Robot Riley!

My mom has the funniest dreams. I’ll let you know every once in a while if she tells me about a really good one. Every time I speak to her on the phone and she says “So I had this dream last night,” my instinct is to run to the nearest piece of paper and jot down whatever she says next.

I just got off the phone with her, and here’s the gist of her latest dream:

She was on vacation, visiting me in New York to see me perform in a live production of Peter Pan in Central Park. But that’s not all! She brought along her friends Bill and Hilary Clinton to see the show with her. Nice! (Apparently, Hilary enjoyed the show more.)

I’m not going to say my mom isn’t interested in politics, but I never would have suspected that she would have dreams that regularly feature famous political figures. Off the top of my head I can think of two other dreams she has told me about where the (then) current US presidents make cameos.

Go to Huffington Post right now. My mind is blown at the number of bizarre headlines on the front page. My dreams have come true and The Onion has become real. Here’s a list of the headlines that caught my attention:

-WATCH: Mika Brzezinski Interviews Senator Webb With Baby On Her Lap

-Bill Gates Frees Swarm of Mosquitoes on Audience

-LISTEN: Etta James Slams Beyonce: “Gonna Get Her A** Whooped”

-Demetri Martin On His New Show, His Beatle-y Haircut, And Transcedentalism

-NYC Officials Reveal Source Of Maple Syrup Smell Enveloping The City

-Discovered: Ancient Snake Longer Than A City Bus, Weighing Over 2,500 Pounds

-Reporter Jumps Ropeline To Try And Get Obama’s Autograph

These are all real. Good news day.

New Addiction Alert.

Ever since I found my new job, I’ve been heading to the neighborhood early to do a little exploring. About two weeks ago, I found a little Vietnamese restaurant, and their specialty is the Vietnamese sandwich. I’ve been crazy about Vietnamese food for two or three years now, but I never found or even sought out the most delicious, convenient way to enjoy one of my favorite foods.

It’s not very common for me to try a new food and be literally wowed by what I just bit into. And when I say literally wowed, I mean that after my first bite into my first sandwich, I stopped dead in my tracks, gazed into the sandwich, and said wow.

So I’ve been eating there quite frequently. I try to pick up a sandwich before my shift at work (It’s incentive to getting to that part of town earlier). Yesterday, I picked up my usual chicken sandwich and an order of summer rolls for a snack at work. When I finally decided to dig into the summer rolls I ordered a few hours later, a young woman happened to walk into the shop to order, when she looked at me and said: “Hey, I made those!” She was the owner of the shop that I’ve become obsessed with! I talked her ear off about how her shop was my favorite place to eat after only a few visits and a short time spent in New York. She was really appreciative, and it made me want to be caught in that same situation more often. I love thanking people for their food. Especially food that I can’t even stop thinking about.

If you’re in the area (or even just kinda sorta close), you have to try it. I haven’t had all their sandwiches, but they have a good number of veggie and non-veggie options. Here’s the link: http://www.nickyssandwiches.com/

My bosses are throwing a Christmas party at the shop tonight, and I think I might show up early for some pre-game sandwich action.