Mississippi Dreamin'

Short and sweet. Right.

We drove to Madison, WI yesterday after class. It was an hour and 20 minute drive through back county roads and dense fog. It was worse on the way back after the mall. The mall. I cannot even begin to believe that out in the middle of NOWHERE, there would be a decent size mall with a full blown Apple store, Coach store, Sephora and pretty decent food court. Very high end mall. In the middle of nothing.

This irks me. I have to drive 5 hours in any direction back home in Odessa, TX to reach anything that isn't limited to mexican food, stingray skin boots, mechanical bulls and sand. How can these folks have such awesome things, and we don't? Puh. Maybe even a 'Meh'.

I went to a few stores and drooled over things I couldn't have at the moment, followed by a random stop at a Build-A-Bear Workshop. Obviously, spending $30 on a stuffed, gender bending plush bunny is better than buying something I really needed. Let's face it, I'm a goober. I'm all about picking out a floppy eared bunny and dressing it with a Brewer's baseball shirt, denim skirt and pink Hello Kitty panties. She's a girl, but she likes baseball. She will not wear pink, dammit. At least not anywhere visible. Let's not forget the whole protocol for stuffing the silly thing, I have to pick a tiny heart and rub it in my hands for warmth. Then rub it on my forehead to give it "the smarts" (insert questionable joke here), followed by rubbing it on my stomach so it's always full (I have enough chunkies to share, so I didn't mind) and finishing by kissing it as I make a wish. Yes. I made a total fool out of myself, loving every second of it.

The way back was full of nervous giggling when the visibility got to about 10 ft ahead of us, with some outbursts of loud singing (Smokey Robinson, Michael Buble, Foo Fighters) when the fog lifted.

The hotel room was dark, quiet and cold. The lightning was lighting it up in an eerie way, and the thunder was making me fidget, then curl up in fetal position in the middle of the giant bed. I think I fell asleep watching Star Trek (Picard, not Kirk...that should explain it) and my head made the best of my easy sleep, taking the opportunity to flood me with nightmares. There were too many horrible things to recount in detail, but it all revolved around the darkness of night, snow, things chasing and hurting me, voices saying things I wish I could forget and the ever present empty feeling in my chest. I reached for someone who wasn't there or never exited. Weird.

But yes, I awoke and had bacon. So all is well in the world. Dreams are just dreams. It's still cold and rainy...and it's not Baltimore.

The trouble doll, is not moving mountains

But digging the ground that you're on

If it's true that good fortune gives no change

We got just what it takes...

~ Jakob Dylan