Pushing in Book Seven: Reconstruction 2020

I missed work on Wednesday, February 26th; Thursday, February 27th; Friday, February 28th, Monday, March 2nd; Tuesday, March 3rd… I no longer have a fever… I was going in to work today no matter what. I woke up sweating, sore throat, weak… okay. Compromise. I’ll go in late. I’ll be at work by 10:00 so that I can start hitting the Catch Up Nightmare that is no doubt waiting for me in my desk.

Then back to sleep!

For an interesting long form dream.

I was enrolled in advanced college courses for Literature, Philosophy, and Understanding Modern Problems Through Practical Models. There was a big group project in the latter class and almost everyone in the school was building something to be put together with their group’s other stuff to create a Practical Model exhibiting Solutions per the Final Exam. I had created some flexible, re-sizing miracle of a scoop that was intended to be “universal in its application” able to attach to a stick to collect trash and dog poop or able to attach to an industrial hose and scoop up plastic from the ocean. Strangely, to get to my classroom, I had to go through Best Buy. I didn’t want anyone to see my Practical Model, so I shoved it in the back of my pants. As I crossed over to the large double doors that equally led to the Employee Lounge and the Larger Building, I was stopped by an employee I didn’t know. They accused me of stealing. I demanded that they review their tape. Several people from Best Buy came over and yelled at the employee stating that he had handled a shoplifting accusation issue poorly. The person that was shoplifting was in line by Candies and Computers. So I was let go. I ran into the Larger Building, and started looking around campus. The hallways were filled with people working on their group projects. I got turned around trying to give people space and found myself in a situation where I was going to have to walk through some people working. As I traversed the hallway, a guy we’ll call T.Allen stood up and tried to push me down. The item in the back of my pants hurt my tailbone when I landed on it. I stood back up and told him to shove aside. He came at me again, and I balled up my fist and decked him in the face. Punched him in the body a few times and he was so shocked that I fought back, he didn’t grab me as I ran past him. I got to the classroom and one of my attractive (long brown hair) fellow students was in the room and looked at me with surprise. She reminded me that we didn’t have class that day. I had remembered but our professor usually wanted an update everyday as to our progress so it was strange that he would not be in his classroom. She agreed and we decided to go looking for him. We found him in the Astrology Technology Wing. The first images from outside our solar system were being compiled onto a 3-D fully immersive VR program and our professor was very into it. I wanted a turn, and grabbed a nearby VR headset. I put it on and was transported to the inky blackness of space as a white cluster of stars swirled in the distance. Classical Music played to calm the mind to prevent isolation anxiety. The entire experience was beautiful. I removed the headset and left the Astrology Technology Wing through the gift shop where I ran into an old friend from Law School. We caught up a little. He was in the area for work and we walked away from the building together. Only to be stopped by T.Allen. He knew my friend and shook his hand and said, “You’re cool. But your friend here is an asshole. Attacked me for no reason! Dick.” Part of me felt an urge to defend myself, tell the story, but honestly… it didn’t matter.

I wound up going home. I had some people from work stopping by, anyway. As I got home, two officers who I was expecting were there and a City Employee whom I had never met was present as well. The officers were older men who were there just to do a Structural and Security Check on my place to make sure it was set up to be a remote office should the need arise. The City Employee? H00T. 100% my type. Super attractive and super nerdy. She was there to take specs for any digital hardware I might need to get set up and to help figure out how to install it. I let the three of them in and promised to stay out of their way. The young woman City Employee asked for a tour of the house. I showed her around and she was appropriately impressed by all the best bits… comic books, video games, board games, Movie collection… she and I began talking… flirting… flirting heavily… and then she leaned with her mouth open a little, and I met her halfway… and it was the first “first kiss” I’d had for 15 years. And it was amazing and soft and electric. And then she brought her head back and you could see stars in her eyes and blush on her cheek as she smiled and apologized standing up. She said that she had to get to class but would definitely be back for more.

And that was the dream.

And honestly? The kiss portion was… hell, it felt pretty real. And if I can attract someone I am attracted to and we flirt and we kiss? I have no reason to expect it will be any different than how it felt in the dream. But… I still have that open question, I suppose. I mean… an attractive 20-40 year old part-Cambodian tech-savvy nerd that would be interested in me isn’t just… around the corner in a place like this, lol.

BACK TO THE GRIND I GO!