Weird Dream Channel

Something I said in a conversation prompted me to write an LJ entry about my "typewriter days" in journalism. After a momentary flash where it occurs to me that I never used a typewriter after college (all my pro newspapers had VDTs (video display terminals)) I am holding a couple of typewritten pages which somehow also have color photos on them, and I'm at some sort of outdoor gathering. I am standing, holding these pages, well off to the left of a large crowd (200 or so) seated in folding chairs on the lawn. The crowd is facing to my left, I am facing the crowd, and somehow I know it is time to read them my "typewriter days" memories, but everyone is talking among themselves and there is nothing happening on the stage (which is out of my sight, but the crowd is looking right at it). I launch into it using my best theater voice, the crowd quiets down very quickly and turn their faces toward me and start listening attentively. Almost as soon as I start, the words on the page shrink, change into nonsense characters, and after a sentence or two of trying to ad lib I realize I have no idea what I wrote or was trying to say, and mumble a few words about how I guess the piece wasn't ready to be read out loud, and that's where the dream ended.

Finally!

My contract agent called to let me know I was selected for the job. So I sent references, which the client company will check, and the agency will send me release forms so they can do the usual background checks. I told her I hadn't killed anyone since breakfast, and she said that was a good start, but they need to know for the past 5 years. I don't remember killing anyone during that time, but I have forgotten a lot of things I did that long ago.

Taking the bureaucratic stuff into account, we're hoping for a start date a week from Monday, so October 12.

The last time I was laid off was August 16, 2001 and was out of work till December 10, so a week short of 4 months. This time it will be two weeks past 4 months. Considering 9/11 happened just in time to clobber the job market after that 2001 layoff, the current depression appears to be the hands-down winner.

Tanks for the Memories

Celebrated the "whew! I don't have to move to a smaller cheaper apartment!" by buying an aquarium stand, some gravel, plastic plants, a divided betta tankette, some anacharis and four small pearl gouramis for a project I have been putting off for months.

To whit:
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So now that's done.

Tomorrow: expecting a different type of automatic litterbox to be delivered, will install it in place of one of the ones on the balcony, and see how wrong the "don't need to touch it for 30 days" claim is.