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I am going to make it through this year if it kills me
Today did not start out well. I have been dealing with constant nightmares lately: when I fell asleep for an hour this evening, I dreamed of being trapped in a live version of one of those puzzle-houses where the floor has to be crossed in a certain pattern to be safe and the people who came out of the rooms to speak to me were neither human nor really sentient, but neither were they animatronics or anything normally unresponsive. I was afraid they were corpses. Last night I dreamed that my parents had split up and sold their house to friends of the family and I only found out when I came over to babysit my niece and all the bookshelves were bare and all my father's lab equipment was gone from the basement; before that, I dreamed of shooting someone in defense of others, but it was messy and battering and went on forever and did not save me from being badly hurt first. Earlier this week I dreamed that someone put a food court in Auschwitz. (I think I blame that on Herman Wouk, but I was really upset.) So I overslept and all I got out of it was nightmares; I got out of the house as soon as I had done enough work not to feel like slacking. After that, several good things happened which I need to record, especially the last.
I spent most of the afternoon and evening with my cats. We are taking them to the vet tomorrow because Autolycus has been sneezing for a week and Hestia needs her claws clipped by professionals, but they were active and affectionate and debunked my anxiety that they have been forgetting me just because I don't live with them right now. Autolycus curled up on my feet as I worked and turned on the monster purr when I tried to move, kneading his way up to my chest and burrowing under my arm in order to keep me in place.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
derspatchel has started referring to Hestia as the Generalissima, because of her winter coat and the imperious way she presents herself for adoration—expressed, of course, by petting whenever she demands it—and she leapt to the top of her box as soon as I came through the door. While I was sleeping this evening, Autolycus nestled himself behind my knees and slept with me. I must remember that I will not suddenly lose them. My cats are very important to me. I feel better when I am with them.
I met Rob for dinner at Tenoch Mexican outside of Davis Square. They are an inexpensive and delicious source of huitlacoche, which I had previously encountered only at a much pricier restaurant; we split a quesadilla of it, because corn smut is stupidly tasty, and assorted small tacos of beef cecina, choriqueso, campechano, and barbacoa de borrego, all totaling an incredible amount of food for completely reasonable prices. Walking back to his house afterward, we passed Comicazi. They had the usual assortment of used comics and DVDs on their outside table, but there was also a box of magazine advertisements from the 1930's and '40's. Most of them were for cigarettes—Camels, Lucky Strikes, Chesterfields, with the occasional beer for variety, all being endorsed by various celebrities, mostly film stars. Ginger Rogers, Spencer Tracy, Rita Hayworth, Herbert Marshall, etc. Neat stuff, but neither of us really wanted a cigarette ad. Then we found this. Fibber McGee and Molly with a miniature radio script? Yes, please. And not even selling Chesterfields—60-watt bulbs for 11¢ plus tax. "Back on the air for Johnson's Wax the first Tuesday in October."
Most importantly—
My mother found my opal leaf. It was just at the edge of the driveway, not far from where I had found the chain; she thinks the briefly warmer weather this week melted just enough of the slush to let it become visible. I had not expected to see it until spring, if ever. It was covered in some kind of driveway humus, so I soaked it in cold water until it was mostly clean; the stone itself looks slightly chipped along one of the leaf-edges, but the setting is intact and it hasn't done anything exciting like shatter so far. I will need to get it a stronger chain with a better clasp. Thank you so much to everyone who wrote with sympathy and hoped it would return to me. I am astonished that it did, but overjoyed. I have already written to my brother to let him know. Sometimes Persephone shows up early.
I spent most of the afternoon and evening with my cats. We are taking them to the vet tomorrow because Autolycus has been sneezing for a week and Hestia needs her claws clipped by professionals, but they were active and affectionate and debunked my anxiety that they have been forgetting me just because I don't live with them right now. Autolycus curled up on my feet as I worked and turned on the monster purr when I tried to move, kneading his way up to my chest and burrowing under my arm in order to keep me in place.
derspatchel has started referring to Hestia as the Generalissima, because of her winter coat and the imperious way she presents herself for adoration—expressed, of course, by petting whenever she demands it—and she leapt to the top of her box as soon as I came through the door. While I was sleeping this evening, Autolycus nestled himself behind my knees and slept with me. I must remember that I will not suddenly lose them. My cats are very important to me. I feel better when I am with them.I met Rob for dinner at Tenoch Mexican outside of Davis Square. They are an inexpensive and delicious source of huitlacoche, which I had previously encountered only at a much pricier restaurant; we split a quesadilla of it, because corn smut is stupidly tasty, and assorted small tacos of beef cecina, choriqueso, campechano, and barbacoa de borrego, all totaling an incredible amount of food for completely reasonable prices. Walking back to his house afterward, we passed Comicazi. They had the usual assortment of used comics and DVDs on their outside table, but there was also a box of magazine advertisements from the 1930's and '40's. Most of them were for cigarettes—Camels, Lucky Strikes, Chesterfields, with the occasional beer for variety, all being endorsed by various celebrities, mostly film stars. Ginger Rogers, Spencer Tracy, Rita Hayworth, Herbert Marshall, etc. Neat stuff, but neither of us really wanted a cigarette ad. Then we found this. Fibber McGee and Molly with a miniature radio script? Yes, please. And not even selling Chesterfields—60-watt bulbs for 11¢ plus tax. "Back on the air for Johnson's Wax the first Tuesday in October."
