I had a dream where I was to attend an interview for a very specialized post-graduate program. I was expecting one or two on a panel, but was led to a room which turned out to be an auditorium filled with over a hundred people. They called a name and someone very scholarly appeared and gave a very boring presentation. Another was stilted but educational. Then another who strolled all over the room like a grandmotherly Jerry Springer (who i somehow followed through the halls and the lobby like a zooming comedy show camera), finally returning to plop herself down in a velvet chair which was already occupied by another elderly woman who was somehow dressed like she was in a 17th century English court. She asked her if she was fond of Chaucer … The response was confused and the applicant just said she knew because she saw the light in her eyes and her loving glance at THIS. Voila. She pulled out a flat cardboard ‘leather book,’ asking if this was her favorite. The lady said “What? This is my favorite, but this is only a piece of paper – what did you do to my …” at which point the applicant ripped it up, throwing it up in the air when it suddenly became a huge actual leather illuminated item that landed in her lap. She got up with an exaggerated curtsey and a standing ovation. I was back outside in the hall and told the head that I had not expected this and started hyperventilating like an asthma attack. He told me to relax and just say something off the top of my head. It went okay, but could never come close to the show that had preceded me. Drenched, I walked out to receive a pat on the back and a whisper in the ear: “Your concentration is so specialized that … Well, we have five openings for the year … and four applicants. Might not be much of a problem.”
Came back from Kyoto to wade through the annual November happenings down my street. Such a great variety of stalls from grilled scallops to sausage to gyros to flavored ice to candies. It’s really great fun but the crowds are immense. After the long train ride, trying to just pass through it all was tiring. At least this is still Japan, everyone moved in an orderly fashion and the huge police presence made it even more orderly. Problematically the exits and entrances for the Metro are highly controlled and the one nearest my house was reserved for ingress rather than egress.