These are not the ...

It's always sad day when you grab a faithful pair of socks from the draw, pull apart the opening to start putting your foot inside and hear that horrible cracking sound.  It's like fingers on a blackboard to a sock aficionado, and it can only mean one thing - the elastic has given up the ghost.

I'm especially saddened by my latest casualty.  It's my longest serving pair of Las Vegas casino socks.

Say it with me:  "Hard. Rock. Socks".

I can't put a precise date on how long I've had these, but it's at least five years.  Possibly closer to ten.  They were the ones that started my casino sock collection, and I've been trying to replace them for several years to no avail.

Believe it or not, the World's Largest Hard Rock retail store doesn't sell a pair of logo socks any more.

I can't bring myself to throw them away yet.  I'm not sure whether to let them go out with a bang and put up with them slipping down when I wear them for one last outing, or simply to have them preserved.

Would that be called "soxidermy"?

In other age-related sock death news, I think these fantastic Mirage socks with reversible cuff only have one more wear left in them too.

They're also irreplacable.  I've checked at every available opportunity the past few years.  The Mirage does still sell socks, but only Siegfried and Roy branded children's socks.

But these ones are threadbare in several places and I need to let them go with at least a little dignity.