"Where are the suds?!"

Last night we did our laundry. This entails going to the laundromat, which is always an experience. Now that I'm working we have to go at night, and I make Clark go with me because, hey, then we can spend time together. During the day there are a few patrons there, but the place is generally empty. But at night, that is a different story. Last week when we went, it was pretty empty when we got there, but by the time we put our stuff in the dryer, people started pouring in, all of the washers were full. And I don't really know how to put it without seeming to have racial bias, but they were all of hispanic descent. It kind of turned into a latino party: there were all sorts of people, all speaking Spanish to one another, and kids were running around. At one point there was a pile of baby carriers in the middle, with about 5 babies, all just quietly sucking on their pacifiers. It got to be a little crazy. We went a bit earlier in the evening this week, I wanted to avoid the mad rush, which we accomplished. However, there was still an experience to be had. Some people came in while we were waiting for our washer to finish. Their mere appearance was indicative of the type of people they were. Clark made the comparison to the clientele on the UTA bus system. So, they get their clothes in a washer, and I am just reading, not really paying attention to them, when I realize that she seems to be getting worked up over something, and staring at the washer. She keeps saying, "Do I need to put more in? Look at it, there are no suds, it's not even washing them." At which point she puts more soap in. And then the process repeats. When I looked over, I could see suds, and yet she was convinced she needed more soap. I began to wonder if this woman knew how a washing machine worked, particularly when she complained of no suds a bit later in the cycle. We were also wondering if she was expecting something like the cartoons - lots of suds, soap everywhere, like a bubble bath. Shortly thereafter, we moved over to the dryers, and then some friends from our ward came in, and we talked to them for a bit. I really like them, they are nice people. And we got to see their new baby, so in the end it was a good experience.