randomfriday

I’ve been awake for an hour and this morning is already strange.

1. I had one of those unpleasant dreams that stay with you for a while after you wake up. It started out just being weird… I was at this enormous mall/museum with stores I’ve never heard of. I only remember bits and pieces but there something about a person having sex with a mummy-mannequin that turned out to be a real person. Then, at one end of the mall the steep staircase had been replaced by an even steeper granite-tiled wall/floor that I couldn’t climb up no matter how hard I tried (thanks, Freud, for sneaking that one in there.) Anyway, the dream then morphed into including CJ the ex, which is always a fun time of course. He showed up at the mall and evidently we were still together but I was just about to break up with him. He had no idea in my dream though and did something that completely turned my stomach (no idea what, probably something insignificant.) I just remember looking him in the eyes and feeling a complete lack of love or affection; the only thing I felt toward him was pity. I think I was about to leave him forever at that strange mall when my alarm shocked me awake. I woke up feeling a heavy sense of pity and confusion, alternating with anger at him for popping up in my dream three months later. Then, in my mind’s attempt at humor, I woke up with NSync’s “Bye Bye Bye” in my head.

2. On my walk to the bus stop, I passed the same apartment complex that I’ve been passing for weeks now but this time I saw something in the upper-right corner of my peripheral vision. There, perched on the edge of the roof was an owl and it scared the living shit out of me. Then, I noticed it was fake. That was almost creepier actually haha.

3. Once I reached the bus stop about two minutes later, I sat down on the stoop and heard the sound of cans hitting the ground. A little ways behind me (never been able to measure things in yards like everyone else evidently can) is a dumpster with a cart parked in front of it. There’s a person deep inside the dumpster, throwing cans overboard to be crushed and recycled later. A few minutes later, a car pulls past me and into the parking lot, blaring what sounds like Kanye West. A young man jumps out, walks over to the dumpster and the two have a conversation I can’t hear over the music. After a bit, he comes back towards the car and motions for my attention. I take off my ipod and he asks if I am waiting for the bus, I say yes. Then he says he’s going to Walmart if I wanted a ride since it’s about to rain. I say I’m going to the student center but that I really appreciate the offer. I’m guessing this is what he offered the homeless man as well and it caught me off guard. Not that I needed a ride to Walmart or anything but it was nice because most people don’t offer. (Then again I’m probably naive, yet paranoid enough not to get into a car with someone I don’t know.) Going to assume he was just being nice this time though.

Now I’m stuck at work and it’s pouring outside. Counting down the hours until 2:30 when I can go home for a nap.

Hole-y Water

In my teensy new studio apartment, there is a pesky water heater cabinet with doors that won’t shut. This has been a minor annoyance but definitely not worth complaining about. Yesterday however, while D. and I were eating lunch, my neighbor knocks on the door and informs me of another, slightly more disturbing quirk about that cabinet. As it turns out, in the six weeks I’ve been living in the apartment, there has been a sizable hole in the thin wall that separates her cabinet from mine. I open my cabinet and sure enough, there it is, lurking just behind my water heater and probably about the size of a large person’s head. (Or even a small person’s who has an enormous head. Anyway, it’s good sized.) It’s only visible when my neighbor’s doors are open, otherwise the wall just looks dark and goes unnoticed. Problem is that her doors won’t stay shut either now and she informs me, nicely, that she can hear things from my apartment. She says she’s going to talk to maintenance but wanted to run it by me first since it’s technically my wall as well.

At this point, I’m too embarrassed to say anything but, “oh, hey sure, of course” and “i’m sorry” as my face reddens. She says it’s no problem but she just doesn’t want to eaves drop… she’s really nice about it. After she leaves, D. and I pretty much just say “holy shit” a lot (quietly of course, since she can probably hear.) My mind starts racing about everything I’ve said and done in the last six weeks.. play music and movies loudly, talk about armpit smells and farts with D., come home drunk, discuss vibrators with my mother of all people, etc. Oh, and of course, D. always sleeps over and I’m sure you can sense what else she’s probably been privy to.

The maintenance guy says he’s going to have to tear out both our water heaters to patch the hole. The guy says there will probably be one whole day when my water will be turned off. Says he’ll have to make a big mess and I’ll need to move anything near that closet. It’ll probably be loud and I’ll probably want to stay elsewhere that day. The whole time I’m nodding and saying “okay” all over the place. Really though, I’m just thanking imaginary gods that I’m not that much of a “moaner” and not living next to a small family or older couple.