A classic from March 2003

Scene I: I was kind of Monica (from Friends) and kind of me, and me/Monica and the rest of the friends were hanging out at this diner out in the middle of nowhere. It was like a 50s diner, with the silver/metal tables and counters, and teal walls and booths. (Kinda like the Peach Pit from 90210.) I could see inside, cuz there were windows all around it, but I don't remember actually being in it. I guess I was just sitting outside of it, like in the parking lot, with Monica's dad. (Unless it was Monica and her dad and I was not even present--I'm not exactly sure.) I do remember talking to Rachel at one point about a thing with Ross, and then she was giving me advice about my love life. Again, it coulda been Monica, coulda been me ... and not sure what the advice was.

Scene II: I'm on a boat in the middle of a lake, fishing with Monica's dad. (This part was definitely me.) But maybe he turned into my real dad? Not sure. But anyway I remember casting my line and reeling it in, thinking I got a bite. I did this many times, thinking I got something cuz it felt kinda heavy, but each time I got nothin'. That part stunk, but I remember that it was a beautiful, sunny day and the lake looked really blue.

Scene III: I'm in a library. I think it was supposed to be my high school's library, even though it wasn't. (It was a big, nice library, more like a city or college library--and the real one from my high school was like one room-full of books. It makes sense in dream world.) Anyway, all I remember is looking for one specific book, and I looked on many different shelves for it. But not the normal shelves, just the "featured books" shelves, or whatever books were set out on display.

I'm searching the books on a side wall toward the front of the library, intently studying the second to bottom shelf, when I notice a thin bar of red blinking light at the bottom of the shelf. Kinda like ... a minimized instant message. I look down and realize that yes, it was, in fact, an instant message. The instant message was the bottom shelf. The bottom shelf was the instant message. Finkle is Einhorn. The problem: how do I maximize it? Cuz it was clearly important and I needed to read it, but there was no cursor since it was a shelf and not a computer. It keeps blinking at the bottom of the shelf; meanwhile, I'm looking frantically around the tables and shelves to find a device to maximize it. I happen to find a white pole with a point on the end (like a real-life cursor, pretty much), I poke the IM (twice), and it maximizes.

It's a message from the Home Ec teacher who taught at the high school I went to 20 years ago. (Not the high school I attended 20 years ago--she taught 20 years ago at the high school I attended 10ish years ago. There is no good way to write that sentence, sorry. Mrs. Hitchins is her name, and I remember her because my dad taught with her when I was maybe 5 or 6, and I was in this fashion show for her, modeling clothes her students made.) So anyway, the IM: she's mad at me for snooping around the library. I think it said something simple and mean, like: "You don't belong here. Get out." I thought, shoot, I thought she liked me because of the whole fashion show thing, but I guess she only likes young Jill, but not old Jill. I remember my high school English teacher, Mrs. Huntley, being there too, standing behind the front desk and trying to defend me. Thanks Mrs. H.