I had a dream in which I finally sat down with Mindy and I explained to her why I fell so hard.
It was 8th Grade, I had just moved from Michigan to New York, starting at a new school, starting in a new grade, first day of school… and Mindy was the first one to smile at me.
I’m sure if I had a picture to show (let alone were inclined to share it), it would be a great little snapshot of 1987 8th Grades everywhere. Crimped hair, braces, stirrup pants. Those Benetton shirts that were all white with one blue stripe that had “Benetton” written in white text across the blue stripe? Yeah. One of those. (Seriously, those things were so ubiquitous that we were able to regularly make fun when three or more girls all wore them on the same day. “NO WE DIDN’T PLAN THIS!” (Much less credible when 7 or 8 of them wore it on the same day).)
Anyway, I sat down and explained to her what was going on with my head on that day that she smiled at me, apologized for staring, and hammered out that, seriously, I was okay now. Then I had to fight some zombies and one of them was disguised as a nun.
I hadn’t really given much thought to Mindy in 20ish years. (8th Grade crushes being what they are.) Then she goes and shows up in a dream that I have and I’m stuck wondering about all sorts of thoughts of what happened to the people I used to know a million years ago but haven’t thought about since a week and a half after I moved to Colorado. (Just in time to get a crush on Kris. Who has a last name so ubiquitous that Googling is no help at all.)
Where was I? Oh, yes. The government gives us our hour back this weekend.
And then we finally begin the absolute best time of the year. We put flannel sheets on the bed! We’re changing from our winter shirts being in the storage bags to the summer shirts being in the storage bags! Hoodies! Fuzzies! DRINKS THAT REQUIRE HEATING.
Man, I can’t wait until I start hating February.
So… what’s on your docket?
(Photo is “Footrace finish line, 1925” from the Seattle Municipal Archives, used under a creative commons license)
Lain discovered magic markers. I may put the results somewhere. But I imagine I will be spending a lot of my weekend cleaning things.Report
My parents shipped out earlier this week, so now I’ve got my mother-in-law flying in for a week. So lots of cleaning.
Sunday night, maybe a little foot ball.Report
UPS or FedEx?Report
Did you purposefully plan your sabbatical to coincide with family and in-laws coming?
“You know mom, I’d love to listen to you talk about what Charles Krauthammer said about immigration on TV last night, but sadly…”
Because if you did, that is fishing brilliant.Report
I’m taking Junior trick or treating, of course. I’m going to attempt to take him to a Halloween party as well, but the 31st is my big moving day, so we’ll see. I’m going to do all of this in addition to starting a new job that I’m really unhappy with. The icing on top is the dream-crushing news I received today throwing me into what feels like the beginning of a good stretch of depression. If anyone needs me, I’ll be hiding under the covers until Spring.Report
Good luck with the move. Sorry to hear there’s so much rough stuff going on for you right now.
*sends ice-cream, blankets, and a few good books to under-the-covers-land*Report
Thank you! Maybe I do need more girlfriends. My guy friends just try to fix the problem, which can’t be fixed, and give advice that is not helpful (ie “kick him in the balls”). Ice cream, blankets and books are perfect. 🙂Report
Indeed, it is the High Holy Day for the pre-adolescent set. (And Christmas, of course.) I remember fondly the first time trick-or-treating for both kids when they were toddlers. Being put into costumes was a bit mystifying, but fun. Being taken out to walk (or be carried) around the neighborhood was a different matter. It was dark and cold and why, Dad, are you making me do this? Then people started giving them candy. As this amazing fact gradually impinges upon the toddler consciousness there is this visible transition from annoyance to delight. Now they totally buy into the whole thing. The seven-year-old has been reading and re-reading The Wizard of Oz, so she is Dorothy this year.Report
Better than going as a goldbug.Report
Right! Once the kids connect candy to the holiday, not only do they begin to like it, they ask for it all year long! We are going to have traditional Oregon October weather tomorrow and all my co-workers say they feel bad the kids will have to trick or treat in the rain. Really? My son would trick or treat with five feet of snow on the ground dressed in his birthday suit. The kids do not care about the weather, but they do care if you hand out raisins. Trust me.Report
Boo unto things being crummy for you right now. I hope they turn around for you, and that you remain well through the current situation.Report
@miss-mary
Well that sounds singularly unpleasant, I hope things turn around for you soon.Report
Best of luck, @miss-mary . I’ll be thinking of you.Report
Yeah, I’ll be enjoying 12 hours of darkness and commuting to and from work in total darkness. Fun.
And all stores will be hot so, while I’ll be comfortable wearing a sweater or light jacket outside, I’ll bake in the mall. Another reason to avoid it.
The only reason the winter is any good is the food: real eggnog, real fruitcake, cranberry salad, and curry pumpkin soup.Report
Eggnog is the stuff. Don’t let the dark doldrums get ya down to much.
Need to tune up the axe for November wood gathering. It only takes about 2 ricks of wood to get through the coldest of winters down here. The slow processing and gathering helps to clear and focus the mind.
Have one of those long boxwood stoves with two cooking lids. It’s nice to put soup, tea or coffee on, and let simmer the entire day. Roasted marshmallows in the evenings.Report
Try some Founder’s Breakfast Stout. it’s brewed around this time, and good for getting you through the long dark of winter.
[Eggnog is poison. Yes, I may be listening to The Allergic One a bit much…]Report
No Kim,
It’s da BOMB!Report
So creamy and bourbon-yReport
I use rum, but whiskey could be nice too.Report
Out of town to visit friends. And of course since I’m going to be gone, I find a small lake coming from my washing machine last night. Sunday, when I get back, I will attempt to figure out if it’s coming from the washing machine proper or the drain line in the wall. There was so much water that I wasn’t able to tell whether it came from the bottom of the washer and flowed to the wall, then down past the dryer in a mad bid to escape my garage — or came out from the baseboards of the wall and flowed fairly evenly towards my washer and dryer.
In any case, I need to figure out whether to call a plumber or a washing machine repairman, because it’s NOT any of the hoses (ie: the one thing I can fix).Report
The boys are with Zazzy so I’m hitting a friend’s party in JC. We’ll reconvene tomorrow for trick-or-treating in the Bronx. Surrounding that is work, errands, chores, and relaxing. Wahoo!Report
After a busy morning of figuring out medical things and serving as Jaybird’s travel agent, I’m about to go off to work until 10 pm. Tomorrow will be chores and belated anniversary celebrations and I think Sunday we are doing as little as possible. I’m definitely going over to my friend C’s house so we can watch The Librarians, and we are both jazzed about that.Report
Fledermaus may be in town for the weekend, contingent on whether her colleague is driving home for the weekend. Either way, kiddo heads out on Sunday to spend next week with her.
Maybe going to a friend’s place for a fire and kid chasing tonight, and to get a pumpkin from his garden (can’t get them for love nor money at the stores this year). Or I might let Mr. T take kiddo over there and take advantage of the quiet to start working on my costume.
Saturday will involve finishing kiddo’s costume, making / finishing my own, trick or treating. And! Actually making it out dancing! (!!!) Which I don’t do nearly often enough, despite there being places devoted to the activity accessible to me and open pretty much every night.Report
I’m kind of bummed, because the place that I was going dancing at closed down. There are others, but this one was pretty much perfect since A.) I liked the music B.) It was close by and I could park and get in for free and C.) the night the music was good was Saturday, which is just about the only night I can usually get out for a semi-late night.Report
A dozen and a half of steamed clams and two pitches of good beer.Report