Socks

When I hang out my washing and I get to socks, I hang them using one peg per pair. I never used to do this. Mum used to hang the wash out most of the time while I was a kid and I didn't take notice of her technique. When I would help her I would just hang up any sock in any order with a peg each cause what difference did it make to me - I had a tree house to go play in!

I was on a surf trip in 2005 after finishing high school with some friends; Dane, Marly, and Pani. Pani's real name is Rama Paul, but his mum started calling him Suparna, which was shortened to Pani, and is now the only name anyone calls him. It wasn't 'till we got school ID cards that anyone found out that Suparna has nothing to do with his birth name, we laughed in confusion about it in the school bus stop.

Dane used to live in the area we were hunting waves, one surf an old friend of his, Gay Powers, paddled out. Later we learnt his real name was Kain, and hated being called Gay Powers. I forget the exact details, so I'll just tell my own version of how the name came about, I guess that's how the truth gets distorted over time in the form of rumors and Chinese whispers.. All his friends were gathered at one of their houses, and it was a big joke that Kain was gay and they usually ripped on him more than anyone else. There was something homo-erotic on TV and it was turned off while everyone went to another room, when they came back into the lounge room, the TV was back on with the same program on. When someone asked 'How'd the TV turn back on?', someone replied 'Kain used his Gay Powers!' and it became his name.

Pani and I ended up staying with Gay Powers and his Family for a week after Dane and Marly left. One day we were hanging out a load of washing as thanks for letting us stay, and Pani hung two socks out using a peg each, and Gay Powers said something like "Er, you idiot!.. Just hang the pair with one peg, like this.." and showed him how. Each time I pick a sock up to hang it out I think of that and I hang the pair just how he did that day.