Not really much in the way of plot, but surprisingly deft driving on my part this morning, as I’m typically scraping costly side panels or running off a cliff entirely. (I recently shared with Ailee my intention to do the latter in the Seven once dementia sets in, or depending upon the clean-up cost to the family, opt for the Michael Mann ending.) Oncoming were dog-shaped robots several stories tall, and I had to swerve at high speed to avoid their legs. After half a dozen of them, I spun around and activated my secret transformation into a well-armed mech!
Dogs of War
March 14th, 2023 § 0 comments § permalink
Dreams of Vana’Diel
March 11th, 2023 § 0 comments § permalink
It’s not seldom I revisit my MMORPG stomping grounds; I probably got further in Guild Wars, alts, legendaries, and more recently but everything came without nearly as much hardship in comparison that I remember it less.
I was late logging in, but the program was smart enough to put me with my teammates when my avatar stepped through the portal and just like that, we were in the thick of battle with the enemy! It seemed premature, but I let loose a special ability that sent out a barrage of ghost-like fireballs in a cone-shaped pattern (surely taken from one game or another over the many years) and luckily I was lined up correctly with my target for it to be effective. Immediately following our victory, I had the chance to pose my character on-screen, selecting a flying jump-kick to capture for later use. There was no voice chat during the event, but I found myself on the phone with a fellow player whom I called “Winnie”, from her pleasant demeanor an amalgam of Wing and even older client with that name, a nice lady whose boss, I won’t ever forget, suddenly passed from cancer after complaining of stomach pain; I felt lucky to be talking to her, as she occupied an administrative position in our organization and even made up a meaningless “last question, I promise” about changing my icon on the website to stay on the call, but when I thought we were done, she brought up a news story I had previously shared about a local man who, quite seriously I reminded her, killed his wife.
Ultraman
February 27th, 2023 § 0 comments § permalink
I liked both シン movies so far, and I’m looking forward to the 仮面ライダー one, even if it’s the franchise I remember the least. Speaking of the big man, I dreamed I was one of the M78 heroes last night—I tried to pick Ultraseven as my alter-ego, but he was taken—and we had to fight off a horde of alien bugs.
My next one was more grounded, the wife and I were walking with an Indian woman and her child through a field, who were lured away by a game of frisbee. The grass was damp (like our yard after all the rain), I could distinctly feel it under my bare feet, but I didn’t mind because my shoes or socks wouldn’t get wet.
Gun Safety
February 25th, 2023 § 0 comments § permalink
One of the many dreams I had early this morning was about handling firearms, which if I’m to believe popular media my lack of experience in will surely put me and my loved ones at a disadvantage come the apocalypse, but something in the back of my mind, maybe it was the one time a friend invited me to the range, told me that I could tell whether the safety was on or not by the position of the lever: vertical it was engaged, horizontal meant it could fire. (Later search reveals that this is not the case at all and was not worth waking to check.)
In another, I was at the office I recently noticed had a new occupant and my notepad, the kind I used often with the perforated pages bound at the top that never came off cleanly, was somehow confiscated by IT, led by Leon but in another of my memory lapses, I referred to him as Andrew. They scanned a copy of it before returning it and I protested, knowing that my personal information might be at risk, despite my tendency to write down passwords by themselves all over the place without any meaningful reference or sense of order. I cornered one of them, a fellow from Hong Kong with garish art on his shirt and threatened him.
The third one I remember was about an MMO game which I had long since retired from playing but watched as another crew failed to take down a giant boss dragon. One of the characters was a crow-like bird who ordinarily wasn’t capable of flight, but used an ability called “Backpack” and escaped the wipe by retreating to a roof. Even then, the enemy was smart enough to return with a large piece of furniture to climb up and reach them. I was highly critical of their attempt, regaling them of our successful strategies with a lower level cap and weaker gear. This afternoon we’d drive out to Lit Café, you’ll remember, and while waiting for our last meal there accepted a blind invite to a Primal Groudon raid, which also didn’t go nearly as well our very first. It helps that we don’t care anymore.
Business Reply
February 21st, 2023 § 0 comments § permalink
Took me hours tonight scouring backups and chat logs with nonconducive search terms (all that touted AI failed me here, too) for this relic, only to find it tabbing through a AIM history file with a domain now up for sale.
