Had a strange dream last night.

We were having a problem with our vacuum cleaner (wouldn't turn on, whatever. Not important), and apparently the only way we could reasonably get it fixed was to take it to the Secretary of State. So, JoDee and I went to the Secretary of State's office, and we stood in line with the rest of the people waiting to have their vacuum cleaners repaired. After a while, someone came along, asked for all of the vacuum cleaner owners and lead us into this large garage-like area. Instead of forming a queue, we had to set up some folding chairs in several neat rows, where the vacuum cleaner owners (myself included) sat, looking for some vacuum cleaner relief. At the front were several men, dressed in casual clothes. One, obviously the more senior of the folks on the panel, said roughly "we have a special program for vacuum repair customers. We will trade in your broken vacuum cleaner for a $100 gift certificate". Apparently it was for some cash for broken vacuum cleaner program. The man continued: "We're ready to offer you a $100 gift certificate to Frankenmuth in return for your vacuum cleaner." $100 at Frankenmuth? Um, OK. One of the junior fellows holds up a gift certificate with $82.75 scrawled in black magic marker over a blue piece of rather gift-certificate-looking paper. The men alternated explaining between themselves, and the gist was after taxes and God-knows-what-else that I'd get %82.75 for my broken vacuum cleaner, to spend at Frankenmuth. This didn't seem like a deal to me because I still would have to get a new vacuum cleaner, and would ahve to find $82.75 in things to pick up at Frankenmuth.

And then I woke up, and tried to make sense of it all.