the biggest mystery

So I was finishing up laundry, and yet again, I came up with several lone single socks. And they always seem to be Dav's black socks. I'm a stickler for pairing up socks so they are together in the sock drawer. I mean, we have 2 feet so organizing this much makes sense to me. When I first moved in with Dav, all his socks were haphazardly piled in a drawer. So one day, I sifted through all of them, found the pairs, and decided to use the singletons for rags. But I keep finding more, and today I ended up with 3 more! I do all the laundry (remember, I like this activity) and just don't get how this happens. I double checked with the 'rag' socks and sure enough, NONE of these match! Any ideas??

Comments

[mademoiselle a.]

Ahahahahaha!!! Hey, you have heard about where socks love to hideout, haven't you [it's a Seinfeld joke, though].
We built up a cupboard over the week-end and I sorted in all our stuff, and then I met D.'s socks. Man!

[Ian]

I don't know where the socks go, but this is why I, like Dav, just throw the damn socks in the drawer. Trying to set order to the chaos is a sure route to madness. Learning to accept that which we cannot understand or change is healthy, and the sock vortex is beyond fathom.

My gf too has taken to the pairing of my socks. I know that trying to explain the futility in her efforts would just draw objection. It is a journey of self-discovery we all must travel, nobody can teach you that.

PS, what's your favorite part of the laundry process? I bet it's the folding and putting away part, just have a hunch, call me crazy.

[mie]

Ha! Glad you can laugh with me!!

Hey Ian, how ya been? Yeah, I suppose I have some issues to work out about sox but you gotta admit losing this many is just strange. I'm thinking Dav's been conned when he bought black sox and got leftovers and just never noticed 'til I came along.

Anyhow, you're wrong about the laundry detail. Although I like the whole process, folding is my least favorite. I like the beginning...getting 'em in the machine and letting the machine do its work.

[Ian]

It is a mystery indeed.

Hmm it does sem I misjudged your laundry preference. My favorite part is also the beginning, mostly because it requires me lifting a big glob of heavy stuff and cramming it into a clothes soggifying machine. Fun stuff! I suck at folding, as scores of horribly mishapen origami peace cranes will attest to.

Things are going well up here in Portland, still trying to keep my connection to Japan and keeping tabs on all that stuff. Actually have been studying Mandarin though and will hopefully study in China next year, though who knows if it will pan our.

Still ejoy reading about your experiences, keep it up ;)

Cheers,
Ian

[mademoiselle a.]

...you know why I took over sorting hubby's socks? :) More than the fact that, upon sorting out, about 30% go into the trash for having giant holes [!!!], I pity him knowing that, again, he went to work wearing a pair of differently colored socks. I could agree with a shirt that's not well ironed. But different socks...that's really shluppy.

Seinfeld once described how socks try to hideout in the washing machine; they tend to slip behind the wash drum and squeeze along the curves, only not to have to make it back onto smelly feet again ;)

[CC]

I've discovered two top secret sock hideouts...
One is inside the washer, like underneath the lip of the washer barrel I guess would be a way to say it -- damp and stuck out of immediate view, ahhhh perfect.
The other is in the dryer, using the great power of static -- hiding behind one of those dryer fins or even on the back wall of the dryer drum.
Call Laundro, P.I. for in-depth investigations.
I'm such a dork,
Carolyn

[ian]

my theory is that there's a hole in the back of the dryer that connects to this big secret sock network - one of your socks is randomly sucked out the back and ends up in someone else's load on the other side of the country. Result? Both of you are scratching your head wondering what happened.

It's pretty sophisticated - the "sock routers" need to figure out when to do the switch - both dryers have to be running at the same time with both loads at about the same ambient temperature - just 10 years ago they upgraded the firmware to match the sized so Christmas Stockings are no longer making it into the network. They also invented the dryer cookie system which saves all your previous sock information so that is why you always have extra black socks - the inventory information is saved in your dryer cookie (or is it the lint-based one, I forget) so you don't get thrown with stripes or polka dots which would raise suspicion.

I think the next release currently in beta (what? you haven't been invited yet? I'll send you an invite!) is adding a social networking aspect - you can post information about your extra socks (which I see you've done already) and set up local meetup gatherings to match up the pairs and get to know each other - ok, i'll let someone else continue the . . . thread

[Tracey]

I put everything in wash bags - haven't lost a sock yet.

I like the first part of the washing process - getting the dirty stuff in the machine - there is something satisfying about an empty dirty clothes hamper. After it has been put onto drying racks etc - Tokyo remember - it may stay there for many days which gives TuTu something more to play with. I absolutely loathe and despise ironing. Fortunately, my mother often pops over to take care of it.

Speaking of TuTu, she sees the drying rack as a sort of jungle gym - she is really good now - almost like Olga Korbut on the uneven bars at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

[Eva]

Mie,

I used to do Dav's laundry, and pair his socks. Hopeless! Ok, so you probably know his problem of not being able to throw out socks that are so much rippped that there's more hole than sock.... right?

So here I'm confirming now (sorry, Dav!), that every once in a while, I let some of the worst ruins vanish in the trash. He never noticed (sorry, Dav!). I made my best effort to let them vanish in pairs, but may sometimes just have gotten one of the culprits.

Also, knowing Dav's organization, I know he has socks in places you wouldn't expect them... side pockets of old suitcases, odd drawers, etc. Sometimes I found some inside of quilt covers. So... single Dav socks will probably show up again and again.

Actually, I was hoping you'd gently instill some of your Japanese organization skills into him... but no such luck, I guess (it's an uphill battle).

BTW - this is the first time I'm checking out your new SF blog site... and I love the colors and shapes! It's so cute. I love those rounded thick cyan frames around your blogs... very cute. Awesome.

[mie]

Tracey, sounds like Tutu is doing great! I would be so proud to hear about her as the world's first cat to do flips and acrobats on the bars. I betcha she can! I knew that kitty had spunk.

Eva, that's so funny. I'm pretty flexible with the organizing thing and try to let Dav do what he wants. But I think I gain points when he keeps asking me where his stuff is and I know more than he does. There's something to be said about being a little organized, eh?

[cvb]

i pulled ye old popcorn trick at the movie theater. i love beavers. wink wink nudge nudge