Another dream

Last night I dreamed I was in SF looking for a job. (Laid off a couple weeks ago so it's relevant.) I found my way to the underground parking lot of this huge conglomerate company building and went upstairs to talk to people. I noted that I would probably lose my car in the concrete maze.

Upstairs I had a good conversation with people and even saw a couple friends. I'd have to take a pay cut, but it'd be worth it to actually have a job and work with people I like. Then my buddy and I took the elevator downstairs. When the elevator stopped, I got off but my friend didn't saying the cars were even lower. I was left standing there because the doors closed too quickly to get back on. Rather than wait for the elevator I went to find the stairs to meet up again. But I couldn't find the stairs... People milling around said I'd need to take this other elevator back up  a couple flights and then transfer over to the original one and go down a few floors.

I managed to do that but emerged in an area I had never seen before. Cars were exiting here and I couldn't see any way to get to my car's area. So I thought I'd go around... but it led me out of the building to a park like clearing that was fenced off and gated. I waited until some people were leaving through the gate and got in.

What I found was the most beautiful cliff side park full of flowers and butterflies with the sun setting behind me. The cliff and rocky shore below was illuminated in such an awesome way that everyone there was calm and serene. I took out my phone and took a couple pictures to show AJ. Then I sadly left that place to try and find my car and get home.

When I made it back to the building I found the maze even more complex. So steep in places I couldn't get anywhere. I started looking over ledges to the floors below crying out for help. And the strangest creatures were making their way through the maze now... not people anymore. I saw a father and daughter medusa-like snake people. (No snakes on their heads.) The father ignored my pleas, but the daughter stopped and wondered at me for a moment before her father took her away.

Then I realized it was a dream and took an overhead view to see I was on the opposite side of the building from my car and told myself how to get there.

Weird.

WTF dream

Everyone has WTF dreams sometimes, right? I had one last night.

Here goes nothin'...

I found myself sitting co-pilot in a drag racer. Do they even have those? I was upfront like in an old biplane and the driver was behind me. It was meant to be an "experience" - maybe I had payed for it. Anyways, when the lights went green we took off like a bat out of hell and it was an amazing ride. The world came to a stand-still as we sped up and whizzed by - people looked like blurred streaks in my peripheral vision. At the end I got out and helped bring the car back to the starting line for the next rider. I realized that we had ended up in a field filled with campers. Maybe a KOA campground? Everyone knew to stay away from the drag strip so there were no issues. (I asked.) I think my wife was there and our two daughters were there (about 4 and 7) asking me how it was. The funny thing is... in reality I have no children.

Eventually we made it back to the starting area which was kind of a workshop inside a building. We pushed the car backwards into the 'garage' but couldn't enter that way so we went to the other end of the building and entered. What I saw was hundreds of lobster tanks. (like at an Asian supermarket where they keep crabs in waist level white tanks, not a fish tank like at a restaurant) The tanks were full of lobsters and being tended by Asians. (I think Japanese) Everyone was making sure the lobsters were OK and not fighting. My assessment was that they were having fun since I saw some balled up and 'playing'. They weren't wearing safety bands on their claws. The funny thing here was just before the dragster was going to take off, everyone had to 'clear' their hands from the water. As if they'd get electrically shocked.

One guy was being a smart-ass and pulled two lobsters out and held them up as the dragster took off. So I sat down at a bench and happened to sit next to Amy. (Amy Demerest (Sweet) who I know from our life in Japan long ago.) Amy handed me a form with a bunch of entry areas for people to fill out their name and address. I don't know what the form was for... but it was filled out completely. Or so the person behind me told me. I needed to start the next page. But then I realized that the last entry space on the first page was open so I started to fill that out. But I couldn't remember my address. I kept trying to think of where we live and wrote down one prefecture in Japan... but it was wrong. We had moved. But I couldn't remember the name of our current prefecture. Then I realized our house address was 4301. That's our current actual house number... in America. By this time I had scribbled out 2 addresses and was trying to write a third...

But my wife woke me up. It was time to leave and drop her off.

WTF

R.I.P. Stephen Jahner

Last week I found out Steve Jahner died. I haven't heard the results of the autopsy but apparently he collapsed in his store one afternoon. At least I know if he was in his store he was probably happy - whistling or humming a tune while helping people.

I'm totally bummed out about Steve passing away because I hadn't talked to him in a few years. My wife and I recently moved back to the midwest and I was really looking forward to stopping by the store and catching up with him.

Steve gave me my first job working at his comic book store "Capital City Comics & Books". I was... 14 or 15? It was great. I was always working - Steve made sure of that. And I did all the grunt work from dusting EVERYTHING to alphabetizing EVERYTHING. After a couple years he'd let me open/close the store so he could sleep in or something. Basically he taught me about hard work and responsibility. If I messed up I'd have to make it up elsewhere. It happened from time to time. But Steve didn't hold anything against anyone for long.

I studied superheroes and layout while sorting comics, learned about new authors and the world outside sorting books and got some anatomy in while organizing adult magazines. (That was usually my punishment for being late.)

Steve also taught me how to play guitar. I didn't practice enough, (just like piano) but he kept pushing me. I learned about a whole slew of new music from him. Classics like Jethro Tull and Earth Wind & Fire.

All in all - I will sorely miss Steve. I will think of him most every day because he gave me the nickname "space JASE". I use it everywhere. My website is www.spacejase.com - I owe you a lot Steve.

Thanks Steve.

Death by window...

This guy surprised us one morning when he bashed into one of the front windows. Chippie was sitting there so maybe the bird was defending territory against our cat. Anyways - it was sad to see him die. It was quick, but not instantaneous. He was trapped in the bush outside the window and after a few ragged breaths he went limp. I thought he might just be stunned so I put him on the front steps. A couple hours later he was stiff. I meant to bury him but something took him away that night.

It probably seems morbid to blog about him - but I was contemplating the passing of animals out in nature. It happens all the time and if no animal takes note, certainly no human does. I mean, if he had a family, they probably wonder what happened to him. Why didn't he come back that afternoon? But if birds only have a few seconds short term memory, do they notice stuff like the passing of a family member? Surely they have some sort of longer memory or imprinting that allows them to know where their nest is - or who their mate or child is... right?

When our cats have died, the other cats came around and sniffed and pawed at them. And kind of sat there for a minute in turn. But that was it. Maybe death is just what happens and when it's done there isn't much to think about in an animal's mind. Why do we as humans make a big deal about death? Is it because we impact each others' lives more than other mammals? Do we remember people because we have longer memories and therefore feel more of a sense of loss?

I don't know the answers, but I thought it sad that this big beautiful birds suddenly met his demise with a stupid window.