... weather patterns, interleague baseball action and dreams. Which one would you like me to tackle first?
Well, let's go with the weather. My son-in-law was due to come over here this morning to see if he could fix my printer (it's been 'down' for over a week now), install my scanner and try to show this old fuddy duddy how to work it. We spoke on the phone a few minutes ago, and decided to reschedule it for tomorrow morning. My electricity has been going on and off - most unexpectedly, and now there are some pretty good-sized storms in the area. I don't think he should be driving or trying to work with computer installations in storms, do you?
As far as interleague baseball action is concerned, I can't even begin to tell you how ready I am for the 'regular' season to resume! Not that my Astros were doing all that well against other National Leaguers, I hope you understand, but still! I'm absolutely positive that Steven (Blue Jays) and my son-in-law (Red Sox) would concur, although Tammy (with her hedged bets of both the Yankees & Cardinals would disagree, as would Patrick (Braves).
Barf and arrgh would be my most appropriate comments here, I think.
Now then (oxymoron #21 being put to good use here), for my weird dream ... and, of course, I don't remember MOST of it! ... I was driving (I have a lot of 'driving' dreams!), ex-husband #1 was in the car, as was our daughter (both as a baby and as a young adult ... if that isn't weird to the extreme, I don't know what is!) ... ... At one point in my dream, I was driving a very small vehicle whereupon, if we all leaned back at one time, we could balance enuf so that we could very carefully negotiate our way down some steep stairs (I, as the 'driver extraordinaire', would be in charge of the steering wheel and brakes, of course!) ... ... I woke myself up laughing out loud at the preponderousness of it all.
Where do dreams like this come from, for crying out loud? Too much for me, folks. Just too much!
Showing posts with label Dreams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dreams. Show all posts
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Six Sentences
On March 8th of this year, Steven published a post that told of a site which really captured my imagination ... "six sentences". I thought at the time, "Hmmm," but didn't do anything further than just that initial "Hmmm".
Well, this is my 500th post. 'Hmmm' time is over. Now I'll take some action! Below you will see just a few of the 'six sentence' writings that I'm considering submitting to the site Steven referenced. They're still in kind of a rough state, but I'm having fun with them. Btw, I am open to any and all ideas and suggestions. Better yet, why don't some of you try one or two on for yourselves and see how they fit?
"Please, God, keep my throat open"
I prayed silently, hoping for inspiration, as I sat with my stepmother and sister at my father's memorial service many years ago. I was going to sing - as part of a trio - "How Great Thou Art", which was his favorite hymn. The other members of the trio were Peter - whom I'd known since grade school, tenor, and Judy - college friend, contralto. I had originally announced that I wanted to sing "The Lord's Prayer" for the service, but my stepmother was afraid I wouldn't be strong enough to do it, and so the three of us had snuck in a practice session the day before and I was really pleased with how it went. My only fear was that my throat would close up with emotion when the time came to get up and sing, but it didn't. Thank you, Lord.
"The Intruder"
I was sound asleep in the lower bunk, but something in the middle of the night made me open my eyes and look up. There was a man standing over me! Scared to death, I dove back under the covers and hoped he would go away. After many fearful and sleepless minutes I dared to look out again, but he was still there! When I finally summoned up the courage to bat out at him, I discovered that my eyes had played tricks on me. "He" was only a result of the moonlight shining through the cabin windows on the covers from the bunk above.
"Dreaming"
I was walking down the middle of a street in broad daylight with no clothes on, but no one seemed to notice. Everyone else was fully-clothed. Why didn't they notice? I sat down at a sidewalk cafe and ordered some hot chocolate as I was feeling a little chilly. When the waiter smilingly served my order, he said, "Here you are, sir!" I thought, "Sir?!?" and woke up.
"Perfectly understandable"
On the way to the office of my boss, the supplier and I both stopped at a secretary's desk to sample some of her delicious caramel goodies. We continued our nonstop conversation all the way, not the least bit intimidated or constrained by the fact that our mouths were full. In fact, we had no trouble at all understanding what each other was saying. When we arrived at his office, still delightedly chewing on and enjoying both the candy and the conversation, he said, "I don't know what language you're speaking, but please do continue!" (This one's only four sentences. I love this story - and, btw, it's a true one! - but will have to find a way to make it six sentences.)
Just in case you'd like to look up other 'hundredth celebration' posts that I have published, you can find them listed here.
Well, this is my 500th post. 'Hmmm' time is over. Now I'll take some action! Below you will see just a few of the 'six sentence' writings that I'm considering submitting to the site Steven referenced. They're still in kind of a rough state, but I'm having fun with them. Btw, I am open to any and all ideas and suggestions. Better yet, why don't some of you try one or two on for yourselves and see how they fit?
"Please, God, keep my throat open"
I prayed silently, hoping for inspiration, as I sat with my stepmother and sister at my father's memorial service many years ago. I was going to sing - as part of a trio - "How Great Thou Art", which was his favorite hymn. The other members of the trio were Peter - whom I'd known since grade school, tenor, and Judy - college friend, contralto. I had originally announced that I wanted to sing "The Lord's Prayer" for the service, but my stepmother was afraid I wouldn't be strong enough to do it, and so the three of us had snuck in a practice session the day before and I was really pleased with how it went. My only fear was that my throat would close up with emotion when the time came to get up and sing, but it didn't. Thank you, Lord.
"The Intruder"
I was sound asleep in the lower bunk, but something in the middle of the night made me open my eyes and look up. There was a man standing over me! Scared to death, I dove back under the covers and hoped he would go away. After many fearful and sleepless minutes I dared to look out again, but he was still there! When I finally summoned up the courage to bat out at him, I discovered that my eyes had played tricks on me. "He" was only a result of the moonlight shining through the cabin windows on the covers from the bunk above.
"Dreaming"
I was walking down the middle of a street in broad daylight with no clothes on, but no one seemed to notice. Everyone else was fully-clothed. Why didn't they notice? I sat down at a sidewalk cafe and ordered some hot chocolate as I was feeling a little chilly. When the waiter smilingly served my order, he said, "Here you are, sir!" I thought, "Sir?!?" and woke up.
"Perfectly understandable"
On the way to the office of my boss, the supplier and I both stopped at a secretary's desk to sample some of her delicious caramel goodies. We continued our nonstop conversation all the way, not the least bit intimidated or constrained by the fact that our mouths were full. In fact, we had no trouble at all understanding what each other was saying. When we arrived at his office, still delightedly chewing on and enjoying both the candy and the conversation, he said, "I don't know what language you're speaking, but please do continue!" (This one's only four sentences. I love this story - and, btw, it's a true one! - but will have to find a way to make it six sentences.)
Just in case you'd like to look up other 'hundredth celebration' posts that I have published, you can find them listed here.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
I'm chuckling over ...
... a dream I just had. This is my 499th post, OK? I didn't publish one yesterday. Guess I was thinking too much about my 500th. Still don't know what I'm going to write for my 500th ... just thinking about it. So, even in my dream I'm chuckling about the distinct possibility of not having to write a 500th if I don't do a 499th. Are you following me here?
Well, last night my subconscious decided to take over and produced a 499th. In my dream, I copied a very marked-up draft of one of the incomplete chapters in my autobiography and pasted it directly onto this blog. Is it even possible to do such a thing? I don't know. I'll have to try it and see, won't I?
I'm not sure what my subconscious mind was trying to tell me. Many years ago, my therapist told me that one of the really beneficial aspects of dreams was their ability to allow the subconscious mind to resolve conflicting issues of the day. Was my subconscious advising me to get back to work on my autobiography, or was it telling me to get on with my 499th post so I could begin to concentrate on #500? It was one or the other, wouldn't you say?
