Take it to the cleaners

If you read last week's post, you know I was in DC for business recently. It's a once-a-year trip to attend/exhibit at the American Academy of Neurology meetings. We hold our annual Editorial Board Meeting during these annual meetings, as many of our Board members are traveling to be there anyway.

This meeting, this once yearly Board meeting, is the only time I feel called to wear a suit for my job.

So every year I dig out one of my very few suits and pack it up for this occasion. Every year at some point after the meetings, I then get said suit cleaned so that it's ready for the next year's meeting.

So, a few weeks ago, when packing up to go to DC, I looked for a suitable suit. I could not find the one I was thinking of, and it eventually dawned on me that it could still be at the cleaners. Hmm, could it be? It'd been quite a long time.

Seeing as the cleaners I go to for this once-a-year occasion is right next to my office, I made it a point to stop by there the next day at lunch.

Low and behold my suit was still at the cleaners. Even though it was ready for pick up...

...on June 30, 2014

The woman at the cleaners made a comment about how surprised she was that they still had the item, and that they'd never contacted me about pick up.

I agreed it was a long time to hold something, and thanked her for not tossing it out.

She then said, "Wait, do you have another item for pick up?"

"I don't think so," I replied.

But I was wrong, there was another item for me, from 2012! from February of 2012!

It was a pair of paisley silk pillowcases that matched a paisley silk quilt that had long since fallen apart -- the delicate fabric no match for the wear and tear that bed rest followed by caring for an infant placed on it.

I'm not sure what the hell I'll do with these, or when they'll ever get used, but rest assured, that if you come to stay and they adorn a bed you sleep on, they're cleaned and pressed and very well preserved.