4:38 PM:

In the meantime... so I was riding the subway last night, and it occurred to me that I hadn't written any spontaneous light verse in ages and ages. That is, yes, I've written bits of doggerel here and there, but only with some purpose in mind, for a poetry reading, or a class, or some other reason. Back in high school, I used to write bits of verse all the time, just because I felt like it. Granted, most of it was bad verse, but still.

So I decided to give it a whirl, writing about a subject that's been on my mind a bit lately. Somewhere in the middle of the second stanza, I realized that I was actually writing a song, so I went with that. I think it's country/western, but I could be wrong. Here goes:

My sneakers are dead.
It's sad, but it's true.
They're dirty and scuffed
And the soles are worn through.
They can't be repaired,
So it's just as I've said:
It's sad, but it's true that
My sneakers are dead.

My sneakers are dead.
After only three years;
My socks can be seen
Through the rips and the tears.
They can't be repaired,
So it's just as I've said:
After only three years,
My sneakers are dead.

I used to think
They would last me forever,
But the laces won't lace,
And there's more holes than leather.
They're weathered by wear,
And worn by bad weather;
I think it's my sweat
That holds them together...

My sneakers are dead
A new pair's a must;
The whole darn right heel
Has been ground into dust
They can't be repaired,
So it's just as I've said:
A new pair's a must, 'cause
My sneakers are dead.

Ohhhhkaaaay. Let me sum up:

I didn't make it to a siyum, I took my nutrition midterm while exhausted and fasting, and life goes on. The brother who's helped me clean my place for Passover for the past few years (not the one who came by the preceding couple of weeks) came by in the eleventh hour on Thursday night, and we managed to finish the apartment by about 5:00 AM Friday morning, just in time.

Passover's been fine so far, although I haven't caught up on nearly as much as I needed to do. And you can get a bit more on what I was up to last night in my latest column for the school paper, which, as usual, can be found on this page.

I still have to get back to the whole Michigan plot thread, but not right now, I fear.