funny story

We've been having problems with our Sunday paper for about two months. I only get the paper for the coupon inserts, and I subscribe to two papers so I can get twice as many inserts. I know there's at least one other apartment that gets the Sunday paper, because when the correct number of papers were being delivered there were two more papers left after I picked up ours. But then for several weeks the papers hadn't been delivered in the morning, so I had to request a redelivery. I suspected that someone was taking our papers, because you'd think that after several weeks of redelivery requests someone would tell the carrier not to forget our building. But there have been a couple of mornings when I woke up early (accidentally, of course), about 5:30, and I thought I would see if I could catch the newspapers before the supposed thief, and there still were no papers! I just can't imagine anyone consistently getting up that early to steal newspapers. Plus, for the last few weeks there has been just one paper left at our building (which means I have to go down and get it and then request a redelivery of the other one). So now I'm wondering if the carrier isn't realizing he/she is supposed to deliver several papers, not just one. My blood isn't boiling or anything yet--I mean, I'm getting the papers I'm paying for (and I'm remembering President Monson's story about the little paper boy). But it would be nice to be able to rely on getting my newspapers on Sunday without having to do this whole process of requesting redeliveries and watching for the paper, and I feel bad that someone has to come back every single Sunday to deliver one newspaper. I've talked to customer service people several times, so I'm just wondering if this problem is ever going to be resolved.

Anyway, on to the funny story (I felt like I needed to give the background information). So early this morning, Ryan and I were having a picnic in the dark, outside in front of our building. Then I looked towards the end of the building and realized that the newspapers had already been delivered (all of them), and Ryan suggested that I just go grab ours before they got stolen. So I went over to get the papers, and as I arrived another person also approached the newspapers and got all of them except for one. I told him that one of those papers he had picked up was mine, and he started yelling at me in Spanish (I do speak some Spanish, but I was so flustered and he was talking so quickly that I couldn't understand him). Well, in the end I got the other paper and he stalked off, continuing to mutter in Spanish. As I was walking back towards Ryan, a big black dog came up behind me and started biting my hands. I managed to get away from it, but then I passed another black dog that also started biting my hands. I called out to Ryan to come give me a little help.

Then I dreamed that I woke up (yes, this is all a dream). It's always slightly disconcerting when I keep dreaming that I woke up because when I actually do wake up I can't tell if I'm really awake, and all of the dreams seem realistic enough to make me think I really woke up each time. Anyway, this time when I dreamed that I woke up, I was still in my bed, and it was dark, but I thought it was probably about 5:30, so I got up and looked outside, wondering if the newspapers had actually all been delivered this time. And there were several newspapers down there! Ryan sat up in bed and said I might as well go down and get our newspapers. But then I looked again and there was a big group of college-age kids walking on the sidewalk with a big box, and they were going to steal all the newspapers. So I opened the window and called out to them, "Hey! Those newspapers aren't yours!" A girl looked up, and I recognized her from the weightlifting class I took in 2008. "I'm sorry, Marcelaine!" she called back. "But I promise it's for a very good cause." Ryan and I went outside and I chased after the thieves and got our two newspapers, then proceeded to lecture the girl. "I don't care if you're doing this for a good cause. Even if you're doing it for a good cause, you're still stealing other people's property, and that's not right." She was really mad at me (she always struck me as one of those girls who loves her attitude problem), and they still went away with all the papers. But at least now I knew who was taking everyone's newspapers and I could tell the newspaper company or something . . .

Except then I woke up. For real. And it was about 5:40. So I thought I might as well look outside and see if any newspapers had arrived. There was just one. I was definitely awake for real this time. And I've requested my redelivery. Again.