Dreams

DISCLAIMER: THIS POST HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE INTERPRETATION OF DREAMS, IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR THAT GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.
When I was a kid I wanted to be a professional basketball player. This dream was perpetuated when in late elementary school I played on a rec league basketball team and was chosen to the the center because I was the tallest person on the team. I was also later chosen to play catcher in softball due to my height. Yes, it's funny now given I haven't grown any taller since the 6th grade. Thus, my dreams were quickly crushed at a young age after realizing basketball players were tall, I was not and there wasn't much hope to be found in my gene pool. Still I hoped that I would triumph over the nature and be the exception to the genes my parents passed down to me. If I could say that this happened then it would be a miracle all its own, but for those of you who have actually seen me you know stature us not my strong point. On a good day I stand 5'2.5" tall, and yes the .5 inch is important to me.

It's interesting to me how your dreams change throughout your life. Some dreams are crushed and others are simply traded in for new dreams. In college I was actually nicknamed "Dream Crusher" by Kari, a roommate. This is all due to the fact that I did actually crush her dream of working in construction (she wanted to hold the stop/slow sign on the side of the road during road construction) and having the federal government pay off student loans. By stating these road construction projects are actually contracted out and not directly completed by government employees. (She now works at a well-airconditioned office in Charleston, SC. She also is moving into a house, on the beach where the front porch faces the ocean. I believe I no longer should be call a Dream Crusher but my name should be changed to Life Director or something like that, I'm happy to take your suggestions.)

There are some dream crushers we all face in life...those people who don't really know you yet see a snapshot of your life and then crush your dream with one inconsiderate comment. Sometimes it doesn't even take that much, it can be a look or grade that send you back into reality and out of the world of dreams.

I recently asked my 4 year old niece what she wants to be when she grows up. She quickly responded by saying "A Sugar Cooker," to which her aunt said, "I don't know what that is, what would you do?" Of course the all knowing Tatiana was ready with a response. She would make sugar cookies and anything involving sugar...this is a great life to her and I wish I'd thought of it for myself (although I don't think I would make any money and would be literally eating all of my profits). I wonder what happens to that innocence though. What happens to us as we grow up that takes away the ambition to make the unrealistic reality?

I will be the first to admit this last year has been greater than I ever dreamed it would be and the unrealistic has become reality, but I wonder what keeps it from happening for other people. My roommate told me that sometimes people don't simply give up on their dreams, they trade them in for new ones. I hope this is true...I'd hate to live in a world void of dreamers and void of dreams coming true (that sounds like it came from a Disney Movie...everyone sing, "When you wish upon a star..."). So, I would like to know, what do you want to be when you "grow up"? What's keeping you from doing it now (given most of you are actually "grown up")? I'm sure there is some Dream Crusher out there who is dying to say, "She's just an idealistic 23 year old." I have a response for you, "Okay, how's your life going?"

I hope this has been interesting to more than just me. If not, I can start posting what I ate today if you'd prefer.

The Safeway Chipotle Battle

In college my roommate and I enjoyed many meals at Don Pancho's (the place that holds the key to my heart). It is really some of the best Mexican food I've ever had. We ate there more than we ate in the kitchen in our dorm room. There were the times when we unashamedly ate there multiple times on one day...yes the staff laughed when they saw us come in for the second (and the one time it was a disgraceful third) time but we didn't care...we loved it! It was amazing!

While we've physically moved to another city we still miss the greatness that is Don Pancho's...everything from the food and friends we hung out with there to the crane machine (oh it's no rip-off if we're playing) is missed. Sadly in our new location there is also not a place that even comes close to Don's greatness. We've been forced to turn to a place of lesser greatness...Chipotle. I know, I know many of you say, "That's blasphemy, you can't even compare the two," and it's true but it's the best we've got (yes there are Taco Bells here but I've consumed enough of it in my day and have seen far too many bean burritos and mexi-melts...person in love with them, you know who you are).

The closest Chipotle to us is in a strip mall...at one end sits the Chipotle and at the other sits Noodles (which deserves a whole post all its own...weird). Unfortunately there is not NEARLY enough parking in this little strip mall area; however, right next door is a Safeway grocery store. My roommate and I both frequent this store when in need of groceries (typically Diet Coke). With the exception of the ridiculously long lines (it's as if you're at Wal-Mart on a Saturday and they're having a blue-light special on every isle) and lack of self-check out, our experiences have been uneventful. That would be up until last weekend.

Jodie and I decided to stop by Chipotle and get some dinner last Sunday. We pulled into the parking lot and could not find a space, so we decided to just park next door at the Safeway (given its parking lot was 80% empty. After parking the car we were approached by a security guard who said we could not park in their (80% empty) parking lot unless we were going to shop at Safeway. Both of us responded with an, "Okay, that's fine whatever," we got back in the car and drove back to the Chipotle parking lot where we finally found a space.

If the story ended there it would be very boring and both of you who still read my blog would join the rest of the world and stop reading, but no the story does not end there. Actually, Jodie counted every person who came over from the Safeway parking lot the entire time we were eating (there were 11, I believe). No one else was stopped. About 15 minutes before we left she then sees the guard carrying his groceries to his car...how convenient. Mr. Security Guard had jumped on the convenient train long before we arrived though. He was also parked on the curb beside Chipotle (still technically in the Safeway parking lot yet not actually in a parking space). Just before we were about to leave Mr. Security Guard comes walking over from his car...yes walking over to Chipotle from the Safeway parking lot with a CHIPOTLE CUP IN HIS HAND. He walks through the outside patio seating area, back into the restaurant and fills up his Coke (as if there is no statute of limitations on refills). He then turns around, walks back out of the restaurant, gets in his car and drives away.

I'm just going to throw the facts out there and you can decide (in the words of my roommate's place of business...well, kind of..."I report, you decide...") what you think about it all. Safeway paid a man to guard their mostly empty parking lot. When his shift is ending he can do his grocery shopping. This man has complete access to the shopping center next door that includes a Noodles (okay not so great), Starbucks, Cold Stone and Chipotle (where he gets unlimited drinks apparently). What am I doing with my life and how can I get his job?