The All-Male Dream

To begin, we were in a huge, pale gray auditorium. A long and low empty stage, softly lit with white light, is across the front. The seating is set up in blocks that are thirty wide and twenty deep. The blocks were three wide across the auditorium but I don’t know how many blocks it went back. Every seat was being filled. Filling it were men of all races, but of about the same age range, in our mid-thirties. All are dressed neat, in business casual. I wore black jeans and a long sleeve maroon dress shirt. We were excited and happy because we’d finished a course and were graduating. Seating myself in the third from last row in the middle front block, ten seats in from the left, I was impressed by the event’s sheer magnitude.

We’d seated ourselves, quieted, and were waiting for the speaker to arrive and begin when an argument emerges between two men. They’re out in one of the broad aisles between the blocks. I know both of them in the dream, though they weren’t familiar from RL. As the argument rose, it appeared it was going to escalate into a fight. I went out there and separated them, talking them down from fighting and arguing, encouraging them to return to their seats.

I returned to my seat and sat. The speaker, a man in a suit, came on stage and began talking. He surprised me by mentioning my name and citing me for my leadership. I was hugely surprised, flattered, and embarrassed — I always prefer to avoid attention.

Then, in a dreamshift, the ceremony is over. I get into a car with my father. The car is a gold sixties muscle car with a black vinyl top, chrome wheels, and chrome straight pipes. I don’t know the make or model but it was a two door. It remined me of a GM product, maybe a Chevelle.

Dad is driving. We’re going to another event. We’re on a divided highway, four lanes in either direction. Dad is driving fast, which doesn’t bother me — he and I always drive fast. The highway twists and turns, rising and falling as it follows the land, but we’re driving through a city.

We come up on another car in the left land. The car looks almost identical to the one we’re in. As I’m commenting on that, Dad pulls up close on the other car. The driver applies his brakes. That infuriates Dad. The other driver is pissed but moves right to let us pass. I note to Dad that the guy — a younger driver, who has rolled his window down and is shaking his fist — is angry. Dad says it’s because we’re faster.

As we go to pass this guy, we find our way blocked by a stopped brown UPS truck. As Dad goes to drive around it, we see head on traffic coming. We’re astonished; why is there traffic coming from the other direction? Then, I look and see that we’re on the wrong side of the highway. But how did that happen? It’s not possible because there is a cement barrier dividing the two directions.

A pause in traffic goes. We go around the stopped truck. Looking back, I see other cars following us.

A dreamshift brings me into a large courtroom. I’ve been empaneled as part of a jury. There are only men present. I’ve been accepted as a juror after passing an oral examination. Others are being questioned. It’s a festive atmosphere. I realize that I’m there to judge entries and award prizes.

Dream end.

Monday’s Theme Music

The theme music from “Family Guy” is haunting the morning’s mental music stream today. I shall find something to exorcise it.

Today is Monday, March 21, 2022. We’re striding toward April.

April may be larger than it appears. February and January are fading in our mirrors. May and June are just around the bend, let’s hope by July we have peace in Ukraine again. Then it’s on to August, which translates to smoke and heat in these parts, followed by September, when local school starts. October comes with a fall, and then the holiday season starts to call. We’ll hear Christmas music in our ears by then, and many will grit their teeth and wish it ends. November brings Thanksgiving, and December brings Kwanzaa, Hannukah, and Christmas, and we’ll look back on the year and realized we missed much. Next thing you’ll know we’ll be counting down the time, and that’s it for me because I can’t think of another rhyme.

Ah. Need coffee.

It’s a dreary day beyond the window, trapped between spring and winter, drizzle and sunshine. The air’s moisture lends an extra taste of chilliness that brings out sweaters. Although the sun cracked our skies at 7:13 AM, it’s been muted by dingy blankets of clouds. It’s a surprise to learn the temp is 41 degrees F. The feel of this day brings back memories of being in the military, standing outside, stamping feet to stay warm, sniffing back dribbles from our noses, waiting for instructions about where we were to go and what we were to do. Back then, people were given permission to light ’em if you got ’em, so a crowd of folks in battle dress uniforms would be blowing smoke. Sunset will be at 7:24 PM.

A pause to consider the skies and hills beyond my mountain brought U2’s 1987 song, “In God’s Country”, into the morning mental music stream. For some reason, when I first though of the song, I thought, 1999, but sitting her, I went, what, wait? That came out when I was in Germany, which would have been in the late 1980s. I eventually pegged it as 1987 based on remembered conversations about it and where I listened to it. Also, in something that isn’t relevant, a neighbor has put a sheet up in their window. Why did they do that? It’s sort of a purply gray thing, just in the left side. I noticed it because the bottom looks like a giant face pressed against the window. It’s creepy.

