The Delicate Cycle

It's been pretty cold here lately. Last night it got down to 36 degrees. Granted, there are parts of the country where 36 degrees is Frisbee weather. But, for us it's cold. Hence, a trip to the laundromat.

Our cat, Fred, decided to use our comforter as a cat box. That's another story, for another time. We needed our comforter for the chilly nights we've been having. And because of it's size we need a commercial size washer and dryer. I bundled up and drove out to the nearest laundromat.

The laundromat is a surreal experience. Nothing in the room speaks to place or time. It looks like any other laundromat anywhere. There is the occasional shady person, who seems to come from nowhere, that comes and goes, in and out of the room, no laundry, no soap and no apparent reason for being there. There never seems to be anyone around who's in charge of the business. And the only sense of order are signs posted throughout the room intended to maintain good order and discipline in a Big Brother style; PLEASE REMOVE CLOTHING WHEN MACHINE STOPS, DO NOT OVERLOAD MACHINES, PLEASE PICK UP AFTER YOURSELF, LAST LOAD AT 9:00 P.M.

I used to hate going to the laundromat because it would bore me to tears. There was nothing to do except watch the dryer spin. I've changed. I love a good excuse to have absolutely nothing to do. And as I sat watching the dryer spin round and round I imagined that laundromats could actually be a secret government project. Let's just say for argument sake and the sake of my imagination, the laundromat is a time travel portal. Kind of like Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure...but in a laundromat. It's the whole Men in Black thing. It's hiding in plain site. That's probably why all laundromats look the same and why no one is ever around. Oh wait ...no one's ever around except the occasional shady person. It's just too perfect. I wonder if I set the load to dedicates where it might take me. These may very well be the last photos of me you'll see. If I disappear send the photos to the National Enquirer.