. . . Tupperware Cities . . .

Friday, January 31

 

DREAM

Last night I dreamt that Steve and I were planning on buying the house that I used to live in with my parents. I kept having visions run through my head of memories of the neighborhood, neighbors, relatives visiting, and my grandmothers both in wheelchairs (when in fact one is dead and the other is alive and kicking, sans wheels). Steve and I were staying at the house to get the feel of it. One morning he was getting his suit on and getting ready for work, while I tried to get my potted plants onto the patio. One of them was the side of a coffee table so Steve had to help me move it. Then instead of working we both played on the patio with a tennis ball and a tube. My cousin Annie was there riding a bike around.

Later we drove around the neighborhood in a car that kept making sounds like it was dragging something underneath it, or had broken a piece of metal. We ended up going to a new movie theatre that had seats that reclined almost all the way back. The two of us made googly-eyes at each other before the movie ran. When it started we realized it was a Star Trek movie, and were utterly disappointed, but made the most of it, mocking Captain Kirk, and laughing at dorky dialogue.

Lynnette 11:29 AM

Thursday, January 30

 

Ever seen your boss in handcuffs?

The last three days at my job have been three of the most interesting days of employment of my entire life. Earlier this week a few members of our Board of Directors stopped by, fired our two head hanchos during what ended up being a staff meeting/lawyer brawl. You see they fired our Executive Director, and our acting laywer. A laywer hired by our Board told them they had to leave the premises immediately, and they did; but they took the staff with them for a short meeting. You see they were trying to stage a coup; have the staff walk out, take all of their sick/vacation time and make the agency fail. That way they could have complete control over a new agency, without interference from our Board.

Later the two that were fired came back into the office and tried to access files and our database, to which the I.T. guy was told to "take everything offline." The cops were called and they were basically thrown up against a wall and handcuffed.

We all to remain employed (at least I do for 10 more days), so after the staff listened to what the Board had to say, and their plan for the future, our fired bosses were forgotten.

Now the agency is being temporarily run by 5 middle management people the Board has chosen. This place is now run by a 5-headed monster with so many different personalities Sybil would cringe.

It's seems like it's falling apart, and I get to escape. Joy to the world, joy for me.

Lynnette 8:30 AM

Sunday, January 26

 

I really do have things to do today. For one, I could pack. I could pack a lot. I still have books, movies, CDs, records, and three closets full of clothes, board games, luggage, toys, and a stack of newspapers from when Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980 that all still need to be captured in boxes. I have thank you cards for Christmas gifts and cards received, and checks thoughtfully written out to moi. I could compose emails to my friends. I could call Paul (the Zyn), or my folks, or my stepbrother Ryan. I could finish burning CDs or I could read. After all I am reading three books simultaneously (who isn't?!). But no, I think I'll watch another movie instead. Netflix is both a blessing and a curse.

Lynnette 5:37 PM

 

DREAM: Dehydrated Angelfish

I dreamt I was in a town I had just moved to, a small town along a riverside. It was quaint, and the people were nice and accepting. A coffee shop that had been recommended to me was nearby so I went inside. I ordered a regular coffee with cinnamon flavor added. Next I went to a pet store where I really wanted to buy a parakeet, but when I went to get one it flew around the store and I couldn't capture it again. My mom suggested that I get a box of angelfish. It was a 4 pack of dried angelfish, with long fins made of black hair. I went home and started putting them in water as I read along with the directions. Midway through the process I realized I needed a cat flea collar to put into the water or the angelfish would not grow. They could only in water for 2 hours so I had to take them out and drain the water from the plastic bag they came in. Then I left for the store to get the collar.

Lynnette 11:08 AM

Friday, January 24

 

14 days...

Fourteen working days left. I'm golden. Everything coming in now will be processed after I leave, giving me this wonderful tingly feeling from having no responsibility for anything at work!

Last night I dreamt that Yahoo! went bankrupt and shut down.

Lynnette 1:04 PM

Tuesday, January 21

 

We saw Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine over the 3 day weekend. As usual, I think Moore has hit the nail on the head, and produced a documentary that definitely speaks for me. Some people are turned off by his interviewing style, with the implication that he is too harsh on his subjects. Which leads me to Woody Allen's Manhattan. In this movie Allen's character is seen in conversation at the opening of an art gallery, and brings up the rumor he's heard that Nazis are planning to march on Washington. One Truman Capote-type tells him that he's read a biting satire of that in the Times. They argue about satire being more effective, and Allen points out it's sort of hard to satirize a man in shiny black boots. Okay, so it's a bit far off, but my point is, Charlton Heston deserves everything he gets. You don't invite Michael Moore into your home and expect a tea party. It's a bit hard to have a polite discussion with Mr. Heston when it is clear that he has no idea what his racist ass is talking about ("...the ethnicity of America is higher..."; the right to bear arms passed down from his nice old white forefathers, hmm). Heston is not all that and a bag of chips.

