random thoughts – Day 2,161 (Sunday) – dreams and such

This morning’s dream before waking up involved driving, which is not exactly one of my favorite activities. I drive because I want to be transported from my current location to a different location, and the futuristic transport devices of my youth that included personal jet packs, crossing one’s arms and blinking with a head bob and nose crinkle, or stepping into a magical tube all turned out to be total unsubstantiated bull crap and fantasy.

Anyway. In the dream, I was driving, third in a line of cars, on my way to some sort of job. There was a road detour marked, and I followed the two cars ahead of me down a narrow street lined with tall brick buildings. There was construction equipment in what turned out to be a dead-end street and huge dunes of sand that started to seep into my car under the doors and up through the floor and piled up under the gas pedal and over my feet.

Shadowy dudes in trench coats and fedoras stood in shadows lending the air of 1940s film noir while utility workers in hard hats and soldiers in fatigues scurried about. The overall scene was dark and foreboding, but I chose to not be worried because the Jeep has four-wheel-drive settings for “automatic, snow, sand, and mud” and I thought I could power through the rising sand.

Soon, there was no way to move forward due to all the heavy equipment and the excessive sand, no side street or alley through which to exit, and no way to back up the way I had come in. The car was surrounded by sand, equipment, and activity. I got out of the vehicle and started walking through shops that had doorways to side streets on the other side, looking for help in buildings with staircases and a labyrinth of hallways.

I gave up seeking help and headed back to the Jeep which I couldn’t find in the sand dunes covering the street. There were many vehicles abandoned in the sandy street, but mine was no longer among them. Panic took over as I trudged through the shifting sands, worried about how I was going to get to the mysterious, undefined job I seemed to have and also how I would explain my tardiness in a manner that wouldn’t make me seem insane.

As the morning light crept into the room around the edges of the honeycomb blinds, I woke up, thinking “what in the heck was that about?” Potentially so much to unpack.

Nerd alert – of course, I conducted a quick search of the elements in the dream. The Internet and AI summaries spit out the following:

“Dreams about driving generally symbolize the direction of your life, personal control, and your journey toward goals. Being in the driver's seat suggests independence and self-direction, while an uncontrollable vehicle or failed brakes often reflect anxieties, feeling overwhelmed, or losing control in waking life.”

“Sand dunes in dreams generally symbolize major life changes, emotional transitions, and the passage of time, often reflecting a need for adaptability and patience. They represent a shifting landscape where the past is continuously reformed, suggesting that the dreamer is in a period of flux.”  

“Men in trench coats and fedoras, often called the "Hat Man," are common, menacing figures in nightmares and sleep paralysis, are often interpreted as symbols of fear, deep-rooted anxiety, or, in some cases, paranormal omens of death.”

“Dreaming of soldiers generally symbolizes confrontation, discipline, inner conflict, and the need for protection or structure in your life. These dreams often arise when you are experiencing stress, facing major life changes, or dealing with repressed anger.”

“Construction equipment in dreams often symbolizes major life transitions, the building of new foundations, or personal development. These dreams typically represent a, "work in progress" scenario regarding your mindset, career, or personal journey. Seeing construction workers suggests active, ongoing repairs in your life.”

Well, well, well, and holy hell's bells. That all actually makes a lot of sense. The analysis seems less foreboding in the light of day than it all felt while dreaming it. Also, I love the Internet.

random thoughts – Day 2,160 (Saturday) – galentine and a movie

It was quiet on the Valentine front, but the Galentine front more than made up for it. A month or so ago, my cousin had sent forth an invitation for a Galentine gathering. Today, four of us met up to see a special 40^th anniversary screening of Pretty in Pink.

O’Neil Cinemas (Littleton, MA) was the closest theater showing it. I wasn’t familiar with the theater or the really nice retail and dining plaza it’s in, but now I’m glad I do know about it. The concessions include a food menu, bar drinks, and of course, the usual movie snacks, soda, and bags and buckets of popcorn. The theaters have wide reclining seats with trays to accommodate the foods and beverages.

Restocked movie popcorn and Galentine treats.

My cousin had solicited advance candy orders for contraband boxes of candy. At the theater, she presented each of us with a Valentine bag with treats including our individual candy choice, pink heart glasses, and a personalized pink leather book mark. She really thinks of everything. 

The theater was reasonably full with a couple groups of four to six people and many couples. The movie about love and belonging has stood the test of time, and even though I’ve seen it several times including at home on streaming, it was fun to see it again on the really big screen. And the soundtrack is still great. According to the movie factoids before the show, it's ranked as the 14th best movie soundtrack (Rolling Stone The 101 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time, September 24, 2024).

