I've followed Heather Armstrong's blog on and off since 2003, though the past year my visits have been much more seldom. Her site has an inviting, open quality about it. There is something very appealing about the way she presents her life. Maybe that's why last night I dreamt I was a guest in her home. Leta was playing with a plastic container of pills and Chuck was in the bathroom. I was in the living room, with Jon on a couch across from me.
I was very excited because I know they have a Canon 5D. I looked at Jon with my hands fanned out and said, "I don't want to borrow it, I would just like to take a few shots right here to try—" He knew what I was asking and went to get the camera. "Oh boy," I thought, "not only am I going to get my hands on a 5D, I'll probably take some cool photos and Heather will put them on her site and link to me and I'll get a billion views to my Flickr page!"
Jon was walking in the hallway on his way back to me, saying something about a 50mm f/1.4 and then—
Lindsey shook me awake.
"I am so disappointed," I said.
"Good morning to you, too!"
Then I heard a door slam or something and went back to sleep.
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This is Olive, the spider who's lived with us for the past two months. Every night she makes a new web outside our door. We both normally dislike spiders (at least so close to us), but we've grown fond of Olive and her spidery ways.
Happy Halloween!
Also! I have a spooky story to tell thee, children, so gather 'round.
Actually, it's a dream I had last night, in all it's glory...and gory detail.
I was with Lindsey and a bunch of other ladies in London, England. We were there to recruit students for my university. A strange, old building had been rented for the day. It was yellow with many small, round windows and creaky boards within the floor. The day went horribly, with no visits from students. At about 5 P.M., before we began to give up, I went out. I marched to the schools, made big, loud speeches, and returned triumphant with multitudes of students in tow. Everyone was so happy. I was the hero.
If that weren't enough: afterward, we cleaned up, women still singing my praises. When I was the only one remaining, my cousin Nathan came a-calling. We spoke about trivial matters, girls, and the like, as boys tend to do, while I continued to clean. Suddenly there was a bear! He had been roaming the corridors, and we had to escape. I dropped cups and silverware, and the two of us ran in the opposite direction. After two hallways and a flight of stairs were behind, we naturally assumed our safety. Oh, how wrong! The bear reappeared! I had had enough, and exploded through a wall. Safety, at last.
However, we were then in a large wooded area with my entire family. It was a desolate place, with only a few abandoned barns separating the trees and old shrubs. With not-so-great surprise I heard shouts. "Look, there!" "Oh, my God!" Alien spacecraft darted over the horizon, above the trees. Everyone was terrified, but, yet again, I was there to save the day. I led the lot of us to one of the barns, where we barricaded ourselves in. After a good while, I decided I should go out to investigate. My brother Carlyn volunteered to accompany me. Our journey to the ranger station was a safe one, until we opened the door. Bam! the bear was inside. He grabbed Carlyn, and in true dreamlike fashion I jumped on the mass of bear and man now rolling before me. I was able to sway the bear, we quickly returned to the barn, and then back to civilization with the entire family.
After a Star-Warsesque medal ceremony, Lindsey and I went to Cracker Barrel to celebrate.
OK, I made that last part up—I thought it was a nice addendum.
I dreamt Mr. Peanut was chasing me. We were in town. I was in a JFK-style convertible and he was flipping all around and even swinging and walking on the power lines, not unlike a crazy squirrel.
So I've gone a week without an entry. I have to try to update this thing regularly. I'm going to force myself to write at least every other day. I've just been very busy these past weeks. This semester is officially over, and summer has begun. It began, too. Oh, and graduation was today, but I didn't go.
Summer 2004:
- 3 classes at Stanly
- read a book a week
- work on portfolio
- finish independent Web projects
- go to Myrtle Beach (?)
- find Gary
- sleep (something I didn't get to do this semester)
- finish renaming the 2000 or so songs I have waiting in my download folder
- fish at least once (something I haven't done in...two years, maybe)
- research and apply for every scholarship I can find
- take the CIW and A+ certification exams
- read a book a week
That should keep me busy for the next three months. I'm going to study like a madman for those exams. I'd like to go for at least three of the CIW, and they range in price from $99-175. Wouldn't want to have to take any again.
Flight of the Navigator, one of my favorites as a kid, is finally being released on DVD. Also, Slaughterhouse-Five is being rereleased on DVD. I've never seen it, but I love the book, so $11 is fine by me. I don't use commas correctly.
Last night I dreamt that I met Don Knotts, told him how great he was, and then he signed one of my copies of The Catcher in the Rye. So it goes without saying that that was the best dream ever. Right.