Whichever it was, I have come to a decision. I have decided that I will not be doing another major post of a celebratory nature until I reach the plateau of 1,000. That gives me breathing room of at least a year. So, sometime in the year 2010 - August or thereabouts - look for me to start talking about what I'm going to write for my one thousandth. But that's a ways down the road. Breathing room, as I said.
I commented to a friend of mine, whose poetry often involves some sort of dream state, that I recently read the brain is most active when we are sleeping. I thought that little tidbit of info might have produced one of my more wildly convoluted dreams and added (my sleeping brain talking here), "You think you've seen active? I'll show you active!" He responded, "So lucky! I think we get to enjoy a double life -- two lives for the price of one -- when we can recall such dreams."
... hermit crabs named Moulin
and Rouge.
... major league baseball's power rankings. The Atlanta Braves, with a .500 record, are rated #2 overall in the majors according to FOX Sports. Can you believe it? There are five other teams with identical .500 winning percentages and they are ranked 8th, 15th, 16th, 22nd and 26th. Don't you just love it? Oh, the arbitrariness of it all! It's a lot of fun, really, to watch the ratings go up and down, up and down so early in the season. Give it another 20-30 games and things will start to even out a bit. Right now, tho, I'm getting a kick out of watching the seesaw.
My team, of course, is ranked next to last (blown save by Valverde). Who's last? Well, the Nationals are. They finally won a game, however, and last night came very close to upsetting the Marlins, who managed to pull out a win in extra innings. The Marlins winning percentage is a whopping .900 ... almost unheard of. Obscene, even! Another interesting fact is ... of the 15 games played last night in the majors, 8 saw the winner score just one more run than the loser. Eight! Only one blowout. Exciting, huh? I love this game!
Here's hoping all your dreams are good ones and that you get a chuckle or two today!
Well, last night my subconscious decided to take over and produced a 499th. In my dream, I copied a very marked-up draft of one of the incomplete chapters in my autobiography and pasted it directly onto this blog. Is it even possible to do such a thing? I don't know. I'll have to try it and see, won't I?
I'm not sure what my subconscious mind was trying to tell me. Many years ago, my therapist told me that one of the really beneficial aspects of dreams was their ability to allow the subconscious mind to resolve conflicting issues of the day. Was my subconscious advising me to get back to work on my autobiography, or was it telling me to get on with my 499th post so I could begin to concentrate on #500? It was one or the other, wouldn't you say?
Whichever it was, I have come to a decision. I have decided that I will not be doing another major post of a celebratory nature until I reach the plateau of 1,000. That gives me breathing room of at least a year. So, sometime in the year 2010 - August or thereabouts - look for me to start talking about what I'm going to write for my one thousandth. But that's a ways down the road. Breathing room, as I said.
I commented to a friend of mine, whose poetry often involves some sort of dream state, that I recently read the brain is most active when we are sleeping. I thought that little tidbit of info might have produced one of my more wildly convoluted dreams and added (my sleeping brain talking here), "You think you've seen active? I'll show you active!" He responded, "So lucky! I think we get to enjoy a double life -- two lives for the price of one -- when we can recall such dreams."
... hermit crabs named Moulin
and Rouge.
... major league baseball's power rankings. The Atlanta Braves, with a .500 record, are rated #2 overall in the majors according to FOX Sports. Can you believe it? There are five other teams with identical .500 winning percentages and they are ranked 8th, 15th, 16th, 22nd and 26th. Don't you just love it? Oh, the arbitrariness of it all! It's a lot of fun, really, to watch the ratings go up and down, up and down so early in the season. Give it another 20-30 games and things will start to even out a bit. Right now, tho, I'm getting a kick out of watching the seesaw.
My team, of course, is ranked next to last (blown save by Valverde). Who's last? Well, the Nationals are. They finally won a game, however, and last night came very close to upsetting the Marlins, who managed to pull out a win in extra innings. The Marlins winning percentage is a whopping .900 ... almost unheard of. Obscene, even! Another interesting fact is ... of the 15 games played last night in the majors, 8 saw the winner score just one more run than the loser. Eight! Only one blowout. Exciting, huh? I love this game!
Here's hoping all your dreams are good ones and that you get a chuckle or two today!
Friday, January 9, 2009
I dream in color!
I woke up this morning and just lay there, enjoying the comfy coziness of being buried in blankets and feeling all snuggly warm, chuckling as I remembered only vague snippets of the dream I'd just had ... something about insurance, I think. Really boring, I'm pretty sure.
But then, glimpses of a very bright kelly green in some of the decor came back to me and I suddenly realized, "I dream in color!"
Many years ago, my sister had asked me if I dream in color or black and white. I said I didn't remember*. Well, Peggy, that question has finally been answered. Ha!
[*I just looked it up. I thought I had talked about this once before, but wasn't positive. Here it is.]
I got to thinking, why a kelly green? Why not some other color?
Then I remembered reading about and looking at pix of flamingos all dressed in their Sunday best just within the last couple of days, and it occurred to me that my subconscious was worried about Sam's feelings.
You know he's still perched on a little table very close to me, and still dressed in his Santa outfit. He doesn't have another change of clothes until St. Patrick's Day. I simply must put him in the closet where he'll be all safe and sound and free from any possible public embarrassment about 'not having anything to wear' or not looking as 'fine' as those others I read about.
[I just took a few minutes to put the garbage out ... almost forgot that it's pickup day. It's Friday. I get to go to Kroger's today and get my grape salad fix. Hooray! I also put Sam in the closet, along with his changes of clothes. I gave him a little peck on the mouth and told him I'd see him again soon. SO, there'll probably be no more kelly green dreams, as my conscience is now clear.]
Do you dream in color?
But then, glimpses of a very bright kelly green in some of the decor came back to me and I suddenly realized, "I dream in color!"
Many years ago, my sister had asked me if I dream in color or black and white. I said I didn't remember*. Well, Peggy, that question has finally been answered. Ha!
[*I just looked it up. I thought I had talked about this once before, but wasn't positive. Here it is.]
I got to thinking, why a kelly green? Why not some other color?
Then I remembered reading about and looking at pix of flamingos all dressed in their Sunday best just within the last couple of days, and it occurred to me that my subconscious was worried about Sam's feelings.
You know he's still perched on a little table very close to me, and still dressed in his Santa outfit. He doesn't have another change of clothes until St. Patrick's Day. I simply must put him in the closet where he'll be all safe and sound and free from any possible public embarrassment about 'not having anything to wear' or not looking as 'fine' as those others I read about.
[I just took a few minutes to put the garbage out ... almost forgot that it's pickup day. It's Friday. I get to go to Kroger's today and get my grape salad fix. Hooray! I also put Sam in the closet, along with his changes of clothes. I gave him a little peck on the mouth and told him I'd see him again soon. SO, there'll probably be no more kelly green dreams, as my conscience is now clear.]
Do you dream in color?
Monday, November 10, 2008
Reflections
It's pouring down rain outside. From where I'm sitting, I can hear the wind blowing and drops hitting the roof and windows ... a perfect day for reflecting - leaning back, thinking, and remembering - reading other folks' blogs and enjoying, letting my imagination wander as I read what they've written. I'd like to share with you just a few of the many thoughts that have gone through my mind in the past hour or so.
Tammy, whose blogsite Sunshine Cottage focuses mainly on religion and family, has always been interested in history. Her latest post talks about a Civil War reenactment that her husband recently participated in, and she briefly discusses their reasons for wanting to continue remembering that part of history. I concur with all of what she said.
