”
She scared me a little. lol.
I stood in the middle of the tiled floor feeling all hot and fuzzy and lost.
Managed to cram my two loads into the “Triple Load Washers”. What a bunch of crap. I don’t know what they consider a ‘load’, but I know I was retrieving items from the floor and putting them back in at least 4 times. Everything just kept spilling out from the stupid front load machine and wouldn’t stay put.
Yesterday I was tired and out of sorts and put it down to a long Friday night chat – I stayed up way past my bedtime, but was very okay with that.
But today when Butters stood over me at 6 in the flipping morning, I still felt out of sorts and knew I had plenty of rest Saturday. Then I remembered I didn’t feel 100% on Friday.
Ringing in my ears, my teeth hurt and I had one of my spells. And felt hot.
So I’m going out on a limb here and assuming I probably only felt good during my late night chat because of the late night chat and I may very well have a little cold or something.
All I know is after I get home, the most pathetic of ‘cleaning’ will be done and I’m hitting the couch.
Seriously – NO ONE is smiling in here today! I tried smiling and peeking around to see if it was contagious … but no one was even looking. Probably a good thing because if they saw me sitting here alone smiling – they might think me odd.
Which I am.
But they don’t know me well enough to know that’s a good thing.
Mean pink lady just came and sat across from me with her husband. She is hacking and scowling and now apparently fetching her glasses. Doesn’t look like the husband cares what she’s gone to fetch.
Musings from the Laundromat: Frost and Familiar seating edition
You know you slept well when you barely have to make your bed in the morning. (That sounds like a bit of a metaphor, peacefully resting doesn’t mess things up?) I don’t know. Reaching there – I am still super tired and puffy eyed, but here.
I gathered my items, got in the car and … frost! The windshield had a light coating of it. I took the time to look at the intricate webbing (?) um, snowflaking (?) there has to be a proper adjective for the way frost looks. I’m not finding it.
It was looking like this:
Anyway – I got out of the car, scraped the ice off and then proceeded to do my first very blonde thing of 2015. I turned my wipers on with the water to clear the rest.
Was still freezing outside. Water + freezing = newly iced windshield and so back out I went to scrape.
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I’m sipping what has to be the worst cup of coffee I’ve ever made, and eyeballing the coffee pot at the other end of the building.
I’m in my original spot. Haven’t sat here in eons. Feel like I should honor this momentous seating assignment and go ‘Old School’ with today’s musing. But I’m getting old and can’t remember what those were like.
Having a view of the rainbow umbrella is jogging my memory a bit.
But not enough. I’d have to go back and read one.
I believe they were light-hearted and funny. I’ve got nothin’ in the funny department today yet – my eyes still haven’t completely opened. I’m like an Ugg boot wearing, new-born cat or something.
I think I will venture to the coffee … hold on.
Success.
Still have powered ‘creamer’ on my little typing fingers, and as I sip the doctored coffee … yes, it is better. Better than horrible still isn’t great, but it’s warm and has caffeine. 🙂
I just want to be home already.
I don’t know any of these patrons. Feel like the new kid in school at a table by herself. Shouldn’t I know everyone by now?? It seems like after 4 years, I would walk in and there would be a Cheers atmosphere. “Norm!!!!” (Because that’s what I would tell them my name was – in the interest of anonymity lol) But other than a couple faces, the faces change every week. It’s odd.
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Hurts a little to type. Not because of the powdered creamer specks, but I’ve bitten my nails. I hadn’t bitten my nails in almost 5 years. 2014 did a number on me – and it’s only the 6th and I haven’t made 2015 much better yet.
I did begin my little ‘make a friend smile’ project on Friday night … painted a little. I just wasn’t in the mood. Ended up bawling to a friend on the phone who made the mistake of asking me ‘why was today a sad day?’
Then nibbled my nails some more. Horrible.
But nothing some Oil of Primrose and Echinacea, chocolate and a healthy dose of gratitude and ‘get the fuck overyourself’ can’t help.
Yup.
I think I’m approaching THAT time of my life.
‘THE CHANGE’
I’ll not go further with that – let’s leave Sunday a little light and as I gaze at the rainbow umbrella – I’ll consider how to approach a couple of topics I want to chat with you about.
Another time.
Musings from the Laundromat – chatting about world affairs & putting too much in the machine
Barely had my eyes opened this morning before I leaped into action. This was after a brief ‘wait, it really is Sunday right?’ thought.
I did not want to miss my glaucoma man today.