Lynnette 8:38 AM

Saturday, January 18

 

What the fuck is going on with Blogger. Joy. Without a computer at home Steve and I have been enjoying the wonders of Statego (shhh, don't tell him I sort of like it), chinese checkers, and gin rummy (which he had never played). We joke about having to talk to each other, but once we get our computer back, I'm vowing to have one day that I "unplug".

Lynnette 7:16 PM

Tuesday, January 14

 

30 days left...Busy Busy Busy !

Christ Almighty I have been fucking busy. At work I'm dealing with training other people to take on my responsibilities, and at home I'm trying to pack as much shit as possible. Fifteen boxes that consist solely of books have been transported to my folks' house until they (the books) are notified of their next resting place. Also went to my stepbrother's house last night, with my crippled computer at my feet. After hanging out and listening to Staind, S-T-A-I-N-D (I usually say that band name and then spell it, usually to a few chuckles, and "oh yeah I hate that"s) with some of his neighbors, it was decided that a new computer was needed. Steve and I should be the proud parents of a completely new computer prior to moving, built from scratch by my darling stepbrother and priced to own. The second computer will come after we've settled.

I also called to shut off my gas soon and found out I'll be receiving a refund (from credit) of over $170 bucks. Sweet!

Lynnette 7:53 AM

Friday, January 10

 

When I was 14 I started fainting, randomly. The first time was when I got my ears pierced. I diligently cleaned my ears and twisted the studs every day, just as I had been instructed. When they were ready to come out, braced myself, just sure it would hurt, and tensed my body. One earring back came snapping away from my head in one hand and the earring in the other. Looking in the mirror I saw a trail of blood down my neck. I was far from grossed out, at the time I was a huge horror movie buff. Anyway, the next thing I knew my mom was holding me up, I had fainted nearly hitting my head on the porcelain tub.

We went to Saint Elizabeth Hospital for tests, my favorite of which was the EKG. A ton of electrodes were stuck to my head with goo and a strobe was flashed in front of my face until I fell asleep. Easiest test I ever took. Then there was the heart monitor, where sensors were stuck to my chest and back, and connected to an electronic device which would record my heart activity. Any unusual event or shock that occurred, I was supposed to log in a journal, later to be submitted with the device. Within the first 5 minutes I was being a total smart ass and writing things down like, "heart sped up due to mom's crappy driving!"

Eventually, after my parents had spent thousands on doctors and tests, it was determined that I was experiencing Vasovagal syncopation. This syndrome is defined as A form of syncope (fainting) that occurs as a part of a normal physiologic response to stress (physical or emotional stress). The individual becomes lightheaded, nauseated, flushed, feels warm, and then may lose consciousness for several seconds. For me it is always physical stress.

It's not fun, but at least I get out of another day's work.

Lynnette 4:56 PM

Thursday, January 9

 

DREAM: Peyote party, Meadow Soprano

So I dreamt last night that I was getting ready to see a show. I put on my Pavement t-shirt, and my navy blue jacket and followed some friends to a large house at the end of the street. As we approached the house I watched it grow from 2 stories to 5. The foundation came out of the ground and rose higher and higher. Walking inside we saw that the first two stories were furnished with nothing and were basically there to house the stairs to the next levels. Nothing on the floors, walls, or in the corners; completely bare. On the third floor was a single pillow on the floor. The fourth floor had a few friends of mine and some strangers. I remember time lapsing, and having bizarre conversations with people, feeling very calm, and comfortable, and then finally snapping out of it. I asked the woman who owned the house what had happened and it was explained to me that we had all taken peyote earlier.

Next I dreamt I was Meadow Soprano, the character on the television show. I went out on a hit with my dad, Tony Soprano, in which I sat in the back seat holding a guys arms down while Tony shot him in the head. Unfortunately for us, the shot wasn't placed right and blood was splattered along the back windshield. After ditching the body elsewhere we drove around looking for an alley to hide the car long enough to get the blood cleaned off. It was a small rural town, so finding some place to hide was difficult. Finally we found a ditch at the far end of a neighborhood, and parked the car. While my dad, Tony Soprano cleaned the blood, I pet the roaming farm cats that were all over the place. Then we went to the bank where Tony and Carmela, my mom in my dream, were talking to someone about getting a loan for the house to install a new sewer pipe. Yeah it was weird. Then my cell phone rang, and my voice sounded like Meadow's.

35 days left...

Lynnette 10:11 AM

Tuesday, January 7

 

Take this job and shove it !!

Finally it is here. The day I get to say "take this job and shove it".... well on February 13th, which I have planned on being my last working day. And I probably won't say the aforementioned statement, but rather simplify it into a digestible memorandum to be followed by a letter for my personnel file.

What a release. What an absolute glorious day to look forward to.

Lynnette 4:33 PM

Monday, January 6

 

38 days left

DREAM: Bacon Double Cheeseburger

Last night I dreamt I was standing in line ordering a bacon double cheeseburger at one of those 3-in-1 places.

