Faster, Faster, Don't Stop Now

Dreams

Had a really horrible dream last night that included some The Bachelor style show, wherein I was the one being wooed by all sorts of NASCAR driver singles (who weren't really single, noting who it was in the light of day). Final two? Casey Mears and Kyle Petty. Casey won. Kyle stormed off because he lost. (Also, he'd gotten a Magnificent Bastard style makeover, including haircut and straightener.)

Then it morphed into some...thing at my old church fellowship hall where the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center was now housed. There was some event going on in the meeting area (a wedding?) and I noticed that it was storming outside to the point that flooding was occurring. Bad flooding. We're gonna die if we don't leave kind of flooding. The party folks didn't want to hear of it (several NASCAR types were there) and ignored my warnings. And because the director of the WRC was at the party and couldn't leave, we couldn't evacuate the animals.

And then, it morphed to where a group of NASCAR types were out IN the flooding and there was some sort of skirmish and Kyle Petty died. And I woke up crying because Richard Petty let Kyle Petty die. And it made me mad. (Dale Earnhardt was also somehow involved, and may have died himself all over again, but quite frankly, even dream me could care less about Senior. LOL)

Job Front

Didn't get the most recent job I interviewed for. Why is it that I can get interviews for jobs where I'm a long-shot, but things I'd be a shoe-in for, I can't even get in the door?

So You Think You Can Dance

I'm still disappointed they cut Ryan a couple weeks ago, considering Legacy (who is pretty in an Antonio Sabato Jr. in his heyday kind of way, but whose ability to adapt to other styles is suspect at best). But last night's top 20 show made me happy.

( The Top 20 )

I had a Supernatural sex dream.

There was a creepy little girl, a giant squirrel, all sorts of weirdness, and then apparently whatever made the girl creepy and the squirrel giant infected everyone, which resulted in Sam and Dean fighting and then me and Sam having sex. In very vivid detail. My sleeping brain even kept in mind how freakishly tall JP is.

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"We will no longer evict people from foreclosed homes in Cook County."

Sheriff refuses to evict renters from homes where the landlord fell behind, because in most cases, the renters didn't know of the financial problems of the landlord. He calls them "innocent victims" and refuses to evict them as it's up to the mortgage companies to identify *who* should be served with the eviction notice. The mortgage companies often give erroneous information to the cops because they didn't do their jobs. The sheriff is refusing to do the mortgage companies' job for them.

On one hand, I don't think what he's doing is technically legal. BUT they have one of the highest foreclosure rates in the country. Which means they could be verging on one of the highest homeless rates. At the very least, it's bringing attention to the human side of the problem, the people who didn't get in over their heads and are now suffering as a result.

There was going to be an attempt on my part to get online at my parents' house on X-mas Day, but I didn't...and now I have way too much to talk about.

I actually had to make a list. Grrr. Tons o' stuff. Where to start.

There's the Dad and cable TV and Farscape jonesing, the tons of X-mas gifts that alternated between cute and questionable, the way too big bridesmaid dress fiasco, the frantic 911 call, the hair, the New Year's resolution, etc.

And I will cover all of these today. I swear. Get it over and done with.

So first entry in which to touch on a few.

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So mom and dad bought a TV as their birthday present to each other. That meant the big TV in the living room moved to their bedroom (where they had an itty-bitty thing that sat on a box). Dad was loving this, as he can now actually see AND hear the TV from his side of the bed. But the reception is bad, so I made the suggestion of getting cable.

Yes, they don't have cable. I don't have cable either. We've never had cable, so there's really nothing to miss. Except I really wish I could watch Trading Spaces on a regular basis.

Anyway, I'm trying to sell him on cable by saying he could get many more episodes of Stargate SG-1. To which he chimes in "Oh! I'd also be able to watch Farscape!"

Poor dad. I had to let him down by telling him that alas, poor Farscape has been cancelled. He was actually disappointed! *g*

Kathe, you and my dad would so get along.

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Did the big Christmas gift giving. We all knew it would be kind of barren this year since everyone had tough financial situations. So for my part, I made sure that my wrapping was very pretty since I had a limit of $15 per person.

