23 February 2010

Laundry Woes

AKA: Why I miss having my own washer/dryer.
AKA: A post of complaints.
In the form of a letter.

Dear neighbor who always takes my things out of the washer/dryer minutes before I come to do it myself,

I recall one day when we were in the laundry room at the same time (you might recall, you were taking my stuff out of the dryer the moment it finished its last spin, right as I came down to remove it myself and take it home) you mentioned that you had recently moved from a place with your own washer and dryer. Well, you know what? Now you share. So you need to learn a few things.

Let's just use today's experience as an example. When you were taking your things out of the dryer and putting your last 2 loads in the washer, you saw me bring my large bag of laundry into the laundry room. I was able to put 1 load in the washer you were not using, but there were still many clothes left in my bag. This should have been your first clue that someone would be waiting for you to finish your laundry to use the machines.

But no, when the washers were finished, you did not come. And so I waited. And I waited. And when you still did not come, I moved your laundry to the dryers, but did not start the dryers in case you wanted to hang dry or dry on low. And I proceeded to use the washers for the rest of my laundry. When I came down to switch my laundry to the dryers, you still had not come, so your wet clothes were still in the dryers where I put them - at this point over an hour after your washers had stopped. So I moved them to the side table and used the dryers myself. I mean, who knows when you will show up to start the dryers since you haven't shown up in an hour. I shouldn't have to wait... So I put mine in - 3 full loads, one in each dryer. They did not start all at the same time because I only have 2 hands, but fairly close together.

So then why, when all dryers were on timed cycles, were 2 of my loads removed from the dryers when I returned when the 3rd load had 20 minutes left of the cycle? I actually came down early because I knew your track record of removing clothes from dryers... When you don't come down to change your laundry for hours then you have no right to remove my clothes before the cycle is over. And honestly, even if the cycle was over, the clothes were still warm - can't you wait 5 minutes for me to come down? Unlike you, some people actually keep track of the time and know when their laundry is ready. Although, I really appreciate the lint and dust that my formerly clean clothes have on them now since you had to take them out and put them on top of the dryers.

So overall lesson: yes, some clothes need to be removed because dumbasses like you forget to retrieve their laundry within a reasonable amount of time. But no, that does not mean you assume that everyone will leave their laundry indefinitely, therefore allowing you to remove other people's laundry without a reasonable passing of time. One good cue? When the clothes are still hot - the dryer probably just finished. Give your neighbors some time to freaking walk down the stairs. And under no circumstances is it ever ok to end someone's dryer early to remove their clothes - even if the clothes are dry. That is just rude.

Sincerely,
Your responsible laundry room sharing neighbor

18 February 2010

Airports

At the Amsterdam airport, if you are late to board your flight, they announce to everyone in the airport that you "are delaying the flight." Way to look like a jerk, late asshole...

Also at the Amsterdam airport, if your watch sets off the metal detector, they do not just have you go back and put your watch through the x-ray and try again. They jump right to the frisking. And I mean FRISKING. I totally got felt up today. Full on boob grab. They're not shy about it either. I think she kinda likes her job.

I'm currently at the London Heathrow airport watching the weather channel on the news monitor, where a sign language translator is conveniently located on the side of the screen to sign what the weatherman is saying. Couldn't they just have closed captioning, which would also allow hearing people to know the weather...you know, since there is no sound on the monitor in the airport?

15 February 2010

Things to like in Europe

1. People riding bikes everywhere, even on the cold days of winter.


Maybe some others, too. I'll add those as they come to mind.

10 February 2010

Yeasayer

This has been the Pitchfork commentary blog lately, but yet again, Pitchfork has failed. They gave Yeasayer's Odd Blood 6.1 rating. This should be on the best new music list. Seriously. I have listened to this album on repeat since I first heard it in December. It is so good! Their last album was so-so. Some good stuff, but also some filler. This album, though, is fabulous. I see what Pitchfork's saying about lyrics being a bit weak, but even the "makin' love til the morning light" lyric comes off catchy to me because of the rhythm and the melody.

And the long line of people waiting in the rain to see them at LA's Natural History Museum a good 10 hours before they were scheduled to perform is evidence that I'm not alone in that feeling.

05 February 2010

MJ

I just watched "This Is It," the footage of rehearsals for Michael Jackson's concerts. Now I want to quit my academic psychology job and become an ensemble dancer.

Say what you will about MJ as a person (um, he called his child Blanket; he was clearly weird), but he was amazing at his job. Music + vocals + choreography + dancing. He was so good - even at 50 years old...

I'm disappointed his concert was never more than rehearsals.

If you like MJ, I recommend watching this - plus the special features about the making of the concert. The only thing missing was being able to see the concert complete - from start to finish.

03 February 2010

Meta

I know it's lame to write a post about a post, but I watched these videos again this weekend and was reminded about how great they are. Basically, making fun of how my dog walks in shoes will never get old...

Note: She does not always walk that way in shoes. And it hasn't been that dramatic since that video was taken (on her first day of shoe-wearing).

02 February 2010

Agricultural Inspection

I drove home from Las Vegas last night. For those who have never driven into California before, there are agriculture inspection points where they, probably ineffectively, check for fruits and vegetables traveling into the state. I suppose they check big trucks and things more closely than small cars, but all they ever do when I stop is ask, "Do you have any fruits or vegetables with you?" I reply "No" and drive on...

So last night, I stop at the check-point, roll down my window, and hear this:

Balding old man with a beer gut: Am I speaking with Venus?
Me: Ummmmm....no...
BOMwaBG: (laughing to himself about his clever line) You mean you're not a goddess? Heh... Do you have any fruits or vegetables with you?
Me: Nope
BOMwaBG: Alright, well, you should really wear shades because those eyes could knock a guy over... (laughing again at his second clever line - please note that it was 8pm and pitch black outside)
Me: (awkward laugh...then drive away fast)

Also, when driving to Las Vegas, I saw a billboard giving me a phone number to call if I suspect human trafficking. I subsequently spent the rest of my time in Vegas suspicious of every windowless van and unmarked truck. What qualifies as "suspecting" trafficking? Cause I'm pretty sure they didn't want phone calls about all the unmarked trucks in Vegas...