Thing #222: Fuzzy Socks

I donated some old clothing to make way for a few new items I bought. Even though I'm mostly focusing on books, it was a good time to throw in this set of winter socks that made my feet feel gross.

Apparently I wrote about sock breathability almost a year ago. Time flies.

Thing #218: Leather Jacket

The story with this jacket (along with the aforementioned trench coat) is that my (now ex-) girlfriend's grandfather died, and nobody in the family was his size, but I was. I gratefully accepted a couple things, and the rest went to a local charity.

Several years later, I haven't really worn either of these coats, so I'm passing them along to another charity. They're nice enough that somebody ought to use them.

This is more about the practicality than it is about the circumstances under which I acquired them, but still, this whole scenario is kind of awkward, isn't it?

Thing #217: Trench Coat

I used to try to think of interesting backgrounds for these photos, but now I just put everything on the dining room floor, because that's where the best lighting is. Hardwood backgrounds for everything!

Anyway, I'm taking a break from the book theme, because the church was having a coat drive, and this was a great opportunity to unload this coat that sits in my closet and never gets worn. Somebody else will surely make better use of it!

Thing #206: Seattle Seahawks T-Shirts

I've had both of these shirts for a very long time; the team changed its colors and logo in 2002. One shirt is a little too small and the other is a little too big. Unlike the Washington t-shirt, I thought these were in good enough to condition to donate, so I waited until I was back in Seattle and did so there.

I replaced these two shirts with a single Seattle Sounders t-shirt. One fewer thing.

Finally, what a delightful coincidence that these Seattle items ended up as number 206!

Thing #198: Homer Simpson Pajama Pants

For some reason, the Salvation Army clothing drop-off box that was right by my apartment is... well, I don't know what happened to it, but it's definitely not right by my apartment, that's for sure.

I hauled this and the previous two items to a Helping Hands box, which required the use of a bicycle. Not as convenient.

Thing #197: Bart Simpson T-Shirt

The funniest thing about this shirt is that the tag is still on it.

The second funniest thing about this shirt is that I photographed it back when I had this couch that I gave away almost a year ago.

The third funniest thing about this shirt is the shirt itself.

Thing #196: Solid Colored Dress Shirts

These were used when I accepted them, I don't wear them that often, and I think I can easily live without them.

It feels a little strange to still be giving away clothing when I'm almost 200 Things in; I figured I'd have gotten most of the extras out by now. Instead, I'm finding that there's a certain inevitable regulating effect when cutting back on clothing. At any time, I'm pretty sure that I could get by on 10% less than I have, but I'm unsure whether I could reasonably get by on 30% less, or 40% less.

I'm still slowly reducing what I have, in expectation of eventually hitting some kind of practical minimum.

Thing #191: Ugly Christmas Sweater

Somebody originally bought this sincerely, I assume, but I grabbed it to wear to an Ugly Christmas Sweater party. Eventually, I was actually invited to an Ugly Christmas Sweater party -- maybe it was a "Kitschy Christmas" party -- so I wore it. And that's the only time I've ever worn it.

I don't really wear sweaters, anyway, especially in the summer. Still, I'm going to regret this if I ever convert to Hipster.

Thing #190: Assorted Neckties

Most of these were hand-me-downs that I never once wore, because I have a handful of other ties that I prefer on the rare occasions that I need one.

I think there are eleven in this photo? I kept five: black, silver, red, dark blue, light blue.

Thing #181: Washington Hoodie

Super comfortable hoodie, but it sprouted a bunch of holes in and around the cuffs. I still have a few others, so I don't mind sacrificing this one. It means I'll have to do laundry slightly more often next winter, but that's probably not a bad thing.

Thing #180: Mini Marathon Shirts

I ran the Indianapolis Mini Marathon in 2004 and 2005, and back then they gave out these cotton long-sleeve T-shirts.

These have been in my closet for quite awhile, but I just never wear them.

