I should've had a tuna sandwich

The Domino Effect; A Case Study

First domino:  

Lunchtime, Friday.  I decide to get a cabbage roll.

Second domino: 

On the walk back to the office, I don't pay close attention to how I'm holding the styrofoam clamshell.  It's very full of sauce.  I manage to tip it enough to pour sauce all down the front of my winter coat.  Gah! :-p

Third domino:

When I get home, I read the washing instructions for my coat.  It says "machine wash in a front-loading washer".  Well, I have a top-loading washer, but I washed my last down parka in there without any trouble...

Fourth domino:

It's a big coat, so I leave the washer setting on "large load".

Fifth domino:

The coat floats on top of the water instead of sinking in.  That, combined with a full tub of water, overloads the machine.  Instead of starting the spin cycle, it makes a horrible whining noise and pours water all over the floor.

Sixth domino:

I don't live in a house.  I don't have a laundry room.  My washer and dryer are in a little closet just off my dining room.  The dining room and actually the whole condo is floored in wooden laminate.  Very lovely wooden laminate, which I have always enjoyed.

Seventh domino:

Water pours to the edge of the floor and under the floorboards.  The only other thing under there is a foam pad and a flat concrete surface.  No drain.

Eighth domino:

We throw every towel in the house onto the floor but it's too late.  Ken pries up several of the laminate strips, and the area underneath is awash.  

Ninth domino:

Overnight, water seeps throughout the floor by the washer, and the top layer of the laminate bubbles up at the seams.

So, let us review.  Because I chose to have a cabbage roll for lunch instead of, say, the falafel dinner special, my beautiful floor is now ruined.  How's that for the butterfly effect?

Double :-ppppppp

On the bright side:

• I washed my coat in the bathtub.   It's clean and doing its coat thing just fine now.

• We're in the middle of a cold snap, so our furnace is running overtime and consequently drying out the house.  The damage could have been worse.

• We have some extra flooring left behind by the people who sold us the condo.  Ken can probably fill in the missing boards and some of the damaged spots.  In fact, it's possible that Ikea might still sell this exact same flooring.  It's only 4 years old.

• The worst of the bubbling is in an area that's usually hidden under an area rug.

• We already had plans to visit a friend on Saturday who just happens to have a specialized tool to lay laminate flooring.  He loaned it to us.  Saved: $25.

• The washing machine suffered no lasting damage.

• The stupid cabbage roll didn't give me food poisoning (although it wouldn't have surprised me).  

All in all it could've been worse.  I still resent the damage to my pretty floor.

The Laundry Room

When I moved into my condo, I was so happy to have a stacked washer and dryer all to myself. No more dragging baskets of laundry downstairs to the laundry room! No more disappointment, finding that none of the machines are free! No more running into that crazy old lady who cornered me and talked endlessly about her medical problems!

But seriously, I kind of miss my old laundry room. For one thing, it was a place to meet my neighbours. I lived on the second floor of an 8-story building. There were lots of people around, but I rarely met any of them because I never bothered to wait for the old, slow elevator. Most people in the building got to know each other that way, through sharing elevator rides and waiting times. My only opportunity for socializing was in the laundry room. With the exception of the crazy old lady, I rather enjoyed those opportunities to chat.

The laundry room also served as an ongoing swap meet. Anyone who had stuff they didn't want anymore would leave it on the laundry room table for someone else to pick up. Over the years I gave away a lot of things that way, like my old vacuum cleaner and a slow but still-functional computer. The superintendent was an immigrant, and I have reason to believe that a lot of the stuff went to her even-more-newly-arrived friends, to help them get established. It was a good system.

But mostly what I miss from the laundry room was the supply of top-quality books. Someone in the building was either an avid reader or may have even worked in a position related to the publishing industry. I would regularly find heaps of expensive, brand-new hardcovers laid out on the table. To me, it was like a kid finding free candy. Just before we moved out, almost 2 years ago now, I found an extra-big stack of fabulous books. I've read all but one now. I'm saving it, because it'll be a sad day when all the laundry room books are gone.