Dreams

I am not one for having good dreams. I'm pretty sure that during high school I only had one good dream. It wasn't great, but it wasn't a nightmare or a dream where you end up being more exhausted and stressed out than you were before you fell asleep like my normal dreams were. Here are my worst, oddest, and most recent dreams.

1. Worst. I don't remember much about the beginning or end of this dream, but I remember running away from someone trying to hurt me. Then I come into this room which is completely dark except for a museum-like display case in the middle of the room that is lit. Inside is the dog that I had grown up with and who mysteriously disappeared one weekend while my sister and I were visiting our dad. He was in a snowy environment and standing on three legs while holding up his front right leg. He was missing his paw. The leg that he was holding up had blood coming from it though not flowing as it was frozen. Then a few inches in front of him lay his missing paw, also bloody with a bullet sticking out of it. I had that dream several times when I was younger and it only stopped reoccurring when I had told someone about it. (If you're wondering, he was a Shetland Sheepdog--which are in fact different from Collies/"Lassie dogs.")


2. Oddest. When I was little I dreamt I was on the roof of a building with my aunt (who is actually very close to my age). She had a litter of golden retriever (or yellow lab--I'm no expert) puppies climbing all over her and playing with her. I called out to her to ask if I could play with one and she ignored me. She then stood up and threw a puppy (like a Frisbee) to my sister who had been standing on the ground.  She jumped higher than natural and caught it.They both laughed and continued to do so as I fell to the ground.


3. Last night's/this morning's dream which had me awake at 3:(something) am and I couldn't sleep again until my husband had gotten up--I think it's an issue of feeling safer with an active conscious in the house--at 6:40. I was in my grandparents' old house and was myself, but I was also Rory Gilmore from the "Gilmore Girls." Logan Huntzberger was there as well trying to use tactics probably seen in every soap opera/psychopath's dream world to make me bend to his will and also stay with him. He had kidnapped my real-life sister (who incidentally was also Lorelei Gilmore) and was going to harm her if I didn't play along with his demands and act like we were the perfect couple. Somehow he had caused a major accident and had all it set up to frame me AND he would hurt my sister/Lorelei if everything didn't go to his liking. (Maybe this is my oddest dream??) For a moment he had left and I tried calling 911, but they were completely unresponsive. Somehow I rescued my sister and at this point she stops being herself and Lorelei because she's wrapped in blankets recovering while Lorelei and Luke Danes are locking up Logan (after Luke has fought him some and I've hit him over the head repeatedly with a pipe). They leave to get the police and while they are gone he breaks free. As he is coming at me with a very evil look on his face I contemplate pouring acid on the floor so he can't get to me. (Mind you I have no clue where I was going to get the acid.) I decide that won't work and see that he's turned into Paris Geller though I still call him (?) Logan--not sure which pronoun I should use here. He (?) walks up to me and I place both hands on the side of his (?) face and then snap his neck. I decide to snap it again, but in the other direction in case it doesn't take the first time. Then somehow I know that either way won't have worked and he'll (?) be rousing any moment. I then wake up.

As you can tell, I'm probably certifiable and should be enjoying a room with comfy walls any day now. :-)

Home Buying

Did anyone ever tell you that buying a home is difficult and time consuming? No? Well it is! (I'm loving starting this off like I've been extremely busy with purchasing a home instead of obsessing over Netflix so much that I'm watching movies regardless of how good they are and rewatching seasons of "Monk" and "Scrubs"...that is in between deliveries of "Gilmore Girls" DVDs--that and writers block.)