She didn't go into a whole lot of detail and included only one photograph, which allowed my mind to wander freely ... I was thinking about my many trips to Atlanta and my stays in a campground on Kennessaw Mountain, where I saw a lot of historical markers and read about some of the many battles during the Civil War in that area -- about my visit to Shiloh during the week one September and the eeriness of being one of the few visitors there and almost being able to actually see and hear the battle -- about the struggles for Texas' independence from Mexico - The Alamo, Goliad, San Jacinto.
I was reminded of the importance of not forgetting the past. I don't mean that we should dwell in it, but I think it's imperative that, particularly in this day and age of instant worldwide interaction and connectivity, we all retain our individual sense of self and place in history - our own very rich and distinct cultural heritage.
I went on from there to Michael's latest entry, Haunting Myself, a poem I found particularly lovely.
He's kind of a dreamer and questioner, and while reading this I was reminded of the beautiful love story in the movie "Somewhere in Time" (Christopher Reeve, I think, and I forget who played the female lead - I'd have to look it up) -- of the elusiveness of dreams, of trying to capture and retain a fleeting thought, event, moment, or feeling.
I checked out Polimom's blog, and was pleased to note that she'd included a photograph taken on one of her walks through George Bush Park in far west Houston. She's fast becoming known for her skills with the camera and all its various attachments and lenses.
That post reminded me of Steven's blog, which is here there and everywhere, but almost always in the pursuit of loveliness and beauty. And, when he finds something he considers absolutely delightful, he writes about it and includes a photograph or two. What I find delightful about his blog is his almost childlike reaction to what he sees and discovers, like he's seeing something really fascinating for the very first time and just can't wait to share it with everyone! I find his enthusiasm contagious.
I've had a very good start to my day. Hope you have!
Tammy, whose blogsite Sunshine Cottage focuses mainly on religion and family, has always been interested in history. Her latest post talks about a Civil War reenactment that her husband recently participated in, and she briefly discusses their reasons for wanting to continue remembering that part of history. I concur with all of what she said.
She didn't go into a whole lot of detail and included only one photograph, which allowed my mind to wander freely ... I was thinking about my many trips to Atlanta and my stays in a campground on Kennessaw Mountain, where I saw a lot of historical markers and read about some of the many battles during the Civil War in that area -- about my visit to Shiloh during the week one September and the eeriness of being one of the few visitors there and almost being able to actually see and hear the battle -- about the struggles for Texas' independence from Mexico - The Alamo, Goliad, San Jacinto.
I was reminded of the importance of not forgetting the past. I don't mean that we should dwell in it, but I think it's imperative that, particularly in this day and age of instant worldwide interaction and connectivity, we all retain our individual sense of self and place in history - our own very rich and distinct cultural heritage.
I went on from there to Michael's latest entry, Haunting Myself, a poem I found particularly lovely.
He's kind of a dreamer and questioner, and while reading this I was reminded of the beautiful love story in the movie "Somewhere in Time" (Christopher Reeve, I think, and I forget who played the female lead - I'd have to look it up) -- of the elusiveness of dreams, of trying to capture and retain a fleeting thought, event, moment, or feeling.
I checked out Polimom's blog, and was pleased to note that she'd included a photograph taken on one of her walks through George Bush Park in far west Houston. She's fast becoming known for her skills with the camera and all its various attachments and lenses.
That post reminded me of Steven's blog, which is here there and everywhere, but almost always in the pursuit of loveliness and beauty. And, when he finds something he considers absolutely delightful, he writes about it and includes a photograph or two. What I find delightful about his blog is his almost childlike reaction to what he sees and discovers, like he's seeing something really fascinating for the very first time and just can't wait to share it with everyone! I find his enthusiasm contagious.
I've had a very good start to my day. Hope you have!
Monday, October 20, 2008
The ability to laugh at one's self ...
... is a truly wondrous thing.
'W' has it. That's a really healthy part of his makeup. It has helped him to survive all the many jabs and pokes (some intentionally nasty, unfortunately) he has received these past nearly eight years.
I have it. Do you?
There is a site out there where you can check your blog's reading level. Did you know that?
It's kind of fun. Not only can you check your own blog's level, you can check (I don't how many, actually) any number of others!
I am kind of sad to report that my blog's level is now at "Junior High."
Well, shoot and darnation!
It used to say "Elementary."
I thought, "Oh, good. That means it's easy to read."
I want it to be easy to read! I take a lot of pride in carefully writing and re/editing each post so that you all know exactly where I'm coming from.
One of my regular readers and a personal "Favorite" of mine, Whalechaser, has posted on her site that her blog's reading level is "Genius."
I thought, "Whaat!!" (Not that she's not a genius, understand, but she doesn't use any bigger words than I do! At least I don't find myself having to go to the dictionary while reading her posts to understand what the devil she's talking about.)
ANYhoo, yesterday -- while out at DD's -- she (DD) and I spent at least an hour (maybe more!) on her trying to teach me and me trying to learn how to post pix and such on my blogsite.
I didn't take many notes.
She showed me how to post something from YouTube on my site, and I have a practice draft for that one. She showed me how to save an attachment from an e-mail into a folder (somewhere ... you see why I really needed to take notes?). She showed me how to down/up?load a pic from someone else's site to my own. I have a practice draft for that. She cautioned me about making sure that I gave proper credit to my source. She showed me how to place the pic left/center/right and how the text would appear. (And yes, you have it correctly. I took no notes for that, either!) However, I have a practice draft. :)
Well, last night I had another of these weird dreams. ("Fun" weird.)
I dreamed that I was looking at my post, trying to figure out why it was deemed "Elementary" instead of anything higher.
In my dream, I was asked to cross out (remove) any word that appeared more than once.
Well, the word "I" was used just a ton of times, and I deleted all of those. "The" "my" "it" "thought" "was" "had" "she" "at" "well" were summarily disposed of, as well.
I was left with (in my dream) perhaps four or five words that were unique (one of a kind to that post) and were less than three syllables!!
I woke up laughing ... laughing, I tell you!
Oh Lord, I couldn't wait to get in here and tell all of you about it.
But then I rechecked my blog's current reading level, and it's been 'upgraded'. How the devil did THAT happen?
Do you want to have some fun? Check this site out. Then, after you've had your giggle, check out everyone else's!
'W' has it. That's a really healthy part of his makeup. It has helped him to survive all the many jabs and pokes (some intentionally nasty, unfortunately) he has received these past nearly eight years.
I have it. Do you?
There is a site out there where you can check your blog's reading level. Did you know that?
It's kind of fun. Not only can you check your own blog's level, you can check (I don't how many, actually) any number of others!
I am kind of sad to report that my blog's level is now at "Junior High."
Well, shoot and darnation!
It used to say "Elementary."
I thought, "Oh, good. That means it's easy to read."
I want it to be easy to read! I take a lot of pride in carefully writing and re/editing each post so that you all know exactly where I'm coming from.
One of my regular readers and a personal "Favorite" of mine, Whalechaser, has posted on her site that her blog's reading level is "Genius."
I thought, "Whaat!!" (Not that she's not a genius, understand, but she doesn't use any bigger words than I do! At least I don't find myself having to go to the dictionary while reading her posts to understand what the devil she's talking about.)
ANYhoo, yesterday -- while out at DD's -- she (DD) and I spent at least an hour (maybe more!) on her trying to teach me and me trying to learn how to post pix and such on my blogsite.
I didn't take many notes.
She showed me how to post something from YouTube on my site, and I have a practice draft for that one. She showed me how to save an attachment from an e-mail into a folder (somewhere ... you see why I really needed to take notes?). She showed me how to down/up?load a pic from someone else's site to my own. I have a practice draft for that. She cautioned me about making sure that I gave proper credit to my source. She showed me how to place the pic left/center/right and how the text would appear. (And yes, you have it correctly. I took no notes for that, either!) However, I have a practice draft. :)
Well, last night I had another of these weird dreams. ("Fun" weird.)
