This is Mr Everyday's task for 29th September 2008

So. this one was a much needed task. I'm currently in the middle of what would have been 22 days straight work. Staff on holidays, so I'm picking up the slack. It just so happened however that I wasn't actually rostered on as staff today. Sure I had a sales rep to see, and I had to pay all the staff's wages for the week (lest they rise up in a body and lynch me - pitchforks, torches and all), but as it happened there were ways around that...

The more pressing problem was to convince them all that I was doing something important and work related. The staff weren't too bad, as long as their pay went in they were golden, no, the problem was my father. You see it just so happens that my father is also my landlord (kinda) and business partner. Work related excuses would work for the staff, but as a business partner he'd probably want a little more information about any "meeting". Fortunately he's a silent partner (I WISH! The man can talk), so he's not at work all the time, but still... Anyway, long story short I decided I'd leave the house dressed in my suit, meet him for lunch, and then claim I was off to see the aforementioned sales rep (who I fobbed off with another excuse).

All this would probably have gone well except for the weather... You see, I had PLANS for today. A nice long drive to the next town over to see the blossoms and visit my (step)grandmother, plenty of tasking and task preperation, and possibly a steamship ride with associated afternoon tea. As It was however I woke to howling wind and torrential rain. All this meant there was no way in hell I was getting out of bed and going out in it. I spent the next 3 hours lucid dreaming in 9 minute bursts (snooze). Nearly 10% of my life is spent lucid dreaming, and the sad truth is I prefer it as an activity to almost anything I do awake...

Got up to find that my father had ALSO decided to take a day off work (mostly). Found him sitting around playing online poker and asking me why I wasn't at work yet. Gave him some palava about the sales rep not coming til later etc etc. Worked just fine - no need to bust out the forged documents prepared for eventual use in the "play hookey" task.

Anyway, left the house and decided to go grocery shopping. I hadn't been for 5-6 weeks, and it was actually kind of weird going shopping again after so long.

By the time I'd finished all that the rain had cleared and I had to decide what to do with what remained of the day. I decided to go to the lake where I task and put in some prep work for the leave clues and taking tree tasks absurdum will complete soon. It involved walking ALL the way around the lake, and it turns out it's further than I remembered - about 6 miles.

I spent my walk looking for suitable trees and taking photos of them. Also, I had to climb many of them looking for places of concealment. This would be fine normally, but doing it while dressed in a suit drew some funny looks from others using the track. I don't know why - suits are great for climbing - they're made from tough fabric, are loose-fitting without being baggy and repel rain.

I always forget how much I enjoy climbing trees, and how natural the movements feel. Maybe it's because I've been doing it since before I could walk (literally, kids will quite happily crawl up trees before they can "walk"). Your eye synchs in, and you see them stretching out like highways. Sometimes you can use them to cross 100 meters of swamp without touching ground. The movements are completely different to rock climbing. Horizontal translation of force with the arms rather than vertically with the legs. How I love trees - except of course that I'm allergic to willow pollen, which drifts around in vast yellow clouds this time of year.

Taking photos is an interesting process too, it makes you examine things in a differnet way. Cutting down the landscape into what will fit, what will flow, the fall of light and perspective. I'm an enthusiastic but technically terrible photographer, but recently I seem to be getting better. 1 in 20 photos looks good, not 1 in 50. And getting it right feels good, there's a naturalness to it, like the feel of a sweet shot in pool, or the feeling you get when you look at algebra and see the patterns fall into place.

Anyway. it was dark by the time I got back to my car. I headed home, tired but having thoroughly enjoyed my day. I felt a little bad, because I was cooking, and the old man was waiting at home for me to get home and make something, but 9PM isn't REALLY that late (actually it is, tea is 6PM on the DOT usually at home)...

A thoroughly needed day off.