OrangeLights

The Modern Time Machine

I have a lot of laundry to do, not enough coins for the basement washer, and not enough patience to push it all through one washer and one dryer in my building. Therefore, it’s laundry night and I’m happy about it. Many people dread the laundromat, with it’s flickering florescent lights and weird people. But not me.

In my opinion, there’s something special about laundry night at the laundromat. In fact, I think the laundromat itself is something of a magical place with it’s whirring machines, randomly diverse people and furniture from the 70s. It’s a modern marvel by all accounts but in my experience it’s not the machines that automatically and quickly do what humans have done by hand for thousands of years that intrigues me. You see, I think of the laundromat as a kind of time machine. I know what you’re thinking, but let me explain.

My life, for the most part, is ruled by schedules, appointments, and deadlines. I am non-stop looking at my iPhone to check the time. My life is ruled by the clock and I’ve become a slave to it. But the laundromat doesn’t care about the clock. Once the quarters are put in the machine, the buttons are pressed and the cycle begins, it’s all cruising from there on. You see, I don’t have to look at the clock when I’m at the laundromat. The washers and dryers are all set to stop automatically after a set amount of time and I can’t leave until the cycle is done. They have no respect for time. They do what they do with a complete disregard for schedules, appointments and clocks. So once the machines are set in motion I have nothing to worry about and no clock to watch. I just sit back and enjoy the whirring and slushing sounds of my clothes swimming in the soapy ocean of the Speed Queen front load washer. The powerlessness is nice. I’m not in control. The washers and dryers are and they’re not going to budge. They’ll let me know when they’re done. I get to sit back and enjoy the ride. Then about two hours later when it’s all said and done, I’ll step out the laundromat doors and back into the real world where little has changed but time has flown by.

So the next time you need to do an unimaginable amount of laundry, charge up your iPod, stuff your dirty laundry into some garbage bags and head to your local time machine. You’re over-stressed, time keeping brain will thank you for the down time.

OKC Underground

I went on an adventure recently… underneath Oklahoma City. What I found was a sweet series of tunnels and an area that most people don’t even know about. It’s called, the OKC Underground.

The OKC Underground, formerly known as the Metro Conncourse, is a series of tunnels underneath downtown Oklahoma City. The first tunnel was dug in 1931 with many more tunnels having been added in the 1970s. The OKC Underground is about a mile long and connects various downtown buildings. Here’s a map of the tunnels. The Underground has some small businesses, including a few restaurants, a hair salon, and a couple other places. It’s open weekdays from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and can be accessed in many different places. Each entrance is marked by a small post that reads “Underground.”

The tunnels are carpeted, well-lit (for the most part), and are patrolled by a security officer riding a Segway scooter. They also have kiosk that display maps, directions and an occasional flat-screen television displaying CNN.

The odd and somewhat eerie thing about the Underground is the level of activity… or lack thereof. There are times when the tunnels seem almost entirely deserted. Combine the lack of people with the odd lighting in parts and the elevator style music piped throughout and you get a sort of post-apocalyptic zombie movie feel. The attention and effort that’s been put into it lately has largely been to make it more welcoming and to make the area feel more lived in. The resulting effect is that the Underground gives the impression that it’s many occupants vanished into thin air only moments before you entered.

It’s rather intriguing to be down there and know that many of the people walking above on the street level have no idea that you are right below them. I very much enjoy hidden places in the midst of urban centers and the Underground seems to fit the bill.

All in all, the Underground is a really cool idea and a well-kept place that is out of the public eye and largely unknown. Hopefully more people will find out about it and take advantage of it, but in the meantime, it’s fun to roam the tunnels pretending to elude zombies.