I dreamed that I was looking at my post, trying to figure out why it was deemed "Elementary" instead of anything higher.
In my dream, I was asked to cross out (remove) any word that appeared more than once.
Well, the word "I" was used just a ton of times, and I deleted all of those. "The" "my" "it" "thought" "was" "had" "she" "at" "well" were summarily disposed of, as well.
I was left with (in my dream) perhaps four or five words that were unique (one of a kind to that post) and were less than three syllables!!
I woke up laughing ... laughing, I tell you!
Oh Lord, I couldn't wait to get in here and tell all of you about it.
But then I rechecked my blog's current reading level, and it's been 'upgraded'. How the devil did THAT happen?
Do you want to have some fun? Check this site out. Then, after you've had your giggle, check out everyone else's!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Bits & pieces
Went to bed last night before 10pm (and no, I did not watch the 'great debate', as I'd already said in another post) and woke up about 4:30 this morning. Six and a half delicious hours of sleep. May or may not have dreamed.
Got up and checked Milwaukee's score from last night. I knew that the Mets had lost, meaning we were still barely hanging on by a thread. However, the Cubs have decided that they can now coast to the end of the regular season, having secured their divisional first place finish recently. Milwaukee won. The Astros are out.
We did it to ourselves, really, but the 'godlike' commissioner of baseball didn't help. Right now I'm a little turned off by baseball in general. I don't foresee a post baseball season withdrawal coming, but one never knows, right?
Wrote my post on banking (not political -- personal), cruised through some of my "Favorites", and then went back to bed for a short nap. This nap, of one hour duration, produced a recurring dream with variations which I'll have to share with you another time.
It's kind of a weird combination of the aftermath of Hurricane Ike and my continuing to miss exits as a taxicab driver while transporting a family of three (He is here on business. His wife and mother-in-law [??] are accompanying him.) whom I have driven several times before.
At least one point during this dream, I woke myself up by talking out loud to one of my passengers!
Went into the other room to catch the tail end of the local news, where I heard a couple of updates about Ike's lingering effects.
1) There are a large number of baby squirrels being cared for currently by the SPCA. Boy, are they cute! The caretaker, in responding to a question about why the squirrels weren't scared, said, "Their hunger overcomes their fear." I have two squirrels in my back yard. If they had a baby or two that needed to be rescued, I didn't find it/them. (They are still here, by the way. They're continuing to throw acorns on my patio roof just as hard as they can to try and crack them!)
2) I've mentioned, a couple of times, about our problems due to traffic lights not yet having been restored. This morning's newscast stated that all traffic signals should be back to normal by November. (!?!)
Got my weekly "fix" when Gerald Treece came on for his 5-10 minute Saturday morning appearance where he starts off with a short monologue on the topic of the day -- in this case it was concerning the 150 e-mails he's been getting daily on problems concerning Ike -- and then takes questions from individual callers.
One of the callers had questions about insurance companies, what they cover/don't cover, how long must one wait for an adjustor to appear, etc.
I get a kick out of him. He cautioned that the caller must be prepared to wait. Settlements don't come right away, even if the adjustor is there within the hour.
Then he said that his insurance company hasn't shown up yet, but they've given him great hope that 'someday' they will!
He concluded by saying, "Don't get down, Astros fans. Spring training is only five months away. There's always next year!"
PS. I haven't seen a cockroach since Ike. (Knocking on wood like crazy.) Now there's a mixed blessing for you!
Got up and checked Milwaukee's score from last night. I knew that the Mets had lost, meaning we were still barely hanging on by a thread. However, the Cubs have decided that they can now coast to the end of the regular season, having secured their divisional first place finish recently. Milwaukee won. The Astros are out.
We did it to ourselves, really, but the 'godlike' commissioner of baseball didn't help. Right now I'm a little turned off by baseball in general. I don't foresee a post baseball season withdrawal coming, but one never knows, right?
Wrote my post on banking (not political -- personal), cruised through some of my "Favorites", and then went back to bed for a short nap. This nap, of one hour duration, produced a recurring dream with variations which I'll have to share with you another time.
It's kind of a weird combination of the aftermath of Hurricane Ike and my continuing to miss exits as a taxicab driver while transporting a family of three (He is here on business. His wife and mother-in-law [??] are accompanying him.) whom I have driven several times before.
At least one point during this dream, I woke myself up by talking out loud to one of my passengers!
Went into the other room to catch the tail end of the local news, where I heard a couple of updates about Ike's lingering effects.
1) There are a large number of baby squirrels being cared for currently by the SPCA. Boy, are they cute! The caretaker, in responding to a question about why the squirrels weren't scared, said, "Their hunger overcomes their fear." I have two squirrels in my back yard. If they had a baby or two that needed to be rescued, I didn't find it/them. (They are still here, by the way. They're continuing to throw acorns on my patio roof just as hard as they can to try and crack them!)
2) I've mentioned, a couple of times, about our problems due to traffic lights not yet having been restored. This morning's newscast stated that all traffic signals should be back to normal by November. (!?!)
Got my weekly "fix" when Gerald Treece came on for his 5-10 minute Saturday morning appearance where he starts off with a short monologue on the topic of the day -- in this case it was concerning the 150 e-mails he's been getting daily on problems concerning Ike -- and then takes questions from individual callers.
One of the callers had questions about insurance companies, what they cover/don't cover, how long must one wait for an adjustor to appear, etc.
I get a kick out of him. He cautioned that the caller must be prepared to wait. Settlements don't come right away, even if the adjustor is there within the hour.
Then he said that his insurance company hasn't shown up yet, but they've given him great hope that 'someday' they will!
He concluded by saying, "Don't get down, Astros fans. Spring training is only five months away. There's always next year!"
PS. I haven't seen a cockroach since Ike. (Knocking on wood like crazy.) Now there's a mixed blessing for you!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Dreams and fun stuff
I am having really weird dreams. This morning's very early dream I'll share in part with you, mostly because I remember only parts of it. Rrvit!
At first it has only to do with taxi-driving. I've driven my blue Buick LeSabre, for almost a year now (!) a personal vehicle, over to a hotel stand to 'visit' with a couple of long-timey friends. A fellow comes out of the hotel with his luggage and says he wants to go to IAH. My friends want ME to drive him! He looks and says, "But it's not a taxicab." They say, "That's OK. She's a friend of ours. She knows what the rates are. Go ahead!" He gets in, I turn the meter on (??), and then the scene switches back to ...
... the same hotel, where I am now picking up a complete stranger, who says that he wants to go downtown. We're a pretty good ways off from downtown, but before we can even take off another potential passenger flags us down. Now, SHE I recognize as a long-time previous customer. They're both going to the same general area, so off we go. (No meter this time, at least not in my conscious memory banks!)
We're traveling east on I-10 towards downtown. Good. I exit three times incorrectly. Not good. The first time I do so, I try and get right back on the interstate, only to discover that we're now heading west instead of east. Customers don't seem to notice. They haven't been paying any attention.
A couple more wrong exits later, we're still not downtown. In the interim, somehow or another, I have dropped off the female customer where she wanted to go (thought she wanted to go 'downtown'?) and male customer (who, as it now turns out, is one of my cancer patient customers from Florida) and I have continued onward, where the scene switches to ...
... the residence of a bridge acquaintance of mine, who is at home doing some paperwork.
Other bits and pieces (fragmented at the very best!) from this most convoluted dream include a bridge tournament that Butch conducted all by himself, my being absolutely chagrined at not being dressed properly to drive a taxicab, and a teddy bear singing chipmunk songs! (You'd have to have been there!!)