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, when needed, and get the shots. Here’s the music. Off for a cup of the dark hot brew that wakes me up. Cheers

The Bread Dream

I was having dinner at my in-laws’ house. The small dining room was crowded with several tables, Maple wood, Americana design. The tables are full of food. It’s like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, al set up at once. The tables and chairs are crowded together, making walking around difficult. Careful paths must be followed.

I was making a plate up for my mother-in-law. In RL, she died several years ago. I’d filled half of a flowery China plate with food for her. I was walking around with the plate in my hand, looking for mashed potatoes. While looking for them, I kept finding huge stashes of bread. It was all variations available – rye loaves, sourdough, sliced, rolls, hamburger and hot dog buns, some small, fancy loaves, seeded loaves, long baguettes. Wholly unlike my RL in-laws who ate white hamburger and hot dog buns and Roman Meal bread. I never saw a baguette in their house in forty-five years of knowing them. The bread is everywhere, on the tables, under the tables, on the chairs, on the floor, in the corners. Some of it is bagged and some of it is loose.

She was on the other side of the room with her back to me. I said to her, “Wow, you sure do have a lot of bread. Why do you have so much bread?” An answer wasn’t given; I kept looking for the mashed potatoes.

Dream shift. It’s now night. My wife and I are in a car. We’re waiting to pick up something from my FIL. In RL, he passed away at the end of 1991. I’m waiting to back into a spot on the street. The street is wet. Before I can park where I want, I need to wait for a truck to pull out and leave, otherwise, I’ll block him in. I’m watching the truck in my mirror, muttering, “Come on, come on, what is taking so long?”

The truck finally pulls away. I back into the desired spot, and parallel park with amazing perfection. My FIL comes out. I open the trunk. I turn to see what he’s loading. I’m incredulous as I realize he’s putting bread in the trunk. I tell him, “Why do you need so much bread? You have a ton of the stuff at home.”

He closes the trunk and tells me to pull back to another location. I do that, and then get out to see how I’m parked. The dark car is perfectly parked again. My FIL comes out with his arms full and tells me to open the back door. I do; he puts more bread in it. I ask again, “Why do you want so much bread?”

Dream ends.

Sunday’s Theme Music

Today is March 20, 2022. Eleven days left before the March madness ends and the April antics begin.

Sunday lived up to its name this morning in the valley with the sun briskly slathering golden light on the greening hills and trees promptly at 7:14 AM. The expected warmth was slower to follow. Overnight lows at my house was 32 F, and it’s just 35 now. We expect a high of 52. Sunset will close the show at 7:23 on the day’s other end. It’s not a clear blue sky, but a gray hazed one where azure dominates.

I read last night that we’re in a megadrought, the worse in 1200 years in the continental U.S. It began in the west, California, Oregon, etc., and is spreading. Fortunately, our local civic leaders have taken note and approved more housing. We don’t have water for the folks here now, but hey, let’s crowd more in. Development, growth, you know: it’s good for business. Of course, the business won’t be good when the wildfires start and smoke fills the skies and drive everyone away, but they apparently don’t think that’s gonna happen this year. Not after it’s happened so many times in recent years. Why, what are the chances?

Sorry, let me turn off the snark mode.

Another article mentioned that the glaciers and icecaps were melting in both Antartica and the Arctic this year, so we’ve got that going for us. Temperatures in Antarctica were 70 degrees warmer than normal, and those in the Arctic were 50 above normal.

On the sick cat front, he bounced back and started eating and drinking yesterday afternoon. After a lethargic start to the day, he grew increasingly spirited. I’ve fed him several times this morning. He’s now at my feet asking for me. Excuse me, gotta got attend a cat. It’s the rule.

Back. You probably didn’t even notice I was gone, did you. Quick as a cat, I was.

I have a Gin Blossoms tune from 1992 in the morning mental music stream. The neurons pulled up “Hey Jealousy” as they watched Tucker sulking as sick cat was fed and given attention. Tucker was all, “What about me? Give me more food. Pet me more, damn it. I’m numero uno in this hold.” I did what I could for him, of course, but Boo is hanging on to his life. (Writing that caused the neurons to bring up The Guess Who with “Hang On to Your Life” from 1970. The neurons are busy this morning.)

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get the vax. My wife is immune compromised so we’ll still being masking up for a while as we watch the situation evolve as the masks come off. Here’s the tune. I’m off for coffee. Gotta give the neurons something to settle them down. Cheers

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