My New Tattoo

Last night in Dreamland, I got to meet Franklin D. Roosevelt! I was so excited to meet him--he was impressive as you might guess.

I didn't have a piece of paper to get his autograph, so I just handed him a marker and had him sign my lower back.

Then, I went and had the signature converted into a tattoo:

Looks good, huh?!

Congratulations Linda!

Congratulations to Linda (and Jim)! Last night in Dreamland, Linda had a baby boy! And I was caught off guard for sure--I didn't even remember that she was pregnant. Karen called with the news, and I rushed to the hospital in time to see that new baby. And to remark to Linda that she hadn't gained an ounce during pregnancy (yeah, I can be a little bitchy in Dreamland).

So, again--congrats to Linda (and Jim)--and at your age!

Darn You, Karen!

Last night in Dreamland, I was in American Idol Land. This is all Karen's fault. If she had been here, I wouldn't have watched, and would not have spent my entire night dreaming about American Idol.
I will confess...I have never seen American Idol--not once. Last night I watched two full hours of the show (again, Karen's fault).
According to my sources in Dreamland, once a contestant is picked for the show, three things happen:  

1. They are assigned a publicist, and a hair and make-up artist. [Hunger Games]
2. They do a shot of some type of alcohol, unless they are underage, and then they do a shot of milk.
3. They are assigned a Spirit Animal [The Golden Compass].

That's all I know. I was so intrigued by these three things, I spent all night thinking about them

Oh, and P.S. I am rooting for the garbage truck man, and the woman raised by her grandmother. I am not rooting for the guy who "ghosted" them last season--the one with the big ego.

On the Road Again

Last night in Dreamland, Karen, Alayne, and I took a road trip to the northwest corner of a Midwestern state. I grew up in the state, but didn't spend much time there (except for a weekend trip where I got drunk with a preacher's kid, but I digress). As we drove to our first stop, I spotted a quaint-looking village complete with clock tower, but alas we could not stop because Karen just "wanted to get there!" Sigh....I will visit you again in Dreamland, little quaint village. We did, however, stop at a good brewery, so Karen is forgiven...this time.

Our first destination was Lake Magnifique, which was beautiful enough if you could see it through the speedboat traffic. I don't think peaceful walks on the beach were possible, primarily because I didn't notice a beach, or any moment of peace.
We checked in to our AirBnB, which was supposed to be a cabin in the woods. Which it was, except we shared said "cabin" (an aluminum-sided house with mold problems and one small bathroom) with a family, including a nosy 10-year-old boy. We also--all three of us--shared a bedroom, complete with "comfy" cots. Ugh.

I had to remind myself that this was just the first night of our awesome road trip--I was excited to see what the rest of the town around Lake Magnifique had to offer (actually, nothing--just a locals bar we were afraid to go in to), AND what the rest of this area of the state had to offer.

After a rough night, we were surprised to see three more friends, who took that moment to share some pretty juicy secrets with me! Thanks, everyone!

As all things go in Dreamland, the trip ended there, and the secrets are safely left there too. Or are they??!!!

Term Paper!

Last night in Dreamland, I had a term paper due. I loved the class, I was interested in the subject, and the professor was really cool, but still I had procrastinated. The paper was due by midnight; I could submit it on-line, but still I had to research and write it.
[Miss Goody-Two-Shoes Karen had finished hers and was flying to someplace cool, of course!]

To my friends who are professors, I must apologize. I was your worse nightmare in Dreamland. I asked to be allowed to work on my paper at my professor's house. Then, I couldn't remember the two questions that had to be answered in the body of the paper. Then, I moved stuff around in her house, and ate a lot of her food.

I did write the start of the paper while still in Dreamland:  "My mom said I could be anything I wanted to be, but until we women had access to birth control and reproductive health services, including abortion, my mom would be wrong."

After writing that and thinking it was pretty darn good, I remembered that our professor had also given us a list of words; 50 of them had to be included in our term paper. I had to track down that list!
The professor saw this as an opening, and threw me out of her house (she didn't even offer a copy of the word list to me). By that time, Karen was on the plane, and I couldn't call her. Time was running out--where could I get that list???

And, as it always ends in Dreamland, I woke up.

I Got A Solid!

Last night/this morning, I had trouble getting to Dreamland. After a mostly fitful, sleepless night, I was desperate for just ONE hour of solid sleep. And I got it!! I got a solid ONE HOUR this morning!

No, I don't care that my co-worker was strapped into a hideous-colored car and kidnapped.

No, I don't care that when I went to save my co-worker, I had to hang from the side of a hot-air balloon. I know who to thank for this one, Peter and Anna.

And I don't care I had to give a four-year-old my iPad because I hugged her too hard and got white shoe polish on her dress.

I DON'T CARE!!! I GOT A SOLID HOUR OF SLEEP!!!!

Represent

Last night in Dreamland, I headed to a local factory to hang out with some friends who worked there. It was late afternoon, and not much work was going on, so we had a lot of time to talk.

We decided to head to a local restaurant, but were prevented from leaving by the Secret Service. Turns out The President--yes, the current "Our Leader"--was in the building. We watched through a wall of glass while "Our Leader" played ping-pong and laughed it up with state and local dignitaries. Since they could only see us and not hear us, we made fun of all of them.

The time came for "Our Leader" to leave the building, so we were pushed back against a wall, and handed a state flag (we were handed the state flag of Iowa, not Indiana, but I digress), and told to wave it when he walked by. It was pretty dark in the hallway we were standing in, so my friends and I decided to do something to show we were not fans of this president. We would wait until he was passing by, and then "boo" him. It was a heady moment; some of us could lose our jobs by doing anything provocative, but all felt it was the right thing to do.

Just at the moment he passed, we started to "boo"--it sounded like a tornado siren (you know, slow and quiet to start, then gains strength). Our Leader stopped. His head turned, but in the dim light he really couldn't see anything but shadows. "Stop," he shouted. "Who was that?!" he demanded.

There was a moment of silence. All the air, and the sound, left our group. As I said, there were a few of us who could lose our jobs for this. Others of us had small children, and could not risk being arrested.

I stepped forward.

I woke up.

I spent a lot of time after I woke up, deciding what I would have said, as representative of a group of friends so diverse, yet so impacted by the actions of this man. Where to start?