Ladies' socks

I am really particular about the socks I wear. I also really hate it when I have a pair of socks that I like and then can't find the mate. The solution to this is obviously to find a pair of socks I like and then buy a whole bunch, so even if the dryer eats one, there are still enough to make a pair. I have a couple pair of Smartwool cycling socks that I would have gladly purchased more of, but they were discontinued. My wife bought me three pair of the socks they replaced them with, but these are too thick for rides over an hour, as my feet tend to swell on longer rides, and thick socks + swelling = numb feet.

I recently purchased three pair of Fat Cyclist socks, hoping that these would be the solution, and I could just stock up and always wear these same socks. Sadly, for some reason the seam in the toe hits me in a spot I don't find comfortable, so I won't be loading up on these socks, either.

The other day, my wife came home from Target and mentioned that she had bought my daughter some nice socks made of a wicking material, and they were rather inexpensive. Thinking it may be worth a shot at least for some cheap socks to wear on lunch rides, last night we went to Target and checked out the socks in the men's department. Unfortunately, they were all too thick.

Then on the way out the door, we passed the women's department, and bingo! Did you know that they make socks especially for women with large feet? And that these socks are just the right size for men with small to medium feet (say a size 42 cycling shoe)? And that they only cost $4.00 for a three-pack? (If you have really small feet, you can get the regular women's size socks for $3.00 a three-pack--apparently you have to pay a premium if you're a woman with large feet.) And that they're made out of the same soft, breathable material as socks that would cost $10.00 per pair at REI or a bike shop? I had no idea about any of this, but I assure you it's true. The only downside? In addition to the fat-foot premium, the larger women's size socks only come in white. But at $1.33 per pair or 66.5¢ per sock, I didn't care.

I bought a three-pack, just to try out, and wore them on my ride this morning. I will be going back for two more three-packs forthwith. I am embracing the white and find they actually contrast nicely with my black cycling shoes. Even if they do look funny and I'm not noticing it, I don't care. 66.5¢ per sock means I could feed one to the dryer every week and it would still cost less than a 44 ounce diet coke, which I am trying to eliminate from my diet anyway.

Now, what do I do with the two unopened pair of fat cyclist socks that I have? I think the only solution is to give them away. The next two people to donate at least $50 to the Huntsman Cancer Foundation (click on the pink jersey at upper right for a link to my fundraising page) will each get a pair of brand-new, never-used fat cyclist socks. You know you wanted to donate anyway, so here's your chance.

And since I'm feeling generous, I'll offer another giveaway: anyone who donates $200 or more gets a lovely, four-course dinner party for four catered in your home (or ours if you prefer) or the location of your choice, so long as that location is somewhere between Boise and the Wasatch Front. If you're not aware already, my wife is a fantastic cook. I am not at all exaggerating when I say she could go on Top Chef and make it to the finals, so giving 200 tax-deductible dollars to a very worthy cause in exchange for a gourmet dinner for four is a fantastic offer.*

In other news, I finished the steel cut oats on Wednesday. Yesterday I had regular, old-fashioned oats with blueberries for breakfast. It was so much better. Didn't have a regular breakfast this morning because I was riding, but I'm looking forward to more regular oatmeal in my future and never touching steel cut oats again.

Finally, this is not even what I intended to write about today, so I may post again, or I may save it for tomorrow and go riding instead. Blogging or riding twice in the same day: one of the myriad benefits of not working.

* I'm not going to fool myself that I'm going to be overwhelmed with donations--I simply don't have that many readers--but I do reserve the right to cap the number of dinners we are on the hook for.