Pink boxer shorts (CT Absent minded)

One of the inevitable consequences of doing someone else's washing is that sooner or later you will ruin something.

Although so far in my life I seem to have escaped that particular bit of karma, today it has nabbed me in the form of pink boxer shorts. Now you may think that pink boxer shorts as such are nothing unusual, unless of course in their previous incarnation they happened to be crispy white. The owner of afore mentioned shorts, although metro-sexual in many ways draws the line at pink underwear, mainly (to be honest) in fear of what unintentional signals this would project in the gym locker room. So, no matter how many different ways I tried to present the case of pink boxer shorts now being the height of fashion, I absentmindedly used the word "cute" and thereby sealed their fate of a certain recycling afterlife. (PS: never use words appropriate for a litter of puppies when describing male undergarments.)

This particular faux-pas of inappropriate use of the word "cute" is not however the absent-mindedness in question. Lets rewind to when the boxers first went into the washing machine, what character trait would sum up the moment my hand reached out for a pair of my flaming red undies to be added to the pile of beautiful white boxer shorts. Revengeful? Menacing? Although I have on occasion considered such tactics to re-establish certain power balances, this case was really just a case of not paying attention. No desperate housewife tactic, just pure and simple absentmindedness.

So If I was being absentminded towards the washing (part the boxer shorts) who at the exact same time was being present and attentive towards the washing. This is one of the most common forms of blocked thinking I experience in such a situation ...well, lets see, there was me, the washing machine, the washing...... but there was no one else in the room. This is when I then take a breath, close my eyes and pretend the scene is part of a thrilling movie shot by the same directors as the matrix (yes, at this point you are pardoned for thinking I am delusional, but bare with me). I am crouched in front of the washer, I am picking up boxer shorts and carefully placing them in the machine ..... the camera freezes the scene and pivots around 360degrees showing me every angle, every viewpoint and beyond (domestic chores have never been this thrilling before:) Lets, see: ok, so I was being attentive by placing them in the machine carefully and washing them in the first place, the machine was being present and attentive by gently lathering them on the delicate cycle ... still a little to vague. So I ask myself again: who was being attentive and present towards the boxer shorts at the time I was being absentminded towards them? The only sense I could make of it was that the owner of the shorts had something to do with it? the first name to pop into my head was his name, but I dismissed it as he was deeply focused on killing orks and slashing virtual demons at that exact moment in time.

My inquisitiveness just wouldn't let me go and I decided that even ork killing thirty-something children need a break from the toils of virtual battle and  headed upstairs armed with tea and cookies ( I know I shouldn't moan about it and then encourage it by playing housemaid, but anyway ... lets stay focused). 

me:"Honey, about half an hour ago... what were you doing?" 

him:" OH, I was ...(killing demons, in an instance, grinding with my alt .... or insert another phrase of the online gaming techno babble of your choosing)..it was great!!!!" 

me again:" That's lovely dear ( a dash of sarcasm here), can you remember if you were thinking about anything else at that time?"  pointless question, we already know men's capacity for thinking of more than one thing at a time(*grin)

him: "Yeah, I was thinking that I was getting hungry." staring at cookie - no surprise there.

me: "Did you at any stage think about the laundry, perhaps your underwear?"

him:" Funny you should say that, I have been thinking about my boxers on and off all day. Because I was too lazy to do any washing while you were away I am all out of clean ones and I really desperately needed you to do the washing today. Are they done?"

me: (now definitely with my desperate housewife gene switched on)

"Oh yes, they are done ... all clean and ironed, neatly folded in your cupboard all ready for tomorrow morning?" 

Note to self:

I think I might just wait with that recycling of pink boxers, especially as tomorrow is a gym day:):):)

Happy collapsing:)

Hmm, let me see column 9 what are the benefits of being absent-minded???