Randomness

My life is hideously routine, so nothing interesting really ever happens. So, I thought I would randomly make comments on things from my boring life. Hey, the excitement has to come from somewhere, right?

Dreams... I dream A LOT. And I often remember my dreams, and they are often very strange. I tend to merge all of my past and inter-mix things. Like I will have dreams set in Panama, but people I met in Alabama will be there. Last night/this morning, this is what I dreamt: I was visiting my old high school in Panama and I went inside the main building. It was essentially empty and a lot lighter than it used to be. The floors were a pale wood, which was not the case. The real floors were (and probably still are) a dark tile (which you can see in the picture of the plaque). I located the spot on the floor where the famous BHS plaque used to be embedded. I could still see the circlular mark on the floor where it belonged. (I included a picture of the plaque, just for your own knowledge.) Anyway, as I continued to explore the now-vacant building, it somehow magically turned into the Troy University-Dothan Campus library. So the next thing I know, I'm going around visiting old acquaintances and professors from there, including Food Network's Alton Brown (no, he was not really one of my professors or acquaintances). Then I went to visit an old co-worker there and she was rearranging her office (pretty normal to dream this, right?... wrong) -- with huge wooden bedroom furniture. Seriously, I have the weirdest subconscious.

Back to junior high... Okay, so a new rule has gone into effect at my place of employment. The building does not open to the general public until 7:45, however, my department is allowed to have a "flex schedule" in which we are allowed to come in as early as 7:00 am and work until 5:30 pm if we so desire, and we can arrange our schedules accordingly (so long as we work the required 38.75 hours each week). So, in order to get to leave early on Thursdays and Fridays, and also to take classes in the middle of the day, I come in at 7. Well, we have to use this proximity card reader to get in the door at that time (yes, it's convenient for the door to unlock by simply holding your wallet in front of it, but what is the price paid for such ease and convenience? -- please refer to Orwell's 1984). Well, it is only logical that we should come into the building a couple of minutes before 7 so that we can get to the 4th floor (with oft-malfunctioning elevators, one never knows how long this will take). It is not, however, logical to come in at 6:15 am. But, some people were doing just that (and they know who it was since they get a printout of who entered and when... by the way, this answers the question about the price that is paid for convenience in this case). Those people would in turn use that 45 minutes that they came in early and apply it to leave early, a practice that is not allowed here. And so now, we all have to wait until 7:00 to even enter the building. So, I pull up to work and wait outside with all the other 4th-floorers, and I cannot help but be reminded of junior high school, where we all waited outside each morning for the bell to ring, signaling the start of the school day and our admission into the building. How childish is this? Are we not all adults? And why do the few bad apples ALWAYS have to spoil the bunch? Okay, I'm done with that rant.

And lastly... What is the deal with graduate-level classes in which we watch a video (and so far the newest one has been from 1997) about technology (this is, after all, a program focusing on information technology of today and the future) each time we meet? Thank goodness I take the articles I have to read and do that during the movie. Otherwise I would be seriously, mind-numbingly bored.

So, that is my boring life for you :). Hope you enjoyed the visit. Oh, and I cannot get this thing to do my paragraph breaks for my last two paragraphs. It's annoying me a lot, but probably doesn't bother anyone else. But I thought I would apologize anyway.