Thing #170: Big Pile of Jeans

I have previously waved good-bye to one pair of jeans, then two pairs of jeans. By pleasant coincidence, this photo features exactly four pairs of jeans. Powers of two!

By unpleasant coincidence, all four pairs of jeans began sprouting holes in various places that prevented regular wear. So I tossed out these four and replaced them with two new pairs. ("Consolidating jeans" is a phrase I will Google later to see whether this page has cracked the top ten results.)

I actually had to throw away a fifth pair of jeans after this photo was taken, which makes me wonder how I've managed to have this many pairs of jeans in my possession, considering you can only wear approximately one at a time. So you can see why I needed to start this project, and why I need to finish it, eventually.

Thing #169: Synthetic Running Socks

A few months ago, I switched to minimalist running shoes, which don't require socks. Since these were kind of falling apart, I just threw them away.

Thing #168: Washington T-shirt

Unlike many other t-shirts, I'm giving this one a special eulogy because I liked it so much. Sadly, it was getting too beat up to wear, so I gave it to Christine because she wanted an old t-shirt to clean the grease off her bike.

As I write this now, it occurs to me that cleaning a bicycle is the most Washington thing you could ever do with an old t-shirt. Rest in peace, old friend.

Thing #164: Bruce's Work Shirt

Continuing the Halloween theme (and the run of headline possessives), one of my laziest costumes ever was Bruce, Vending Machine Salesman. It wasn't that scary.

Check out the American Vending Sales website, and tell 'em Bruce sent you.

Thing #163: Captain's Hat

Since I already had the Captain's Jacket, I needed a hat. The fundraiser I was wearing it for happened to be right around Halloween, so I found this one at a costume store.

Thing #162: Captain's Jacket

I originally found this jacket at a thrift store in advance of a feax-swanky fundraiser. I ended up not wearing it for that, but I then I did wear it for the next year's fundraiser, which was nautically-themed. The gold stripes on the sleeves suggest a cruise ship captain, or something like that.

Thing #159: Green Halloween Makeup

Many (it seems like) years ago, I went to a Halloween party dressed as The Incredible Hulk, by which I mean I wore shorts and sandals and then covered the rest of my body with green makeup (and glow-in-the-dark lipstick, which is also shown). Apparently I didn't know how much to buy, so I ended up with three extra tubes of the stuff.

It ended up extra cold (about 30°F) that night, so walking the half mile or so to and from the party location was a chilly experience. Then, I couldn't sit down or really even touch anything, so generally I just stood around awkwardly (which is basically what I do at parties anyway).

The main thing I remember from the evening is that some lady-devil kept telling me how much she liked my costume. Needless to say, I was thrilled to finally get home and rinse everything off in a nice, hot shower.

I've been storing these since then, but I finally just threw them away. I'm unlikely to repeat that whole experience anytime soon, and I couldn't think of anything else to do with three tubes of cheap Halloween goop.

Thing #157: Starch Spray

The date code on the bottom of the can: FEB0106010. I have no idea how to parse that.

I found it way in the back of a closet shelf, living alone. I don't starch laundry anyway.

If you want to recycle an aerosol can, you have to take it somewhere other than my apartment building to do so.

I discovered that I have a high amount of patience for certain ridiculous tasks, like spraying 22 ounces of starch into a plastic bag full of paper shreddings.

Thing #149: Cotton Socks

One day, I decided that cotton socks weren't good for letting my feet breathe, so I decided to throw away all my cotton "dress" socks -- various black/brown/beige pairs -- and stick with socks made of better moisture-wicking materials.

I've had other socks in the rotation already, so essentially I'm committing to a smaller overall cache of socks. There were ten pairs in this photo, and then I've found (and tossed) two more since then. I also bought another three-pack of "good" socks to add to the rotation, but overall I'm certain that I have fewer total socks since whatever year it was this project started.

If you're interested, here's information from REI on sock materials and why your feet sweat so much: How to Choose Socks (see especially "Understanding Sock Materials" section).