Ever since an “All in the Family” episode back in the late sixties, I’ve put on my left sock, then my left shoe, then my right sock… you can probably figure out the rest.
This was inspired by an argument between Archie and his son-in-law: Meathead put on both his socks first, while Archie socked-and-shod one foot at a time. Bunker’s point: If a fire broke out, Michael would have to run out in only his socks, but Archie could hop on one foot.
It just plain made sense. And here I am doing it 30 years later – every once in a while, I catch myself and chuckle.
How about you? Sock-sock? Or sock-shoe? And, which foot do you start with? And, are you right- or left-handed? (Just wondering whether that has any correlation with your answers.)
I always start with my right foot, but to be honest I don’t have a preference on socks-first or sock-shoe-sock-shoe. I’ll just decide right then which way to do it.
Which is odd because I have many other habits that ARE fairly regimented.
If the fire’s going to get to you so quickly you don’t have time to put your shoes on, I’d say you had bigger problems.
My socks go on when I put the rest of my clothes on. Putting on shoes is the last thing I do before going out the door. But then you might want to take into account the fact I’d live my whole life barefoot if I could get away with it.
You’d say that, and you’d be right. But, maybe I don’t have time to put my shoes on AND grab my photos, and my souvenirs, and my sock monkey, and my Hedda Gets Bedda, and my Flexible Flyer sled collection, and my… hmm, somehow I’m seeing Steve Martin in “The Jerk”.
Boy, does this ring a bell! As all Dopers probably know, AITF was stolen from a British sit-com Till Death Us Do Part (and, I think, was slightly better). In the Brit version, the roles were reversed, and the son-in-law got the punchline, possibly because the actor had more ‘edge’ than Rob Reiner (Meathead), and could trump his elder with appropriate glee.
Anyway, I often think of the scene when I dress. I still put on socks, then shoes, but wonder about the practicality. Of course, such wondering already has disqualified me from being practical, so I try to at least free myself from habit somehow, and vary the order. Sometimes right sock first, sometimes left. Ditto for shoes, and not necessarily in the same order as the socks. Life is full of challenges.
(There is a serious side to this. I dabble in partner dance, where many actions are asymmetrical, which can really cause an imbalance in muscle tone, and hamper coordination. Therefore, I try to reverse many habits, such as which sleeve of a shirt I put on or take off first. Try it – I found it incredibly difficult at first.)
I do socks first, then pants, then shoes. I don’t think I have a preference between left first or right first.
My husband, on the ther hand, does sock, shoe, sock, shoe, then pants.
I think he’s nuts.
Both socks, then both shoes. I think I do right before left, but, frankly, at 5:30AM, I’m lucky not to have mismatched clothing on, much less remember in what order I donned everything. And at this moment, I’m barefoot, so it doesn’t matter, does it??
While those of you who sock-shoe, sock-shoe are hopping around in circles and falling over, I’ll be dashing out of the house in my socks to my car, where I keep my workboots.
I don’t keep my shoes in my bedroom, so i put on all my clothes, then get the shoes. Besides, my shoes are by the front door, so I can just grab them on the way out!
Wow, now that’s strange. He must have small feet or baggy pants? There’s a Far Side comic of a fellow in his bedroom, with a sign on the wall saying “pants first, then shoes”.
-Another
