last night, i had what can only be described at a clinical psychologist's anxiety dream. in it, i was walking down locust walk, heading for one of our clinical seminars, when i ran into our DCT. hi, i say, how was your sabbatical (she just got back from one). good, she says, very good. good, i say, what's the topic for today's seminar. ah, she say, well i figured the 3rd-year students need more experience working with kids. kids? yes, kids. in fact, what i want you to do today is talk to kids about Difficult Subjects.

we head into solomon b35 and alyson and daniel and co. are there, and she starts handing out these 3x5 cards with words on them in thick black marker: DEATH, SEX, etc., and we each get one, and she says, ok, we'll be watching you from behind the double mirror. the dream ends with me in the treatment room together with a dozen six-year old kids staring at me with big black eyes like in the omen, and that was it. most unpleasant. i definitely preferred the ones where it's the a levels and i haven't studied.