Sock-Sock-Shoe-Shoe

We were getting ready to go out a few days ago when I noticed that Tara had one sock and shoe on. Her other foot was bare. This blew my mind.

“Have you always done that?” I asked.
“Done what?” she wondered.
“Put on your socks and shoes like that.”
“Like what?”
“One foot at a time.”
“Of course. Don’t you?”

As a matter of fact, I do not. I’m a sock-sock-shoe-shoe guy, while my wife goes sock-shoe-sock-shoe. How we’ve been together for over 10 years and I just now noticed this is bizarre. Man…you think you know a person.

This also brings up all kinds of questions. Is she an oddball for putting her shoes on that way? Am I?! Logic says no. If the house catches on fire while we’re putting our shoes on, she’s going to scramble out the door half-barefoot with one shoe on. That can’t be comfortable. What if there’s snow on the ground? Or it’s raining? What if a thumbtack truck overturned and spilled its cargo across our driveway? At least my feet will be better protected because I’ll have two socks on.

It wasn’t until later that I learned this is an ongoing debate. There was even a famous sock-shoe-sock-shoe scene in All in the Family.

So, now I’m curious!

Last week, my supervisor called me out on something. I’d drafted an all-company email that began, Everybody should have received a link.

“You always do that,” she said.
“Do what?” I asked, fearing the start of another sock-sock-shoe-shoe debate.
“You tend to use the word everybody, while I prefer everyone.”

Huh. Can’t say I’d even noticed that before. Naturally, it led to a spirited debate over grammar. Because that’s what word nerds do.

The thing is, we’re both right. Everybody and everyone are completely interchangeable. It’s nothing more than a style preference. And a subconscious one at that. Or at least it was, because you can bet your ass I’ll be thinking twice about which word to use every single time the option comes up now for the rest of my life.

*#$%@!

And they say bricklaying is a tough job…

Yesterday, the temperature climbed above freezing for the first time in six days. We celebrated by hiking through the snow to a frozen waterfall.

Which, okay, seems counterintuitive. But it was beautiful, so who cares?

After last week’s subzero temps, they’re forecasting 69º on Tuesday. Everybody Everyone People are going to be walking around in shorts, mark my words! And, of course—because of our perpetual rollercoaster—it’s supposed to snow on Friday.

If we have to shovel, I’ll be doing the whole sock-sock-boot-boot thing.

61 thoughts on “Sock-Sock-Shoe-Shoe”

  2. I seriously had to stop and think about how I put my socks and shoes on. That’s way too much to comprehend in a lazy Sunday morning. I may now need a nap to recover.

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      1. Yes, sock sock shoe shoe. Specifically….right sock, left sock, right shoe, left shoe. Now I am seriously considering my little bit of OCD regarding this. Ha!

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  3. “Mark my words” should be the name of your blog.
    I would think a writer/editor would prefer everyone simply because it takes up less space on the page.
    It’s really difficult when you find out something devastating about your spouse that really ought to have been laid out there on the first date. If only you had known in advance, you would’ve had more time to weigh your decision about her. Now you’re basically stuck. This is how I felt when my husband demonstrated he could country line dance. He assured me afterward, while wiping away my tears, that he was only making it up on the fly, that he didn’t REALLY know how to line dance. It was a close call, but our marriage survived. We’re only the stronger now for having gotten through that rough patch.

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    1. Umm, my blog name was Mark My Words for years, ha. I think I still own the markmywords.blog domain. 🙂

      Country line dancing? In a Pearl Jam household?! It’s amazing you guys are still together, and not only that, have a bond strong enough that has allowed you to write parenting books based on the kids you have together. Will wonders never cease!

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      1. When I hit send, I thought, “Wait…” I knew it was familiar. Oh well.

        It took ten years (that was a pun) to get him to like PJ. I guess our marriage is made of strong stuff. (wish that could’ve been a pun too.)

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  5. Sock-sock-shoe-shoe and like Kerri it is almost 100% right-left-right-left. Being right hand dominant my right side always gets preferential treatment. Everyone sounds more professional to me, at least in a work setting, but then again perhaps I’m a work snob now that I no longer work.

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  7. I get a headache when I read these posts… 😛

    I mean… first of all, Tara is obviously unique and interesting for choosing to be different from the masses. From now on I will put my sock and shoe on one foot and then repeat the other…as long as I don’t forget that the sock comes first.

    Ha.

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    1. Yes, she is unique. I don’t think it’s a conscious choice, though. Just like mine wasn’t! But she will appreciate your solidarity, I’m sure.

      Do I need to add a “take Excedrin before reading” disclaimer to my posts…?

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  10. What a fascinating premise for a blog. The funny thing about the sock-sock-shoe-shoe thing is that every once in a while I’ll try to put a sock-shoe on my two -year old because I have the one foot captured and it seems like a small tactical advantage to finish before moving on. And he protests because he wants a sock-sock. He’s two years old?! Does this mean it’s innate? Or just that I usually do sock-sock-shoe-shoe when I put on his footwear so it feels different? Now I’m going to have to devise a test! 🙂

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  11. Sock, sock, shoe, shoe, starting on the right. Your wife is an odd bird. But she married you do we already knew that. 😉
    Lovely ice fall. You can’t really call it water when it’s frozen now can you?

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  12. Wow. I seriously did not know this was a thing. Prior to reading your post I assumed everyone/everybody was sock-sock-shoe-shoe. Just shows we all live in our own little worlds, don’t we? The husband and I have a different argument. It once came up that I close my eyes while being worked on at the dentist. Doesn’t everybody/everyone? No, it turns out. He keeps his open for the most part. Same with the massage therapist – he’s eyes open, I’m eyes shut. Weird.

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  14. EveryONE (see what I did there) who is Asian American or lives in places with mudrooms does both socks first, because the shoes are outside or in a special room/ foyer/ whatever. Or almost everyone. How did Tara develop her sock-shoe method?

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  17. it’s so funny that you brought up this topic. A few years ago I saw a meme asking this same question and it summarized with: what kind of sociopath would ever do sock, shoe, sock, shoe. (Sorry Tara!)

    So every time I put on my sneakers, I always think ‘who in the world would do it the incorrect way’. (kind of like you and the fact that you’ll always ponder the everyone/everybody thing)

    I had a good chuckle at Archie and Meathead. Goodness, that was a great way to start my morning.

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  18. This is awesome! The funny thing, I do what Tara does and so does my husband and one of my sons! The other two kids do sock sock shoe shoe. I had never thought about it until I read this and find it so weird that three in our family are oddballs. Here’s one for you – I can’t remember the order my dad did the socks and shoes, but he always put on his pants after the socks and shoes, now that’s really weird!

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    1. You’re actually the second person to mention somebody putting on their socks and shoes BEFORE their pants. I don’t know what to think about that, other than, how do they get their pant legs on over their shoes??

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  20. Huh. Never come across sock shoe, sock shoe in anyone. I’m the same as you, as is Himself. However, he has pointed out that he has an order on which foot first, which he follows WITHOUT FAIL, as he believes he will fall down otherwise 😀 I’ve never had an order before, but since knee surgery I have noticed a change (and I don’t like it). As Himself comments often, I like my freewheeling hippy ways, and foot dressing order does not fit.

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