h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This entails putting the washing machine on three times for each (clean) load - once to dye, once to wash out the loose dye, once to clean the machine.

Which explains why I've had a fair bit of waiting around today. It also partly explains why I decided to pick a card and see which details jumped out at me:

VII Mastery (aka The Chariot), Tarot of the Old Path
A flame-haired and bearded mature strong man of very high status (High Priest? Warrior King?) holds the reins in his left hand which control all four horses drawing the chariot forwards, towards the holder of the card. Each horse represents one of the four elements - water is docile, pale blue and dripping; air is restless, dark blue and starry with the moon on its forehead; earth is calmly gentle, green with white daisies and the plaits of its mane terminate in ears of wheat (or is it barley? It's the one with whiskers); fire is fierce but just about under control, almost an abstract formed out of flames of yellow, orange and red.

The man seems to be wearing a blue-grey skirt, a chest plate ornamented with a crab (Cancer), a metal cuff on each wrist, a flame coloured cloak with a plain gold clasp, and a gold crow with two triangles pointing upwards each side of an upright five-pointed star. He's holding a hazel wand (with both nuts and leaves still attached) aloft in his right hand - more symbolic than functional. Another indication of power held and directed. He's more athletic than muscle-bound; if he leads it's because his intellect and personality are as strong as his body.

He's neither cruel nor one for idle threats. He's got plenty of power, but he's holding it in check and controlling the direction of it, single-handed, the flash git. He's coming right at me, but not yelling. No intention of stopping or swerving. More an quiet impression of "get with me or get out of my way". He doesn't exactly mean to be ruthless, but that's what he'll be if you're in his way.

Impatience, self control just about kept this side of breaking point, travel, speed, momentum, force, restlessness. Almost unstoppable progress. Power and influence used with precision.