-I was driving to work and intending to take the highway downtown. A vicious storm was brewing, and the lake was cresting with 10-foot waves. It had washed a good portion of the highway away. I finally got to work, and was shocked at the state of my desk. There were newspapers and other debris everywhere. Since my managers were in a news meeting I decided to take some time to clean it. I had practically a whole kitchen in my desk, with half-eaten granola bars and cans of soup and bottles of wine everywhere. One of my co-workers told me that if I recycled the glass bottles they would later be ground up and turned into astroturf. I was keen to help the environment.
-I was in an amusement park in a mall. I was hugely pregnant. I was concerned my water would break while I was on one of the rides and I wouldn't have a way to get to the hospital. A chase scene might have ensued... the details are fuzzy. All I can remember is being disgusted by the popcorn on the floor.
-I was in a parking lot and my car wouldn't start. I decided to try driving it in neutral since the way home was all downhill.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
No guns this time
-I was in a building in DC, stacking barrels of crude oil. I saw my friend Conrad and tried to catch up with him. I was running up an interminable set of stairs to try to reach him and getting tres winded. I considered adding the stair-stepper to my workout routine.
-I was writing a story for the paper about my ex-boyfriend's brother Roy, a musician. I was looking at pictures of him with the photo editor and pointed out my ex to him. Then we jumped inside the photo and I was in his home in North Branch. They had done some major remodeling to their kitchen area that added a whole wall of windows. I congratulated his mom on a job well done and then went out on a mission. The ex was following me and telling me how pretty I looked. I told him to go away and get a life.
-Puppies! On my mission I tromped through a backyard full of dogs. There were some basset hounds and whatever kind of a dog the Target dog is. There were also mini-Target dogs that I considered stealing because they were so small they fit in my hand-- a puppy wish of mine.
-I was writing a story for the paper about my ex-boyfriend's brother Roy, a musician. I was looking at pictures of him with the photo editor and pointed out my ex to him. Then we jumped inside the photo and I was in his home in North Branch. They had done some major remodeling to their kitchen area that added a whole wall of windows. I congratulated his mom on a job well done and then went out on a mission. The ex was following me and telling me how pretty I looked. I told him to go away and get a life.
-Puppies! On my mission I tromped through a backyard full of dogs. There were some basset hounds and whatever kind of a dog the Target dog is. There were also mini-Target dogs that I considered stealing because they were so small they fit in my hand-- a puppy wish of mine.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Hung out with a kitty all night
I'm uber allergic to cats, which makes it weird that I basically had one attached to my chest all night.
I was in a big mansion with my boyfriend. At some point he left and a man with a gun came in. (Aside: why oh why must I always dream of guns??) I had a cat sleeping on my chest and I think the man was asleep too, and I had to keep the cat asleep to keep the man asleep, and to do that I had to constantly pet the kitty. My clothes had disappeared, so I was using the cat to cover myself as well.
My little sister came in and was being very loud. I tried to whisper to her that she had to leave or hide to avoid the man with the gun. She didn't get it. I suggested several hiding places to her and she didn't see why she should have to hide when I didn't have to hide. I tried explaining to her that I would hide if I could but I had to keep the cat asleep, but to no avail.
At some point the man left and several people, including my mother, came into the house. I explained that there was a madman with a gun on the loose who wanted to kill me, and her strategy to stop him was to pull all the shades and make everyone wear plastic shower caps so he couldn't see us. The shades were made of red and green flimsy, see-through crepe paper. My mom wanted to tie them in the middle to make them look better. I got angry at her because that was entirely besides the point-- it enabled outsiders to look in that much easier.
The man came back and started shooting at us through the walls.
I was in a big mansion with my boyfriend. At some point he left and a man with a gun came in. (Aside: why oh why must I always dream of guns??) I had a cat sleeping on my chest and I think the man was asleep too, and I had to keep the cat asleep to keep the man asleep, and to do that I had to constantly pet the kitty. My clothes had disappeared, so I was using the cat to cover myself as well.
My little sister came in and was being very loud. I tried to whisper to her that she had to leave or hide to avoid the man with the gun. She didn't get it. I suggested several hiding places to her and she didn't see why she should have to hide when I didn't have to hide. I tried explaining to her that I would hide if I could but I had to keep the cat asleep, but to no avail.
