Mad Skillz

Hank Bates is/was a friend of mine. We used to swim on the swim team together in college. I haven’t talked to him in oh, I don’t know, about nine years. He and his lovely wife have two little daughters now, and still live in Santa Cruz. We sometimes trade Christmas cards, unless they send Valentine’s Day cards, which they have done.

Hank Bates taught me how to fold fitted sheets. I was hanging out at the guys' Bay Street house one afternoon, and Hank was folding his laundry. When I saw Hank tuck the corners inside each other, and single-handedly arrange the sheet into a neat square, I was fascinated and made him do it again. I had never seen anyone do anything with a fitted sheet besides wad it lopsidedly into a lumpy oblong, a method Mike still favors today. In fact, the mere sight of a fitted sheet will make Mike leave the area immediately.

He showed me again, maybe even twice, and ever since that day I have also been able to fold a fitted sheet into a neat square. All by myself. (My Mom may note that she caught me trying to make my husband help me fold a sheet, but that was a very large flat sheet.)

So every time I fold my sheets, I think of Hank Bates. An all-around nice guy who is a pretty good carpenter and can also fold linens. If I had some kind of prize or award to give him for teaching me this skill, this is where I would do it. A "Lifey Award" maybe.

Before you get the wrong impression, I should tell you that Mike and I have reached a perfect agreement regarding laundry-- he does his, I do mine, and when it's sheets or towels, we both fold.

If you are feeling left out because your sheets are still in a wrinkled wad, you can watch this helpful video.