Most importantly—
My mother found my opal leaf. It was just at the edge of the driveway, not far from where I had found the chain; she thinks the briefly warmer weather this week melted just enough of the slush to let it become visible. I had not expected to see it until spring, if ever. It was covered in some kind of driveway humus, so I soaked it in cold water until it was mostly clean; the stone itself looks slightly chipped along one of the leaf-edges, but the setting is intact and it hasn't done anything exciting like shatter so far. I will need to get it a stronger chain with a better clasp. Thank you so much to everyone who wrote with sympathy and hoped it would return to me. I am astonished that it did, but overjoyed. I have already written to my brother to let him know. Sometimes Persephone shows up early.
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(I once "lost" my Clockwork Scent Locket in my own damn house for months and was really unhappy, since it was a gift from Joe for completing a draft of Paper Souls, but it turned up where I had put it for "safekeeping"--the locket is large enough a hunk of metal that airport security gets hissy over it, so I generally take it off for the security scan. In this case I had put it in my laptop case and then forgotten that I had done so.)
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My mother looked for it every day this week! She had just concluded that it must have gone into a snow pile when she discovered it. She is a hero of the revolution.
In this case I had put it in my laptop case and then forgotten that I had done so.
I hate when that sort of thing happens, but it is always better than actually losing the object. I am spending a lot of time reassuring myself that I have not lost all sorts of items from my household just because they are in storage or my parents' basement and I can't lay my hands on them at present. Especially with the art and the kitchen stuff, it's making me twitchy.
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Sympathies on separation-from-stuff. I would feel the same way. (And in fact, despite all the books we sorted through and got sent from Joe's folks, that I had left in storage with them, I had been wondering where my Angel Sanctuary artbooks had gotten to, because I could've sworn I had left those in upstate NY; and lo, Joe's mom emailed me to let me know that she had found two more bins full of our books. Probably mine rather than Joe's, to be honest.)
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Thank you.
*hugs*
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Thank you! So am I!
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Thank you for coming by to say so!
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Thank you. So am I.
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Thank you!
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I was really, really not expecting it and I am so glad.
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Thank you! She kept looking for it even when I wasn't there. She is amazing.
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Thank you! It was the last thing that happened in the day!
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Yeah, but it makes a better closer than falling asleep with cats.
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Sez *you*. :-P
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O my! So very very happy for you. May this be the first snowdrop of a year of spring.
Nine
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Thank you! I . . . really don't feel I can rely on it, but it would be nice!
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Thank you!
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And hope the nightmares turn less horrific and more usefully narrative.
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A old leaf and a beloved one. Thank you!
And hope the nightmares turn less horrific and more usefully narrative.
That would be nice. My body seems to have coped with the situation by just not falling asleep last night, which did not actually help.
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Thank you!
And likewise for quality time with the kitties.
They went bravely to the vet this afternoon. Tomorrow I plan to spend as much of the day with them as I can.
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Most excellent brave kitties! I hope you have a lovely day with them tomorrow.
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ETA On review I see it's not all that near Davis. Is it worth a special trip?
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Thank you!
On review I see it's not all that near Davis. Is it worth a special trip?
It's about two blocks up Highland from Davis Square, just past Five Horses—where M3 used to be. I think it's worth the trip.
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I wish I could share it with you.
I am so glad that life has been giving you better dream fodder. Cats and Mexican food and old advertising campaigns seems like a much better mental soundtrack to go to sleep with. Though I do need to remember to go back and comment on your Herman Wouk thread, because I have thoughts about Wouk.
And, burying the lede here too, hooray for the safe return of your leaf. That's better than crocuses any day!
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I am usually aware of my dreams as such. Part of what's made this last set so nasty is not just that I'm waking up with the emotions, which take a while to process out even while I can recognize that the situations that provoked them are not part of my waking life, but it's less perceptible to me than usual that I'm dreaming while I am. I really wasn't sure about the Auschwitz food court until I'd been awake for a little while.
Though I do need to remember to go back and comment on your Herman Wouk thread, because I have thoughts about Wouk.
Please do! I would like to hear them.
And, burying the lede here too, hooray for the safe return of your leaf. That's better than crocuses any day!
Thank you. I am wearing it today and it feels right.
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Wow. Yay!!!
They are an inexpensive and delicious source of...an incredible amount of food
I will have to check that out!
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I am so happy to have it back!
I will have to check that out!
I will happily eat there with you some night if you like.
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P.
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Thank you. I do not take all expressions of sympathy-from-experience as derailing, but I appreciate very much that you did not want to be that person.
I am so happy about the leaf.
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Thank you!
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Comicazi is a great name for a comic-book store.
And let's hear it for being draped in purring cats--a superb state to exist in for periods of minutes or even half-hours.
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She is wonderful and I am very happy.
And let's hear it for being draped in purring cats--a superb state to exist in for periods of minutes or even half-hours.
Thank you. I have hopes of experiencing it again tomorrow!