At some point the man left and several people, including my mother, came into the house. I explained that there was a madman with a gun on the loose who wanted to kill me, and her strategy to stop him was to pull all the shades and make everyone wear plastic shower caps so he couldn't see us. The shades were made of red and green flimsy, see-through crepe paper. My mom wanted to tie them in the middle to make them look better. I got angry at her because that was entirely besides the point-- it enabled outsiders to look in that much easier.
The man came back and started shooting at us through the walls.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Faulty dream memory-- I blame matzah
I've had a lot of trouble remembering my dreams the last few days, which is unusual for me. The one dream I did remember from Sunday night involved something I plan to surprise my gentleman caller with for our anniversary this weekend so I must keep mum on that for now.
I have a very hazy memory of a few dreams I had last night:
-I was flying in a plane completely empty but for two other guys. Despite the bevy of open seats, I had to sit in the middle seat between them in the very last row. I think we were flying Sun Country because they seats were leather.
-I was throwing a party of some sort in the home of a friend whose brother recently died. I was concerned at the amount of crumbs we were creating and was frantically looking for a vacuum before the family got home. The brother's ghost was following me but not speaking. I think I knew I was dreaming at that point, and really wanted him to say something to me so I could repeat it to my friend when I woke up to make her feel better. He stayed stubbornly silent.
I have a very hazy memory of a few dreams I had last night:
-I was flying in a plane completely empty but for two other guys. Despite the bevy of open seats, I had to sit in the middle seat between them in the very last row. I think we were flying Sun Country because they seats were leather.
-I was throwing a party of some sort in the home of a friend whose brother recently died. I was concerned at the amount of crumbs we were creating and was frantically looking for a vacuum before the family got home. The brother's ghost was following me but not speaking. I think I knew I was dreaming at that point, and really wanted him to say something to me so I could repeat it to my friend when I woke up to make her feel better. He stayed stubbornly silent.
Friday, April 18, 2008
A trip to Brooklyn
I flew in to Brooklyn to visit a friend I've had differences with and haven't spoken to in months. Our mutual friend Liz, as well as two other girls we went to high school with, also lived there. It was a very nice apartment and had a beautiful view of the Manhattan skyline. It was nighttime but all the buildings' lights were out. The frenemy said it had looked the same way during 9/11, so we were worried there had been another terrorist attack.
Their sink was absolutely full of dishes, and the frenemy wanted me to help her wash them. I hate washing dishes more than absolutely anything else in the world, but I did it anyway. I was frustrated with myself for always doing what she wanted me to. I thought it was weird that I had come all the way to Brooklyn to visit her when we hadn't talked for so long and I still harbored a lot of resentment toward her. I was about to confront her about the things that made me upset with her when she told me it was time to visit Neil, who also lived in Brooklyn.
By this time it was fully dark and I was very nervous about walking by myself in a city I wasn't familiar with, but the ladies there refused to come with me. I tried to call Neil on my cell phone to get directions, but it was malfunctioning and kept scrolling through all the pictures and videos I had taken on it.
I ducked into a gas station to ask for directions. At this point my perspective changed to being omniscient and it became daytime. The man at the cash register, who was the spitting image of Jay-Z, was whistling a song when a machine gun started shooting outside. A man who was the spitting image of John Leguizamo stumbled in, shot in multiple places. Jay-Z caught him before he hit the floor and was murmuring encouraging words to him. The machine gun guy came in too, intending to steal all the money in the cash register. Apparently Jay-Z had saved this guy's life in the past, so they all muddled the irony that his life was saved only so he could take the life of one of his friends. "He was my bro, man!" Jay-Z wailed.
Other tidbits: Michelle Lee and Barbara Reyelts, TV news anchors here, cowering in the face of HD TV and wrinkled as prunes. The apartment of a friend that was decorated like an Indian palace and that had the most comfortable bed in the world.
