Dream Diary

I dreamt that was driving past a house we used to own. I should clarify that it was a house we owned within the dream, it is not a real world home. It was a small house that we had bought for an investment. We flipped it and made a little tidy profit. It was vacant and I stopped to reminisce.

There was a concrete walkway that connected the house to a second structure. It was big like a barn, but more like a large shop, but kind of had the elements of a home. In the dream even when we owned the house for some reason I had never gone inside. It's hard to describe and the exterior is still a bit fuzzy. But it's the inside that counts.

I opened the door to the shop and found myself on the landing of a small porch, that had a ladder going up into another level, and stairs descending to a lower level. The room I was in was like a typical garage, with tools, yard equipment, junk and more junk. No suprises. I decided to go up the ladder to the level above me.

The ladder was backwards. What I mean be this is that most ladders are positioned at an angle to aid your stability and stepping up. This ladder was in some weird way backwards, where your ascent was on the 'wrong' side of the ladder and it was very awkward climbing up. Up and up I climbed, as I moved up the ladder seemed to grow in length so the illusion was that I was not making any progress. Finally though I poked my head into the upper level, and pulled myself up into a cavernous room. It defied the dimensions defined by the second level. There was no furniture, no sheetrocked walls, no flooring. Just framed in with dark and aged wood. The weird thing was that all of the framing was elaborately carved with bizarre symbols. The room was so large that I could not see the far walls, they just went on and on into darkness.

A feeling of evil pervaded the room. Like the mist of a fog it seemed to close in on me. The terror grew and I went down the ladder as quickly as I could back to the level I started on. The strange feeling dissipated and I decided to descend to the lower level.

I walked down a short flight of stairs, maybe 10 steps and turned a corner and looked into a large room. It was not as big as the upstairs room of terror, but it was larger than the exterior again would define. It was carpeted with a deep, olive color shag rug. It was completely empty except for one thing, relatively large on the far side of the room. I walked over and as I got closer I could see what looked like an easy chair with a body in it. Arriving in front of it, I saw that there was an elderly woman who looked to be dead. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. I jumped out of my skin and beat feet to get out the door and back into the sunlight.

And then, I woke up.

What I REALLY want for Christmas

We all know the status of our economy. I believe that leads to an awareness that a charitable act can carry even more weight than usual. Sherry and I are so thankful for a roof over our heads, jobs that support us and friends and family that add so much joy to our lives. There are people this year, and maybe some that you know; that have lost jobs, and perhaps even the roof.

What I would really ask for Christmas in 2008 is that you would join me in bringing some relief into a needy family's life. My friend John has set up a link on his blog that you can make a donation. I would humbly ask that you take a few minutes to consider giving. I believe you will be blessed knowing you have made a difference. I think you'll be glad you did.

John's post is eloquent and touching. Please find it here.

What I want for Christmas

Every year I add to my wish list for Christmas. I have never received anything I have asked for. This year will likely not be an exception. I find that my wishes always drift to wheeled things (I thought about asking for a baby elephant but the costs and care would be egregiously out of reach). I like things with wheels and engines, engines and wheels. Previously I have written about my love affair with classic American muscle cars. I have grown to appreciate the little high revving foreign cars (and their drivers) but no Tokyo Drift for me.

But I digress - Sherry, I want a Brammo Enertia. Yep, Blah Blah Blahg is going green. It's a nifty little good lookin' scooter with an electric battery for propulsion. Here's a nice comment from the Enertia website:

Form doesn't follow function, they are the same. Simple, elegant design that looks as good sitting still as it does silently speeding through the next street corner. Every part of the Enertia was designed with the rider in mind.

Check it out:

Snappy looking ride, eh? Now, with a top speed of only fifty (50!) MPH she's not going to get you out in front of some other two wheel monsters, like a Suzuki Hayabusa with a top speed of around one hundred and ninety (190!) MPH, almost 4 times as fast and turn heads on the freeway. But, with 100% of it's torque available off the line, it's going to pop a nice wheelie.

To impress your green friends, be sure to mention that the Enertia has a Valence Lithium Iron Phosphate battery.

Sherry, if you can't afford the Enertia, would you get me one of these? It may not be as green but it sure looks like fun.