This is a new one for us. With Tom still not feeling well this morning, I headed to the laundry room on this floor to dry our sheets and pillowcases. There’s a washer in our condo but no dryer. Drying the bedding on the small laundry drying rack was a pain. Instead, today, we decided to bring the wet bedding to the laundry room, pay the $1.50, and put them in a dryer.
It was the first time we attempted to do laundry in the condo’s laundry room, far down the hall on this floor. I already logged over 2000 steps on my Fitbit going back and forth. Tom had a partial roll of quarters I brought with me. When I arrived, I noticed the machines didn’t accept cash. What? This is an oddity for us.
After carefully reading the posted signs, I discovered that I had to download an app on my phone, Wash Code, load money in the app, load the clothes into the dryer, and then scan the QR code using the app to pay for a specific machine. As soon as I scanned the QR code, the dryer started operating.
I could see how much time was left on the dryer using the app. The app alerted me when the dryer was done. I returned to the long corridor for the third time to find the laundry done and thoroughly dried. Plus, at any time, one can look at the app on their phone and see what washers and dryers are currently available. Wow. Slick.
Of course, I wondered how tricky this could be for someone who wasn’t savvy on their phone and using apps. There was no other way to get the machines started. I can imagine an inexperienced user’s difficulty getting this entire thing to work. We’ve never seen a former coin-operated laundry working this way, especially in other countries. No doubt, this will become the future of using public laundry rooms.
Then, on a similar note, I placed a Smith’s Marketplace online order for groceries last night. This morning, I received a text from the “picker” who was busy collecting my order to deliver it here between 10:00 am and 12:00 pm. The picker texted me to ask if I was available if she had to select a replacement item for which she’d need my approval.
When I placed the order, I didn’t check the box to allow replacements they’d choose without my approval. There are many grocery items that I wouldn’t necessarily want in another brand or size. The picker only contacted me once, having to select a different brand of cherry tomatoes, which I approved. The remainder of the order was fine, except for three items we didn’t order for which we weren’t charged. I notified the picker to let her know, asking her what to do with the items.
I love all this stuff; there are more perks to spending time in the US. However, such amenities don’t inspire us to live here right now. Although someday we may need to due to health. We shall see what transpires.
On another note, we’d sent in my request to enroll in Part B Medicare, mailing the application to the Railroad Retirement Board at the nearby FedEx store (walking distance). I mentioned in a prior post I had been trying to reach them for weeks to ask a few questions, often holding on for two hours or more. They never answered the phone, so I completed the standard form and mailed it to their published address.
Early yesterday morning, I finally got a callback after I’d received a letter from our mailing service telling me I had to wait until after January 1 to mail in the application during their specific enrollment period. They couldn’t hold my application until January 2, the next day they’ll be open. Go figure.
On January 2, we’ll head to our mailing service, complete the form the rep sent me, and mail it to them that day. We have to pick up some other mail from there anyway, so it won’t be an extra trip. While in the US, we are attempting to take care of any paperwork we have to handle, which is much more easily accomplished here.
Tom is still holding his own with no new symptoms or escalation of his current symptoms. It just seems to be a regular cold with a runny nose. I suppose he’ll start to turn the corner in the next few days. So far, I have kept my distance and feel fine. I feel bad that tonight Tom has to return the rental car to the Las Vegas Airport after midnight when it’s due back.
At that point, he’ll pick up another car for the next ten days when he returns the newest car before he flies to Chicago for his appointment with the designated pulmonologist. When he returns within 24 hours, he’ll pick up another rental car for the next few weeks. The reason, as mentioned, for only keeping the cars for two weeks is the period for insurance covered by the credit card he uses to pay for the vehicle. It’s a pain, but buying car insurance saves us $30 a day.
That’s it for today, dear readers!
Bw well.
Photo from ten years ago today, December 29, 2013
