The time period was all off, too, even for being a dream. My parents looked more like how I remember them from my childhood which would put them in their late 30s, early 40s. Of course, I didn�t know what their ages were at that time, or even if I did know the numbers, I didn�t really understand. I am 43 now, since two weeks ago. I don�t have any children, never mind the six they had at my age, but there is a resemblance.
It was a weird start to the day, but not bad. I got the paper, The New York Times. I like this ritual of the paper reading. I make tea or coffee. This morning, I drank the coffee from yesterday, iced. I have a good coffeemaker that doesn�t have a warming plate, but a thermos carafe, so believe it or not, the coffee still tastes good after it�s been sitting for awhile.
I read the Styles section first. Some of my reading habits have been influenced by Beulah. I recall some conversations about this section and about the weddings/celebrations announcements. Beulah would say, �Cover up the text and try to guess the couple�s ages.� I�m not so good at it. Even though a lot of the people look older most of them are in their late 20s or early 30s. These people are the cream of someone�s crop. Their lives are on the go-go-go! And now they are married! I like when The Times revisits some of these couples, though the short articles don�t get into the strangeness of marriage, which is part of its charm usually.
The rest of the section bothered me: a club for rich people that costs $55,000 to join for enlightening conversations with their peers; the latest hip craze for the 20-somethings who are on their way to fortune and fame-ish lives. It�s The Times, what do I expect? And it�s the Styles section!
The Arts & Leisure section had much too much about Jay-Z. I don�t know who this person is, really. Not that I am supposed to. Obviously I don�t know enough to understand that he merits a big photo on the front of the section and another photo inside which looks like a painting of him. He doesn�t look like a living person, but a portrait. That comes from having a lot of money, the portrait look. I also usually enjoy that The Times refers to people in their stories with �Mr.� Or �Ms.� In the case of Jay-Z, they can�t. They have to just keep writing �Jay-Z� or �he� because he doesn�t use his last name. Ugh. Anyway, here�s this big article, a chance for me to get to know Jay-Z. I�m not going to read it.
Also, on the front page of this section is some article about MTV and cellphones and the title plays off the overused phrase of my young-adult youth: �I want my MTV.� I groaned at that, not that anyone could hear me; it was an internal groan. I thought: Retire that phrase! Refuse to use it, NY Times! Then I am a little mad that it gets any reaction out of me. That must mean it works, on some level.
The Ethicist in the magazine is a favorite of mine. Once in awhile I recognize some issue I�ve been mulling over in my own life reflected there. It�s the grown-up version of: �I�m in love with my best friend�s boyfriend. I wrote him a note and he wants me to meet him. Should I do it?� Substitute �I�m in love with� with �I have evidence� and add �is embezzling funds from his company.�
I should read the main article about the Supreme Court. I don�t like the photo spread featuring clothes for bored teens that has a babysitter theme. One outfit costs more than what I spend on clothes in nearly a year.
I like the recipes and the final page �Lives� which features a well written, brief essay by someone who is in some new phase of life, or contemplating a former phase he or she thought was left behind.
I think I want a newspaper written entirely by your average joes or all about freaks. That sounds suspiciously and sadly like reality tv, but I swear that�s not what I mean.