I threw on some jeans and brushed my teeth – grabbed 3, yes 3 laundry baskets full of items and managed to juggle those, plus my purse, plus my keys PLUS my cup of coffee and get into my car.
I had a fleeting thought of wishing I could balance my laundry on my head.
I waddled in, weighted down with my bags and spotted glaucoma man.
Yay!
He gestured to my two washing machines and I shuffled over to him.
We spoke of his eyes (they’re getting better but he hates the drops he has to use … said they go down his throat (from his eye? eek.)
I shared with him a documentary I saw about a doctor who went to North Korea and performed the surgery on 1000 + N. Koreans. A lot of them young, they’d been blinded by poor nutrition.
Then we spoke of his time in South Korea. How we both think China is going to have a little chat with North Korea soon – about progress and bombs – Russia and how they’re getting so poor he thinks a war is imminent. We spoke of the DMZ and VA health care … and the weather.
I love talking to him. And then he left.
I crammed the washers to the brim today – I’m so hoping that means the items still got clean.
I was down to change again today – so two washing machines it needed to be! Of course, I chose today to wash my quilt and Butters blanket too. Logic is not my strong point … but tenacity is, and miraculously everything fit and now 3 dryers are spinning merrily away with my laundered contents inside.
I plan to de-Christmas my humble abode today. We’ll see how much energy I have left after lugging all that laundry back home and making my bed. lol.
Ooo! And I think I just found a new friend to chat with. I’ll start with brief eye contact and a smile – and we’ll see if she warms to me. Maybe by next week we’ll be exchanging stories.
Musings from the laundromat – for ‘realsies’ this time
It was driving me bonkers that my laundry day was being delayed. I dug through my purse, broke open my gumball machine and sheepishly traded in some quarters and dimes at the laundromat counter.
“We like change …” she said.
She’s sweet like that. Took herself away from her ironing to accommodate my change.
So now I’m back on track – albeit, a little later than normal.
First thing I noticed was the lack of carts.
Seriously, where did they go?? On a group mission to search for missing socks? I don’t know. There are usually 4 carts to a table.
There’s a different clientele in here too.
I don’t know these people. And while I’m glad I don’t have to do laundry after work tomorrow, I’m feeling incredibly out of my element with this new crowd.
SUCH a creature of habit am I.
“We like change …” I remind myself.
Because you know as soon as she said that, and even while I was making little quarter and dime piles, I was off on a tangent in my head about that sentence.
I’m not big on change.
I’m like a wary woodland creature.
I can be coaxed into a different environment by a treat holding hand with accompanying coos of “c’mon, little fella, it’s ok … I won’t hurt you”. But all the while I’m peering around and ready to scamper off back to the comfort of what I know.
I’m reminded of this right now …
Only I would see the box. Yes I would. I may be easily led, but not captured.
Unless it’s by my own damn rituals – like having to do laundry on a Sunday.
I’m still concerned about the carts by the way … they haven’t made it back and I worry about them. Perhaps I need to put down a trail of cart treats and coax them back?
What the heck do carts like?
Little droplets of WD40 for their wheels perhaps?
I’ll stick with my original thought that they’re on that sock finding mission.
Good luck on your valiant quest you brave, brave carts!
Musings from the couch – not the laundromat
Grackles were clicking on my roof again. I contemplated grabbing my good camera and balancing myself somehow on something and capturing what was sure to be a future National Geographic shot – but I know me. And I know my balance, or lack thereof.
I did brave the great height of my patio wicker chair and lifted my ipad above my head only to succeed in startling the clacking grackle and getting this not National Geographic worthy shot of the roof.
Turns out it was only one grackle – here he is on the telephone pole after he left the photo op.
Clearly he has balance and no fear of heights. Little show off.
If I hear a toe (are they toes?) … if I hear a talon/claw/avian phalange back on the roof, I’ll try again.
So I’m not at the laundromat.
Why?
Because I opened my pretty wallet and it is empty.
It is very pretty though. I get compliments all the time. What a shallow wallet it is. All beauty on the outside and no substance on the inside.
That’s ok, we can have a new experience and muse from the laundromat on a Monday night. That should be exciting! Who knows what goes on in there on a Monday night!? We don’t! But we will!
Butters is feeling better – thank goodness. And I’m on a mission to find my ‘happy’. It fell off. Then my blog turned to crap.
But after my early morning wicker chair stunt, I’m feeling capable of anything. I WILL find my happy and hit my stride again.
Debauchery Soup 