1. Going through the ugly to get to "the one." About 7 emails are sent back and forth to the real estate agent to establish a meeting. You then stress over making sure you actually meet the right person. Then you are grateful that your agent offers to buy you a drink at Starbucks, but their sizes are weird and you accidentally order the largest so it looks like you're ordering the most expensive and thus a horrible first impression. Then after your horrible first impression your agent will drive you around and show you what (s)he thinks is a good fit for you. (Which is a stressful aspect for any introvert--every time the conversation lulled I panicked and couldn't think of anything to bring it to start again.) Unless your agent finds "the one" on the first go, you have to figure out nice ways to tell her that the current house you're viewing is crappy/not what you want at all/needs too much work/has a bad smell and you're not sure it will come out/disgusting/weird/in a sketchy part of town.
2. The paperwork. Now that you've found your home you have the lovely task of signing a million different documents and trying to choose everything you want to get out of buying your house--which means meeting with your agent at the office as well as the lad(y) who decides whether or not you get the bundle of money to help pay for your home. If you're like me you won't know the lay of the land where you're moving or anywhere where people are located, so you'll end up getting to the area an hour before your appointment because you drove faster than you intended and you were wanting a little extra time to prepare for traffic/mistakes. Then you realize you're grateful for the extra hour because you can't find the place at all. After looping around the area 3 times you pull into a Chick-fil-a parking lot and beg your husband to save you because you're lost. After all that, you end up being late to your meeting. Lovely. Your agent then describes all the documents you're signing and helps you figure out how to decide what you want to put in for your offer. At the very end of all this, the agent will smile sweetly and tell you that this could have all been done electronically. *facepalm* You, however, are too hungry/weak from not eating because you were to nervous that morning to even be hungry that you don't care
3. The biggest "you puddin' head" mistake of all. Don't tell everyone and their mother that you are hiring a moving company to do the move. Don't brag on and on that yeah you're tired of moving and aren't going to go through all that this time. AND FOR THE SAKE THAT ALL THAT IS HOLY Do Not Tell People that you don't need their help. Because guess what? That's going to bite you on your butt! You're going to finally get a quote from the movers and find out that to actually have what you've been boasting about you are going to have to pay more than your mortgage payment. Then you will have to turn around and beg your friends and family to help you because there is no way that you can afford that!

On the plus side the picture that I mentioned here is back up! The seller must have reposted the house. :-)

Couldn't they have done some fresh pics though?

Hector

Ok, ok I'll admit it. I haven't even thought of posting. I've checked to see if there were any new comments and gleefully smiling at the fact that simple math kept away the stupids--I was getting about 20 spam comments an hour and my husband fixed it! :-D So here is what I have been working on it's a dream that I had that I thought I could make into a (very) short story. And I did! Only...I haven't finished it and currently I'm stuck. I know how it ends and some other moments, but filling in the in between stuff is what's got me in a block. My high school teachers were always telling me that my essays needed more details.... So in completely scraping the motif I've worked so hard to keep, here is the story thus far:
------------------------
Hector was a small child. He was meek and often overlooked. He cared less about his grades and more regarding a secret project of his--a computer, small and round like a ball. They weren't supposed to have computers (especially not ones that were tended to instead of focusing on the lesson). Time with such devices was considered unnatural, but necessary and therefore was to be limited. His classroom composed of connected desks and chairs was held on the side of a hill under the protection of an oak tree. His teacher, Ms. Peregrine was a tall slender woman with a pinched face and a constant look of disapproval about her. She kept her hair swept up in a tight bun with never a strand out of place. One could often find her peering down at her class over half-moon glasses looking as though each child were a separate, but equally nasty taste in her mouth that she couldn't wait to spit out. Most of the other students weren't bothered by Ms. Peregrine. Except for them completing the assignments given to them by her, you would think they didn't even know that she existed. Hector was terrified of her. He held his breath as she walked by his desk continuing to march between the rows.
“Class,” Ms. Peregrine said. “Be quiet and pay attention! This next assignment will be worth twenty-five percent of your entire grade. You will need to work diligently as there will be no credit given for late or incomplete work.”
Hector sat forward and gulped. He couldn't mess this one up. If he did he'd have to repeat the entire year again. He hurriedly wrote down everything Ms. Peregrine said regarding the assignment not once glancing around to see if the other children were as panicked as he. They were to write a paper regarding the science of everything around them and provide visual support. From the blades of grass that brushed their feet to the sun that lit their classroom. The enormity of the task was daunting to Hector; his hands automatically reaching for his small computer and a screwdriver that he kept hidden in his desk. As he nervously took it apart and rearranged the pieces yet again he looked around the classroom to see if others had responded with the same fear to the assignment. Everyone else seemed perfectly unaffected by the news. Lily, a girl sitting two desks ahead of him in the row to his left, was lazily drawing spirals on her paper and Petrel, a boy one desk behind him on the row to his right, was watching an ant marching on his desk and occasionally altered its course. Hector sighed. Why couldn't he be like the others?
Just then his computer sparked and went dead in his hand. Hector desperately hoped no one had noticed. He slid his hands out from under the lid of his desk and pretended to have been preoccupied with staring at a brown, dried-up flower instead of doing something that could possibly make any noise. Realizing that none of them had heard, Hector lifted the lid of his desk again and resumed tinkering with his tiny computer. “Now let's see,” he thought. “The sun makes the grass grow as it does me. Without the sun I will whither and die. Each blade of grass would be a mighty tree, except for my stomping feet which halt every try.” Wasn't that what Ms. Peregrine had told them? Yes. He remembered the shame that he felt upon learning that he was the reason the grass couldn't reach it's full potential. He had worked hard for the remainder of the week to step on rocks only, but Ms. Peregrine had scolded him for walking “in such an appalling manner” and it had cost him two demerits. Since then he worked harder to be invisible and so far it had worked.