Lynnette 9:25 AM

Sunday, January 5

 

39 days left

DREAM: Pet supplies at Walgreens, School trip up North with Steveo

I hadn't had a decent, vivid dream until last night. First of I dreamt I was working at a Walgreens somewhere in a small town. It was retarded bright from the flourescent lights, so I remember squinting a lot and holding my hand above my eyes. A little boy of 5 years came up to me with tears in his eyes. In his hands was a red squeaky dog toy that had been loved by a canine one too many times, and was now in two pieces. I kneeled next to him and showed him how I could fix the toy by bending it shut and melting the edges. It was a temporary solution but it seemed to please him enough. Then as I stood up and turned to go, a Mrs. Keller, one of my high school English teachers came out of nowhere and started yelling at me. I remember sort of listening to her, but then telling her that she was my least favorite teacher in high school, and that we called her Killer Keller behind her back. Somehow my words were shocking enough that she sulked away. I went down the aisle with the pet supplies to find my biology teacher from high school laying in bed, crying. Around him were students I recognized, trying to comfort him. His partner, Leslie, had just passed away.

I dreamt that Steve and I went on a vacation with sort of a school trip. We were the same age we are now (nearly 30, fuck), but so were the other students. We were in a mini van with a few other students, being delivered from the airport to our dorms. We drove along on an uneventful highway for sometime until we reached the area we were staying at. There were trees everywhere, and I'm not talking an oak here and an evergreen there. I'm talking mountains covered with greenery, trees as far as you could see. It looked just like Washington, 2 hours from the coast. It was every landscape I enjoyed in one area: green lush mountains, that were met at their feet by white, swimable, sharkless, sandy beaches. It was heaven.

Steve and I were talking to another student, a blonde boy who sat next to me, who was also going to be staying in the Science dorm. The drive of the van told us we were almost to the dorms and that we should put all of our belongings into the yellow bags and write our names on them with a pencil. I had a sharpie in my pocket so I passed that around, since our names could be more clearly written. Our bags were then dropped off at a loading dock were a bearded, dirty Donald Sutherland was waiting with a shotgun. He was harmless, simply a blue collar working assigned to move our bags. We headed to the dorms.

It was just like a hotel room, two double beds and a table. I played Sims for awhile and then Steve and I went on the deck to have lunch. The decks were shared by four other rooms, so two girls, of the annoying, rich, popular sort, sat down at our table and started smoking and complaining about the trip. One of them ashed in my soda can, which was empty but it was the principle of it all. I chewed her out and told her to get lost. She and her friend ran away talking about how the "eccentric" kids sucked. Naturally, I was amused. Steve, the blonde boy, and I went down to the beach and ran along the edge of the water, dipping our toes in now and then. In my dream I told Steve this was what Wisconsin looked like.

Lynnette 11:12 AM

Friday, January 3

 

41 days left

DREAM: The Motels, Acoustic Jackass, Enya (yes, Enya)

Had a dream that Steve, the Acoustic Jackass, was scheduled to play at a club with a band called the Motels, a sort of NYC-punk group. (Kids, can you name a band with that sound?) The club was packed and I was standing near the door, taking IDs, money. A girl stopped me and asked about the Enya t-shirt I was wearing, and started talking at me about her albums. The women did not realize that I was a walking satire of her, so I was polite and made small talk. It was just like working at Barnes & Noble again.

Later, right before Steve went on stage we were int he basement looking for pirate's treasure, although we were calilng it "booty".

In my house, which I know only in my dreams, I woke up and went to my living room. There stood brand new decorations and candles and a light-blue, see-through surfboard with removable fins. The tag on it told me the gift was from my mother; that she had passed it down from her dad. How did she know I wanted to learn to surf?

Then I touched everything in my dream because I was sure it was a dream, and thought that by touching everything I would rest assured that they were real. Imagine my disappointment when I awoke to find no surf board leaning in my living room.

Lynnette 10:02 AM

Thursday, January 2

 

You know what's sweet?

PREFONTAINE !!

Lynnette 5:34 PM

 

42 days left...Tick, Tock, Tick Tock

I am fascinated by the increments that we measure our lives in. One year. 12 months. 52 weeks. 365 days. 24 hours. 60 minutes. 1 second. A single second of time compiled on top of other singular seconds of time comprises a day, a year a life. Fucking weird. I suppose a year end "bash" is appropriate, but for me New Year's Day is simply just another day.

The holidays were nifty. I saw my favorite cousin who now lives in NYC, and have made plans to go back to the Apple after our Los Angeles/Las Vegas vacation. Damn, we're a busy group.

Lynnette 8:46 AM

Wednesday, January 1

 

Remind me to tell you about my holiday times. I spent Christmas Day night with a junkie and a felon, and we saw Two Towers for free. More later, I'm fucking busy.

Lynnette 11:44 AM