Have been having vivid ones lately.  Apparently so have some of my co-workers.

What do you think dreams are?  For me, I feel like my brain is trying to make sense of things I see/think/do in waking hours.

Except that the other night, I dreamed I was doing laundry with some high school friends.  And not people I'm in touch with now.  People I probably haven't seen for at least five years, if not ten (reunions).

I'd love to hear your theories on dreaming.

I proved it.  Maria is teaching me some advanced Excel (I taught myself how to use it and I don't know the complicated stuff), and I caught an error she didn't see.

Finally I do not feel like an utter moron regarding statistics, too.  Keen.

If I knew that having a particular plastic surgery would make me feel better, even if it would strip me of an attribute that has been part of my identity for about twenty years, should I do it?

It wouldn't be anytime soon, don't have the time to spare yet.  But I'm thinking about it.

but it was probably on my old blog.  I should probably go read through some of that stuff, I bet it would be fun.

But what we've been over before is the death penalty.  In light of the recent execution of Saddam Hussein, I feel I should bring it up again.

Of course the US did not do the executing in this case, and I don't even live in the States - the death penalty was abolished in Canada in 1976.  But it still brings all the feelings to the forefront.

I do not believe in killing people.  I do not believe in "an eye for an eye."  I believe that self-defense is the only - yes, only - reason one person should make the choice to kill another human (note: assisted suicide, in my mind, doesn't count here - I think probably I'm OK with that in extreme cases).  In modern American society, if you rape, you don't get raped in return.  If you steal, you aren't stolen from.  Why, when you kill, are you then (sometimes) killed?  The death penalty has not been proven to be a deterrent.  People have been wrongfully executed.  Take a look at who's been executed.  What do you see?  There's no excuse. 

Saddam deserved to be punished heartily.  Now, he's all done with his punishment, because a government killed him.  It's not up to other people to decide who lives and who dies.  And, though this is beside the point, wouldn't you want him to have to watch what happens to Iraq, all of which is outside his control?  I would. 

Whether it's God, some other entity, or plain old nature which gives us life, no one has the right to end someone else's.  That's what we're punishing in the first place, isn't it?  And the government gets to do it?  I don't think so.

Joey wrote that it's traditional to list your resolutions.

I made a New Year's resolution which was sort of a pact with an old friend, years ago, that's sort of my permanent life resolution.  We both promised to take an active role in creating our own happiness.  We've both done pretty well, I would say, so far.

This year my new resolutions are tiny and half complete already - I had my hair cut last night with an actual style, not a trim - and the other is to get a new pair of eyeglasses, with a little more oomph than my current ones.  I just need a little update.  It'll make a difference, trust me.