-----------------

So I hope you don't think it's terrible. It occurred in dream world so of course not everything is right--especially the tech stuff, but my mind isn't completely tech savvy so I couldn't get that part right even if I had been conscious! If I get past this block and finish then I will do a new post with the entire story. :-)

Brought to You by the Extra Swoop

You know...that one that made you think it was a "G" until that fateful day your world came crashing in and you learned it was just an embellishment.  Today for reasons unknown to me I had an urge to have a Disney princess day. Yes I sang along with every song and yes I recited the most classic lines along with the characters. I noticed a few things as well.... (N.B. I do not own the rights to any of these images.)

1. The leading male characters must not only be in touch with their feminine side enough to burst out into perfect melody, but they must be also be so in tune with their mounts that they share the same emotions.
   
   [caption id="attachment_83" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="You have HOW many jelly beans?"][/caption]
   
   [caption id="attachment_106" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="It's ok I don't have a name either."][/caption]
   
   [caption id="attachment_85" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="We must be tense and perhaps angry while thinking!"][/caption]


2. If you aren't a female lead--and you wear a dress--then you will be stuck in a monochromatic garb that will have little variance from your also not-as-important counterparts. In one case this really isn't fair because they have more lines and on screen time than the princess ever got.
   
   [caption id="attachment_109" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Not only that but this makeup makes us look cheap!"][/caption]
   
   [caption id="attachment_96" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="You know...my chin has been rubbed raw from this silly hat!"][/caption]
   
   [caption id="attachment_90" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="We're so interchangeable that in different shots that the artists don't notice they often switch hairstyle/dresses on us."][/caption]


3. You can never, no not ever, trust someone in purple. If they seem somewhat trustworthy, tell them you won't believe them until they go change their clothes.
   
   [caption id="attachment_105" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Fear my menacing pigtails!!!"][/caption]
   
   [caption id="attachment_102" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="My powers are so strong that I can not only make fabric fly out, but also completely cover my wrist at all times!"][/caption]
   
   [caption id="attachment_97" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="I like to color coordinate with my "friends on the other side""][/caption]
   
   On this subject I will not be stopping at three pictures!
   
   [caption id="attachment_100" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Child labor laws!?!? "][/caption]
   
   [caption id="attachment_95" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Evil means never having to mess with your hair."][/caption]
   
   [caption id="attachment_86" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Her freaking skin is purple!! That's a "Danger Will Robinson" if I ever saw it!!"][/caption]

The final image I will leave with you is something I found at http://angelfromanotherpin.blogspot.com/2010/01/in-villain-drag.html which is just one of the coolest things I've ever seen!