On the way out, we had our large popcorn buckets topped off under the free refill provision of the $9.90 purchase. Now, my largest Tupperware container is full of movie popcorn. Galentine’s Day with my cousin and her friends was definitely a win. 

random thoughts – Day 2,159 (Friday) – snow tracks and ice cream

Blah Blah, quiet day. Blue sky and sunshine. Temperature above 30 degrees. 

Several times during the morning, the neighborhood black cat passed the house as it patrolled the 'hood. Once, it was in the front yard, pacing the cleared path to the door and emitting a combination meow-yowl. It paused in the driveway and I opened the back door. For what reason, I wasn't sure, but the cat saw me and ran back to the street. Meanwhile, Kiki was lounging on the bed, seemingly unaware of the cat outside. 

I stayed in most of the pretty day, but two things lured me outside.

Tracks out back.

First, I looked out back and saw animal tracks out behind the oil tank. The poor critters came around the corner, were faced with a two foot snowbank, and turned back. This intrigued me enough to go outside, down the driveway, along the street, and up the snow blower cleared path to the oil tank, adding to the tracks with my big human feet.

Second, I wanted ice cream. Market Basket has the best combination of selection and price, but the closest stores are 20 to 25 minutes away. The current grocery store flyers had been tossed into the recycle bin this morning, so an online search was done to check ice cream prices. Aldi won for lowest price and advertising maple walnut.

The Aldi excursion led to the acquisition of the really good light rye marble bread I couldn’t find the last time there, a package of five frozen lobster cakes, and the intended maple walnut ice cream. I was tempted by the cheesecake assortment but successfully resisted. The cover charge for the visit was under $12, a personal best and improvement over the other day when I spent $37 when I went in for one thing.

I almost drove over to Hannaford for pastrami after getting the marble rye so I could recreate the amazing hot pastrami sandwiches of a couple weeks ago, but the car magically autopiloted out of the Aldi lot and took me home. I put away the frozen items and then I didn’t want to go out again.

random thoughts – Day 2,158 (Thursday) – balanced

For months, I’ve seen a notice about a weekly tai chi class in town on Thursdays at 1:00 and thought I should check it out. I had taken one or two tai chi classes when I lived in Tennessee but there were a lot of other activities going on including roller derby, photography, belly dance, and stained glass making, and tai chi didn't make it onto the permanent schedule.

For months since moving, every month I would see tai chi in the newsletter available at the mail boxes, and week after week, I would forget about the class. Last week, it was noted in my day planner but I forgot to check the planner when thinking about what I might do during the day and it was 1:45 when I remembered the class.

This week went much better. On Wednesday, I used the technological tools available and set an alarm in my cell phone for noon, with a note to get ready for tai chi. Today, the alarm went off and I made sure I was attired in something I could move in. Waze was consulted for the route, which is an easy breezy 2.5 miles and eight minutes from home.

At the center where the class is, I met a lady in the vestibule. She didn’t know where to go, and I had never been in the building, so I wasn’t much help. We got into amateur detective mode and started walking around. It turned out the classroom was on the first floor, but the entrance from the street side of the building is the lobby level and reaching the first floor requires going up one level. The parking lot has another entrance that goes directly to the first floor, and now we know that helpful nugget for the future.

Balanced.

There were several people waiting for class when we arrived in the correct room. My new pal Jane and I sat at a table and the lady who later sat next to Jane turned out to be one of her high school classmates. Everyone was friendly. The instructor came over to introduce herself, recognizing that Jane and I were first timers, in between chatting with the established regulars.

The class was fun. There were 15 students in stocking feet on a hardwood dance floor surrounded by carpeting. The class instructor led us through a gentle warm up of breathing and arm, torso, and hip movements. Then we moved into a formalized series of slow movements involving weight shifts and arm movements with directional changes that required a bit of balance. Before I knew it, an hour had gone by and we were calm, centered, grounded, and done. It was fun. I will definitely go back.

random thoughts – Day 2,157 (Wednesday) – fresh tracks

The Tuesday forecast included snow, and right on cue, it began around 5:00. That put the timing at when travel to Tuesday dance group would be underway, but the decision had already been made to not go. It snowed at least until I went to bed.

I slept late this morning (8:00!), which seems to be becoming my new new-normal. It feels like I’m slipping back into my college-era sleep pattern of staying up late at night and sleeping later in the morning. During the very many responsible adult years of working in an office I molded myself to be in bed close to 10:00 p.m. and up by 6:00 a.m. It eventually felt kind of natural, and took a lot of coffee to wake up in the morning. 

