Hello All!
This morning, I decided that it would be laundry day. Actually, yesterday decided today would be laundry day, when I woke up, opened my closet, and wondered, 'where did all of my clothes go?' It was then that I realized that my hamper was completely overflowing.
So yes, this morning had to be laundry morning.
Now, I live in a building with about 50-60 people. You would think, in a building of this size, full of college students, we would be provided with a few washing machines and a few dryers. You would think wrong, however. Here in Oxford, we have ONE washing machine. (The other is currently broken). And we only have TWO dryers. So, take a moment, and imagine what is must be like to try to nab that one washing machine before everyone else. You may think, oh, well I would just wash my clothes in the middle of the night. This would be a great idea if I were still at Holy Cross, where laundry machines were indeed open all night. But here in Oxford, our laundry room is locked from 11pm-7am. This means, that 60 people are trying to wash their clothes in a space of 16 hours. Not pretty.
But I have figured out a trick. This trick involves waking up at 6:55am (with, of course, a note reminding me I can have as many cups of coffee I want on laundry day). So I get up, throw on the only semi-clean pair of jeans I have left in my closet, and stumble down to the laundry room carrying my awkward, overflowing hamper. Lucky, its early, and not many people are awake, so I get the one washing machine! Score! The laundry room, by the way, is not only separate from my building, it is also across the quad. I throw my clothes in, and hit the button (wrong temperature, but its okay. Its early and I haven't even had a sip of coffee yet). I go back to my room and take a shower (there is only hot water in the shower at 7am, too. Did I mention that?) I change back into my semi-clean jeans, and dig out a shirt from the very back of my closet that I assume is clean enough. It is only now that I am able to make myself a cup of coffee, and settle down to read the emails I received the night before. I also filled out a birthday card for my mom, whose birthday is on March 9!! (And I was still thinking it was the middle of February a few days ago).
Once I finish the card, I realize my laundry should be done. Its been close to two hours (the laundry machines take FOREVER in Oxford. And they don't tell you how long they're going to take either. They may say they have 20 minutes left. But you can come back in say 15 minutes, and the machine will be recalculating your wash, and you will find that what you thought were five minutes left, have no been changed to 32 more minutes). Mind you this is very frustrating, when you want to go somewhere, and unless you want your clothes to be thrown on a very dirty surface in our very dirty laundry room, you must wait for your clothes to be done washing. Not only is the washing machine like this, the dryer is like an arcade game. To put in the money, you must throw it in, as if you're knocking down a bottle or something. Sometimes you score, and you hear the cheerful chink as your money settles among the other coins. Sometimes, it comes flying back at you. I'm not good at this game yet, and so it often takes me five minutes alone to pay for my drying.
Luckily my clothes are indeed done. As I am putting them in the dryer, I hear the door open. A boy creeps in, avoiding all eye contact. I find out why a second later when I watch him stealth towards the open washing machine, and peer in. Now, I've already placed my next load of dirty clothing right in front of the machine, to avoid this. Potential washing machine stealing boy(PWMSB) assumes a very calculating expression, as if he is trying to figure out if he would have time to bolt back to his room, grab his clothes, and put them in, before I notice. But of course, I've already noticed. And this morning, I've decided not to be miss nice girl in the laundry room. I've only had one cup of coffee, and the clothes that are about to go into the machine are my bed sheets and duvet cover. And these have to go in. Otherwise, I'll be sleeping on a bare and uncomfortable mattress tonight. So I very kindly and firmly inform PWMSB that I am using that machine, as why yes, those are my clothes sitting in front of, all ready to go in. The boy's face falls, but I know he will return, probably scoping the area until the coast is clear so he can steal my clothes out as soon as the clock hits zero. I put my clothes in, and go back to my room to hand wash my whites, so that I can put them in the dryer with the next load. Then I glance at my clock, deciding that I should have enough time to hit the post office and grocery store.
I do. I send off my mom's card, and stock up on grocery items for the next month. Its a very expensive trip. I also buy dish soap and sponges for the kitchen as while the boys on my hall may not care if their dishes are clean when they use them, I sort of do.
By the time I get back (in under 30 minutes too! What a record! It usually takes me 40 to go to the grocery store alone! But by now I have learned the intricate organizing system of Tescos - there is none - and am able to find everything I need and get out in 20 minutes).
My clothes are nearly ready to come out of the dryer, though the washing machine is trying to convince me that my clothes should be done washing in about 15 minutes. I go to my kitchen and put away my new food. I've also bought a needle and thread - they don't like to sew buttons onto sweaters very well here. So while I wait for my clothes in the dryer and the washing machine, I sew buttons back onto two of my sweaters. By the time I'm done, my laundry is ready. I carry down my wet, clean white clothes, and throw them in the dyer with the rest of my wet clothes. (Yes, the washing machine did actually finish on time. Amazing, I tell you). I retrieve my now dry clothes. There is no sign of PWMSB, but another boy comes in and puts his clothes into the now vacant machine. He's shocked that the machine is actually available.
I fold my dry clothes and make lunch and send off a couple emails. Finally, my next load of laundry should be done in the dryer. I go to get it, only to realize my duvet cover is strangely heavy. It has tried to swallow my pink towel! After much coaxing and fanagling, I manage to retrieve the still sopping wet towel. I have to put both the towel and the duvet cover back into the machine. And I have to borrow some more money from my friend (did I mention that our drying machines take 20p pieces? And each 20p only gives you ten minutes. When I did laundry for the first time in Oxford, I thought you had to feed each 20p in every ten minutes. So I would sit on top of the dryer for an hour and a half, and feed the machine every ten minutes. Turns out I could actually put all 20p pieces in at the beginning of the drying process and then leave.) But finally all my clothes are being dried again, and in another 40 minutes they are all dry!
The lengths I go to for clean laundry, I tell you.
All in all, though, not an entirely bad laundry day. Pretty productive, eh? And its not even 2pm! I've only had three cups of coffee, and lost only one sock. I still have to put my duvet cover back on my duvet, and there are workers literally right outside my door talking about something or other. I have no idea, as I really don't want to eavesdrop. Though, its hard, when your walls are thin, and they are basically shouting about emails to so and so that so and so got, and this is what so and so said.
Anyway. I still have to get reading done. I read about 220 pages yesterday, which isn't bad, but isn't the best. Hopefully today I can get about 400-500 pages done.
And tomorrow, I will reveal where I will be spending my 21st birthday. Its somewhere I never thought I would be going to, in a million years.
Excited?
Have a good day everyone!
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