Dream: Space 'n' Vader

Last night I dreamed that I got a new job, working as a valet on the Death Star. I'm not exactly sure how one drives to the Death Star, but hey, I just park the cars, I don't ask questions. A couple of Autobots (specifically Springer and Kup from the 80's movie) worked in the parking garage, repairing cars. Sometimes they would convert people's ordinary cars into Transformers while they were parked.

While I was working, an ambassador came to visit. She was an evil witch queen, and she actually went by the name "Evil Witch Queen." She wore a red dress and her face was painted white, like an evil version of Queen Amidala. She floated through the halls with little crackles of electricity sparking around her, and she gave orders to the Stormtroopers like she was their boss. But the Stormtroopers just stood around looking confused, unsure if they should follow her orders.

At one point she went too far with her demands, and Darth Vader came out to see what was causing the commotion. Vader was in his normal outfit, but also wearing bunny slippers and carrying a coffee mug and a newspaper, like he'd just woken up. Barely giving the Evil Witch Queen more than a thought, he pointed at her and used the Force to slam her into the walls a few times, then turned around and left.

Looking a bit like Loki after his run-in with the Hulk, the Evil Witch Queen groaned and asked for her car keys. I handed them back, worried about what she'd do when she found out her car was now a Transformer. That's all I remember.

We’re Really Here

Things are simultaneously moving super-fast and super-slow. We haven't offically "moved" yet, but I have spent a night in my new house. I can’t believe how big it is compared to the old one. Our old house was a measly 1,024 square feet, and it was so cramped with all our hobbies. Our new house is nearly triple that size.

But even cooler, it actually feels like our own house. Our old house was a unit in a fourplex, and we shared our walls with other homeowners. One of the adjacent units was owned by a landlord who rented it out, so neighbors moved in and out a lot, and some of them were really loud.

Never buy a unit in a multi-house dwelling. Just don’t. You end up with all the disadvantages of renting, only now you’re responsible for all the maintenance. Plus you have all the questions – when the shared driveway needs repaving, who pays for it? If your neighbors play loud music, who do you complain to?

Honestly, it’s weird to me that I can “own” a piece of a building. I mean, who owns the wall between me and my neighbor’s unit? What if I decided to knock down the wall that leads to my neighbor’s bedroom? I mean, I own the wall, I paid for it. But she did too, which is the confusing part.

But now… I have a house. My own house. With a little fenced-in backyard, a garage, a basement… and I don’t have to share my walls with anyone.

Now I just have to make sure I can afford the damn thing. I have a severance package to live on, so getting a new job isn’t an emergency. But it would still be nice to make double paychecks for a few months, so I’m not going to rest on my laurels, either. My goal is to have a job by the end of January, and use the extra income to pay off some debts and furnish the new place.

With a little luck, I’ll get something I actually enjoy.