Sir Galahad and My Quest - Only in My Dreams

I had one of my vivid dreams last night - the kind with colors and smells.

I fell asleep, completely unaware that today (September 18) would turn out to be #NationalCheeseburgerDay. In my dream, I ended up on a personal quest to find the best cheeseburger.

It started with finding myself with some friends at a fair-like event. Game booths were here and there, and there were several white tents where you could buy food. One of my friends wanted a salad, maybe a tuna salad, and a person wearing a white apron and a chef's hat said to go to the yellow tent.

We looked around for a yellow tent, but every tent was white.

Finally, we approached a tent to see if anyone inside could help us, and there was a tiny sign above the opening that read "SALADS" in yellow lettering, with a tiny picture of a salad bar.

So my friend got her salad.

Another friend wanted barbeque, and had to look for the red tent. And someone wanted cotton candy and had to go find a brown tent. And on and on. So we split up.

I wanted a cheeseburger. A person (not the same one as before) in a white apron and a chef's hat said to go to the blue tent.

Finally, I spoke up. "All the tents are white! You keep telling us to find these different color tents, but they're all white!"

She pulled herself up to her full 5'1" height and looked up to me and said, "We are sensitive to the needs of people who are colorblind, so we made all the tents white."

"Then why," I asked, "do you tell people to look for red or blue or yellow or pink tents?"

"Because the signs are on the tents, and they are written in the colors you are looking for, of course."

[My dreams often don't make sense, but she spoke so convincingly, I believed she made sense]

"Okay," I said. "Could you at least point me toward the blue tent? I really want a cheeseburger."

With an exasperated-sounding huff, she waved her hand in a vague direction NW of where we were standing. "It's over there," she said. "Geez, can't you read?"

"Thanks," I replied, shaking my head in wonder at how weird this was.

I thought about how much the Knights of the Round Table had while questing, and how Galahad came closest, perhaps even getting a glimpse, but never actually touching the Holy Grail.


I came close, much like Sir Galahad (sure, he SAID he was looking for the Holy Grail, but he was a young man and hungry for adventure and all things grilled).

I found a white tent, and the little sign above the tent flap said "BURGERS" in blue, with a tiny picture of a hamburger on a plate beneath the lettering.

I walked into the tent, and there were three people seated on folding chairs at a small table.

I said, "I'd like a cheeseburger. Some fries, too, please. And a drink and also a hamburger with jalapeno slices."

They looked at me like I was some kind of nut. One of them said, "Do we look like cooks?"

"Well..." I began, but realizing this was probably a rhetorical question I said, "If I wanted to get a burger, is there somewhere else I should go?"

The back of the tent was wide open and there was a sidewalk between it and a wide, low building.

The person who had spoken waved his hand toward the building and said, "You might try there."


So I ended up at a building where the people at the door asked strange questions. Convinced of my sincerity, they had me wait while they prepared my meal - which included the cheeseburger, a hamburger, some fries and a drink.
 
I wandered into an area with two arenas. One arena had small (in number) marching bands competing, and the other arena had a bicycle rodeo. For the little ones there were tricycle acts.
 
The finale was a guy on a weird bicycle that was also like a Tron Lightcycle, which he rode about to a high speed and shot into the first arena that had just finished with the last band.
 
He rode on a track that had a couple of loops, and at the bottom of the biggest loop he release about 8 - 10 Lightcycle mini-bots that rounded up a herd of other mini-bots into a net.
 
It was amazing.
 
I woke up before I could get the cheeseburger. But it was there. I could smell it!

Like a Pig's Tail

Around 4:30 this morning, the cat decided to pester me until I opened one eye. Then he meowed at me like, "Oh hai! Did you know I'm hungry?"

"It's still dark outside, you goofball!" I said to him.

He went to the window and nudged the blinds aside to let the light from the streets and parking lot in.

He kept reminding me that he was hungry, but I wasn't going to give in.

I paced up and down my body, probably to make sure I didn't get up without him noticing. As if!

I drifted in and out of awareness, but never fell completely asleep.

Finally, at 6:30 my alarm went off. Captain Morgan knows what that means - I have to be alert enough to turn the alarm off, therefore I must be awake, and thus it was time for food!

He knows that once my feet are on the floor I'm awake (I'm pretty sure I don't sleepwalk any more) and I'm going to stay that way for awhile.

But not at 4:30.

That's too early!

Or, like a pig's tail, twirly!

The Semester is Still Young!

Okay, so here's what happened today...

After my early morning class, I went back to my office to make a few corrections to my syllabi (my students are probably ecstatic that I've decided on office hours so early in the semester!). I made the corrections, saved them to my flash drive, and sent the updates to the department administrative assistant (Bonus! Now that she knows, I'll actually get a sign for my office!). I also posted the syllabi to my two classes that they pertain to.

Next, I thought I'd look up some interesting things to present for my 11:30am class. I teach another section of the same topic on Monday evenings, and with next Monday being MLK Day (no classes), I don't want my 3-days-a-week class to get too far ahead of my Monday-only class.

I found a couple of interesting videos and downloaded them to my flash drive - which I use a lot because I teach in Stillwater and in Tulsa, and I like to have everything with me no matter where I am on a given day.

I also made a "Tip of the Week" short presentation to show the class. Again, saved to the flash drive.

Do you see where this is heading?

By this time I'm pretty pleased with myself, being on top of everything so early in the semester.

Well, 11:15 rolls around and I knew I needed to get to class, but that I needed to make a quick bio-break. No problem. I grabbed my books, my travel mug (Oops! Empty!), and stopped at the restroom before heading down the stairs and across the street to when my class meets.

I got into the classroom early enough, booted up the computer, and went out to fill my travel mug from the water fountain while the computer did its start-up thing.

I got back to the classroom, it's 11:25, and I reach into my pocket for my flash drive.

Flash drive.

Uh, flash drive?

Where is my flash drive?

I checked another pocket - the one where I put my keys after locking the office door. No flash drive.

AAARRRRGHHH!!!

"Don't go away! I'll be right back," I told the class, still filing in.

I ran down the stairs, out the door, and back across the street to the building which houses my office, along with one of the slowest elevators known to humankind.

I ran upstairs (did I mention my office is on the 4th floor? No? Well, it is), unlocked the door, frantically looked around because the flash drive was not still in the computer, which is where I had it last. Or so I thought.

I started unloading my pockets.

I had cargo pants on.

Many pockets.

I found my flash drive in a pocket that I don't put things in.
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Unless, apparently, I'm in a hurry and not paying attention.
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Yeah, I had it all along.
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I ran back to class, put my flash drive in the classroom computer, and began class.

I showed them the syllabus pertaining to their class, and told them it was also uploaded to the class website.

I showed them the videos.

I showed them the Tip of the Week.

I spoke to them a little bit more about the class, things to expect, and assigned them a reading.

I let them go a little early.
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As they were drifting out, one student came up to me.
"I don't know if you know," he said, "but the syllabus you posted for our class is the one for your 8:00 class."
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Ah, the semester is still young!