Yesterday, I did the most decadent, New-Yorkish thing ever. More New York then ordering Chinese delivery at 4 am, more New York than buying a fake purse on the street, more New York than blowing an entire paycheck on shoes (okay, I haven’t done that one). I sent my laundry out! That’s right, I am paying someone else to do my laundry. I always thought that only really rich people sent their laundry out. Then I was telling my friend Erin yesterday that I needed to do my laundry, but I had to track down a bunch of quarters. She told me that she always sends hers out and how much she loved it. So I did some investigating into this crazy service. First of all, when I do my own laundry, it costs me $3 for the wash cycle and a quarter for every minute of drying. Depending on what I’m washing/drying, one load of laundry can cost me about $4.50. I do at least two loads at a time, and I knew I would have three yesterday because I was washing clothes, towels, and sheets. So, three loads of laundry at $4.50 each comes out to…$13.50. Not a small chunk of change. Add onto that a wash cycle that takes 39 minutes and a drying cycle that can take up to 35 minutes. That’s my whole night right there when you realize I usually get home between 7:30 and 8 pm. As I walked home, I kept my eyes open for Laundromats that advertised drop-off services. I found one less than a block from my apartment, so I bundled up my stuff and brought it back. For my 19 pounds of laundry – YES, NINETEEN POUNDS – they charged me $14. That’s only 50 cents more than if I did my laundry myself! You can bet from now on I will ALWAYS drop my laundry off. My time is totally worth that. At first I was squicked out by the thought of strangers touching my clothes, but then I was OVER IT. Wash and fold, you are my heroes!

On Tuesday I put my oft-underused bartending skills to work. We had an artist showcase, where we made one of our new singers perform like a monkey in front of a bunch of press. The women in charge of the event booked caterers, but neglected to request a bartender. Lucky for them, Stacia and I have oodles of bartending experience, and we nicely volunteered to help. I forgot how fun bartending can be, especially when it is open bar and you don’t have to worry about balancing a register! It made me miss the old days when my friend Jen and I would open the restaurant on a summer day and then gossip about everyone that came in. Then we would walk out of there with at least $150 in our pockets and head to the beach or happy hour or whatever. Ah, I want to do that again! No…I don’t, I remember how much I hated the crappy parts of that job. And there were a LOT of crappy parts. I remember crying behind the bar…but I remember going to the beach all day! Oh, so conflicted. It’s like having a baby, or so I’ve been told.

I’m tired! I’m kicking it up a notch at the gym. Oh yeah!