I spent my junior high and high school days obsessed with the world of BMX. I read all the magazines, watched all the videos, owned all the best parts, and immersed myself in that world as much as I could. My friends and I were more concerned with learning a new trick than we ever were with girls, school, traditional sports, or video games.

We used to spend hours at an abandoned lot about a mile away from my house. We would dig and dig and dig trying to build up trails that were fun to ride and would bring in some of the local pros.

It was during these years that I developed my largest pet peeve – dirt in my shoes. I hate it. I hate the feel of it, the way it slightly threw off my balance, the time it took to empty them out. I know it’s a minor thing, but it drove me crazy like nothing else could.

As I’ve gotten older, that dirt pet peeve has developed into an overall foot comfort fixation. I hate uncomfortable shoes, droopy socks, or bogus leather.

I know that buying a great pair of socks may not seem to be too far up most men’s ladder of priorities. But once you know what it’s like to wear an awful pair and a great pair, you’ll never be able to settle for the Wal Mart special you acclimated to as a teenager. You’ll need to start wearing something better.

That’s wear Soxiety comes in. Believe it or not, nice socks can cost more than most men are comfortable paying for a T-shirt. Soxiety, on the other hand, has developed a program through which you can buy over-the-calf socks, with your choice of loud or conservative styling, and still start them around $10 a pair.

They source their material and make the socks in northern Italy. They give customers the options between fabrics like cashmere, wool, and cotton. They also make ankle, knee, and mid-calf pairs. Depending on what you select, you can choose between a one-size-fits all approach or something closer to your actual feet.

I’ve had a few of these for the last couple of months and they’ve quickly become my favorite. Rather than having to compromise with one-size-fits-all options, or hope I get lucky at Target and find a pattern I like, or worry about a pair that isn’t tall enough to stay up throughout the day – these have done everything I need them to.

The order process is simple and so is the product. After all, they are socks. It’s not like anyone expects these things to change the world. Instead they become one fewer annoyance to distract you throughout the day. Even if you do choose a loud enough pattern to distract everyone else.