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Once more, from the top, the Friday Five:

1. What size shoe do you wear? The ones I’m wearing right now are 13 wide. And very comfortable.

2. How many pairs of shoes do you own? Um, four. Brown and black Deer Stags, an old pair of sneakers, and a new pair of sneakers I haven’t had reason or opportunity to wear yet.

3. What type of shoe do you prefer (boots, sneakers, pumps, etc.)? A year ago, I would have said sneakers because that’s pretty much all I wore. Then I changed jobs and needed to dress a little better (even if I do spend 98% of my time just sitting in my office). Now I really only get to wear my sneakers in the evening and on weekends. And I wear really comfortable shoes the rest of the time.

4. Describe your favorite pair of shoes. Why are they your favorite? The brown shoes I have on right now. Sure, they still squeak when I go up and down the hallyway, no matter what I do, but…have I mentioned that they’re very comfortable?

5. What’s the most you’ve spent on one pair of shoes? Actually, I didn’t buy any of the shoes I own right now. They were forced upon me by my parents. “Oh, you’re home? Let’s go shopping for shoes.” I feel guilty when they buy me things (especially since, unlike a car, I can afford to buy shoes), but they insisted. And I could only find Deer Stags in childrens’ sizes here in State College.

All this talk of autumn and search for changing leaves sent back to my archives and a little over a year ago when I wrote a short poem about all of this. It hasn’t been that cold yet this year, but we’ve definitely put summer behind us. For whatever reason, perhaps inspired by Margaret or perhaps just looking for an excuse to use a microphone that usually just sits there gathering dust, I recorded my poem. I don’t know yet if that was a good idea, but if for some reason you’re desperate to know what I sound like (and don’t already), now is your chance.

Some photographs for my friend Sharon, who wishes to experience autumn vicariously through others. It’s been surprisingly difficult to find trees whose leaves are changing, and I can only promise that other places will be visited and more photographs will follow. There’s also this one, which I happen to like quite a bit, and which I’ve just submitted to the Mirror Project. Brownie points to anyone who recognizes the painting.

And, would you look at at that? It was just accepted by the Mirror Project. Thanks, Heather!

Of course, there I give away what I’m reflected in.

I dreamt last night that I had an infant son who either was, or was mistaken for, a large ball of yarn. It doesn’t make much sense, or sound particularly interesting, I know, but…

I’m not exactly sure why I’m even sharing it, except that every now and then one has a dream that one feels the need to remember, even as the details of it fade and fall away — perhaps because the details of it are fading away. Last night’s was that kind of dream. It’s strange how much it unsettled me this morning; I awoke with a genuine sense of loss for a son that wasn’t real and that I will never have. Even now, two hours later, it has stuck with me, and I’m writing about it even though I am at a loss to understand or explain it.

Dreams are very, very odd.

Too many things to do, too little incentive to do them. Do I:

  • revise my boss’ CV, parts of which haven’t been substantially updated since 1999, and which I may not have all the necessary information to properly update now?
  • finish drafting a biographical sketch of my boss for his upcoming performance review, even though I may not have enough information to substantially alter that either?
  • fill out close to seventy-five US Mail customs forms so that I can prepare over one hundred books for shipping, no small feat when they all need to be put in separate envelopes going to different addresses, I have only two hands, and it’s raining?
  • finish scanning the program manual that will not scan and whose equation-filled tables I have been slowly recreating piece by piece, going half-blind, half-mad in the process?
  • sign up for any number of professional development programs, including “Telephone Skills that Will ‘WOW’ Your Customers” and “What a Team, You and Your Supervisor”, just because I received a flyer and because it will get me out of the office?
  • go to Kinko’s to pick up the copies that will be mailed with the books?
  • bitch and moan about the work I have to do, how none of its particularly difficult, but how it all piles up and gets on my nerves?

I think it’s pretty obvious which one I chose. The books are going to have to wait. I don’t want to do this in the rain, and the customs forms are going to take quite some time to fill out. I know I said it feels like Thursday, but doesn’t the universe know it’s Friday? Why do I have all this work now?