Moving on to "fun things", this part of the post is taken from Tish, who took it from Margie, who took it from 'who knows where'. It's called, "And then the fight started...". Ready? Are you sure??
When I got home last night, my wife demanded that I take her someplace expensive, so I took her to a gas station. Attfs...
After retiring, I went to the Social Security office to apply for Social Security. The woman behind the counter asked me for my driver's license to verify my age. I looked in my pockets and realized that I had left my wallet at home. I told the woman I was very sorry, but I would have to go home and come back later. The woman said, "Unbutton your shirt." So I opened my shirt revealing my curly silver hair. She said, "That silver hair on your chest is proof enough for me," and processed my Social Security application. When I got home, I excitedly told my wife about my experience at the Social Security office. She said, "You should have dropped your pants. You might have gotten disability, too." Attfs...
My wife and I were sitting at a table at my high school reunion, and I kept staring at a drunken lady swigging her drink as she sat alone at a nearby table. My wife asked, "Do you know her?" "Yes," I sighed, "She's my old girlfriend. I understand she took to drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear she hasn't been sober since." "My God!" says my wife, "Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?" Attfs...
I rear-ended a car this morning. So, there we were alongside the road and the other driver, who happened to be a little person, got out of his car. You know how sometimes you get soooo stressed and, right or wrong, some things just seem funny? Well, this was one of those times. He stormed over to my car, looked up at me and said, "I AM NOT HAPPY!!!" So, I looked down at him and said, "Well then, which one are you?" Attfs...
At first it has only to do with taxi-driving. I've driven my blue Buick LeSabre, for almost a year now (!) a personal vehicle, over to a hotel stand to 'visit' with a couple of long-timey friends. A fellow comes out of the hotel with his luggage and says he wants to go to IAH. My friends want ME to drive him! He looks and says, "But it's not a taxicab." They say, "That's OK. She's a friend of ours. She knows what the rates are. Go ahead!" He gets in, I turn the meter on (??), and then the scene switches back to ...
... the same hotel, where I am now picking up a complete stranger, who says that he wants to go downtown. We're a pretty good ways off from downtown, but before we can even take off another potential passenger flags us down. Now, SHE I recognize as a long-time previous customer. They're both going to the same general area, so off we go. (No meter this time, at least not in my conscious memory banks!)
We're traveling east on I-10 towards downtown. Good. I exit three times incorrectly. Not good. The first time I do so, I try and get right back on the interstate, only to discover that we're now heading west instead of east. Customers don't seem to notice. They haven't been paying any attention.
A couple more wrong exits later, we're still not downtown. In the interim, somehow or another, I have dropped off the female customer where she wanted to go (thought she wanted to go 'downtown'?) and male customer (who, as it now turns out, is one of my cancer patient customers from Florida) and I have continued onward, where the scene switches to ...
... the residence of a bridge acquaintance of mine, who is at home doing some paperwork.
Other bits and pieces (fragmented at the very best!) from this most convoluted dream include a bridge tournament that Butch conducted all by himself, my being absolutely chagrined at not being dressed properly to drive a taxicab, and a teddy bear singing chipmunk songs! (You'd have to have been there!!)
Moving on to "fun things", this part of the post is taken from Tish, who took it from Margie, who took it from 'who knows where'. It's called, "And then the fight started...". Ready? Are you sure??
When I got home last night, my wife demanded that I take her someplace expensive, so I took her to a gas station. Attfs...
After retiring, I went to the Social Security office to apply for Social Security. The woman behind the counter asked me for my driver's license to verify my age. I looked in my pockets and realized that I had left my wallet at home. I told the woman I was very sorry, but I would have to go home and come back later. The woman said, "Unbutton your shirt." So I opened my shirt revealing my curly silver hair. She said, "That silver hair on your chest is proof enough for me," and processed my Social Security application. When I got home, I excitedly told my wife about my experience at the Social Security office. She said, "You should have dropped your pants. You might have gotten disability, too." Attfs...
My wife and I were sitting at a table at my high school reunion, and I kept staring at a drunken lady swigging her drink as she sat alone at a nearby table. My wife asked, "Do you know her?" "Yes," I sighed, "She's my old girlfriend. I understand she took to drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear she hasn't been sober since." "My God!" says my wife, "Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?" Attfs...
I rear-ended a car this morning. So, there we were alongside the road and the other driver, who happened to be a little person, got out of his car. You know how sometimes you get soooo stressed and, right or wrong, some things just seem funny? Well, this was one of those times. He stormed over to my car, looked up at me and said, "I AM NOT HAPPY!!!" So, I looked down at him and said, "Well then, which one are you?" Attfs...
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Imagination working overtime
I had another weird dream last night -- not 'scary' weird, but very strange all the same.
It seems that a blogger 'friend' of mine had decided to incorporate some of my "Memories of my mother" posts into a series he was doing on "Goldenrod's thoughts". (All y'all understand that this is only a dream, right?) OK.
Well! In my dream, I'm 'looking at' parts three and four, which have been set to music (!?!) and feature gawdawful-looking musicians. Just terrible!
A proliferation of e-mails ensues. I want to know where parts one and two are. I want parts three and four deleted completely. And, did he even bother to read part five?
I woke up REALLY angry!
Yesterday, I posted "Lethologica" -- a word describing the state of not being able to remember the word you want.
I shared a few stories, ALL of which were funny, but I can only vouch for the verity of the first one.
One of the later comments reminded me of when I was driving a taxicab, and here's the story. Actually, it's a capsulation of many stories, and it will give you a much better picture of how my mind 'works'. (Or 'doesn't' ... I'll let you be the judge of that!)
Truly, truly, I have a most peculiar memory. I remember almost NO one's name, and sometimes even have trouble placing where I might have even seen the person before! (Make a mental note here, if you would, to NEVER call me to the witness stand!)
As a taxicab driver, I sometimes found myself, initially, in a somewhat uncomfortable position after a passenger said, "Oh, hey! How are you?" (or) "It's really good to see you again!"
And, as I'm sure you've discerned by now, I had not the vaguest memory of this person, not the VAguest!
I finally decided that the only way out of this dilemma was to tell the truth.
SO, I would say, "I'm really sorry. I drive so many people, I just don't remember. How long has it been?" (Now, if it was just two weeks ago, that's really embarrassing, right?)
Usually, tho, it was a much longer time period than that.
What always 'saved me' was my next question (or two). First one would have been, "Where did we go?", followed closely by the second, "Do you remember, by any chance, what we talked about?" Also, somewhere in there would have been, "What brings you to Houston so often/seldom/almost never/whatever, anyway?"
My memory remembers conversations (almost word for word), destinations, details about family, problems with work ... you name the topic of conversation, I remember it! Is that weird, or what?
It seems that a blogger 'friend' of mine had decided to incorporate some of my "Memories of my mother" posts into a series he was doing on "Goldenrod's thoughts". (All y'all understand that this is only a dream, right?) OK.
Well! In my dream, I'm 'looking at' parts three and four, which have been set to music (!?!) and feature gawdawful-looking musicians. Just terrible!
A proliferation of e-mails ensues. I want to know where parts one and two are. I want parts three and four deleted completely. And, did he even bother to read part five?
I woke up REALLY angry!
Yesterday, I posted "Lethologica" -- a word describing the state of not being able to remember the word you want.
I shared a few stories, ALL of which were funny, but I can only vouch for the verity of the first one.
One of the later comments reminded me of when I was driving a taxicab, and here's the story. Actually, it's a capsulation of many stories, and it will give you a much better picture of how my mind 'works'. (Or 'doesn't' ... I'll let you be the judge of that!)
