Ode to the Laundromat

My apartment complex is gutting the main office building. Our laundry room is located in that building so it is out of commission until March. I will be the first to admit that the laundry room as it was really was inadequate and just a mess. I am glad we are getting a new one. We are also going to be getting washer and dryers in our units. However, until then I am banished to the world of the Carmel Laundromat.

I really have nothing against Laundromats. I even use the one in Carmel when I need to wash my bedding. The little washers in the laundry room just take too long to wash all my bedding. However, I'm usually not there for too long, maybe an hour at most. Today's trip was about two hours of fun. I had not done laundry for about two weeks, plus I had tons of towels and bedding to wash too. I should have taken care of it earlier in the week, but I've just been so blah lately that I wasn't feeling it. Today I was out of options. It was now or never, so I loaded up my car and headed to the Laundromat. I could hardly see over the pile of clothes, blankets, towels and sheets as I made my way in the door. As I dropped the basket on the counter, I nearly get taken out at the knees by a little girl. Her dad yells at her, and she comes back to apologize. Instead she sees my Strawberry Shortcake flip flops and her attention is now focused on them. That is how the fun started.

Life lessons from the Laundromat:

1) If a small child decides to be your new found best friend...be prepared to deal with her single father

2) It may be hard to humor aforementioned single father as he is trying way too hard.

3) Remember, other patrons will judge you for your clothing choices. Yeah...I scared a few people today with my shirt from NYE and the Wednesday Addams shirt, but it was nothing as fun as when I dressed Goth all the time. Yeah, lots of black clothes with tons of zippers and lace ups and what not tend to scare the general public. Okay, but I digress.

4) It doesn't matter how nice the Laundromat is, or if it is in an affluent suburb, the creepy contingent will still be there

5) With the same limitations listed above, there are still rude people who will take up washer and dryer space, leave and then not return when their time is up.

The trip was a great lesson in human nature. You can learn so much from people watching in places like this.