and then I woke up

You know those dreams that don't really seem all that dream like either while they're happening or afterwards? Like some dreams, when they're happening, you're totally on board for space travel or whatever but then you wake up and it's all kind of foggy?

This would be the opposite of space travel dream. In it, I'm at what initially seems to be a store but later turns out to be a booth, looking for some Sailormoon manga. Turns out the only ones they have, I already own, and I'm a little miffed. Mums peers out across this long expanse of land (well, it only seemed long once I started walking across it) and points out another booth that looks like it has a bunch of something I'm interested in. In reality, Mums would never be able to see that far but whatever. I bid her farewell and wander over the green lawn of doom only to arrive just after someone has picked up the last six issues (all the same issue number, btw) and as I'm doing that twitchy thing you sometimes do, the guy who picked up the last six hands me one. I thank him and wander on about my merry way, wondering how anyone can still be surprised to see girls in any form of comiclandia, when I hear a familiar voice.

I look over my shoulder and see the Significant Ex. Which is the second most unrealistic thing about this dream, just sayin'. There's no reason for him to be at this giant garage sale thing (because that's what it is) and yet there he is. And instead of raging at him for any of the things I have to be rage-y about, we kind of fall into step and start talking. I'm supposed to be home for dinner because it's a sort of celebration of ~something~ so naturally that doesn't happen because time gets away from us as we're out and about doing perfectly mundane things. Sadly none of these involve eating and I'm getting hungry.

I think I also had plans to hang out with Cass in this dream. When we realize we've missed dinner, we pull off to the side of the road and I'm trying to call home but I keep misdialing. Eventually I get Mums on the phone and she's a little miffed that I missed dinner, but there's also something else there that she doesn't say. I try and text Cass to ask if we're supposed to make an appearance but not so secretly don't want to for whatever reason. Probably because we're having a really good time and I don't want to ruin it.

So naturally I do. I'm off the phone and he's looking at reciepts that have nothing to do with us and he starts to freak out over the thought that something has gone wrong "back home" and that he's somehow blown a bunch of money (certainly not on dream!me, as I think we amused ourselves with free stuff.) and I'm at that cranky stage where I'm really hungry so I mention that if we hurry, we can make it to Sonic and I'll be paying and we can look at this possible mess with clearer, non-hungry heads. He is less than pleased that I'm not immediately sympathetic to his imagined plight and somehow this ends with me explaining why I hadn't just suggested we go back to my house:

"Because you would have dropped me off, said goodbye, and then disappeared again."

And then I woke up.



Luckily, hungry as I was, there was lasagna in the fridge.

A variety of things

1. Do you write? If so, you'll want to take part in luxken27's third annual(!) Summer Mini Challenge. Fanfic, original fic, anything and everything is fair game. Rules and prompts can be found here. It's just five stories and you have all summer to complete them. Or you can be really ambitious and shoot for more than one table o' prompts. You can even swap a tricksy prompt out if it isn't working for you!
  I've taken part in the previous two and loved every minute of both. :D Aside from my birthday and the subsequent vacation, the mini challenge is the highlight of my summer.


2) Molly's archival of doom is being confirmed by Customer Service reps. They aren't the most reliable sources of information ever BUT it is a sign that the end is nigh. The end is nigh! Just 'need' Molly and that bed.


3) My first wave of books I reserved from the library came in and the first one of those I chose to read was Dear Bully. I waited years for the library to finally get off their duff and get it on the shelves, so there was a little bit of that weird limbo between expectations being high and "only vaguely remember being super psyched about this." Still!

The book, if you missed it a couple of years ago, goes like this: 70 authors share mostly true stories of being bullied, witnessing bullying, or being bullies themselves. Some stories are straight up letters to their former bullies. Some take a more fanciful route.
  If you were ever bullied in school, no matter the grade, odds are good you won't be able to read this all in one sitting. I'm not sure you should, even if you could. It could bring back memories you might wish to forget. It could make you twitchy in ways you might not really notice until you blow up for no real reason. It could, it could, it could.

The problem with Dear Bully is that after awhile, the stories do blur together. They're done in groups and they still blurred for me. I wonder if opening up the book to random stories would have worked better? I know that by the time you get to the comics, you're relieved that the medium is different because it forces you to pay attention more than you might have been before.
  At the same time I feel like an ass for saying that things blurred because how horrible is it that there are 70 stories and that's still left stories out of this collection? That so many people are bullied that we can't even contain all the stories?
It breaks my heart. But there you have it.

I take issue with some of the reviews I read about it, though. Not the ones that pointed out (gently or otherwise) that 70 versions of roughly the same story (kids are dicks, adults are even worse because they should know better and do better but don't and won't) will begin to feel monotonous no matter how good the intentions. No, I mean the ones that say "yeah, these aren't stories about bullying" or my personal favorite:
Currently reading this. It's one big liberal whine-fest. Ellen Hopkins blames bullying on talk radio. A few essays outright whine about "homophobes" amid the standard sort of bullying - others bitch about "small town" mentalities (I am SICK of this stupid stereotype that small towns are full of ignorant and un-curious people - I live in a small town, and the people there are NOT ignorant)
Clearly your small town has at least one small minded ignorant jackass in residence, though!
I don't take issue with her bitching about the small-town trope. I do, however, feel free to mock because of how she begins said bitching. :P


It's weird how many of the stories involved middle school girls turning on one another. You expect the mean girl to lead the pack against you, but even after living through the whole "we aren't friends anymore because there is no why" thing, it's still one of those things you don't think about having happened to other people. Even though you know that it must.

The best part, the absolute best part, is when they find you 17 years later and want to be friends on facebook. It really, really is. And even though your life isn't much to write home about and they've crossed off the married with kids boxes on the Checklist of Life, you realize that they would have added nothing of value to your life. So, y'know, thanks for not realizing how awesome I was then because it saved me from having to carry your ass over the threshold of awesome later. Because I don't think I could have managed that feat.


Oh, first season Toby, so do I. So do I.

Tomorrow I think will be gif day. You have been warned. Dress accordingly.