dunhaven; ic community.

I spent last night watching Beyonce's Homecoming and dancing in my living room instead of doing anything productive. No regrets.

KESI, LYRA & MATEO:

Let's all have dinner soon.

TEXTS TO KESI:

-- If I'd realized superpowers might be part of the package, I don't know if I would've moved back. I should've asked first.
-- There are some things I should probably come clean about. When are you free for dinner?

TEXTS TO MATEO:

-- Still not planning to run off?

My own dreams have made me particularly introspective recently, so I decided it's time for another anonymous post. This one isn't for any academic purpose (though each post is inherently good data for academic purposes despite their individual intentions), but it seems that a lot of us have found them cathartic. So, as usual, feel free to comment below--you will be anonymous unless you choose to be unmasked.

What lesson(s) have you learned from yourself the person you've been dreaming about?

My greatest lesson has been learning to truly value the people in my life who care about me. I already did, but there's something to be said for consciously recognizing that value each time I think of them.

( instagram )

WHEN: Asha & Mateo
WHERE: The Pourhouse; 2 February
SUMMARY: A reunion, of sorts
WARNINGS: PG for UST

( I learned my lesson. )

TEXT TO MATEO ROJAS:

-- Are you busy on Saturday?

It's good to see you again, Dunhaven.

I say that like I went somewhere very far away for a very long time, when in reality, I haven't even been 30 miles away. It's a long 22+ miles, however. It almost feels like a different world.

I'm Asha Freeman. I lived here for my undergrad, and I've been missing this town something fierce, so when a job offer came by not too far away from here, it seemed like it was meant to be. So here I am. What's new around here? I saw Grandma's is still here, thank God.

GRACE ROJAS:

I'm stopping to pick up ice cream on my way home tonight. Any requests for dinner? Should we order in?

MATEO ROJAS:

I think we need a night to ourselves. Or maybe us and your nieces? Or just you and the nieces if you're feeling up to it.

But also just us.

In just over a week, I will be thirty eight. I have over ten years on what the man in my dreams ever had, and not a day goes by where I don't think about that. He deserved better. He deserved more.

STAR WARS:

They're making a series about him. Did you see?

I bet you all were thinking, "Oh, good. Charlie is going to stop asking random questions about our dream lives because it's an uncomfortable and awkward topic most of the time." HA HA. No, not quite. I'm too curious for my own good and I think, eventually, all of this information will be of use to us. So here's the next topic for discussion for all you second-life dreamers out there!

What is the best part about your dream life? What is the worst?

You can answer anonymously, or not. Totally up to you.

[FINN, GRACE, DIEGO]

Hello all! Great news for you on a Thursday. The adoption papers are finalized, barring the final signatures of all relevant parties. You've always been one of us, Finn. Now we just made it legal.

I await your pleasure at the courthouse. ;)

My advice? Sign them and then have a family supper. Hell, sign them again in front of everybody. Get everyone involved. This is reason to celebrate.

FRIENDS & FAMILY:

I'm cooking tonight. Tacos, since it's national taco day. Real tacos.

BYOB, and Charlie, Finn, if you want to bring any friends from school, go ahead.

I came into Dunhaven with this idea that you'd go easy on me, but as it turns out when you're one of a handful of lawyers in a DC-adjacent town and you've got one of those faces, you drum up interest. Curiosity, even. And when I say one of those faces, I just mean everybody I meet wants to feed me.

(Bake me cookies, please. I love cookies. Chocolate chip, yes?)

And since I'm still a bit of a newb, I want to hear about your plans for the Harvest Festival. I'd also like to know if you're going to let me horn in on them.

Purple.

CHARLIE

I got a Solo dump. I'm kind of glad it happened now, before school started. Talk about responsible and studious.

Relatable:

WHO: Elle Marshall and Mateo Rojas
WHEN: Not too long after Mateo's arrival
WHERE: The Pourhouse
SUMMARY: Mateo starts to meet his neighbors
WARNINGS: N/A

( I think you’ll find most places are about a ten minutes’ walk )

Every summer, my students and I do this thing where we make playlists for each other. I keep up with what they're interested in and vice versa, we introduce each other to new artists. Sometimes they think my stuff's boring as hell, but then one of them will show up to class on the first day and say they couldn't stop listening to something and went out to get the rest of an artist's album. I live for those days. But even when they don't dig it, the point's more to listen to something outside of their comfort zone.

This week, it's favorite movie soundtracks, and I got caught up thinking about Black P how incredible Romeo + Juliet's was, so I've made no progress at all.

No anonymity this time. It's pretty public knowledge at this point that these dreams and memories are a pretty widespread issue, right? So I want to ask everyone who's been having them for help. How do you cope with a life that isn't yours but feels as much yours as your own is? The person I've dreamt about lost someone recently (recently for me, anyway, so I suppose that term is relative) and I find myself grieving the same way I would had I physically lived through it myself. How do you handle that? Has anyone else experienced loss that doesn't necessarily belong to them? I know that there's only more loss to come, thanks to being familiar with this person's story already even without the dreams and memories, and I [...] just want to know that I can face them without feeling like this when they inevitably come. Because if it feels like this now, I don't know how I'll even function through what's to come.

Anyway, thanks in advance for tuning into today's episode of Charlie Proves She's Crazy AF.

Hello, Dunhaven. I am surprising my brother by turning up unannounced except for the part where I tell all of you I'm here before I tell him or any of the family. So, hello there. I'm Mateo Rojas, Diego's elder and much more handsome brother.

Because I've decided that I want to be the burr in his side semi-permanently, I've got a little office leased in town and intend to open up my own law practice. And now that I know there are places where you play great live music, I may not ever leave.

Have a lovely Tuesday.

[ROJAS FRIENDS & FAMILY]

Surprise!

Summer break means more time for myself -- namely performing my own music. It's one of the cool things about being a teacher. I don't know how much time I'd have for myself in another job, and this way I get real time to concentrate on my own shit. Can't do that much during the school year as it is. I've been hitting up open mics and other gigs in the area the past few weeks, when my boy's with his mom.

This weekend I'll be at the Jazz House in town, Friday and Saturday nights. Then July 27th, I'll be up at Caffe Amouri in Vienna, VA, for their Singer/Songwriter showcase. Starts at 7 pm. I'm going to try to hit up Open Mic in the Woods at Hard Bargain Amphitheater in Maryland on Sunday the 29th, too. Seems like an interesting location, and different from the same sort of clubs and cafes you usually see open mics at.

Bring a friend or two. It'll be a good time, I promise.