Like Cathy Said

ACK.

Sixteen days before we say So Long, Stinktown to Philadelphia, and godDAMN I have a serious case of the stupids. Remember that book The Stupids Die? Well, check it out if you don't. Kid's section. I think about that book ALL THE TIME.

Today was one of those days that was like getting kicked in the teeth, and then sent to Cirque du Soleil, and then getting kicked in the teeth again, and then back to the circus. In other words, probably a typical day spent parenting an almost-four-year-old, which by the way how the hell did that happen, and you can probably fill in the details of that yourself. And also I went to Target. For garbage bags and yoga pants. The latter because I had an unfortunate sitting-on-armrest ripping-giant-hole-in-assal-region moment on the LIRR a while back, and they were some good yoga pants. I went to H&M the other day because there is NOT one in Nashville, and you can't order it online, and I needed my fix of their consistently fantastic t-shirts and tanks, the ones that are 5% spandex and can accomodate both my lowest weight and the third trimester of pregnancy and still look awesome. Also they're maybe $8 each.

So there was that. The packing? Nah. Not time yet. In laundering all my H&M booty I also ran a couple loads of towels and dishtowels and oh my GOD it was a sad sight. Our stuff ranges from dingy grayed yellowed white to bleached-out aqua to pink-because-washed-with-red-item. One or two olive green things that are mostly orange splotches from bleach.

Truly pathetic. Truly. I am going to willingly forfeit a small chunk of savings to buy some new towels and dishrags when we get there. What I want to know is this: why do my towels look like they came directly out of a lint trap after ONLY nine years, and yet my dad's towels, which used to belong to my grandmother and are certainly from the 1960s, look dated but basically okay? Has towel craftsmanship gone so downhill? Or am I doing something really wrong?

Comments

[Amy]

My towels look like crap too. I blame my stupid high efficiency washer that uses a lot less water to get my clothes a lot less clean. But I'm hoping other people have some good tips here too.

[Your lurking seester/Silly B]

Because dad does not USE and/or WASH those towels. Last time I was there, they still smelled like By-go's house. And she's been dead for almost twenty years, so...
But dude, I KNOW what you are talking about with the towels. Mine look like crap too. I think we inherited the propensity for having clothes and linens that look like we haven't taken care of them no matter what we do from mom. Be glad you didn't get the disgusting purse gene from her too. I got that. The bottom of my purse has wintergreen gum= covered pennies, hair, and loose tobacco in it.

[Lilian]

Any chance you'll be going to the Please Touch Museum in the next 16 days to say goodbye to the place? If you are, could you please let us know and we'll drive there to say goodbye to you? -- if that's OK with you, obviously... I'll email you my cell number so you can call on short notice...

[Summer]

I'm flying up to DC for a visit at the end of the month, and you've just reminded me of an item to add to my itinerary: H&M. There isn't a single H&M in the entire STATE of Florida, which makes no sense, considering they sell the world's best tank tops. Florida NEEDS your tank tops, H&M! I currently own four, and I want more.

I don't understand towels either. I've been line-drying everything like a good little ecogirl, and some of my towels will line-dry to a reasonable fluffy softness, while others mimic the stiffness and texture of pine bark. Same brand, same color, even. Why?

[Olivia]

My towels are holding up okay, but my washclothes are falling apart. They are rough and pilling, too. They seem to be much more cheaply made even though they came as a set with the towels.

[Jo]

SillyB, I'm gonna need to stick my head in your purse and SNIFF. For nostalgia.

I think I am just going to get all white everything and bleach the ever-loving shit out of it, every time. Well, no, I won't really. But I'll imagine it.

[JK]

I have the SAME problem with my towels and washcloths... My Mom's towels and washcloths (40+ years) are great looking. Mine are AWFUL. I think it is craftsmanship..... Either that, or we're just filthy.

[andrea]

I just bought a copy for my six year old of The Stupids Step Out from the used bookstore. I thought long and hard about the political incorrectness of it all, and then threw caution to the wind and bought the thing. It is damned funny! Andy my little boy thinks so too.

[Your lurking seester/Silly B]

Dude, srsly. It smells JUST like mom's purse. I just wish I had a giant metal ring for my key chain to complete the effect.
I was gonna say that I have the filthy car gene from mom too, but I haven't spilled diet coke all over the floorboards and pedals nearly enough times to consititute the necessary level of nastiness.

[Emily]

I've had some of my grandma's towels, that have to be 50 years old, for 10 or 15 years they look about the same as the towels I bought less than 10 years ago. So I don't know if I destroyed all of them or new towels have a fifth the lifespan of old towels.

[Katia / Crazy for trying]

I'm totally heading over to H&M now 'cause those are the kinds of t-shirts I need!

[Marie]

Old towels are definitely made of sterner stuff than new ones.

[Anne]

Try washing colored towels with some vinegar in the water--according to my mother, it helps to retain the color. Also, if you have a "delicate" setting, that would probably help too.

Not that I ever DO any of these things, mind you. Too much trouble. Plus, I kind of like updating my towels every ten years, y'know?