The Cyan Pepper

Two Dreams

So last night, I had not one, but two dreams with my friend Thea in them. We talk daily, but we haven’t visited each other in a couple years, so it was nice to “see” her again, even if it was just in my dream.

They’re both short, or at least, what I remember of them is short. It’s also further proof that I’m seriously messed up in the head.

Dream No. 1:

Thea and I are standing on the road in front of my house. I’ve got a can of spray paint, and I’m spray painting my name on the rode by my mailbox.

Thea: Kelli, why are you writing your name on the road?
Me: So people will know who it belongs to. What if it blows over into the next county? If there’s no name on it, whoever finds it won’t know where to return it to.
Thea: Uh… Kelli.. IT’S A ROAD!!!!!!


Dream No. 2

Thea and I are walking along in this palace-like place in the clouds, behind this  bald figure in deep crimson robes who generally looks all holy. The walls of the place are open, the ceiling supported by high columns. Around us, these giant creatures, who were very large (10ft or so wingspan) birds with brown fur instead of feathers, were swooping around lazily on the air currents.

Thea: Where are we?
Priest Dude: We’re in the temple of the Swoosh.
Thea: What’s the Swoosh?
Priest: These are the Swoosh *he gestures to the birds*
Me: What do you do here?
Priest: We celebrate and preserve the sanctity of the Swosh.
Me: Then why are there Swoosh-skin rugs all over the place? (because, indeed, at that moment, there were)
Priest: Ahh, we only create rugs from the Swooshes who have died of natural causes. We could never harm a Swoosh, but when one dies, we celebrate its life.
Thea: *dryly* By turning it into a rug.
Priest: Yes, or possibly a throw pillow.

Can you hear me now?

Kiera and I were cleaning her room earlier. This is normally a task she undertakes by herself, but every now and then I like to go through it with her, give it a thorough cleaning, check for contraban items, throw away all the little pieces of paper she’s shoved into every little nook and cranny, any broken toys, etc.

The whole time I was cleaning, I kept finding toy cell phones.

Me: Kiera, is this your cell phone, or is it one the boys left here?
Kiera: It’s mine.
Me: Wow, I didn’t realize you had so many cell phones.
Kiera: I really do have a lot, don’t I?
Me: You must have eight different calling plans. How do you pay for them all?
Kiera: I manage.
Me: I hope you’re not putting it on your credit card and running up a huge bill.
Kiera: No…. Oh, hey…. you found my white phone! I like that one the best.
Me: Better than the red flip phone? Why?
Kiera: It has roll-over minutes.

Anger Management

So last night, after dinner, I went outside to shoot some hoops and clear my head. After 20 minutes, it dawned on me that I hadn’t made a single shot and instead had simply been slamming the basketball off the backboard with much more force than was at all necessary.

It was then that I realized that perhaps I still had a touch of repressed anger over this whole Glaucoma thing and not being able to see the book I was trying to read earlier that day, the paperwork I was trying to fill out, the code I was trying to edit….

Granted, not every day is that, neither in terms of how well I can see nor how frustrated I get over it, but yesterday evidently was.

Today was nice and cloudy, and everything I needed to read was on a screen, in text that I could enlarge to do so. I’m getting used to that part. It’s when I pick up a sheet of paper, a book or a magazine that this all still gets to me.

Duct Tape: Is there anything it can't do?

Came across this on the Mayo Clinic web site earlier.

In a well-publicized 2002 study, duct tape wiped out more warts than freezing (cryotherapy) did. Study participants who used “duct tape therapy” covered their warts in duct tape for six days, then soaked their warts in water, and gently rubbed warts with an emery board or pumice stone. They repeated this process for up to two months or until their warts went away. Researchers hypothesize that this unconventional therapy may work by irritating warts and the surrounding skin, prompting the body’s immune system to attack. Today, duct tape is commonly used to treat warts, especially for children who may find freezing painful or scary. It’s often combined with salicylic acid.

She's such a sad and mopey child...

Kiera: My computer’s hooked back up?
Rich: Yep.
Kiera: I can use it now?
Rich: Yeah, you’re good to go.
Kiera: Woo-hoo! Mission Control is mine!
Me: Mission Control?
Kiera: Mission Control! I love my computer. It’s my favorite computer!
Rich: Kiera, you say everything’s your favorite….
Kiera: I know! I love everything! Everything in the whole wide world! This is the BEST LIFE EVER!

Ear Tubes - I'm certain we're headed for a second set.

Kiera’s ear tubes came out a month or so ago, after being in there for just over a year. Her doctor told us when they were put in that she probably wouldn’t need any more after these and he checked her hearing right after they came out and it was good, no fluid, Eustachian tubes looked good and open.

It’s been a slow but steady decline since then. Her hearing right now is pretty awful.

I’m sure we’re headed for more surgery and while it’s minor, extremely minor, I’m still kind of bummed. I’m bummed that the need is still there.

Now I’m just waiting to see when the ENT, who is only here one day a week, can squeeze us in.