Laundrymats

Laundrymats;

 I guess I really had not realized how isolated and dependent on technology for my socialization until I went to the laundry on April, 6, 2011 at 1:30- 4:30. We usually wash all our clothes once a month. We always dominate the whole laundry while we are there. We are known by the owner and the employees. On that day there was a couple starting their drying loads as I started up my 9 loads of laundry….that only left 3 working washers out of 18 total. I always wear my iPad during laundry….it is my thing. So I mostly smile and when I do talk I usually only lift one so that music can still be heard by me and who ever is there. An older lady in her 70’s came in with one load. She found one of the few remaining washers and used it. She kept smiling at me as I listened to music.

The couple was using 5 dryers, this left 3 working ones Out of 12 dryers total.  As I started to sort my washed clothes to dry, she engaged me in conversation. She was amazed at my laundry. I told her that it was just an average month. I also offered to save her a working dryer for her load. It would have been rude of me to go and dominate the dryers when her load wouldn’t take 20 minutes…..I was looking at a good hour anyway. The couple were starting to finish loads and the dryers they were using were beginning to empty. (Hotter dryers, faster dry time, less money) She finished her load and loaded up the dryer I saved for her. The couple finished their drying and left. About 10 minutes later the woman’s laundry was done. We said good-bye. That left Gryfen and I in the laundry mat to finish the laundry. As we were leaving, a single man with a single load entered.

The employee was there during that time but did not interact with us. Instead he loaded ice into bags from the ice maker.

On Friday April 8, 2011  2:00pm I had to go back because I forgot one load of clothes. (one 1, very rare for me, breaking my norm) The employee laughed as I walked in, the place was empty. He noticed that I only had one load and said he wished he could take a picture of this moment because it might not ever happen again….we discussed school, he too is in college, a traditional program. I then did my laundry listening to my iPod. I was alone for this trip.

Special thanks to Kim’s Tiger Mart and Laundry in Ardmore Alabama, hope the plants have fun on the porch this summer, they will be missed.