Appropriate Separation

As you may know, Sundays are my laundry days. I purposely get up early and hit the laundromat so I can get on with my day. This week, I didn't get there particularly early. As a matter of fact, I thought I was on the later side. So, imagine my joy when I came upon an open lot and only two women dealing with clothes when I ventured in. My favored machines were waiting for me. This was a good day. After loading my laundry, I sat up my chair, put on my iPod (Pretty Hate Machine, natch) and cracked open the latest Sedaris. Then, he ventured in.

It takes a great deal of energy to disturb someone with audio and visual sensory overload, but he did it.

This man stormed in and threw his basket down. He was more or less begging for attention. I gave in. My eyes rose above David's words, though, those of TR were still bumping up against my ear drums. I witnessed this man dumping three loads -- whites, lights and darks -- into a single machine. Forcing in every last sock. To the point there would be no free movement.

I know times are tough. But if you can't afford to separate your colors from nons, that is a sad state of the Union.

I wanted to mention to the man that there were bigger machines, some that would allow that overload to actually tumble, but, I bit my tongue. To each his own, I thought. I did make him aware of the wadded pair of socks that seemed to have tumbled out of his soileds. With that, he said there was a place for me in heaven. Shoot. If that were all it took after all that I have done, I'd be cruising laundromats on a nightly basis.

Later, as Trent screamed on and David took me from Paris to SoHo, I watched this gent take his overload and spread it over three dryers. WTF? I'd rather have damp yet thoroughly clean clothes than semi-clean clothes thoroughly dry. But, that's just me. I have a uterus, therefore, I might have a different take on the philosophy of laundry. I called upon a male friend in New York to verify the genetic difference I suspected.

My email, sent with an exclamation point, asked: Do you separate?

He replied: I used to. Now, I just send it out. I assume they do.

Just goes to show, if you want it done right, don't look beyond your own.