Truly, truly, I have a most peculiar memory. I remember almost NO one's name, and sometimes even have trouble placing where I might have even seen the person before! (Make a mental note here, if you would, to NEVER call me to the witness stand!)
As a taxicab driver, I sometimes found myself, initially, in a somewhat uncomfortable position after a passenger said, "Oh, hey! How are you?" (or) "It's really good to see you again!"
And, as I'm sure you've discerned by now, I had not the vaguest memory of this person, not the VAguest!
I finally decided that the only way out of this dilemma was to tell the truth.
SO, I would say, "I'm really sorry. I drive so many people, I just don't remember. How long has it been?" (Now, if it was just two weeks ago, that's really embarrassing, right?)
Usually, tho, it was a much longer time period than that.
What always 'saved me' was my next question (or two). First one would have been, "Where did we go?", followed closely by the second, "Do you remember, by any chance, what we talked about?" Also, somewhere in there would have been, "What brings you to Houston so often/seldom/almost never/whatever, anyway?"
My memory remembers conversations (almost word for word), destinations, details about family, problems with work ... you name the topic of conversation, I remember it! Is that weird, or what?
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Just delicious
A couple more dreams to share with you. I'm having some good ones right now ... hope my subconscious stays in this positive mood for a long time!
First off, two of my blogger friends who have been 'smitten' with each other decided to get married. That was neat!
The second one just blew my mind. I couldn't wait to run in here and try it to see if it actually worked! (It doesn't.)
Someone with an ingenious mind needs to invent this ... BIG $$$ involved, I bet! (I want a 10% 'idea' fee*.)
You run your cursor over a saying, quote, or paragraph. Let it linger for a second or two while a gazillion data banks are searched. A rectangle (superimposed) will then briefly appear citing the original author, date, and source.
Does that blow your mind, too??
*[The '10% idea fee' comes to mind directly from the quote, "Genius is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration." You're entitled to your 90%.]
Will probably do another post later. Got to check all my favorites first.
First off, two of my blogger friends who have been 'smitten' with each other decided to get married. That was neat!
The second one just blew my mind. I couldn't wait to run in here and try it to see if it actually worked! (It doesn't.)
Someone with an ingenious mind needs to invent this ... BIG $$$ involved, I bet! (I want a 10% 'idea' fee*.)
You run your cursor over a saying, quote, or paragraph. Let it linger for a second or two while a gazillion data banks are searched. A rectangle (superimposed) will then briefly appear citing the original author, date, and source.
Does that blow your mind, too??
*[The '10% idea fee' comes to mind directly from the quote, "Genius is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration." You're entitled to your 90%.]
Will probably do another post later. Got to check all my favorites first.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Wishful thinking
On July 8th, just six days ago, I posted a quote that included this phrase, "wishful thinking and the power of suggestion".
I've been debating all day as to whether or not I should share with you my dream. It's a DANDY!!! Definitely "wishful thinking", but I don't know about the "power of suggestion" aspect.
The following is only a dream, OK?
One of my fellow bloggers, whom I admire greatly for many reasons -- not the least of which are his exhaustive research into a multitude of interests, his willingness to exchange variances of ideas, and his generally 'upbeat' approach to life --, decided to do an entire post on "Goldenrod's thoughts".
I woke up smiling.
I've been debating all day as to whether or not I should share with you my dream. It's a DANDY!!! Definitely "wishful thinking", but I don't know about the "power of suggestion" aspect.
The following is only a dream, OK?
One of my fellow bloggers, whom I admire greatly for many reasons -- not the least of which are his exhaustive research into a multitude of interests, his willingness to exchange variances of ideas, and his generally 'upbeat' approach to life --, decided to do an entire post on "Goldenrod's thoughts".
I woke up smiling.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
An added comment on "Dreams"
I keep notebooks filled with the names of books I've read. They're listed alphabetically by author. Then, on each page I'll list the titles, dates of publication, add a few notes and sometimes a rating or two.
Well, in researching to find the book title for a post I intend to begin shortly after publishing this one, I came across a quote I thought you might like to ponder.
It's from "A King's Ransom" by James Grippando, published in 2001, page 50.
"Some people find meaning in dreams. I usually dismissed the good ones as wishful thinking and the power of suggestion; the bad ones I chalked up to stress, anxiety, and the power of indigestion."
Well, in researching to find the book title for a post I intend to begin shortly after publishing this one, I came across a quote I thought you might like to ponder.
It's from "A King's Ransom" by James Grippando, published in 2001, page 50.
"Some people find meaning in dreams. I usually dismissed the good ones as wishful thinking and the power of suggestion; the bad ones I chalked up to stress, anxiety, and the power of indigestion."
Monday, July 7, 2008
Convolution
Boy, that one word describes the dream I had midway through my sleep last night. It woke me up, in fact. And, because I remembered all the details so clearly, I wanted to immediately get up and write it down before I forgot it, but I didn't.
Here it is, in a nutshell, details somewhat fuzzy, but meaning/s clear.
I'm driving my car and I see a 4-wheel drive, all terrain-type vehicle doing really weird things, like trying to go up steep embankments (& sometimes even succeeding) and then coming back down and forcing others to quickly have to brake or dodge to avoid an accident as it re-enters moving traffic without yielding the right of way. Once I even saw it sideswipe another car pretty good, but it didn't stop. Just kept on going.
Later, as I'm driving up a street in this very attractive neighborhood, I notice the vehicle perhaps half a block in front of me. It is stopped in the middle of the street. I can see that there are two people inside. I pull over to the side because I don't know why it's there or what they intend to do.
As I'm waiting and watching, all of a sudden I see it shoot forward and just 'cream' a really expensive-looking car parked in a driveway. Shocked, my jaw practically on the ground, I get out of my car and watch as they get out to inspect the damage to the other car. Seemingly satisfied, they turn around to get back into their vehicle (I guess to find another 'victim') and see me watching. They hesitate. I shout, "What do you guys think you're doing? I saw what you did. I'm going to call the police!"
They start towards me. They don't look friendly. Now, all of a sudden, I'm afraid and run towards the house nearest me and pound frantically on the front door. It opens and I'm inside, safe for the moment but worried about my car. Sure enough, my worst fears are realized when I finally venture back outside and see that it is no longer there.
I remember thinking (in my dream) 'fun' stuff like, "Now they know where I live. My registration's in the glovebox. They'll come and get me!" "How am I going to be able to afford a new car?"
Do you dream? If you do, does everything seem to happen in slow motion? Do things that would make no sense at all if you were awake appear normal? Do you dream in color or black and white? (My sister asked me that once, long ago, and I said that I didn't remember.) I don't remember to this day, although I have tried to tell my subconscious many times to pay attention to that little detail. So far it hasn't listened to me.
In a post titled, "Talking to oneself ...", published in January, I said that dreams are the sub/unconscious mind's way of resolving issues of the day.
Well, I guess that one of the issues my subconscious continues to worry about is my car. The above-mentioned post refers to that in the first paragraph. Overall, tho, that post is upbeat and fairly amusing, not at all like this one! If you haven't already read it, you might get a kick out of it.
I'm not a taxicab driver any more and don't depend on my vehicle for a living, so why am I still worried? Well, for one thing I took the collision insurance off when the car was paid for. I figured that I could avoid an at-fault accident. What I am not protected against is theft. An amazing creature, the subconscious!
Where'd the destructive vehicle come from? Well, I watched a sub-par movie about this 'demon' car within the last few days. "If it was so sub-par, why'd you continue to watch it?" I guess I kept hoping it would get better! Anyway, that got thrown into the mix. Where I was in fear for my life my subconscious must have decided to add just to scare me enough to wake up.
My hope is, now that I've written all of this down so that my feeling of horror might somehow be neutralized as the components are strewn all over cyberspace, that I have gotten this out of my system and the dream will not recur.
