New Year's Day means quite a few things to people: recover from hangovers; watch major college football bowl games on TV; make some personal resolutions that are usually unachievable in the grand scheme of things; practice writing the new year over and over, so you don't mess up when writing personal checks.
To kick off 2010, I did a few of these things. I watched some football action on the tube, and I made several personal resolutions that hopefully are actually achievable (to work out more consistently, eat out less often, and eat more wisely (whether in-home or out and about). Technically, I pounded out the resolutions several days in advance, but the important thing is to actually make them happen.
Like with working out, I've never been consistent with blogging - I might post observations several days in a row, then shove the commentary off to the side for months. I think if you review my history here, this will be self-evident.
Regardless, here I am ... ready to begin the daily process. I hope you find it enjoyable, and you are always welcome to comment.
I resolve not to get angry with inconsiderate condo residents who leave clothes in the dryer unattended for hours while my fresh-from-the-wash clothes wait for their turn in the tumbler.
This probably wouldn't be as big a deal if I did my laundry either (a) inside my own condo unit or (b) at a laundromat. The former is not currently an option, and I didn't really feel like going to the local megaplex with a single load of clothing. So it was the condo complex facilities for me.
After the wash was done (delayed by a good 15 minutes due to a power surge that knocked out power to the building for a fraction of a second, but required me to pay an additional $1.25 to the machine to complete an actual wash cycle), I opened one of the dryer doors to discover ... dry clothes. Same with the second dryer. Given I had started my wash a good 45-50 minutes prior, and the dryers were not operational, and the clothes weren't exactly warm, this meant someone in the condo building had left their clothing unattended for several hours.
I decided to wait 15 minutes, to see if someone showed up. Went back into my unit, watched some football, updated my Facebook status, popped my head back into the laundry facility. No change.
I pondered my options, with the primary objective being that I did not want to have my damp clothing sitting around, gathering mildew. I could have gone door-to-door, asking residents if they had left their clothing in the dryer. I could have dumped the clothing on the floor, or in the trash, or consolidated the two dryers' contents into one dryer. (This, of course, was based on the assumption that both dryers' contests actually belonged to the same resident.) I could have done many things, some of which would have denied me any opportunity of receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. Yes, I could have been very, very mean.
But I ended up being Mr. Nice Guy. I grabbed an empty box, tossed the contents of one dryer into it, and put my stash in the machine, leaving the box o' clothes on a shelf in the laundry room.
An hour later, I retrieved my clothes, and since the box was still in the room, I returned the homeless attire to its previous temporary residence and retrieved my box as well.
Now, this resolution was never intended to be a play-by-play commentary about the way I do laundry. This is about not getting angry over a situation that - for some - could have resulted in an explosive tantrum. Or at the very least, some not-so-nice actions. I mean, some of the Facebook comments lend credence to this. Among the suggestions my friends made as to how to handle the situation:
- I think I maybe would have "accidentally" splashed some bleach in the dryer after I took my clothes out. Oops!
- You could always be a gentleman and pull them out on the floor for the inconsiderate SOB. Maybe if they realize the inconvenience they are causing and have to pick up their clean clothes they'll get the message.
- An accidental restart with a sharpie. (P.S.: Open the cap.....)
Creative answers, all. But I chose to take the road less traveled, and find humor in the situation rather than anger. After all, it's the first day of a new year. Do I really want to open 2010 with a need for anger management classes? I think not. In the big picture, it was not worth getting upset over.
Now, if I hadn't had an empty box available ...
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