Their sink was absolutely full of dishes, and the frenemy wanted me to help her wash them. I hate washing dishes more than absolutely anything else in the world, but I did it anyway. I was frustrated with myself for always doing what she wanted me to. I thought it was weird that I had come all the way to Brooklyn to visit her when we hadn't talked for so long and I still harbored a lot of resentment toward her. I was about to confront her about the things that made me upset with her when she told me it was time to visit Neil, who also lived in Brooklyn.
By this time it was fully dark and I was very nervous about walking by myself in a city I wasn't familiar with, but the ladies there refused to come with me. I tried to call Neil on my cell phone to get directions, but it was malfunctioning and kept scrolling through all the pictures and videos I had taken on it.
I ducked into a gas station to ask for directions. At this point my perspective changed to being omniscient and it became daytime. The man at the cash register, who was the spitting image of Jay-Z, was whistling a song when a machine gun started shooting outside. A man who was the spitting image of John Leguizamo stumbled in, shot in multiple places. Jay-Z caught him before he hit the floor and was murmuring encouraging words to him. The machine gun guy came in too, intending to steal all the money in the cash register. Apparently Jay-Z had saved this guy's life in the past, so they all muddled the irony that his life was saved only so he could take the life of one of his friends. "He was my bro, man!" Jay-Z wailed.
Other tidbits: Michelle Lee and Barbara Reyelts, TV news anchors here, cowering in the face of HD TV and wrinkled as prunes. The apartment of a friend that was decorated like an Indian palace and that had the most comfortable bed in the world.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
A Bad Painting, Bad Yarn and a Bad Haircut
No. 1: I was going to go camping with my boyfriend, brother and brother's friends. I couldn't figure out what to wear other than a sports bra. I tried to convince my boyfriend to bring along the art supplies I got him for his birthday in case there was a tree I wanted to paint. I ended up making a cool painting of a woman with really small dreadlocks, but messed up when I did her mouth. It was way out of proportion.
No. 2: I was in a different city, not one that I've been to before or know the name of but that I visit in my dreams sometimes. It was rainy. I stepped into a store that looked like it was selling yarn. The main floor was selling cheap-looking flats and pleather purses, and really expensive but small skeins of yarn that weren't that great. Downstairs they were selling books. I couldn't find anything that appealed to me. In the level below that, they were selling CDs and I found three by Jenny Owen Youngs, a singer I really like but haven't purchased anything from yet. I was pleased.
No. 3: I was on the U of M campus with my friend Aleta. I was doing some sort of project or on some sort of mission and decided I needed to talk to someone who worked there. We crossed the Washington Ave. Bridge, which was painted with a weird design to make it look like there were 3-D fences coming up everywhere. I saw a very tall man with gangly limbs and an atrocious mushroom haircut (like the one in No Country for Old Men). He began telling me the history of Dinkytown, which he claimed to have created, while riding a bike in wide circles because his limbs were too long for him to walk very well. Aleta was wearing a very pretty blue polka-dot dress with tulle underneath. She was bored.
No. 2: I was in a different city, not one that I've been to before or know the name of but that I visit in my dreams sometimes. It was rainy. I stepped into a store that looked like it was selling yarn. The main floor was selling cheap-looking flats and pleather purses, and really expensive but small skeins of yarn that weren't that great. Downstairs they were selling books. I couldn't find anything that appealed to me. In the level below that, they were selling CDs and I found three by Jenny Owen Youngs, a singer I really like but haven't purchased anything from yet. I was pleased.
No. 3: I was on the U of M campus with my friend Aleta. I was doing some sort of project or on some sort of mission and decided I needed to talk to someone who worked there. We crossed the Washington Ave. Bridge, which was painted with a weird design to make it look like there were 3-D fences coming up everywhere. I saw a very tall man with gangly limbs and an atrocious mushroom haircut (like the one in No Country for Old Men). He began telling me the history of Dinkytown, which he claimed to have created, while riding a bike in wide circles because his limbs were too long for him to walk very well. Aleta was wearing a very pretty blue polka-dot dress with tulle underneath. She was bored.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
From Tuesday night: A Ride and a Rebuff
No. 1: A friend with whom I've been fighting lately and I were on a crazy elevator ride at an amusement park. It hoisted us up really high and then was supposed to let us down pretty fast. But we were going in free-fall. I was afraid I was going to die so I told her I loved her and that we should let bygones be bygones. Right before we were going to hit it was suspended. When we got out I went to the ride operator and yelled at him for being so irresponsible. He gave me a key to the ride that I put around my neck.
