Bad dream

This was one of those dreams that seems to last all night, and when you wake up and go back to sleep, it continues. The dream was very detailed, very realistic, and in Technicolor…

I was living in Hawaii somewhere, supposedly Maui but it was too urban and developed for Maui. It must’ve been Oahu, perhaps in Honolulu.

We heard on the news and by word of mouth that the Soviet Union (yep, Soviet Union) had just launched at least 10 nuclear warheads in the first wave of an assault on the U.S. We didn’t know where they were targeted or when more were coming, but apparently the U.S. had responded with an attack of their own. The end was beginning. For whatever reason, we figured we had about 3 hours until the world would be destroyed.

People gathered on and around the beach and watched toward the East for signs of anything changing; any flash, tidal waves, wind, etc. For the first couple of hours nothing happened. It was sunny and warm, and people continued to enjoy the beaches, but with a sense that they knew they didn’t have much time.

People at work had a final meeting. We were given quick final evaluations (I got a pretty good evaluation, but it was done mostly with symbols and charts and was somewhat confusing). We were told that we could continue to work, or leave. I left. Most people were driving away from the city. I knew that you wouldn’t want to live in a destroyed world if you survived, so I headed for the most likely target: downtown.

The thought crossed my mind of how much savings I had. I wondered if I could spend it all in 3 hours, but decided there wasn’t much point in it.

I decided to leave my wife and her mother at our house to go with my dad (who had come back from the dead to pick up some unused clothes in a J.C. Penney bag that he had left when he died and didn’t want to get burnt in the bombing, if there was one.) We went down to a shopping center that was built on some cliffs above a very deep part of the ocean. We figured that when the flash or tidal waves came in, we would be the first to go, either by incineration or by crashing into the sea. We talked about how he was already dead, so he wouldn’t be hurt, and soon I would be able to join him on “the other side.” At one point I was looking for parking spaces downtown. I found one and the meter had expired. I only put in enough change for 3 hours, because I figured that was about as much time as we had.

I ran out of cigarettes and bought some more. They didn’t have my brand, so I had to buy Winstons. There was a guy at the café/bar that we were in that traded in his SPF 45 sunscreen, requesting some SPF 4045. He got it, but it cost him 6000 dollars.

I was taking pictures, but I knew it was silly. My camera wouldn’t survive any better than I. The touch screen on the back of the camera was starting to malfunction for some reason.

The waves increased, but people kept surfing and swimming, even though there were only a few hours left, as we figured. The only thing on the radio or TV was pre-recorded messages about taking shelter and such. We figured the mainland must be obliterated, but we had seen no flashes.

Eventually the sky grew VERY dark, eventually turned black, and it began to snow very heavily. Apparently this was a sign that the bombs had kicked up enough debris into the atmosphere to block the sun. It grew very cold and ice chunks about the size of small cars started drifting in to the beach with frozen people on them. The people were frozen standing up for some reason. Many of them were children, with their arms raised toward the sky.

I used my cell phone light as a flashlight to navigate in the dark (I actually have a cell phone that can be used as a flashlight). At one point I went outside in the pitch black and down to the beach. I came back because it was too cold and windy (and still snowing), and no one had any winter clothes, this being Hawaii.

The waves became huge, like 10 stories, and in the distance we did see faint orange flashes light up the black sky from one end of the horizon to the other. Eventually the waves knocked the shopping center that we were in into the ocean. I woke up as the building sank into the sea, huge waves pounding it into the surf, submerging it quickly in the deep water off the cliffs.

I guess the theme of the dream was “what would you do if you knew the world as you know it was ending in 3 hours, for real, in a horrible and terribly final way? Would you try to survive, or try to go out quickly and not have to struggle afterward?” I opted to try to go out and not try to survive in a destroyed world. I don’t know what any of this means, if anything. Probably nothing.

Rolling Stones

So I got tickets today to see the Rolling Stones. A little more than I wanted to spend, but I got seats just off the main stage, 5 rows up. And they said it couldn't be done! (well, I'm not sure who said that, but they were wrong).

I hope I haven't offended anyone with this post. You never can tell these days.

Test Pics From New Camera

This is the new baby in the family. Chihuahua and Lhasa Apso mix (I'm not sure on the spelling there). She's about the size of a newt, and likes to travel in a purse for outings, or stand up and look for people that might pet her.
She is honestly the cutest puppy I have ever seen, and she's smart as a whip! AND she has puppy breath and a little pink tummy that she likes rubbed. She's big on giving kisses, as well.