This weekend is one of my weekends off from homelessness. I'll be back to post on Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday. If you didn't read that like a monster truck announcer, you should be ashamed. The song of the day today is "I Want You" as performed by Taddy Porter.
Yesterday after work, I decide that I need to do laundry and take a shower (I have not showered since Monday except for washing my hair in a sink on Wednesday). I head to Carpenter's Church at 6:00, and I arrive to find the door locked. There are several people milling around outside and I ask one of them when Carpenter's Church is open for the homeless to use these services. He informs me that Carpenter's Church does not have laundry facilities as I had been told, but their showers may be used from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM. He tells me that the Salvation Army might let me do laundry. I head to the Salvation Army and speak with the desk clerk. He tells me that only residents of the facility may use the laundry room, but points me to a building a little over a mile away that allows the homeless to do laundry from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM weekdays. I've found that this is the most frustrating part of being homeless. Services are provided at the most inconvenient hours for the employed. The lack of a free laundry facility is not that big of a deal because the homeless can always use a laundromat at almost any hour, and it only costs about $1.00 per load (if you air dry). Showers are a more pressing need. Of course truck stops have showers, but truck stops are not always conveniently located and you have to pay.
