Laundry. Quarters. Elevators. Three things that have coincided with each other that have pissed me off today.

Washing clothes is a chore no one likes to do, but unless you want to walk around smelling like you haven’t taken a shower in months, then dirty clothes must be washed. Charlie and I realized yesterday, as we look over at our heaping laundry basket (clothing piled so high that it was just falling over on the sides), that it was time to put some clothes in the washing machine.

To wash clothes, you need quarters. Of course, no one just has $10 worth of quarters just lying around at any given time JUST to wash laundry. So you go around, trying to find a store that will give you quarters. I swear that the people in these stores make you feel like you’re a bum asking for drug money. I don’t get this. It’s not like you’re stealing quarters from them! You’re giving them money!

Next, you find yourself at the grocery store to get a roll of quarters in which they charge you an extra $.50! I have always found this quite amazing. Why does the grocery store get to make a profit when you have to wash your stinky clothes? So not only are you pissed that you have to do laundry that you haven’t done in over two weeks. You’re also pissed at the fact that you have to pay the assholes at the grocery store extra money for a roll of quarters!

After begging the corner store to give me 8 quarters (not even enough for 2 loads of laundry), Charlie and I go put our clothing in the washing machine. Woohoo! FINALLY!

And this is where it gets good.

Lately, my apartment building has been having problems with the elevators. We have two elevators in our building and they NEVER work at the same time. One of them is ALWAYS out of commission. If it’s not one, then it’s the other. I’m not lying when I tell you that I yell at the maintenance men at least once a week about this problem. They run when they see me. They must know I’m going to bitch about SOMETHING. And the truth is: Do you think they even understand a word I’m saying? NO! (Please see previous post about non-English speakers.)

We put our clothing in the washing machine and were waiting for the elevator to come bring us up 8 flights (we were in the basement). And we were waiting a VERY LONG TIME. Come to find out - BOTH elevators are broken! Of course, this is AFTER we already put our clothes in the washing machine! One of the maintenance men then informs us that both elevators aren’t working and it probably won’t be fixed today.

I look at the guy and I say to him… “Didn’t I yell you once already today?”