Friday, October 25, 2002. Entry #190

I've been getting these weird dreams lately.

I dream that the alarm has gone off and it's time to get up.

See, we only have one alarm clock, and it's on Lisa's side of the bed. It's a liquid crystal display, which means that my poor, weak, mostly night-blind eyes cannot read it in the dark. Like, at all. If I wanted to know the time, I would have had to roll over Lisa and smuck my face against the clock to see it.

This has never been a real problem. Unlike me, Lisa has the ability to wake up, shut off the alarm, and go soundly back to sleep. So if I'm getting up before her, I'll get up, she'll shut of the alarm and start snoring immediately.

I don't know what's causing these dreams. A dozen times in the last month I've woken up, convinced that the alarm has gone off, Lisa's shut it off, and it's time for me to get up.

In my groggy, half-awake state, I can't tell for certain what has happened. Sometimes I simply lay there and say to myself, 'Bah! If it did go off and I don't get up, Lisa will just poke me until I do,' and go back to sleep. Sometimes I get up, go to the washroom, and check the clock in the kitchen, which is lit so I can read it from only three feet away.

The rest of the time...

Me: Zzzzz... snerk! "Whu... izzit up time?"

Lisa: Zzzz... "Whu...? No... iz sleepy time..."

Me: "Whu timezit?"

Lisa: "...iz sleepy time... go zleep..."

Me: "No, whu timezit?"

Lisa: "It's 4:38! Go to sleep!"

Over time this dialogue has shortened. This was last night:

Me: Zzzzz... snerk! "Whu... izzit..."

Lisa: "No!"

I'm fairly certain I'm going to get home today and find she's bought a clock for my side of the bed.

My appraisal went well enough. I was rated well across the board, with a high in technical knowledge, which is cool. However, I was rated below on a couple points.

The first was on my organization. In my part of the appraisal, which I posted Wednesday, I mentioned I need to be more organized in the office, which they noticed too. Fair enough.

However, I was rated less than satisfactory when it came to my communications and team player skills. Huh?

Seems there has been the occasional complaint about my attitude. Not many, and certainly not enough to worry about (they were quick to assure me), but occasionally people thought I was a little 'arrogant' when I asked them to do something. Like I was acting like their boss or something.

You know what bothers me? Not the thought that I might have come off wrong sometimes (which I'm sure I have), but that I have a mental calendar full of instances where people acted in similar manners towards me, and I never complained. So because they snitch, I get a bad appraisal? And by being a team player (and not mentioning their actions) they get higher marks?

Ah well. I'm not going to let it get to me. I scored well over all, and they're pleased with my performance. Now if they just give me a raise...

NaNoWriMo Update: It's a few days yet until we start, and three of my friends are already on board to take the challenge with me! Good luck Jax, Joel and Gail! (C'mon Selene! Get on board already!)

On Survivor: Finally! Robb, the skateboard-ridin', banana-gobblin', Clay-chokin' loser is gone! Woo hoo! I tell you, there were times while we were watching where we really felt that jerk was seriously unbalanced, and the other players were actually in physical jeopardy.

I had to giggle during the immunity challenge. Robb knocked down Clay a couple times while catching that ball and had this big shit-eating grin on his face, but when they swapped out Clay with Ted, who knocked Robb on his skinny ass three times in a row, Robby wasn't anywhere near as happy. Poor baby! It ain't fun being roughed up, is it?

Ha!

Next week's picks: I think they're going for the merger. Either way, I suspect either Jan or Shii Ann is going bye-bye.

One Year Plus A Day Ago Today: This Is Where We Used To Live, where I visit friends who live in a suspiciously familiar location.

Two Years Plus A Day Ago Today: The people that you meet, where I talk about various journals I read. I should do another of those lists one of these days.

Aaaand in 1968: Yoko Ono announced she was having John Lennon's baby.

Mom Rating: 3 out of 5. Mom thinks I would have done better if I had played nicer with the other kids.

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Take me home, big fella