I don't think anyone can argue that nothing beats the laundromat for fun and self-fulfillment. Of course, this is Seattle, and the laundromat is in the University District, so it's got wifi. In fact, it's got one of the better connections I've found. Fast and it lets you send email via Mail (the public library doesn't seem to like pop mail apps). The machines are good; for $1.50, you get a huge load washed and 75 cents usually does the drying.

The trick, of course, is to own enough underwear and socks to avoid doing laundry in less than 8 or 9 days. Running out of clothes in less than a week is sad; for a few more dollars at Target or Fred Meyer, you can extend the time between visits, a worthy expense.

With the time change, and the coming of Spring, doing laundry after work no longer means doing it in the dark. That's nice because running any errands after work that finish in the dark feels as if the day has been lost. So what if the same time passes, if the clock is no later today when I finish my laundry than it was two months ago? In the dark, it just felt later.

It also felt pathetic. There's something about going out to do laundry that I find ... demeaning? No, I think I was right with "pathetic." But only a little bit. Walking around in the same underwear for three days to avoid doing laundry more than once a month: that's pathetic. Doing all my laundry in the sink, not as pathetic but no fun either. (I've done that before, when the laundry was a lot more inconvenient. Mostly it's just sucky work.)

What it comes down to is that there are aspects of mundane, daily life I just do not enjoy. I like washing dishes; I hate putting them away. Actually, any chore involving putting things away, I have big problems with. Laundry, dishes, bills, all manner of things scattered around my room. I'm ok with vacuuming or cleaning or such; being orderly totally throws me. I'm also bad at keeping organized on projects.

But I know some things are not negotiable. I must do laundry; I must put stuff away (eventually). The mundane part of life is, for the most part, mandatory. I guess if I thought of it as discipline, or as some kind of Zen practice, that might help. I need to do something other than feel pathetic or let the tasks slide.

There is no laundry. I am doing the laundry.