DIANA

Diana came by with Zach and my mom yesterday, and ever so kindly brought some boots with her to lend to me. This was excellent timing, as I was running low on shoes that I can last more than five minutes in. Luckily, although Diana's feet are a bit smaller than my own, her boots are big on her feet, and even a little bit big on mine. This was a relief after squeezing into too-tight shoes.

Diana's boots seem to be kind a kind of light blue suede-like material, that are fuzzy inside. The fuzz also runs along the seams of the boots. There is a kind of interesting gathered or slouch-like detail along the front of them (which kind of reminded me of wearing big socks).


Diana told me that she bought these boots when she was in her fourth year of university, which I think was a few years ago. She said that they are her only boots that don't leak. I feel like it was an extremely generous thing for her to lend me her only non-leaking boots. Especially considering the weather. I was thankful for their warmth and dryness, but also wondered how she was faring in all this rain and snow.



This morning I did a bunch of audio editing, and wore Auntie Andrea's shoes for a short time before venturing out in the world. I had to return some equipment and pester Nathan with computer-related questions. Putting on Diana's shoes was really interesting after wearing the heels. It felt a bit like after I took Zach's shoes off at the end of the day on Saturday--I was convinced that my feet were sinking into the ground. Diana's boots have no heel to them at all. They are completely flat, and also don't have a lot of shape on the inside. My feet felt like they were snuggled up in something soft and warm. If I stood still and closed my eyes I might have been able to convince myself that I was still in bed (which was kind of where I wanted to be this morning).


Again, despite the comfiness of Diana's boots, they seemed so strange for me to see where my feet should be. I don't think that I have any light coloured shoes of my own, because I seem to have an especially strong sense of disconnect with shoes that are pale in colour or large on my feet. Another interesting thing--I didn't bother to change after wearing all that pink for Andrea's shoes, and I had this feeling that I should have, that really if I was going to do justice to these pretty trendy looking boots I should wear jeans. Funny stuff. Also, I have only worn that pink skirt once (it came from a "Swap 'til You Drop" clothing exchange at Nuit Blanche, and I haven't worn it since that night, for which pink was also a significant colour), so I felt a bit out of place in not only Diana's boots, but what I was wearing. It wasn't problematic, it was just a different way feeling in the world.



At school Nathan and I tried to solve computer conundrums, and then I headed back downtown on the bus. On the way I met a student who was dressed as a nun. As she stood beside me at the bus stop she said, "yes, I am wearing a strange nun costume," and I assured her that that was just fine with me. She explained further that it was for a first year studio project on creating a persona. She sat on the bus with her iPod and cell phone as her friends took pictures. It was interesting to hear her articulate the whole situation in a way that seemed motivated by discomfort and self-consciousness, because I felt I needed to announce to the world that I was wearing other peoples' shoes at first...and I still feel this urge sometimes. And I often announce it to people that I know.


A quick trip to the Stone Store, where I got an update on Erica's thumb (last week she told me she was captivated by the peeling skin on her thumb--at once fascinated and repulsed.) Today it was in a band-aid. My own hands have been beginning to peel...a sure sign of winter, I guess. Diana's shoes helped me navigate through a busy store, and decide how many walnuts to get, and so on. They also helped me walk home, and run into Christina and Suzette.


Lunch and a bit more work, and off for a quick meeting (where I met another lovely toddler who kindly shared his play dough), and home again. Here Diana's boots were especially welcomed as it was really raining bunches outside. More work. It always seems to go so slowly when it really needs to go fast. More computer glitches, which hopefully will be fixable. Cecilia dropped by with her canine pal Skud, and we chatted breifly while he inspected shoes and crotches...it was difficult to refuse Cecilia's suggestion of a walk (especially since rain has turned to snow--and I have boots today!), but I really didn't get as much done today as I had hoped. So, more work. And that brings me to now.

Diana's boots are warm and cozy and thoughtful. They seem pretty cool to me, which can feel intimidating, but knowing they came from Diana made this feeling pass quickly. They helped me navigate this grey, wet and somewhat stressful day with a taste of ease. In this way, I found them to be a very generous pair of shoes, even as they seemed not quite at place on my own feet.