Fresh snow, fresh tracks.

The fresh snow accumulation that greeted me when I raised the shades in the morning didn’t seem to be too horrible. A line of critter (likely bunny) tracks extended from the street and up my driveway to the spot under the carport that was snow-free. The tracks resumed at the far end of the carport, skirted the edge of the newly mounded mountain of snow from the roof, and around the corner of the shed.

random thoughts – Day 2,156 (Tuesday) – birthday chat

Pretty morning sky color.

It’s Dad’s birthday tomorrow. When I was a kid we talked about his age, and for years he would say he was 29.  When he was well past 29, he upped it to 39. I know how old he is, but I don't consciously think about it because then I have to accept the reality of my own age and I kind of like it in my little bubble of age denial.  

My sister had today off from work. She has a birthday tradition with Dad where she makes sausage gravy and biscuits for breakfast. Now that I’m local (and still unemployed) it’s a lot easier for me to be able to play, too. 

My butt was out of bed and mobile in time to see a pale schmear of color in the morning sky before I hit the shower. Before too long, I was caffeinated, dressed, and headed out to Fitchburg. I brought over the mini cupcakes with coffee frosting made on Monday night for the occasion.

Wee cupcakes with coffee frosting.

Dad, Sis, and I drank coffee, ate breakfast, and talked about a lot of random topics and it was nice. And instead of having conversational questions that linger unanswered in the air forevermore, I harnessed the power of the Internet and visited Google several times.

When the conversation was our mutual disdain for the highway robbery of cable providers and a digital antenna was mentioned, none of us knew quite what it was or how one worked. A quick Google query provided photos, places to buy such a thing, and advice on where to install one.  

Google search topics from our morning together included:

- kerosene near me (Dad has a lantern and said kerosene couldn’t be gotten anywhere – Google disagreed)

- how tall is Brendon Urie (niece has a cutout and I wanted to know if it is true to height)

- Tedy Bruschi Papa Gino’s cutout (Sis missed her chance and is still bummed Tedy landed in the Papa Gino’s dumpster before she could get it. I wanted to see if there are any kicking around somewhere)

- digital antenna (smaller than I expected in both size and cost)

- can crystal go in dishwasher (oops, I’ve been doing it wrong for decades)

- clay flower pot candle heater (allegedly, a room can be heated with one)

I love research. It’s probably not a shocker to anyone who knows me, but I was the nerd on the edge of my seat waiting to hear the details for final papers in school. I loved having to look stuff up and crank out 15 or so pages on it. Research was one of my favorite aspects of background prep for articles and interviews for the newspaper, for customer testimonials for bank ad campaigns, and for the learning center articles I wrote for the website. I don’t think a day goes by that I’m not tapping random questions into a search engine at least a couple times because it’s so easy.

random thoughts – Day 2,155 (Monday) – snow and cupcakes

Snow cloud and clods.

Friday night there was a leak in the cabinet over the stove where the vent pipe is. Sometime on Saturday the leak stopped and the thin wood material dried. It remained dry through Sunday. A roofing team arrived this morning to check it out and cleared the roof on the back half of the house. There was concern about the carport, which was bowing due to holding a lot of snow (nearly four feet of it against the peak of the house). The carport snow wasn’t light and fluffy like the rest of the snow. Clearing the carport was added to the scope of the job.  

For 1.5 hours, snow flew by the windows in clods and clouds, and the sound of dammed ice being chopped off the roof rattled the house. At the end of it, I had half a cleared roof, a massive pile of snow next to the driveway, and a bank account that was lighter by half a grand. I also have an estimate for a new roof which seemed reasonable until I saw the cost for new skylights and the total-total. Holy hell. Two skylights equal half the cost of the roof materials and replacement. The forecast is for more snow Tuesday. 

Canned frosting
obsession.

After supper, I decided to make mini cupcakes to take to my sister’s house tomorrow. I’ve stepped away from baking for the most part, and with it, the desire to make everything from scratch so it was a Funfetti box mix and a can of frosting for the win. And let me tell you, the Pillsbury “Creamy Supreme” Coffee frosting is danged good. Which means I’ll probably never find it in a store again.    

Even cupcake baking from a mix had issues. I wanted to do mini cupcakes using the three pans I have. I wanted to use the colorful mini cupcake liners to make pal cleanup easier. The cupcake liners, however, where a smidge larger than the holes in the pans, so the papers wouldn’t sit flat, and worse, the cupcake bottoms didn’t come out flat. Errrr. The high point was eating the four or five mini-cupcakes with coffee frosting that didn’t fit into the container to take to my sister’s.