Random Joe Dream

I had a dream the other night that I was at a big seminar of some kind. There were tons of people, at least 700, all of us sitting in lines on the mat, and a few "important persons" (no one I know) were speaking to us all.

I spaced out and quit paying attention (even in my dreams I am daydreaming!). When I snapped back into "reality" there was some sort of argument happening, with half the people taking one side and about half taking the other. I couldn't figure out what the debate was all about, and right as it was about to turn into some sort of mob riot, Joe appeared. It was like he had been there in the crowd all along, and he managed to make himself heard.

I don't remember what he said. It didn't seem like it was anything heavy - he was just explaining to both groups where the disconnect was in the conversation, or something. While he was speaking, people seemed to calm down a little bit. His overall demeanor was of someone who seemed to have picked a side in the argument, but rather than try to coerce others to agree with him, he was first trying to be impartial and represent both sides fairly so we could all make up our own minds using the facts at hand, and not get all heated up over some hasty rhetoric.

Jaunters III

I think a lot of people have seen this at one point or another, but now Jaunters III, the long awaited sequel to Jaunters I and II, is available on YouTube. It's been broken up into three parts, the first shown below.
Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

Cold day

Today was the first cold day for Austin this year. Joe would have woken up really excited. He loved to make soup as soon as the weather got chilly. He had the best chicken soup recipe. mmm...

This has been stuck in my head all day. Coming home to an empty house that doesn't smell like delicious cooking is so fucking hard.

damn I'm tired of this. shit.

Finally!

(I posted this on LJ, but thought it appropriate to add here as well)

I can't believe it took this long... I honestly thought it was just never going to happen, but I finally had a dream about Joe. It was nothing horribly special on its own, and that's kind of what made it special. We weren't riding a lollipop train to chocolate marshmallow land. Jenn, Joe and I were having dinner together some place that looked like Earl Abel's in its better days but a bit fancier. We already knew Joe was sick, but it was that time period where we knew Joe was sick, but you couldn't tell by looking at him. We ate dinner and then Joe decided he was still hungry and fuck it, he was going to order a second course- of pork chops no less. I don't even know if Joe liked pork chops, I personally have never cared for them, so it was a weird thing my mind decided to go with. I thought this second course thing was crazy but I would just have to join him and order something too. Jenn thought we were both just nuts. And then my alarm went off the first time. And I cried and tried to force myself back into the dream. I could still see his face and hear his voice but I couldn't make the dream stay. I woke up crying. I didn't want to wake up back into this world. I wanted to spend more time at dinner with Joe. We were just having a normal conversation and a good time. Nothing dream-like about it. Except for our unnatural ability to consume a ton of food... which isn't that far from the truth. :-)
damn it.

cheesy bacony cheese

Last week the macaroni and cheese at Hoover's made me so sad. It is damn good mac and cheese, don't get me wrong. I had leftovers, and the next day when I scraped it out of my to-go box it made actual squeaky noises. Which I think indicates extreme cheesy awesomeness.

But you just can't go out to some restaurant and get mac and cheese like Joe made it. My favorite time he made it was three years ago. We cooked a massive Thanksgiving feast with Joe and Jenn. Joe smoked the meats and made an enormous, oven-sized pan of his brilliant m/c. Jenn did pies, and Eric and I did a pale imitation of my Grandma's awesome rolls, plus sides. Joe's m/c was staggering. This enormous pan was probably four inches deep with his four-cheese, bacon, who-knows-what-all concoction. Lotsa browned crumb thingies on top. Ahhhh. The dude knew how to make it right.

Then in February we went over to cook a meal for Jenn and Joe, and sure enough, Joe whipped out some leftover m/c to add to the meal. He told us, as if he were giving us a priceless gift, that the secret to his mac and cheese was beer. Ah ha! It makes perfect sense.

Does anyone know which cheeses? How much bacon? What kinda beer? It might be something we need to work on together, rebuilding Joe's masterful macaroni and cheese. Or at least trying to. Then we can all sit around a giant pan of it and remember the amazing ways Joe fed us, with comfort food, disturbing humor, preposterous movies, music, and general crazy Joeishness. Sigh.

Another funny Joe story

While in college, Joe went on a date with a girl from one of his classes. Let's call her Jill. He said the date was okay, but a little awkward. Apparently, he was her first real date ever.

They didn't go out again after that and he hadn't seen her since the weird date. Apparently, she thought that making out meant they were a couple. She showed up at his dorm room on Valentine's day with a cross stitch that read "Joe and Jill Forever". Not knowing what to do, but feeling like he should give her something in return, he dug into his pockets and gave her a handful of change.

I don't think Jill knew how to take that. I do't know why. What girl doesn't want change for Valentine's day???

I like to believe that she ran away stunned and hurt, but then bought a coke and a snack from a nearby vending machine to console herself.

Funny story Joe loved to tell

Joe would tell me these funny, yet kind of mean stories about things he would do to his highschool girlfriend, Celeste.

This is one of my favorites.

Celeste, Joe and some of their friends went to an amusement park one summer day. Joe was never a fan of rollercoaters, especially ones that loop-dee-loop. He said they made him nauseous. Celeste didn't believe him and pressured him to go on the ride by taunting him and calling him a chicken. So, to prove a point, he went on the ride. After it ended, but before they got out of their seats, Celeste asked "See, now that wasn't so bad was it?" Joe then vomited in her lap.

I believe they all went home after that.