I took today off from work, for no other reason than to have a long weekend. (This had been planned long before my sudden afternoon off to go to the vet.)

Phillip doesn't know this yet, but I had a hidden reason for giving him a ride to work this morning. After dropping him off, I drove over to Bellevue & Olive, to see if that laundromat is still there. I don't get over to that area very often, and I wanted to check on it before I packed my laundry up.

I first moved to Capitol Hill in 1984, and it's always been a mystery to me why there aren't more laundromats in this area. (Actually, as far as I know, that one at Bellevue & Olive is the only one that's ever been in the Broadway neighborhood.) I heard somewhere that this area is the most densely populated neighborhood in the state of Washington. I've never confirmed that, but it's easy for me to believe it. With all these apartment buildings in this one small area, it seems to me that a laundromat would do a booming business. Sure, every apartment building has a laundry room, but I have never lived in an apartment building that had adequate laundry facilities. This one, for instance, has something around 35 apartments and just two washers and two dryers, and seems to rent mainly to amnesiacs who forget to pick up their clothes for days.

My guess is that laundromats just aren't profitable operations. To my surprise, the laundromat didn't cost significantly more that our building's laundry.

What an exciting way to spend a morning off: hanging out in a laundromat. But don't forget: I'm a guy who feeds squirrels on his way to work. It was a great opportunity to people-watch and read more of The Fellowship Of The Ring.

My 2004 tea/teasan log:

1. yerba maté, 1 January
2. genmaicha, 9 January
3. South African Rooibos (with honey crystals), 10 January
4. chamomile lemon herb, 15 January (a gift from Connie)

We gave Gladys the last of her fourteen doses of antibiotics tonight. Through it all, twice a day for seven days, she has behaved wonderfully. Sure, she resisted every dose. She squirmed. She tried to get away. But she didn't actually fight us. And it was the idea of being held down and poked in the mouth that she resisted - not the medicine itself. Remarkably, she didn't seem to hold a grudge. Right after the doses, she'd be right there, hanging out on my knee, being sweet little Mama Girl.

The lump on her tail is smaller.

The vet's comment about Gladden and Gladys being so well behaved has been on my mind for the past week. It surprised me. Don't misunderstand me - they're great kids. I've been crabbed at, and I've been bitten. They definitely have minds of their own. The three of them can be a handful. I've never really thought of them as being any better or worse, in terms of behavior, than any other sugar gliders, though. Of course, I've never been around any other sugar gliders.

My journey through the Sandman collections continues.

1. Preludes & Nocturnes
2. The Doll's House
3. Dream Country arrived at the library yesterday, picked up today
4. Season of Mists placed on hold this afternoon
5. A Game of You
6. Brief Lives
7. Fables & Reflections
8. Worlds' End
9. The Kindly Ones
10. The Wake

Last Tuesday, I wrote that I live "2 or 3 miles from work." I've told my insurance agent that I commute less than 3 miles each way, but not in my car. Those are just guesses. I've never actually measured it. This morning, I started wondering, for unknown reasons, just how far it really is from apartment to desk. I turned to Yahoo! Maps for driving directions. It told me it's 3.6 miles to work, but it sent me on a route I'd never use, unless I was a tourist: south to northbound I-5 and east on Highway 520. So then I asked for reverse directions, and it told me it's 2.9 miles back home. Again, it was a route I'd never use: Highway 520 then down 10th Avenue. But that's fine. I think online address finders are amazing, especially when it can tell me how to get there. I'd love to know how the program works.

Anyway, I think my estimate of 2 to 3 miles seems pretty close.

There is a Sadako Sasaki memorial in Hiroshima, and there is one is Seattle.

Here is proof that more people care about her than don't.

I need to get back into the habit of my djembe. Too many days go by without me drumming. Part of the problem, I'm guessing, is that I not longer get my monthly rhythms from African Drum Beat to remind me that my djembe is there. So it's up to me to motivate myself.