I like the blog AskWaitLeap where there are always insightful musings, funny anecdotes, occasionally a poignant poem, and stories from her adventurous life. You can’t miss reading about an escapade where she cut off the end of her finger at roughly age ten, and she and her friends sewed it back on themselves and never told her parents, who presumably also never noticed.
Yes, this woman has stories to tell.
I was amused by her recent exploration into one of life’s mysteries: the curious case of… the missing socks. A mystery indeed. My pile of singleton socks ebbs and flows, and mates show up weeks or months later. I could throw away the singles each time, but, just like the unwanted plants that get a new home at my house, I don’t like the single socks to end their days alone.
Taking the topic a step further (into quantum physics?) is the very clever article “Laundry: A Quantum Mechanical Approach” by Brian Reardon. It’s tucked in on a laundry website, right between septic protection and lint build-up. Here is an excerpt:
“The first modern attempt to explain the fundamental questions of laundry involved the decay theroy. The decay theory states that the quantity of socks can be expressed as a decreasing exponential function of time which is analogous to radioactive decay.”
Ohhhh, so THAT’s where the socks go. I get it now! I don’t know why I find Mr. Reardon’s Quantum Theory of Laundry so hilarious, but I do. Any other sock theories out there?
jane, candid 
Kris,
Believe it or not they make little sock clips so you can clip the dirty socks together before washing.
Then they wash/dry as a pair.
What will they think of next?
Karen
Jane, hate to be a crudmudgeon; but it is my sincere belief that the other sock only shows itself, after you have lost all hope and thrown the lone sock out.
I’ve figured out a way around the sock dilemma – at least where it comes to plain white socks, which is the majority of what the boys have. I just stock up on one kind. So, for example, any one sock of my first-born’s can become the mate to any other sock in his repertoire. So I can’t have more than one unmatched white sock for him (or any of the others) at a time.
The problem comes with my daughter with her love of psychadelic socks and lots of variety. With her sock stash, there’s no leeway in how you match them up. Her white school socks match up pretty well, but her polka dots, stripes, and princess footwear still cause headaches.
So glad you’re taking on the mysteries of the universe on your blog! You’re an adventuresome soul!
Jane – your too kind to mention my blog which is mostly the ramblings of my ADD escaping to print. Strangely, the writing is an unexpected soothing therapy that’s free. And Judy might be perplexed to hear that I never ever hoard or rescue the lone sock. And alas, it’s a cruel trick of nature that I can have a lovely outdoor garden but bring any plant indoor to my humble abode puts them on death row.
Jane – I’m grateful for both your friendship, and that there are kind rescuers left in this world!!!!
Jane,
Loved the Brian Reardon article. Sent it on to my ubersmart and lovely kid.
Thanks for the heads up. This is one I would have missed.
(not that I UNDERSTOOD the math, you understand)
Karen
Can I just say that I love that you don’t want socks to end their days alone? Me either! I remember when I first started doing my own laundry, I seriously thought someone was playing a trick on me. I started staying in the laundry room of my apartment building while my clothes dried so I could catch the culprit. I never did. He’s a sly one, the sock thief.
Definitely going to check out AskWaitLeap!