update continued

From the “in case you were wondering if that should go in the dryer” department:

i had to make a stop at target before embarking, which included picking up a self-inflating mattress to sleep on at lisa’s. her furniture was still in transit from her parents’ to her new apartment. so i decided i would bring my sleeping bag on the train with me (talk about quality nap time!). then i remembered. this was the conversation as best as i can recall it: “mom, this can go in the washer and dryer, right?” “um, no, i don’t think so.” pause. internal pleading. “well, i guess you could try it. what’s the worst that could happen?” sigh of relief. “okay, i will.” i have to mention my great loathing of dry cleaning and/or laundromats. (okay, i’m not as ghetto as i claim to be) what emerged from my dryer was not a pretty sight. it was, rather, a sleeping bag that no longer had dirt and grime from past camps imbedded in it but was approximately 10 times larger than it had been upon entering said dryer. so much for ever returning to the tiny, conveniently sized travel bag it once called home. curse you, target, for making anything not fit for a conventional washer and dryer. the nerve. so there i was, back at said store of evilness to purchase a sleeping "pad" more suitable for city trekking.