Time-Traveling for the Most Banal Reason
February 19th, 2023 § 0 comments § permalink
Work again, this time at the job that saw better years when they were actual competitors in their industry and not just licensing their brand to anyone who’d use it sell crappy products. And somehow I made it back to the early 70’s or whenever that was, and everyone there was a younger version of themselves. I certainly would’ve liked to see Karen at that age, but she was nowhere to be found. Their Japanese employees went by their full 姓名 names written in English, so I thought it best for me to adopt a similar identity unbeknownst to them. The setting then shifted to the present day, or near future, where CEO Russ Lesser was the sole familiar face (and still driving that circa. 2000 Dark Bowling Green Corvette) but looking much the worse for wear.
DALL-E beat Stable Diffusion for the closest approximation of my image of Jakarta, except the volcano clearly had a Super Mario angry face carved into it.
Animal Cruelty
February 18th, 2023 § 0 comments § permalink
[The prompt—which received an automated warning about violating the content policy—I had a dream last night; please tell me what you think of it: I was soaring through the air, either flying on my own power or playing a videogame character, and our mission was to protect large eggs in nests scattered across islands from attacking giant owls. We thought the furthest one was outside their range, but a flock of them swooped down on their prey and attempted to escape. I pressed the “Turbo” button, not knowing how long my accelerated speed would last, but I must’ve overshot my target and caught another or our pursuit took too long and the poor thing had already been consumed. Overcome with anger and frustration, I strangled the bird I had, literally tearing its body apart, only to realize that I couldn’t release the remains from my hands.]Dreams are highly personal and can have many different interpretations based on your personal experiences, emotions, and associations. However, there are some common themes and symbols that can be found in many dreams.
Based on the details you’ve provided, it’s possible that this dream could reflect feelings of protectiveness and a desire to defend something that you care about. The image of the large eggs in nests could represent a new project, idea, or relationship that you are trying to protect from external threats. The attacking giant owls could symbolize a sense of danger or threat that you are trying to fend off.
The fact that you pressed the “Turbo” button and overshot your target could symbolize a sense of overexertion or taking on too much at once. The bird you caught may represent a small victory or accomplishment that you were able to achieve, but the fact that it had already been consumed may represent a sense of disappointment or frustration with the outcome.
The fact that you strangled the bird and tore its body apart could represent a sense of aggression or anger that you are experiencing. The fact that you couldn’t release the remains from your hands could symbolize a sense of being unable to let go of negative emotions or past experiences.
Overall, this dream may be a reflection of your subconscious thoughts and feelings about a situation or challenge in your waking life. It’s important to reflect on the emotions and associations that come up for you when you remember your dreams and to use that information to better understand your own feelings and behaviors in your waking life.
[Long way to go before surpassing the human equivalent, or so it seems.]
Elevator Action
February 17th, 2023 § 0 comments § permalink
[The prompt: I was pushing a trolley, like the kind used at airports to carry more luggage than one can in their hands, and stopped by a couple of people I knew, who put their own bags on it, then proceeded into an elevator. They also boarded, but when the door began closing, I lost my footing and somehow fell out from the inside and it closed behind me, taking my cart and the other passengers without me. I woke disappointed that my good friends would leave me like that.
Do you have any idea what this might mean? Was I only expressing my fear of losing any help from those whom I consider close or even being betrayed by them?]It’s important to remember that dreams are highly personal, and their meaning can vary depending on your individual experiences, emotions, and associations. That being said, there are some common themes and symbols that can be found in many dreams.
Based on the details you’ve provided, it’s possible that this dream could be reflecting feelings of loss or separation from people or things that you value. The image of the trolley could represent the burdens or responsibilities that you are carrying in your waking life, and the fact that your friends added their own bags to the trolley could symbolize the ways in which you may be taking on the burdens of others.
The elevator could represent a change or transition in your life, and the fact that your friends were able to enter the elevator without you could symbolize a sense of being left behind or excluded from this change. The feeling of disappointment that you experienced in the dream could be a reflection of similar emotions that you are experiencing in your waking life.
Overall, it’s important to remember that dreams are highly subjective and can have multiple meanings. If you’re interested in exploring the possible meanings of your dreams further, you may want to consider keeping a dream journal and reflecting on the emotions and associations that come up for you when you remember your dreams. You may also find it helpful to speak with a therapist or counselor who can provide additional insight and support.
Raquel Welch
February 15th, 2023 § 0 comments § permalink
In keeping with recent Seinfeld-related posts (though this is probably how we want to remember her, i.e., “in our best ages”):