[caption id="attachment_98" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="I just wish it had been expanded to include all the girls and their villians."][/caption]

For Sale Don'ts #2

Well the houses we looked at really didn't have much selling don'ts going on for me to make a post about them. I did, however, come upon more listings with selling don'ts, so we shall not want for a theme. :-)

1. My first point is primarily for architects than it is for sellers. Though, if you do intend to sell, then you really should address the issue and not wait around for any of the builders, designers, and inspectors--all who should have addressed this issue--to fess up and fix it. A shower should not ever have a normal-sized window in it. You would be surprised how many houses I have come across that have this Well-hello-Mr. Smith-while-you-are-mowing-your-lawn-could-you-see-if-this-looks-cancerous feature. One could argue that the area wasn't originally designed to have a shower there. True, but when someone made it into one, don't you think it should have been considered? When having the job done--hopefully by a professional because I don't want to think the damage that could have been done by an amateur--one could request the window to be walled up or have the glass replaced by those glass cubes that obscure the view.  I wonder if they just thought, "Selling the house. Not my problem." It is if it never sells.
   
   [caption id="attachment_69" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="I noticed--while trimming the hedges--that you forgot to wash behind your ears."][/caption]
   
   [caption id="attachment_74" align="alignnone" width="179" caption="This is much better"][/caption]


2. I don't have a long, lovely paragraph for the next two photos, but I do have two words: just no.
   
   [caption id="attachment_70" align="alignnone" width="179" caption="Beware the ghost of the rectangle!!!"][/caption]
   
   [caption id="attachment_71" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Please don't say you're taking the broken rod with you!!"][/caption]


3. The following photos make me think that the owners didn't quite understand what a "hot property" meant, so they went with the smoky look. Nothing like previously-went-through-a-fire make the offers come pouring in--how punny! :-)
   
   [caption id="attachment_72" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Mixing vertical and horizontal stripes? Bold move, seller, bold move."][/caption]
   
   [caption id="attachment_73" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Now with authentic grill flavoring!"][/caption]

While continuing the search for our  first home, I will keep my eyes open for more offenders. Due to the fact that we want to buy as quickly as possible I probably should feel bad about hoping to find more!

What's Trending

I don't mean that in the Twitter sense.  Below you will find my 3 pertain to subjects that I have recently delved into for many an hour.

1. Movies: I've recently gotten into watching as many movies as I can. I spent nearly an entire day on TMC watching a collection of movies directed by Ernst Lubitsch. The majority of the movies shown had wonderful banter and charming characters. According to IMDb "...[Lubitsch] took up serious subjects and spiced them with elegance, sophistication, cynicism and witty lines - [His trademark] became known as "the Lubitsch Touch." (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0523932/bio) With a combination such as that it is no wonder that I enjoyed the movies. Of his that I've seen and can recommend are "The Shop Around the Corner" (which is what "You've Got Mail" is based upon), "To Be or Not to Be"--a tale of actors taking on the Gestapo, and "Ninotchka"--in which a loyal Communist Russian falls for a lighthearted Frenchman. If I had to choose one to recommend, it would be "To Be or Not to Be" because you've probably already seen "You've Got Mail" and you don't have to wait long at all for the quick wit to begin. Other movies genres that have appealed to me are foreign films with subtitles such as "Sophie Scholl: The Final Days" and "Amelie" and ones about the British monarchy/upper class as portrayed in "Young Victoria" and "The Duchess." The films with subtitles I find help me be less fidgety and force me to focus on the story. The historical dramas capture me as they show a world focused on strict decorum, extravagant clothing, and often for me an inside smile on how the husband curses his wife for being incapable of producing a male heir when he is the one to blame. N.B. Please review ratings before viewing--especially with children
2. Baking: Although I haven't had as much time (or money or mouths) to focus on this one as I have the first, I have enjoyed my experiments with "how-to's" that I've found online and trying them in the kitchen. For my husband's birthday I made a rainbow-marbled cake and it turned out quite nicely. All you do is make the cake according to directions, but before you put the batter in the pan divide it into several bowls and add whatever food coloring you desire. Then pour the bowls one by one into the pan and try to spread the color evenly. It won't bake in straight lines of color, but rather it will marble itself. It looks fantastic when it's been cut.
   

