WHERE GOES THE SOCK? * LOTS HAPPENING * COFFEE SONG REQUESTS * Bill's Coffeeshop Newsletter * Vol. 12 * Jan. 7, 2011

LOTS HAPPENING

AT UPTOWN BILL'S

Here's a look at some of the upcoming events at the Coffee House:

Thursday, Jan. 13

Art & Music Night. A little music, a little art and some great conversation. 6 to 8 pm.

Friday, Jan. 14

Open Mic. Share a poem, read a story, sing a song. 7 to 9 pm. 

Saturday, Jan. 15

Saturday Night Music. Andrew Epstein and Friends. 7 to 9 pm

Thursday, Jan. 20

Art & Music Night. Art, music and conversation. 6 to 8 pm.

Friday, Jan. 21. Open Mic. 7 pm. Almost Circle plays at 9 pm.

Saturday, Jan. 22

Saturday Night Music. The Beggarmen. 7 to 9 pm. 

Check the Uptown Bill's page on Facebook and our website (www.uptownbills.org) for more details on these and other events. 

WHERE GOES THE SOCK

LOST IN THE WASH?

LET'S discuss socks, the missing ones, the ones you put into the wash that don't come out. Right now I'm looking at the results of doing laundry and the sock count isn't good. I put eight pairs of socks into the wash. When all was done, I ended up with five pairs and three single socks.

This isn't the first time this has happened. Nor am I the only one this has happened to. But I do wonder where all of those socks go. Perhaps you have an answer.

I do have an answer for one sock on one occasion. But that was 25 years ago. 

We had a Maytag washer back then. It had never broken down, despite three children and daily use for more than 10 years.

One day, though, it stopped during the rinse cycle. And nothing could get it to start again. We had to call for a Maytag repair person. He came and seemed delighted to meet us and our machine. This fit with our image of Maytag which was running ads at the time saying their repair people were lonely and bored because the company's washing machines never broke down. 

And there wasn't anything wrong with our machine either. It was a sock which had tried to sneak out the drain hose and escape. But it got caught along the way and the washer stopped. Remove sock and presto -- washing machine was working again. 

But that's the only time I have an explanation for a missing sock. So I'm turning to you Newsletter readers to hear your ideas. Perhaps together we can figure out where those socks go. Is there a giant pile of them at some remote location? Are they stuffed inside those mounds of tires one sees along highways? Are they being sucked up and transported to another planet? 

Your explanations, whether serious or whimsical, real or imagined. Write and let me (and others) know about socks.

*     *     *     *     *

Another question about laundry: Where did lint go before dryers? Some days, as you know, there are giant balls of lint in the dryer. Back in the day, when people hung out their clothes to dry, what happened to this lint? There seems to be enough of it that if it was blowing around the neighborhood from a few dozen homes, it might have caused air pollution. Were there "lint alert" days when you weren't supposed to go outside because of all the lint in the air? Just wondering. Again, your thoughts are welcome.

*     *     *     *     *

We had a washer, that Maytag, years before we had a dryer. Yes, most of the time we did hang out our clothes to dry. In the winter, it was a kind of freeze drying. One day, before we had children of our own, some of the neighbor children had come over to play in the backyard. They were playing some version of "house." Then one of them got a bright idea: "Let's play poor," she said. "We'll hang our clothes on the line like they do." Oh my.

*     *     *     *     *

Meanwhile, over at the Quad Cities Times (Davenport, Illinois), columnist Bill Wundram is wondering about the single shoes you see here and there on the railroad tracks, back yard or roadside. Why is there only one shoe? Why don't you ever see two?

One explanation is easy. Your younger brother was holding one of your shoes out the window of the car -- and then let it go. He may have gotten in big trouble, but you no longer had two shoes. One ended up on the roadside, but could not be found when you went back to look for it. 

But that's not the only story, I'm sure. Perhaps you have some ideas about this pressing question, too. Send me your thoughts and I'll pass them along to him.  

Yes, I've asked him to ask Times readers about missing socks. Two people, two states, two problems. Who knows what we could come up with all of us working together.

IT'S TIME TO SUBMIT

SONGS ABOUT COFFEE

Once a year or so, this Newsletter asks readers for songs about coffee. It's

that time again. Here are a few to get you started:

Good Morning Coffee, Smell of Coffee - Greg Brown 

Coffee Stain - Sarah Harmer

One Cup of Coffee - Bob Marley

Black Coffee - Peggy Lee

John Gorka - St. Caffeine 

Cafe Junkie - Shannon Beck

Now it's your turn to send along songs about coffee. To submit, just click reply 

and start writing. Or write to: tomgilsenan@gmail.com .  (Note to tea

drinkers: you're welcome to submit songs about tea, too.)

HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT

SACKTER HOUSE MEDIA?

One of the enterprises at Uptown Bill's is dedicated to spreading the word about books written by individuals with disabilities. You can find out more about Sackter House Media -- and order a book or two -- at this website: www.sackterhousemedia.org.

BEGINNING A

NEW YEAR

With this issue, the Coffeeshop Newsletter begins its 12th year. 

___________________________________

Bill's Coffeeshop Newsletter is a virtual extension of Wild Bill's Coffeeshop and Uptown Bill's Coffee House. Published since 2000, the Newsletter is written by Tom Gilsenan, a former manager of Wild Bill's and now director of Uptown Bill's. You can write to him at tomgilsenan@gmail.com

Wild Bill's Coffeeshop is a project of the School of Social Work at the University of Iowa. It has been a part of campus life in Iowa City for more than 35 years. Located in North Hall, the coffeeshop is open weekdays from 8 am. For more information, check the Friends of Bill's Coffeeshop page on Facebook. You can call the coffeeshop at (319) 335-1281. Donations to support the work of the coffeeshop may be sent to: Bill's Coffeeshop Fund, University of Iowa Foundation, P.O. Box 4550, Iowa City, IA 52244. Contributions are tax deductible.

Uptown Bill's is the crosstown cousin of Wild Bill's. Now in it 10th year, it includes a bookstore, performance venue and other businesses in addition to a coffeeshop. Located at 730 S. Dubuque, Uptown Bill's is open every day from 8 am. For more information, check the Uptown Bill's page on Facebook. You can call Uptown Bill's at (319) 339-0401. Donations to support the work of Uptown Bill's may be sent to: Extend the Dream Foundation, Uptown Bill's, 730 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City, IA 52240. Contributions are tax deductible.