No. 2: I was at work and got an extremely angry email from my co-worker Patrick. Apparently we were supposed to have co-written an article for the next day's paper and we hadn't even chosen a topic yet. The email said he had to stay home with his small child that day and I had ruined everything. I called him right away and told him not to worry, that I'd just write it myself, and he responded that that wasn't the point. I told him I didn't like working in groups anyway and he should just let me do it, and he got frustrated and hung up on me. It got to be noon and I was working on the medical marijuana bill story, but I couldn't think of any sources who would be opposed to the bill. Finally I thought of calling a county commissioner. That's all I remember.
No. 2: I was at work and got an extremely angry email from my co-worker Patrick. Apparently we were supposed to have co-written an article for the next day's paper and we hadn't even chosen a topic yet. The email said he had to stay home with his small child that day and I had ruined everything. I called him right away and told him not to worry, that I'd just write it myself, and he responded that that wasn't the point. I told him I didn't like working in groups anyway and he should just let me do it, and he got frustrated and hung up on me. It got to be noon and I was working on the medical marijuana bill story, but I couldn't think of any sources who would be opposed to the bill. Finally I thought of calling a county commissioner. That's all I remember.
A madam, a raid and a movie
No. 1: I was in a friend's apartment in D.C. We were eating pizza with a lot of spinach on top. A man who wasn't her boyfriend but whom she was intimate with was coming over, and she didn't want to see him because he was physically violent with her. I begged her to run away before he got there. She ended up escaping to the top floor of the building when he came to the door. He had seen her car in the parking lot so he knew she was there. He started to chase her.
Possible origins: I ate pizza last night and I'm going to DC in two weeks.
No. 2: I was in my parents' house. It was the middle of the night. I woke up when a group of college-aged boys swarmed the building. I looked down from my window and saw they had guns and swords. I knew they were coming for prescription drugs. I ran up to the third floor bathroom, the only room in our house that has a lock. I had a silver pistol. Two of them, including one I went to high school with named Dave, followed me. I was so terrified that I was too weak to properly lock the door and they wedged themselves in the bathroom with me. I tearfully asked my fellow alum why he was doing this. He started crying too. I told them that the only pills we had were anti-nausea ones from when my brother was undergoing chemo. He took them and left. The other boys ransacked my mom's jewelry before they all left. I went to the basement and surveyed possible hiding spots should they return.
Possible origins: I'm reading a book about Napoleon and I was reporting an article about a man who has to take a bevy of prescription drugs yesterday.
No. 3: I was in my friend Dom's apartment, again in DC, and we were watching a movie that was a strange amalgam of Lady and the Tramp and All Dogs Go to Heaven.
Possible origins: My boyfriend sang one of the ADGTH songs to me on Sunday.
Possible origins: I ate pizza last night and I'm going to DC in two weeks.
No. 2: I was in my parents' house. It was the middle of the night. I woke up when a group of college-aged boys swarmed the building. I looked down from my window and saw they had guns and swords. I knew they were coming for prescription drugs. I ran up to the third floor bathroom, the only room in our house that has a lock. I had a silver pistol. Two of them, including one I went to high school with named Dave, followed me. I was so terrified that I was too weak to properly lock the door and they wedged themselves in the bathroom with me. I tearfully asked my fellow alum why he was doing this. He started crying too. I told them that the only pills we had were anti-nausea ones from when my brother was undergoing chemo. He took them and left. The other boys ransacked my mom's jewelry before they all left. I went to the basement and surveyed possible hiding spots should they return.
Possible origins: I'm reading a book about Napoleon and I was reporting an article about a man who has to take a bevy of prescription drugs yesterday.
No. 3: I was in my friend Dom's apartment, again in DC, and we were watching a movie that was a strange amalgam of Lady and the Tramp and All Dogs Go to Heaven.
Possible origins: My boyfriend sang one of the ADGTH songs to me on Sunday.
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