Toy drive 2013

I've managed to add shifts to my work schedule. I did this of my own free will, but man do I hate it. I figured, well, I can't have all my eggs in one half-basket*, hoping to stumble upon a fun job that I won't mind doing full time that will pay well enough that I can pay off my debts and move myself forward.

*I know half-basket isn't the phrasing.. I'm suggesting my strategy was even less viable than keeping all your eggs in one basket. Imagine a basket that has been literally chopped in half, and the eggs are always threatening to roll out.

Maybe five or six months will be enough to climb out of this hole?

Six months? Sheesh.

This Christmas I donated much earlier than my usual last minute contribution, I think I picked it up at the Indigo Chapters toy area at the Eaton Center, having been reminded about the whole thing the weekend before by some toy drive people accosting me for a donation at my gym. Though I'd promised to donate after my workout, by the time I finished they were gone, never to be seen again.

Well, wherever I picked it up, I had good options this year. I think I could have gone with either Leonardo, Michelangelo, or Donatello (I'm pretty sure I didn't see Raphael). And the winner was:

Now, my favourite turtle has historically been Donatello, for reasons that I probably don't need to go into yet again. However, this latest incarnation has a slight inferiority complex (from what I've seen) and, more troubling, is his obsessing over this version of April. (I'm not saying it isn't funny or not a good fit for the show, but it takes away from my high personal vision for him)

Contrary to that, they've upped their game with this version of Leo. Gone is the boring brown noser who only had the swords as a redeeming factor- this version is a bit of a daydreamer, borrowing something from Mikey's personality, idolizing the Kirk of the cheesy Star Trek show he watches. He wants to be a hero in the same way we all do- by mimicking our own heroes and trying to grow into something like them.

And that's exactly the kind of thing I'd want the kid who gets this toy to do- daydream a bit, and emulate a heroic attitude.

Oneironautics

It's due back at the library today, so I should mention having read "A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming: Mastering the Art of Oneironautics".

The title rather says it all, at least about the books purpose. The actual execution seemed more in line with a pop-self help book. Not a whole lot of useful content.

Though I have become lucid in a dream before- it's pretty rare, but it has happened- I can report I managed to become lucid since reading the book. So whatever other faults I have with it, I have to give it props if, for no other reason, it kept the idea of trying to become lucid in my mind so that it would eventually happen.

But come on, guys, it's a small enough book as is, with some pretty large print. The dream flying tutorial was hardly any use. Wait, let me rephrase that. I wasn't any use.

*Silver the Hedgehog's voice* "It's no use!"

While I'm on the subject of dreams, this morning I dreamed something particularly upsetting, but for once it isn't immediately clear what the whole thing was about. I wasn't me, but some little boy who felt really guilty about taking some money from his job to buy a handful of junky looking garage sale type trinkets.

It was pretty strange. I woke up with tears in my eyes, with no clear understanding of why.

Well, here's to happy dreams in the future.