Bad weather and bad dreams

This wasn't the easiest weekend.

Saturday morning, Surly's leash broke and Andy and I spent a panicked hour or so trying to catch a dog as quick and agile as a rabbit and four times as smart. I was exhausted emotionally and physically and slept in until about 11 am after that.

It turned out that Rob had cancelled game due to the bad weather that was being predicted. Andy and I did errands in the afternoon, which was clear and warm. We wondered if the weatherman had been wrong all along. But then towards evening the snow came down in big wet flakes. Only a few inches fell, but it was enough to be annoying and even dangerous. Andy and I stayed in and watched DVDs.

Sunday, we took Surly to the groomer and went for brunch at Reza's, which was quite nice. We stuffed ourselves with hummos and falafel and radishes and goat cheese. Surly looked quite nice after the groomer was finished, and he even got to play with two huskies that like to wrestle as much as he does. It was a mellow day, but the temperatures fell drastically last night.

This morning I had a disturbing dream. In it, I was still living in the apartment building on Wilson, my first apartment in the city. It was nighttime in the dream and I could see from my window bombs hitting the city and buildings on fire. I turned on the TV and saw journalists broadcasting from a bunker that was under attack. It was filled with smoke and dust and they were being knocked around by the blasts.

I knew I had to hide, so I took the elevator down to the basement. There the custodians were preparing numerous bedrolls, neatly lined up in rows, for the residents of the building. When they saw me, they explained I had to go back to my apartment and wait for the signal. They were calm and jovial, as if nothing exceptional were happening. One of them escorted me to the elevator...

which turned into a Star-Wars-style spaceship. I was launched into outerspace and flew over the planet into the stars. When I landed, 20 years had passed. I saw some people I recognized as my friends, and they were like slaves, living under a dictator and afraid to stand up for themselves. I think I was trying to rally them to revolt when I woke up.

It was very dark in the apartment and very quiet. I got up to take the dog out and heard planes flying low over the city. I froze with fear and waited until they passed on towards O'Hare Airport. It makes me wonder if everything is really going to go on like it always has, or if everything has truly changed and will never be the same again.