Here it is, in a nutshell, details somewhat fuzzy, but meaning/s clear.
I'm driving my car and I see a 4-wheel drive, all terrain-type vehicle doing really weird things, like trying to go up steep embankments (& sometimes even succeeding) and then coming back down and forcing others to quickly have to brake or dodge to avoid an accident as it re-enters moving traffic without yielding the right of way. Once I even saw it sideswipe another car pretty good, but it didn't stop. Just kept on going.
Later, as I'm driving up a street in this very attractive neighborhood, I notice the vehicle perhaps half a block in front of me. It is stopped in the middle of the street. I can see that there are two people inside. I pull over to the side because I don't know why it's there or what they intend to do.
As I'm waiting and watching, all of a sudden I see it shoot forward and just 'cream' a really expensive-looking car parked in a driveway. Shocked, my jaw practically on the ground, I get out of my car and watch as they get out to inspect the damage to the other car. Seemingly satisfied, they turn around to get back into their vehicle (I guess to find another 'victim') and see me watching. They hesitate. I shout, "What do you guys think you're doing? I saw what you did. I'm going to call the police!"
They start towards me. They don't look friendly. Now, all of a sudden, I'm afraid and run towards the house nearest me and pound frantically on the front door. It opens and I'm inside, safe for the moment but worried about my car. Sure enough, my worst fears are realized when I finally venture back outside and see that it is no longer there.
I remember thinking (in my dream) 'fun' stuff like, "Now they know where I live. My registration's in the glovebox. They'll come and get me!" "How am I going to be able to afford a new car?"
Do you dream? If you do, does everything seem to happen in slow motion? Do things that would make no sense at all if you were awake appear normal? Do you dream in color or black and white? (My sister asked me that once, long ago, and I said that I didn't remember.) I don't remember to this day, although I have tried to tell my subconscious many times to pay attention to that little detail. So far it hasn't listened to me.
In a post titled, "Talking to oneself ...", published in January, I said that dreams are the sub/unconscious mind's way of resolving issues of the day.
Well, I guess that one of the issues my subconscious continues to worry about is my car. The above-mentioned post refers to that in the first paragraph. Overall, tho, that post is upbeat and fairly amusing, not at all like this one! If you haven't already read it, you might get a kick out of it.
I'm not a taxicab driver any more and don't depend on my vehicle for a living, so why am I still worried? Well, for one thing I took the collision insurance off when the car was paid for. I figured that I could avoid an at-fault accident. What I am not protected against is theft. An amazing creature, the subconscious!
Where'd the destructive vehicle come from? Well, I watched a sub-par movie about this 'demon' car within the last few days. "If it was so sub-par, why'd you continue to watch it?" I guess I kept hoping it would get better! Anyway, that got thrown into the mix. Where I was in fear for my life my subconscious must have decided to add just to scare me enough to wake up.
My hope is, now that I've written all of this down so that my feeling of horror might somehow be neutralized as the components are strewn all over cyberspace, that I have gotten this out of my system and the dream will not recur.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
In my perfect world ... ...
... I take naps whenever I please.
... The house cleans itself.
... I travel all over the world.
... I have all my teeth.
... My body has no aches or pains.
... I am a gourmet cook.
... I lean back in my leather recliner and read a good book by the fire.
... The car always starts and runs beautifully.
... I have a spinet piano.
... Money is never an issue.
... I have a regular duplicate bridge partner.
... The Astros win the World Series.
... The leaders of our country sincerely and honestly have the people's interests at heart and work amicably together to achieve their goals.
And there you have it ... concise, meaningful, but I don't know about profound ... for my 100th post, 100 words, exactly!
... The house cleans itself.
... I travel all over the world.
... I have all my teeth.
... My body has no aches or pains.
... I am a gourmet cook.
... I lean back in my leather recliner and read a good book by the fire.
... The car always starts and runs beautifully.
... I have a spinet piano.
... Money is never an issue.
... I have a regular duplicate bridge partner.
... The Astros win the World Series.
... The leaders of our country sincerely and honestly have the people's interests at heart and work amicably together to achieve their goals.
And there you have it ... concise, meaningful, but I don't know about profound ... for my 100th post, 100 words, exactly!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
In a different city ...
I was teaching first grade in a strange classroom, one I had never been in before although I knew all of the students.
It was a tiny room, and a few of the students were sitting on a long wooden bench against one wall. No one seemed to have all of their books, and so I was putting small groups together so they could share.
A man came in to observe, which was fine -- I've had observers lots of times. I showed him where to sit. The classroom noise seemed a little loud to me, but I ignored it, pretending it was normal.
One of the boys was sitting at his desk with no clothes on except for his briefs. I asked him where his clothes were and he muttered, "They took 'em." "Who's 'they'?" I questioned. He didn't want to say. He seemed embarrassed and even a little afraid.
Two of the other boys motioned me over and told me that there'd been some trouble recently with a group of older, tough kids. I went back and asked the child if he was cold. He said that he was O.K., so I told him he could stay. The rest of the class didn't seem to notice anything different, so we went on with our lessons.
While having lunch in my office, I decided I'd go out and walk for awhile. My calves had been sore, and I figured that I needed the exercise.
First, tho, I needed to put something on. (One of my favorite things is being in the altogether when I'm alone and in private.) So, I grabbed my robe and headed out with just a huge smile on my face! It wasn't quite noon yet and I had a little more than half an hour to enjoy myself.
Once outside, I went directly across the sidewalk into the Boy Scout building. For some reason, I had never been inside before. The first room I went into had lots and lots of dogs in it ... all different kinds ... some with their puppies.
It wasn't a dog show or anything like that -- no handlers, no leashes, just a very benevolent-looking man sitting on a straight chair towards the side of the room. I figured he must have been there to watch over the dogs and play "show and tell" when visitors arrived.
Several minutes passed before I was able to make my exit from the room. I was getting sniffed like crazy, and then there were all these doggie demands to be petted and held.
On the way back, I was going down the sidewalk when I noticed (what looked like) a road rage incident occurring right beside me. Two high-rise (don't know the proper terminology) trucks seemed to be trying to force each other to topple over. To make matters even worse, they both had trailers behind!
I scurried up on the grass to get out of the way and watched as one of them rammed into the other from the side. (My mouth was wide open, I'm sure, in astonishment!) I couldn't believe it when, just a few seconds later, both drivers jumped down from their cabs, grinning like crazy. One said to the other, "Gotcha!" Evidently a common occurrence with those two.
Well, time was now a factor. I only had ten minutes to get back to the school, and I had to make a stop at a locker where I'd stored something earlier. I sure hoped my glasses were in there!
Just before I got to the storage place, a man came up to me and said, "Excuse me? I've been hoping you'd come back. These are yours, I think." And there they were, my glasses! Evidently I'd stopped to have coffee and chat with him earlier, but I hadn't remembered. I'd been totally focused on getting back to my class on time.
Then he said, "I know we've just met, but I wondered if you're doing anything in particular Saturday night? The hotel just down the street hosts an 'open to anybody' event. People get together, talk, maybe have a drink or two, and dance. Do you like to dance?
I usually go by myself and have a good time. But, I thought, after our conversation earlier, perhaps you might be interested? It wouldn't have to be a 'date' or anything."
"What time does it start?" I asked. "9:00" I said, "Listen, I've really got to run. I'm going to be terribly late! I'll try and make it ... and, by the way, I love to dance!"
And I took off, running, clutching my robe around me. A few moments later, I stopped for breath and glanced down again at my watch. It was almost 12:45!! My class was supposed to have started at 12:30 ... ... ...
... ... I woke up with a start, but thank goodness I woke up. It would never do to be terminated in a dream!