Of course pretty wrapping meant everyone in the family was ready to lovingly kill me when they were all covered with glitter after opening presents. *g* I give gifts that keep on giving.

So first to grandparent's house on Christmas Eve. Too much food (that was pretty good), with an unfortunate moment or two due to experimentation. Aunt Sandra decided to make German potato salad. There was bacon. And vinegar. Everyone else liked it, except me, and I'm usually the one person who likes new food. But it was just...not what I liked.

Of course it came back to haunt everyone later, which was fun when they were fighting over the Tums.

But present time came, and there was the initial disappointment of everyone else having many gifts, and me having one. One! Then it was discovered that my grandmother had wrapped mine first, so they were buried way behind the tree.

Then my grandmother realized there was one present without a name tag, and my aunt was short two presents. That meant the yearly search of grandmother's closets to find where she put those presents. And the unnamed present turned out to be my sister's fiance's present.

Yes, Christmas Eve at my grandparents' is that confusing.

I go the Dixie Chicks CD, so much joy there. Also got a gift certificate to Waldenbooks. Yay! (That was the first gift certificate I spent.) All from my aunt.

Then for grandparents' gifts. Grandmother got funny, which rarely works. Usually her funny ends up being just cheap and gaudy (there's a reason they can pay cash for a new SUV - they don't pay a lot for anything). This year it was really cute. She got a Santa suit for my dog. (Which Chester, in a fit of pique while I was at church Sunday, decided to shred. He hates hats. *g*) That went over very well with me. I also got my Bath & Body Works spray, although she got me the lotion and bath gel too, which I specifically said I did not need. My grandmother with the hearing. *g* Gotta love her. Also got $30 towards new glasses. Big yay!

Christmas morning dawned bright and early and had to race to mom and dad's house. There were many gifts exchanged, the hits being the remote control cars my mom got my dad and sis's fiance. They spent 30 minutes chasing the cats.

Overgrown 5-year-olds. *eg*

Unfortunately, mom and dad's house ended up being the place I got not so appropriate gifts. Sis got me this cute lamp that has a shade that's reminiscent of a coconut. Not shaped like one, but it's a fuzzy brown shade (shaped normally) with these tufts of feathery things around the rim. Very kitschy.

Then mom got me and sis a necklace. Remember those old Best Friends Forever necklaces that broke apart? You'd get half, the bf would get half...well mom got one's that had Mom on one half and Daughter on the other. That was so sweet. Loved it.

Then she got me a cordless phone/answering machine (which I needed a month ago, then mine came back to life so I didn't need it any more) and a CD.

The CD was the bummer. My sister gets Norah Jones, and I get an artist that my parents dragged me to see that I was kind of iffy on to begin with. He has a great voice. I really did like his voice. But he sings cutesy southern gospel, and that's not anything I listen to.

Oh well, we all have one of those gifts.

Then the other grandmother's house, and she gave me Nicholas Sparks' newest book and $30 toward glasses. It was funny, because I almost got her the same book. (And let me say, his books may be sad and melancholy, and sappy at times, but the man is very nice and extremely good looking. Got him to sign a book for my grandmother two years ago and wow. All I'm saying. Just wow.)

Went to see "Two Weeks Notice" that night, and while I love Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant (give me a spoon for that man), there were several holes in that movie. The progression of their relationship...it didn't flow as it should. The director flubbed on that one. The grudging friendship should have been shown better.

Ah well.

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And big moment of the week (up until Friday) was the dyeing of the hair on Thursday. Bright ass red folks. Love it. The consensus among those who had never seen me as a redhead was that it suits me. Hah. After being questioned as to the wisdom of my choice, it was good to be validated.

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Will get into the bridesmaid dresses and the 911 fiasco later. Must actually do some work now.

But one last thing.

Due to paranoid dream on Sunday morning (right before I woke up, so I remember it), I need a few assurances. Because it was one of those dreams that had me waking up feeling panicky and ready to race 30 miles to a computer and internet hookup just to check in...

How ya feeling Tara? Feeling good? Aside from the...other stuff. Those worries. But aside from that, you doing good?

Yes, dreams can make a person all freaked out. My dream had me waking up sure that Tara was in imminent physical peril. So just needing a few reassurances. Then I'll be back to normal.