Another day, another dollar

Here's how that list went:

1.) laundry

Did one load. Haven't put it away. Chose sleep instead.

2.) handwashing laundry, too

Oh dear lord. I washed sweaters by hand* for two hours. I know it was two full hours because I listened to two full albums of the Grateful Dead. Srsly.

3.) dust and vacuum, or else face the wrath of the allergies

Still facing their wrath ...

4.) groceries, I guess

Noah did this! Thank you Noah forever and ever! We have real food to eat!

5.) more freelance work

Um, still haven't done this. Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin' ...

6.) sleep already

I tried.

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*I own a very oddly-colored sweater. I think it was called 'mustard overdye' at purchase. I love it, love it. I wore it once to a poetry workshop, and a fellow poet said, "Hi Christine! That sweater is the ugliest color!" I think she meant to say "best ever and looks so good on you."

I knew I needed to wash it. I knew it couldn't go in the machine. I couldn't remember the last time I washed it, but how unusual is that, really? I usually can't remember the last time I waterproofed my boots, but what does that matter? We don't do this kind of upkeep on a calendar basis. It's a basis of need. Or smelliness.

I had the sink ready, all cold water and Woolite. I have a white porcelain sink (bane of my existence), and as I put the sweater in the sink and began agitating it, I saw the water quickly turn a dark yellow. Like a mustard overdye color. I figured, "Man this sweater must be really overdyed; it sure is leaking dye like crazy. I am so smart for having NOT machine-washed it!"

And then the water turns brown. And then it gets murky. I get a little worried, so I decide to let it soak. I walk away.

I come back maybe ten minutes later. The water is the color of sludge. I agitate a little more. I decide it is surely time to drain the wash water and rinse, and really get a clear idea of what is going on. Did I somehow strip dye out of the sweater? Did I not clean the sink? Is Woolite actually brown when it reacts with porcelain?

The water drained slowly, the brown all going away, leaving silt at the bottom of my sink.

It was that dirty.

I don't think I'd ever washed it.

I received it as a gift in 2002 or 2003.

It's kind of a brighter mustard, now.