Papa's birthday is Monday, so tonight we had a get-together in his honor. He loves to go to Rocky River Springs Fish House, so we met out there. I had a lot of fun. Just being around my cousins qualifies any event as worth while. It had been a long time since I visited the old place. I forgot how homey it is. A very nostalgic feeling comes over me whenever we gather to eat there. Upon entering you are greeted by ancient arcade machines and just as ancient Peppermint Patties. They're still 20¢ each. I always buy one. (That's my brother in the game picture.) A vital component of "Rocky River" lies within the same room. The egg dispensing Flintstones machine has been there at least a century, and I would bet my collection of Chiquita banana stickers it's actually approaching it's bicentenary. After swallowing your quarter, Fred spins and says, "Yabba-dabba-do! Yabba-dabba-do!" The egg then clinks for your attention, and Mr. Flintstone utters, "Dino thanks you!" It was the biggest thrill in the world to exchange our fathers' quarters for two or three cents worth of plastic. I guess the suspense of discovering what dwelled inside well made up for the rest.
Just about everyone was there. David and Myrtle were absent, but I'm glad my great-uncle James came. I don't get to see him as much as I'd like to. I also saw Carl, Doris, and Libby, a few of my grandpa's siblings. I had not seen Carl in a very long time, despite the fact that he lives less than a mile from where I'm sitting. Aunt Doris kept (and still keeps) children for a living, and I would stay there some times when I was young. So, I was glad to see her. Also, I finally got to see Jeremy again.
Oh, and I noticed this, thought it was worth sharing. This arcade game was dated as being created on 6/26/89, by the way. I'm insane for details.
It's 4:54am. I woke up early and I couldn't fall back to sleep. It's not a bad thing, though. I was having a dream with several people from high school in it. Keri, James Diggs, Matt Kimrey, Allison, Taylor, Stephanie, and a few others I was less associated with. It was very strange. First, Taylor and I were at church and these people came with some uzis and crap to take the place hostage. This one black guy was tying me to another prisoner and I told him to look me in the eye. He did with some hesitation and I said, "I would have died for you, man!" Don't know what that was about. Anyway some of us got loose, ran to the preacher's house and found some ammo for the guns we mysteriously now possessed. I remember I had a shotgun, a pistol, and an uzi. We were being chased all over that house and around it, and we had lost a couple guys. I decided to do something. So I ran around the back of the church to where my car was. I got in, floored it (at which point it accelerated like it could never do in reality) and headed to the back of the preacher's house. I swerved to a halt and the men in pursuit (who happened to look somewhat like pirates) stopped and stared. I again floored the gas and rammed every one of those bastards. Celebration ensued.
Then I was at some place, very weird place with rooms and I could see water. It felt almost like I was in a school environment. Anyway that's where James and the others came in. Around ten of us were sitting down in a room, and you could see through the walls. Keri had went off somewhere and I was about to go down to another room and I wrote something in her notebook. Several pages past the current page she was using, almost near the end. I'm not sure what I wrote. Then I went off to the other room and Allison was there. I told her I felt lonely. There were like 30 girls all around her like a slumber party or something. When I told her I was lonely she told the others and they all came running after me (not Allison, she stayed there; she was like their leader or something). Thirty girls running after me, only in my dreams. That was one of the strangest dreams I've had in a long time.
I really miss high school and all my friends. Especially Keri. We've only spoken once within the past couple months. I don't want to lose touch with her.
I had another strange dream last night. Scary, too. My dad, brother, and I were outside. He was was manning the weed-eater; Carlyn was just walking around; and I was toting something. Suddenly, my dad said, "Look!" In an orange sky was Jesus, holding a sword and coming down at a high rate of speed. I woke up. Bethany's dream about Jesus beats mine, though:
Beef917: I had this dream...
Beef917: that we were at the water park...
Beef917: and the electricity went out
Beef917: and my mom was gathering all of us
Beef917: cuz she said when that happened
Beef917: Jesus was gonna come
Beef917: so...
Beef917: down the road came an old beat up baby blue limo
Beef917: and I got in...
Beef917: and Jesus was driving and wearing a turban
Beef917: and I was about to ask him
Beef917: "so Jesus, where are we going"?
Beef917: then it was over
Beef917: I think that was the weirdest dream I've ever had
Bethany is about as sophisticated as me. I'll come to my computer in the morning and find messages such as...
Beef917: (o Y o)
Beef917: Hope you have a good day brain! 
Beef917: brain!
Beef917: i called Ms Cleo and she told me who the mon of my dreams is.
Beef917: i love you, 'unny
Beef917 (3:44:01 AM): i have to go the the doctor's in 6 hrs
Auto response from bri270 (3:44:01 AM): sleeping
Beef917 (3:44:22 AM): I feel like I'm talking to the dog from inspector gadget
Beef917 (3:45:12 AM): I see a little sillouette of a man
Beef917 (3:45:19 AM): scala moosh scala moosh...
Beef917 (3:45:44 AM): will you do the.....something...
Beef917 (3:47:03 AM): we go together like ramalamalma ding di duh ding di dong.
Beef917 (3:49:16 AM): how long do you sleep?
I had a dream last night in which I was standing in the Food Lion in Norwood looking at some of those pixie stick things. All of a sudden a giant Billy Crystal starts trampling the place like Godzilla and demanding that they're his pixie sticks.
Coincidentally, I'm listening to the Pixies.
