I Didn't Get the Memo

It was a beautiful late summer/early autumn afternoon in upstate New York, the kind of day that invites a body to linger. Unfortunately, this body works during the day, and today it seemed like I was the only one.

It started when I was leaving Day Job to run some lunch hour errands. I have an hour for lunch, which is usually more than enough time to do what I needed to do today. However, there were temp day workers coming back from lunch, ambling through the parking lot. They saw me. We made eye contact. Did they stop so I could pass? Nope. Did they quicken their pace? Nope. They just took their sweet old time walking in such a way that I couldn't get around them.

Moments later, I was behind someone driving 20 mph in a 30 mph zone. Seriously? Finally, after a bit of this, I turned onto a side street. Things were going well -- until I got behind someone else doing 25 mph in a 30 mph zone. Was there a memo I missed? Slow-down Tuesday?

I finally reached my destination (public library), and there was a school-aged girl -- clearly not in school -- ambling up the driveway. She turned, looked at me, and kept on ambling, right up the middle of the driveway so I couldn't get by her. After I parked my car, I headed into the library. Except a group of young men were coming out of the library, and they took up the entire sidewalk. I had to wait to let them pass.

Once inside the library, I went to the desk to pick up the books I had on hold. Except the person checking out the books wasn't behind the desk. He was standing by the door having a chat fest with someone. For about five minutes. Not business, just personal stuff. He finally meandered over to his post, took his time to straighten up some stuff and finally took my card.

By the time I reached the "fast" food drive thru, I quit hoping to accomplish anything on my lunch hour. What should have taken no more than ten minutes had taken nearly thirty.

I would have taken a vacation day had I received the memo.

Recurring Dreams: 1911

Last night I dreamed that I moved back into the apartment with the turquoise fridge and the old Norge stove (I've lived in several apartments with old Norge stoves).

Nothing had changed in the apartment except the kitchen closet (located between the fridge and the stove), which had been converted into a pantry. The closet was huge in reality, but the landlord made it even bigger by expanding the back into the entry way to the front apartment (my apartment was the first floor rear apartment). And the pantry was packed with canned goods, baking supplies, etc. Each shelf was individually lit, so the space was bright and cheery. There was also some kind of appliance in there, but I'm not sure what. In reality, that's where I stored my avocado green portable washing machine. In the dream, the appliance was white.

Maybe this dream came from a recent discussion with my husband about buying a new stove. We've replaced every appliance in our house at least once--except the stove. And when I reminisce about past Norge stoves, it's not the one from 1911 that comes to mind, but rather the one in my very first apartment.