It was a tiny room, and a few of the students were sitting on a long wooden bench against one wall. No one seemed to have all of their books, and so I was putting small groups together so they could share.
A man came in to observe, which was fine -- I've had observers lots of times. I showed him where to sit. The classroom noise seemed a little loud to me, but I ignored it, pretending it was normal.
One of the boys was sitting at his desk with no clothes on except for his briefs. I asked him where his clothes were and he muttered, "They took 'em." "Who's 'they'?" I questioned. He didn't want to say. He seemed embarrassed and even a little afraid.
Two of the other boys motioned me over and told me that there'd been some trouble recently with a group of older, tough kids. I went back and asked the child if he was cold. He said that he was O.K., so I told him he could stay. The rest of the class didn't seem to notice anything different, so we went on with our lessons.
While having lunch in my office, I decided I'd go out and walk for awhile. My calves had been sore, and I figured that I needed the exercise.
First, tho, I needed to put something on. (One of my favorite things is being in the altogether when I'm alone and in private.) So, I grabbed my robe and headed out with just a huge smile on my face! It wasn't quite noon yet and I had a little more than half an hour to enjoy myself.
Once outside, I went directly across the sidewalk into the Boy Scout building. For some reason, I had never been inside before. The first room I went into had lots and lots of dogs in it ... all different kinds ... some with their puppies.
It wasn't a dog show or anything like that -- no handlers, no leashes, just a very benevolent-looking man sitting on a straight chair towards the side of the room. I figured he must have been there to watch over the dogs and play "show and tell" when visitors arrived.
Several minutes passed before I was able to make my exit from the room. I was getting sniffed like crazy, and then there were all these doggie demands to be petted and held.
On the way back, I was going down the sidewalk when I noticed (what looked like) a road rage incident occurring right beside me. Two high-rise (don't know the proper terminology) trucks seemed to be trying to force each other to topple over. To make matters even worse, they both had trailers behind!
I scurried up on the grass to get out of the way and watched as one of them rammed into the other from the side. (My mouth was wide open, I'm sure, in astonishment!) I couldn't believe it when, just a few seconds later, both drivers jumped down from their cabs, grinning like crazy. One said to the other, "Gotcha!" Evidently a common occurrence with those two.
Well, time was now a factor. I only had ten minutes to get back to the school, and I had to make a stop at a locker where I'd stored something earlier. I sure hoped my glasses were in there!
Just before I got to the storage place, a man came up to me and said, "Excuse me? I've been hoping you'd come back. These are yours, I think." And there they were, my glasses! Evidently I'd stopped to have coffee and chat with him earlier, but I hadn't remembered. I'd been totally focused on getting back to my class on time.
Then he said, "I know we've just met, but I wondered if you're doing anything in particular Saturday night? The hotel just down the street hosts an 'open to anybody' event. People get together, talk, maybe have a drink or two, and dance. Do you like to dance?
I usually go by myself and have a good time. But, I thought, after our conversation earlier, perhaps you might be interested? It wouldn't have to be a 'date' or anything."
"What time does it start?" I asked. "9:00" I said, "Listen, I've really got to run. I'm going to be terribly late! I'll try and make it ... and, by the way, I love to dance!"
And I took off, running, clutching my robe around me. A few moments later, I stopped for breath and glanced down again at my watch. It was almost 12:45!! My class was supposed to have started at 12:30 ... ... ...
... ... I woke up with a start, but thank goodness I woke up. It would never do to be terminated in a dream!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Talking to oneself ...
I dream a lot, I think. Someone once told me that she thought dreams were the sub/unconscious mind's way of resolving issues of the day. When I was a taxicab driver, I would sometimes have bad dreams -- usually of coming back to where I had parked my vehicle only to find it missing. (That never happened, understand, but it must have one of my fears!) I actually had that dream more than once, because in the middle of the big "chase it down" scene, my sleeping mind would remember that I'd had seen that episode before, and I would wake up ... a good thing.
Have you ever had a recurring dream? When I was in high school, I had one where I had a friend (whom I'd never met in real life). We spent a lot of time in her home. I can still visualize that house. Then, when I went away to college, I made a new friend. When she invited me over to her home to meet her family, I was startled to realize that everything was familiar, right down to the books on the shelves. And why wouldn't it have been? I had "been there" many times!
That's probably one of the eerier dreams I could relate. Usually I don't remember my dreams ... just bits & pieces. Once I woke myself up laughing out loud ... sure wish I could remember it -- must have been one of the good ones!
Sometimes I will wake myself up because I can hear myself talking! The latest episode occurred within the past month. I distinctly remember that I was teaching a group of bridge students and was answering an oft-posed question (for the gazillionth time, it seemed!) yet once again, but trying to re-phrase my answer in such a way that the student would have a ("Eureka, I've got it!") light bulb go off in his/her head. I woke myself up talking to the (dream) student.
Yesterday, Darling Daughter (DD) shared a really funny story with me, which is what prompted this latest "frothing at the mouth" post.
The afternoon before, I had tried to reach her on her cell phone -- left a message because she was unavailable. I assumed she was taking a nap, so asked her to call me later when she had time. I didn't hear back from her later (just as well, because I hit the bed early). However, we did connect yesterday, and here's what happened in that conversation ... ... ...
DD kept telling me yesterday, "Mom, keep still for a minute, so I can say something, O.K?" I couldn't figure out why she was shushing me this time. FINally, tho, she got through to me that that was what she had been telling her "voice mail message dealiebopee machine" ... and, of course, the machine just kept going on its merry way until DD realized that she was, in essence, talking to herself. Is that hilarious, or what?? I've "been there done that" -- how about you?
Have you ever had a recurring dream? When I was in high school, I had one where I had a friend (whom I'd never met in real life). We spent a lot of time in her home. I can still visualize that house. Then, when I went away to college, I made a new friend. When she invited me over to her home to meet her family, I was startled to realize that everything was familiar, right down to the books on the shelves. And why wouldn't it have been? I had "been there" many times!
That's probably one of the eerier dreams I could relate. Usually I don't remember my dreams ... just bits & pieces. Once I woke myself up laughing out loud ... sure wish I could remember it -- must have been one of the good ones!
Sometimes I will wake myself up because I can hear myself talking! The latest episode occurred within the past month. I distinctly remember that I was teaching a group of bridge students and was answering an oft-posed question (for the gazillionth time, it seemed!) yet once again, but trying to re-phrase my answer in such a way that the student would have a ("Eureka, I've got it!") light bulb go off in his/her head. I woke myself up talking to the (dream) student.
Yesterday, Darling Daughter (DD) shared a really funny story with me, which is what prompted this latest "frothing at the mouth" post.
The afternoon before, I had tried to reach her on her cell phone -- left a message because she was unavailable. I assumed she was taking a nap, so asked her to call me later when she had time. I didn't hear back from her later (just as well, because I hit the bed early). However, we did connect yesterday, and here's what happened in that conversation ... ... ...
"Keep still for a minute, so I can say something, O.K?" (You almost have to know our past history of communicating. One of us is often saying that to the other, because we both have something we want to say, and we want to say it right NOW!! What often happens is that one has uttered something that has triggered a vitally important piece of additional information that the other feels has to be interjected right that very instant or that moment in conversational history will be lost forever.)
DD kept telling me yesterday, "Mom, keep still for a minute, so I can say something, O.K?" I couldn't figure out why she was shushing me this time. FINally, tho, she got through to me that that was what she had been telling her "voice mail message dealiebopee machine" ... and, of course, the machine just kept going on its merry way until DD realized that she was, in essence, talking to herself. Is that hilarious, or what?? I've "been there done that" -- how about you?
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