The Picture of Domesticity

A lot of people tell me that I have too many clothes. But the problem is, whenever I get rid of a bunch, I buy a bunch more. And of course there are always those clothes you NEVER get rid of....I kept a Star Wars night shirt from my grandfather (I suspect it's from when the movies FIRST came out.) until it quite literally disintegrated in the wash. I have a T-shirt from 9th grade Cross Country (2004) that's started to get thin and I now have it tacked to my wall...

But I have some very good reasons for having so many clothes. Actually, I didn't even bring all of mine down to Monmouth with me. I only brought about half of my night shirts, for instance.

1. I have a terrible habit of forgetting to do laundry. So it's good that I only have to do it every month or two. Because that's usually when I finally remember to do it. The last time I did it was Spring Break a whole week or so before Easter. I only did it a couple of times before that since Christmas.

2. I have an even better habit of wearing the same clothes over and over. If I had only 10 sets of clothes (like Miki) they'd get even smellier than they already do. I think my friends should be thanking me for doing my laundry so rarely.

So even though I didn't have too terribly much motivation today....I decided to do laundry.

Well, I did get a few things done. Went to Bi-Mart to buy some things to spruce up the patio. A paint scraper to get the tatters of newspaper off the fence. And magazines. I have no idea why one would want to paste those to a wooden fence...And I spose I'll never know considering the rain has gotten rid of most of it. And a stiff brush for cleaning the cement. And getting rid of the moss. And a moss killer that's patio friendly (apparently some types stain pavement) and with any luck it'll rain tonight to speed it up because I applied it this afternoon....Got two boxes of kleenexes on sale for 2 for 3 dollars. I felt like a million bucks for that one. Body wash because I've been nicking Miki's shampoo for that....Pens and Pencils because mine have been all mysteriously disappearing....apparently mechanical pencils and Bic pens seem to be very popular nowadays with Gremlins, and a bird feeder for the ten pounds of bird seed I got from home a month ago.

About time, Monica.

So I couldn't do much with the patio after spreading the powder. I couldn't even pot up the plants I have left that I bought a new bag of potting soil for today because the patio is covered in powder. So I decided to clean my room.

Needless to say this didn't happen.

But I DID get two boxes and a spare foam pad into the closet. Which reminds me: I should probably stop sleeping on top of two at a time. It makes me sink terribly and that must be ghastly for my back. And I got some clothes tossed into my laundry basket. Which I promptly ripped out when I decided I needed to sort through them to find out which ones I wanted to wash.

Yes, I decided to get picky about what clothes to wash. And no mom, I do not sort by colors neurotically anymore. I'm not that paranoid. But I did leave all my whites at home :D

Of course all this wasn't as easy as it seems. Between all of this I was bugging the heck out of Miki whilst she tried to do her drawing project (apparently I was looming), helping her with her wire project for her 3-d class project because I bought a pair of needle nose pliars/wire clippers at the hardware store cause I dreadfully needed them. And then had to fish out the bottle of foaming oxy-clean when a hysterical Miki found out that the wire had a black residue and she had left finger prints all up and down her white wall while trying to measure the wire....

Monica to the rescue, yeah?

And I have chew marks all over my feet from Marin. Thanks Kitten, I really appreciate it. And if I see Ryou prostrating herself and moaning one more time while Marin is trying to chew on her tail (Ryou's tail) I will throw something.

Oh, and Marin has discovered that it's great fun to climb up me if I stand still for 3+ seconds. Therefore I don't. And if I pick her up for any reason it takes approximately 3 minutes to detach her. For all she hates being picked up, she sure as hell doesn't wanna let go!

But I got the laundry sorted, my new nice girly clothes that have been lying on the floor for over a week hung up, and dirty socks tossed into a bucket and I was just about ready to go. Shoved some detergent into a to-go cup (gotta remember to tape the sippy hole one of these days.), shoved the box of Bounce whats-its into my hamper (which I forgot to use. Good things I wasn't washing fuzzy sweaters today...) and went pawing through my collection for a book I haven't read yet.

I settled for one that I haven't read in 4+ years. That works, yeah?

You know what I love?

Family. Family is awesome. I want to hug my family. For instance my mother saw fit to inform me that a Clif bar, leftover popcorn from the movie theater last night, and half of a solid chocolate rabbit was not breakfast.

But you know what's even better than being scolded by your family?

Gifts from your family.

I got to use a super cool one of those twice today :D

You know what it's called?

A TROLLEY.

Oh yes, it is super amazing. So when I bought 2 cubic feet of soil from Bi-Mart today and it weighed approximately 30 pounds more than it ought to have, I didn't have to carry it.

So I decided to be witty, and use this super cool gift for my laundry hamper. Of course my laundry hamper isn't THAT heavy, but I wasn't going to use the laundry machines in my complex.

Oh no. I've witnessed Mikiko doing musical machines often enough recently that I've given up the ghost on that trial. In fact, walking 5 blocks and paying an extra 75 cents per wash load was worth it. Especially since the driers are infinitely cheaper, actually dry your laundry, and hold like 2 or 3 loads.

