Thursday, May 5, 2005

Pentamerism

Fives.1. Five-five.  P., a friend and colleague at my old U. sent me an email the other day wishing me a happy birthday. Feliz cumpleanos! She told how Smartie, the cat she adopted when we moved away from KC, was doing , and how things were swell (to my relief, not swollen) at old U.  So on and so on. Somewhere in there she showed the date as 05-05-05. 

2. I spent five hours on the fifth floor of SU's Hall of Languages, sitting in on the Writing Program's spring symposium. 

3. At 55 minutes to five, I was in my office, readying to make my way up to the program office where I would collect end-of-semester projects from the drop-box before walking five blocks home.  Five taps on the door.  Five percent of my students this semester wish to turn in a late project.  But it's my birthday; shouldn't I be one doing the wishing?

4. Fifty-five minutes ago, D. said, "The cake will be done in five minutes." (Vanilla w. cream cheese frosting.) This snazzy new leather office chair I got as a gift: five-tined base, five dual-action casters.  And there were five cards (including three e-cards!) from friends, and five cards from family.  I'm not making this up.

5. Donna, whose name, like mine, has five letters, also has a birthday today.  Along with Kenneth Burke, Karl Marx, Ann B. Davis....  In extended, I've linked to a drawing I took five minutes to cobble together the other day of the Burkean dramatistic model.  It looks something like a multi-flavored cake.

[I've date-stamped this entry to maximize the five-ness effect.]

Bookmark and Share Posted by at May 5, 2005 5:55 PM to Ground Swell
Comments

Happy boitday!

Posted by: Krista Kennedy at May 6, 2005 9:52 AM

The fives are all pretty impressive. And though I don't want to answer Jenny's question on my blog, I will say that if you add the digits of my age up, they also equal five!

Hope your cake was delicious. I'm delighted to share a birthday with you!

Posted by: Donna at May 6, 2005 11:08 AM

Happy Fiveday, Derek! I'd give you five across cyberspace if I could. Have you ever read William Carlos Williams' poem "I Saw the Figure Five in Gold," or seen the Marsden Hartley painting that goes with it? Very Fivish.

Five references to five, and I'm outta here.

Joanna

Posted by: joanna at May 6, 2005 12:28 PM

Hey!
What's that Shoney's Big Boy doing there in the corner!

Posted by: jeff at May 6, 2005 12:59 PM

Ha ha! Mine's the fifth comment! Mine's the fifth comment!

Uhh, do I get a prize or somethin?

cgb

Posted by: collin at May 6, 2005 2:00 PM

Phew! Five responses...

Thanks, Krista! Everyone said I looked older today. Some just by asking if I was sick or tired.

Adds up to five, eh, Donna? 23? The cake was really good. Just what I wanted.

Thanks, Joanna. I have read the WCW poem alongside Hartley's painting. But I'd forgotten--a sure sign of my new age. I've dropped in the image just to tie it all together.

The Big Boy? Just some icon I associated with the category. Was always happy to eat there as a little kid.

The prize deadline passed at midnight last night. Of course, considering that I back-posted the entry, it's not the most ethical resolution. Negotiable, anyway.

Posted by: Derek at May 6, 2005 4:30 PM

Happy belated birthday! If only Merlin had put up some new 5ives in honor of this post.

Posted by: Clancy at May 6, 2005 6:07 PM

Belatedly, happy birthday likewise!

Posted by: Mike at May 7, 2005 4:15 AM

Thanks, Clancy; thanks, Mike! I feel older already.

Posted by: Derek at May 7, 2005 10:00 PM

I am jealous of your numbers; five has always been my favorite number. It's enough to get a round up, but still small enough to hold in one hand.

And I am the 10th, which is TWO FIVES, Collin. So I get TWO prizes. :)

Posted by: madeline at May 7, 2005 10:27 PM

I have always found it really easy to remember my birthdate (okay...grant me one duh!), but there was a time, late twenties, when I couldn't quickly come up with my age. I think it was at a doctor's appt., I had a severe flu, Doc asked "How old are you?" Me: Twenty-seven or twenty-eight?. Oddly enough (and unrelatedly), the numbers of the day/month/year add up to my present age, too.

Got you down for two prizes and C. for one. I need to roll this entry back with some fresh stuff to avoid any chance of reaching the next multiple, but I'm suffering exam fever. Will be through with that tomorrow, then back to blogging.

Posted by: Derek at May 8, 2005 8:24 AM