Things that you wanted but never got

What is it that you wanted in life that never quite happened? I remembered today a vision I once had. First I wanted to get married and have kids (Jule laughed about me when she found that I had checked that in a test in an old magazine :) Then I thought I'd like to be a writer. But alas, I have no talent for writing whatsoever. (Blogging doesn't count, and even if it did, I still don't. I'm rather unoriginal, that's the crux. However, I have an idea for a novel stashed away somewhere. And a title. Unfortunately, the two don't match).

Then I remember how I once combined those two visions (well, sort of) and wanted to be married to a writer. We were supposed to live in a cottage somewhere. He'd write and I'd take care of the dogs. And the cats. No kids, though, if I remember correctly. Neil Gaiman, preferably. Doesn't seem likely now, does it? Plus, he lives in ... Philadelphia (?) now and I'm thinking quaint English cottage here.

What else?

Saw the obligatory documentary about IKEA today and they said IKEA was discontinuing Ivar. GASP!!!! IVAR!!!! Sincerely hope it was just a canard, I checked the IKEA website immediately and they still have Ivar. Phew.

Read a book (Terry Pratchett's The Fifth Elephant if you must know) today (no, not Infinite Jest, I am sorry) and he described how somebody hears a conversation but doesn't listen to it and still is able to answer questions. And that reminded me of a habit I picked up when I was working as a tour guide - talking without listening to myself. Has the advantage that you can plan your evening or plot anarchic overthrowal of the government while you work, but also has the disadvantage that you never know what you just said and sometimes I'd "wake up" and 50 tourists would stare at me - me with NO CLUE whatsoever what it was I just said to them.