Well, today is a big day! Yesterday we got our new shelf and the bamboo screen. Today I hooked up my stereo for the first time since the fire. We've been using a boom box because we had no place to set up the components. Sigh, the sound is so much better. I used the speakers from the boom box to add a touch of surround sound to the mix. What a difference. The only problem is that the turntable is not working. I need to figure that out. It turns and makes sound but at such a low level that the stereo volume has to be at max to hear the record. I need to boost the level or get a better turntable.

The bamboo screen really makes a difference. We put it in a corner and it adds a real Asian flavor to the decor. My guitars look real good sitting in front of it.

The rain we got yesterday is still around today. It is part of a tropical storm working its way past the island to the south. The prdiction is that it will develop into a typhoon but only a small one and that it will do so after it is past us. Still, the season is almost upon us.

We were doing laundry earlier today and I thought it might be a good idea to give a better description of such a mundane task. We use a laundromat in Hagatna. Early on we looked at the cost of installing and running a washer and dryer and decided it was cheaper all the way round to keep going to the laundromat. One load of laundry costs $1.75. It would take 71 trips to the laundromat to defray the cost of the machines and the cost of electricity and water would add more time to that.

Anyway, the laundromat sits in one end of a building housing a pachinko parlor and a convenience store. The building is owned by the Korean family that operates all three businesses. There are forty washers and forty dryers in the place. The front is opened up by four large glass double doors and the rear of the place is opened up with two sets of large roll up doors like a garage. The effect is that you are working in a wind tunnel. It is very good at keeping the temperature within a decent working level. And you can back your car right up to the rear of the building and unload right into the working floor.

The floor is concrete as are the walls and all is painted white. There are folding tables and some chairs so you can sit in comfort waiting for the washing to finish up. We generally go in the morning or early afternoon and miss the crowds. There are also a couple of video games and a juke box.

This morning there was a young woman there doing an enormous amount of laundry. Wakana explained that she was a professional laundress doing other people's clothing. She certainly had a mess of it to do. Other People wandered in and out while we were there. The air was warm and humid so we were sweating but I have learned how to deal with sweat since I got here.

Wakana went up to the convenience store and brought back some cold drinks. We read and watched the people while the clothes washed and then transferred them to the dryers. The machines are relatively new and work quickly. In an hour and a half we were finished with six loads of laundry.