a certain cat barfed his lunchy-wunchy all over the bed. Looked like something from the Exorcist.

Took it all down to the laudrymat. Fed in about 5,000 quarters for one of those multiload washers and shoved -- never sort -- everything in.

An old lady about 4 feet tall sits in the corner. She keeps the place neat and clean. Exchanges dimes and nickles for quarters.

After the wash, everything goes in the dryer. Two quarters: 20 mins of hot air -- tho lately the air isn't so hot.

I browse Automobile World for about five minutes. Look up to check on the clothes and they're sitting in a damp steaming lump. i go over and tell her that i didn't get my twenty minutes worth. her english isn't good. my chinese either.

she goes over to the window of the dryer. feels it with her palm.

"Hot" she says.

"Yes, hot, but not 20 minutes hot."

"Hot," she says.

"Not hot," I says.

She walks away and ignores my beef. this place is close to Telegraph -- lots of loons ranting and
raving.

"Not hot," I mutter and fish around for two more quarters.


When all is tumbled dry, and I'm folding the quilt making sure nothing touches the ground for one
milisecond, my arms stretched high above my head she gets up.

"Help?" she asks.

She takes a corner, shakes it to make sure it's nice and flat before she folds it.

i need to get a little perspective some days.