   

   See how evenly I cut it?
3. Eragon: I'm currently on the third book of the Inheritance trilogy, Brisingr, and I'll be perfectly honest--I have no idea if "Inheritance" should be in quotes or underlined, but I'll go with the whole if-it-sits-on-a-shelf-you-underline-it rule. Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr are a tale about a boy finding a dragon and the two of  them learning the responsibility of their friendship as well as growing up and trying to stay alive along the way. It is a well thought series that I believe can be enjoyed by anyone of any age--although younger kids my not want to sit still long enough for the hundreds of pages in each book. My only qualms with the books are that I've noticed some mistakes editing has missed and sometimes a few of the names can be confusing as to who is actually involved so I have to stop and reread or even once compare a name with another to see if it was the same person or not. I'm on page 155 of Brisingr and hopefully by the time I finish I can spell that without having to check every time. ;-) Oh and I hear the book-to-movie is awful with over 50 differences from the book and film. So, if you enjoy the series, don't watch the movie--apparently it's almost as bad as Ella Enchanted was. (Note Ella Enchanted is underlined because I will never refer to the blasphemous "interpretation" of the book when I can focus on the glorious book instead. Another rant for another time.)

This weekend we are going to look at some houses! YAY! So maybe next post I'll do some more selling don'ts.

Recent Self Discoveries

Since my last post was beautifully cohesive my brain has decided that this one can't be cohesive at all. It refuses to allow me to think of a single subject upon which I can conjure up 3 points. So I will spend this post on somethings I've learned about myself.

1. I read an inaccurately named article about introverts which I found quite intriguing. (http://www.psychologytoday.com/print/46944) I've known for quite some time that I am an introvert and I am quite content to be such. What I found interesting, however, is how well it nailed me. There is a section about awkward interactions and inward dialogue that makes me wonder if someone has been reading my mind. "Even a simple opener of 'Hello, how are you? Hey, I've been meaning to talk to you about X,' from anyone can challenge an introvert. Rather than bypassing the first question or interrupting the flow to answer it, the introvert holds onto the question: Hmm, how am I? (An internal dialogue begins, in which the introvert 'hears' herself talking internally as the other person speaks.)" The following paragraphs detail the internal dialogue which seemed like an exact map of my mind. The only problem now is I grab at what I read as a defense. Now when I am in stressful situations instead of thinking "I don't want to do this! I'm no good at making small talk with hair stylists!" I think, "I can't do this ! I'm an introvert!" So I guess congratulations go to me. :-) I now understand myself better and have an insta-crutch for why I can't do something. *hobble hobble hobble* Don't get me wrong I don't believe that we introverts need to be "fixed" or that there's anything wrong with us. I just need to make sure I push through my insecurities when needed and remind myself that I don't have to fit in or be like everyone else.


2. I am a Before and After junkie. I love seeing what's wrong in the beginning, being part of the journey, and reveling in the ever after ending. I love fairy tales. I love makeovers be they people or businesses. I love the shows that follow the ASPCA which depict the salvation of a struggling animal. I am a sucker for the wedding episode of  any tv show because I want to see the bride in all her best. As I'm typing this I am sucked into a "Tabatha's Salon Takeover" on Bravo and upon checking the guide I'm going to be sucked in for another few hours.


3. I really hate dreaming about high school. They are some of the worst dreams I've ever had. Usually my dreams are about reliving high school and failing tests or being suddenly back in the shuffle of the halls trying to convince anyone walking by that I had already graduated--I wasn't supposed to be there! In the end I wake up stressed out and upset with the battle fresh in my mind. Recently I've had a change up in my high school dreams. In it every single girls' bathroom had been remodeled into lockers. Everywhere I ran there were more and more lockers. The final girls' bathroom I went into had been transformed into a sports school store where you could buy anything from pencils with the school logo to football jerseys. I was furious! I started a revolt and picketed the principal's office for making such changes. I was on my way to becoming a heroine, feeling good about myself, and then I woke up. I'm not sure that my body is sending me the best message about going to sleep with a full bladder.

We've added a new member to our family. So far we're still in the you're-in-my-territory-you-smell-strange-I-don't-like-you stage...but I know that it'll blow over soon enough. :-)