Sunday 24 January 1999

Pic of the day: The mirrored self.
(This picture has been manipulated - then again, haven't we all?)

Slept very long today and so had the most complicated and bizarre dream. It took place in a very alternate reality and none of the persons were anyone I've ever met before. I was with (but not quite part of) this group of young superhumans who was gathered for a (voluntary) breeding program. There was rather large bonuses to be had for making babies if at least one (preferably both) of the parents had at least one superpower. The bonus would be valid from the pregnancy was verified, regardless of whether the child itself had any supernormal powers.
The other six paired off quickly enough - two of them in particular could hardly wait. We lodged in a large building complex in which was also the home of one of the girls, or rather her single mother with which she lived (the youths seemed to be around 20 years old or perhaps downward to 18). Now a complicating factor was that this mother was quite liberal sexually when it came to herself (the neighbors were not quite sure if she was a call girl or just a slut) but she was strongly opposed to her daughter getting pregnant outside marriage.
From here on, things get more complicated, involving sneaking into apartments (which is greatly facilitated if you can move through walls or make yourself invisible) and distracting various people, including a bearded teacher and amateur poet. However, I can say that all three of the supergirls at the end were pregnant (each by their favorite boy) but the one with the mother had to move out. Inspired by the success, one of the neighbors took up mule breeding, but did not get any bonus for that.

I must have been thinking way too much about pregnancies lately.

I wish I could live in the Near Future. Not the near future where clueless politicians do unspeakably dumb things in order to be seen doing something, while mentally disturbed terrorists poison the water supply to make the world a better place and kids with no upbringing and no education go around robbing old people for kicks.
No, I want the Near Future where you only need one book, and you choose from its first page just what book it is, because you have all your new books stored in a small chip in it. The Near Future where your favorite chocolate is full of vitamins and essential nutritients that unclog your arteries and boost your immune system and brain functions. (But keep the Viagra out of it, thank you very much. It's bad enough as is.) The Near Future where the boring routine jobs are taken over by machines, even in the public bureaucracy, so the more or less civil servants can go home and watch TV and live/die happily ever after. The Near Future where we can all afford a trip with the Space Ferry now and then, just to sit on a moon rock and gaze into eternity and wonder what the Near Future will bring.
I wish the Near Future would come soon. I've waited for it since I was just a kid.