All of which sound worth the walk.

So I packed everything onto my trolley, plugged in my headphones, snagged my socks, opened the door...

And the clock in the kitchen took a suicide dive.

Like, literally. It flew off the wall, crashed into the floor, and the battery landed aaaaall the way in the living room.

I'm just lucky the silly thing didn't break. But it was loud enough I heard it over my music, which was amazing.

Ryou thought this was the perfect chance to gt

...there is a spider on my lappy

I think it's building a web....Teaches me to sit in the dark while typing...*shudders*

So yeah, Ryou thought this was the perfect chance to dive out the front door, so I had to wrestle my laundry back out of the way and shut it on her nose.

And then she went to molesting my shoes. But they were shoes I was not wearing, so I left while she was distracted :D

I must've looked a sight waltzing down the street with a plastic bucket full of socks swinging in one hand, rocking out to my new almost page-boy cut, and dragging a squeaky trolley with a lime green fuzzy laundry hamper.

I had the sudden urge to call Miki, post her across the street and get her to take a candid shot of me walking along with my laundry...But I didn't.

Let's just say, though, that all the neighbor Mexican kids stared at me funny, and I walked around the main part of town so that no one would laugh. I looked pretty ridiculous, actually. And proud of it!

So I got down there, fed my quarters to the evil machines (3 loads. Not even half of my clothes though) and went to the pub for fish and chips.

Yum.

Took the leftovers back with me to start the dry cycle, and sat down to enjoy my book.

I love how all the Latinos were eying me like I would steal their laundry or something. Goodness Gracious!

I'd only do that if you left it there alone :D

So I finished up, and actually folded my laundry! *cheers* Now let's see how many weeks it will take me to get it out of the hamper and into the closet where it belongs.....>.<;;;

So I started rolling home. And since it was 9 p.m. I decided to screw it and walk on Main st. through town. There isn't anyone out there at that hour anyways besides Latinos in the laundromat and drunks or smokers (or both) at the pub. Although there is a nice new wine tasting place in town that actually seems to serve food....But I guess I'll never get a look see because minors aren't allowed.

On the way home I got stuck behind two Chinese guys. One was super cute and boyish with floppy hair hanging in his face. And the other was not so much with glasses and kinda jocky wearing flip flops and shorts. Man, it was warm earlier today, but tonight it's pretty cold! What are you thinking?! But I walked behind them and it was actually kinda cute to see them together. Because they weren't the two macho guys butting shoulders and fooling around. They were either the super comfortable with each other guy-friends, or boyfriends. Judging by how they rubbed shoulders, swayed together, walked in unison, and why the cuter one's hand kept brushing the pocket the jock had his hand in...

I just love how I was rolling along squeakily behind them. I'm surprised it didn't ruin the mood. But they did start to walk fast after about a half a block of me walking behind them :D

There's a guy I see around the neighborhood a lot. I thought he was homeless because he always wheres this stained old Red Sweatshirt, and smells really bad, and has more hair than Albus Dumbledore. I mostly see him at three in the morning when I'm coming home from the computer lab. He's either pacing the block, or just sitting on the sidewalk. Which usually freaks me out pretty bad.

I mean, what kind of person sits on the same corner night after night in the dark cold night, and doesn't even smoke or something?

To my surprise, I was keeping an eye out for him on his usual corner, looked up...And he was making coffee in an apartment above my head! I saw him this afternoon near the police station when I was walking with Miki and I pointed him out. And tonight I saw him cooking in the same place.

Holy cow, does he LIVE there? 0.o

What a thought. He has a dirty old rucksack that he hauls around, too. I mean, I don't have any problems with rucksacks, but the condition of the poor thing only cemented the thought in my head that he had no home.....Guess I was pretty wrong, huh?

Now before someone starts going on about how walking that late at night isn't safe for me, I'll go on. I live 3 blocks from the computer lab. Only part of it isn't lit. That part is a nice part, nice houses, trimmed lawns: never see the owners cause they are always up to good. Cept for the house with the scary dogs, but I never see them either so it doesn't matter. Also that street has a special home for you know, special people, the needy, and that has a pretty sharp eye kept on it. No, I don't live on the best street in the world (around the corner from PLC, the special place), nor do I live in the best complex. But luckily, my Mexican neighbor happens to like me. And late at night most of them don't hang out on the street corner (thank goodness) so there's no danger for me.

Sides, it'd be bad business for the drug dealer a few doors down from me if I got mugged by my very own neighbors. I mean, how would he get any money if I didn't have any? Not that I'm buying, of course.

But it's the principal of the thing. So I'm pretty certain that I'm good. Not that I'm positive he's a dealer, or what door is his...but it seems pretty obvious to me!

so I think that's it, a normal day in the life of the Monica.

Regards from Purgatory (blasted cats, they're playing chase all over the place! I hope they break their necks)
Monica