Things that go Thump in the Night

It must be understood that I was over-tired last night.

The Procrastinator informed me at nearly 9pm of the 100-point project due Today (of course!), so I was up until 1:40 am with late-night-homework-adventures. And you thought you'd be done with that when you yourself graduated. HA!

Couple that with the baby waking up at 2:00 am (yes, I know, that's only 20 minutes later), and a rising hour of 6:00 am. Things were, and still are, a little fuzzy.

So I'm not entirely sure what time it was when Todd rolled out of bed and shuffled down the hall. It had to be in the general 2:00 am range. It must also be understood that I sleep through almost everything, unless it's the slight whimper of my baby. Todd tells me that I can be dead-out snoring, but I come of it in an instant when the baby starts to fuss. What's more, when I come back to bed after the soothing session, I am usually right back asleep in under 5 minutes. Insomnia is NOT a problem for me.

On the other hand, Todd grew up sleeping in the suburban equivilent of a cave: a basement bedroom in the far corner of the house with a tiny window. Sheltered from most common noises, he sleeps rather lightly.

And he heard something. I vaguely remember hearing him open the dryer, and close it a few minutes later. When he came back to bed, it was: "There's something banging in the dryer." Now that he told me, yes I could hear it, too. More like a "ka-thunk", rather than a plain old thump. "And, the clothes seem really wet". Um, well, that's probably because they just barely came from the washer. It was one of the last things I did before falling into bed. "I've searched, and I can't find what it is. So it's still there."

Obviously, I wasn't moved enough to move, so the dryer continued on its merry way, while I buried myself in the blankets. Ka-thunk. Ka-thunk. Ka-thunk. I sleep through a LOT.

This morning, I was working through the laundry in hopes of avoiding the typical weekend Mount Washmore crisis. As I worked my way through the dryer, I found the culprit. Well, I found the evidence. The culprit is at school right now and will receive a refresher course on laundry protocol when she arrives back home again.

The leather belt will never be the same again. No, the belt is the evidence, not the method of reminding the culprit. After a washer & dryer experience, the leather is looking pretty hammered. I secretly suspect it wasn't entirely accidental, and a ruined belt is a crafty ploy for getting a new belt. That theory will be denied with a proper level of surprise and shock -- I can see it coming already.

We are not amused.

What kinds of unusual items have "accidently" made it through YOUR laundry?