Going to the Laundromat

I went to the Laundromat this week because my washing machine was broken and I couldn't tell the difference between which clothes I'd worn once and which clothes I'd allow myself to tell me I'd worn once.

The biggest disappointment about going to the Laundromat was that I put too many dollars in the change machine and then had a bunch of quarters I'd never use. I didn't realize how big and efficient the washers and dryers were.

The most confusing part about going to the Laundromat was when I kept on putting quarters into one of the dryers because I didn't know it was broken.

"Wait!" the woman working there said.

"What?" I said.

"Put one more in," she said.

I did.

She pushed the on button and nothing happened. She told me she'd go get me a refund but when she came back she just looked at me and held up the change and said, "Was this you?"

I didn't say anything. One of her eyes pointed to the right of me and the other shot way off to the left.

"Was this you?" she said again.

I eventually said yes but only because I looked behind me and saw there was no one there.

A few minutes later, as I waited for my clothes to dry in a dryer that worked, a chef was making a dish on television and one of the ingredients was brown sugar.

"Do you know what's in brown sugar?" he asked his audience.

"Trick question," I said to myself. "Brown sugar is sugar - pure sugar."

"It's sugar and molasses mixed together," he said.

Over the last few weeks I'd quizzed several people on what was in brown sugar. "Pure sugar," I told all of them. "That's what pure sugar looks like."

I don't know if anyone ever told me brown sugar was pure sugar but I know someone told me once that brown sugar was better for you than white sugar and I really like brown sugar, so whenever I pass it at the grocery store I get proud of it for being an excellent substitute for white sugar that is both delicious and doesn't hurt my teeth.

"Come back soon," the woman said as I left the Laundromat.

"No problem," I told her. "I will."

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Lance Gilman has appointed Barbara Bech to be the chief financial officer for his businesses that include: L. Lance Gilman Real Estate Services, developer of the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center, the World Famous Mustang Ranch and the Wild Horse Resort and Spa. Bech relocated from Medford, Ore., where she was the office manager of the largest landscaping company in the area.

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Nataliya Stahl, a Minden Realtor has been awarded the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) Designation by the Council of Realtors. Realtors who received the CRS Designation have completed advanced courses and have demonstrated professional expertise in the field of residential real estate. Contact Stahl at 783-7386 or go to www.MySweetHomeNevada.com.

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Brad Bonkowski of Coldwell Banker Commercial Premier Brokers in Carson City was recently named "Realtor of the Year" by the Sierra Nevada Association of Realtors. Bonkowski is in commercial real estate and as the 2007 President of the Sierra Nevada Association of Realtors. For more information about Sierra Nevada Association of Realtors, call 885-7200.

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Copies of Nevada Spirit magazine are now available at the new Nevada Store in Reno, Botcha Caloops' in Virginia City, the Nevada Legislature in Carson City, the Grant Sawyer Building in Las Vegas, and at the offices of all 13 of Nevada's regional development authorities. For details call 800-336-1600 or visit www.expand2nevada.com.

• Contact reporter Dave Frank at dfrank@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.