Strike a Pose

Thanksgiving night, November 27, '08

I was on a Civil War battlefied, where a skirmish had just ended. Confederate General Robert E. Lee was posing for a photographer; Lee had his arm around a life-size cardboard cutout of Union General Grant. The photographer had the full 19th-century setup: the big, bulky camera, a wooden tripod, etc. I approached General Lee and said, "While we're at it, you should have your picture taken with General ___ [who is down the hill from us]." Lee said, "That's a good idea."

*****

I wish I could remember the other general that I mentioned to Lee, but I can't. I should keep a pad of paper next to the bedside table.

This dream may have been influenced by the three different desserts that I ate at Thanksgiving dinner, but a few other things filtered in. First of all, we had supper at our neighbors' house, and we were joined by a full-size cardboard cutout of President-elect Barack Obama. Aside from that, my wife and I were recently rearranging some of our bookshelves, and she commented on the number of Civil War books that we own. In fact, I had a pretty terrifying dream a few weeks ago that I was a Confederate soldier in the midst of battle, surrounded by Union forces on both sides. I was cognizant of the fact that I was shooting and killing people indiscriminately -- not because I had any beef with them as individuals, but simply because I was trying to survive. Pretty disturbing stuff.

Finally, a few weeks ago I was reading a book by Brian Lamb of C-Span called "Life Stories." It's a collection of interviews from his "Book Notes" program, in which he interviewed authors who had written biographies of famous Americans. The point is to whet one's appetite to seek out the full-length bios and learn more about these fascinating people. Anyway, I learned that while General Lee was a man of average height, say, 5'10, he had tiny feet. His boots were size 4, which equates to a modern size 6. Mabye that bit of trivia mixed with the cardboard cutout of Obama to make this dream. How odd.

Copernicus / Taxi

Friday night, November 14, 2008

Dream 1: Copernicus

I was concerned about possibly being laid off from my job, and was trying to figure out what to do about my future. I needed some advice, so I decided to go and talk with a local priest. He was the principal of a Catholic school in town, and both he and the school had a good reputation. I arrived at the school, took a seat outside his office and waited for my turn to see him. The walls outside his corner office seemed to be made of painted cinderblocks, and contained large photos of the priest speaking at a graduation ceremony; he was a Caucasian man, probably in his late 30s, with black hair, and he was a little shorter than I am. Truth be told, he reminded me a little of Tige Andrews from "The Mod Squad." Another wall contained his resume, painted in large black letters, in case anyone wanted to know.

As I waited in line, two women sat to my right. One of them leaned over and said, "Excuse me, do you know how to spell Copernicus?" I spelled it out for her, and she was quite impressed. She smiled, shook her head and said, "Wow. That's amazing."


Dream 2: Taxi

My wife, our friend Arina and I were in our blue 2007 Honda Fit, and were heading out to get breakfast at a local restaurant. The Fit in the dream was identical to the real thing except for one thing; the Fit in the dream had Internet access, and allowed me to type on the right front door.

I pulled over to the curb because I had an e-mail that I just had to type, and it was going to take a while. My wife and our friend were not amused, so they got out and took a walk around some sort of outdoor craft fair, or festival. I typed and typed and lost track of time. Finally, I came to my senses and drove around looking for the other two; I was getting really hungry. By that point the weather was warm, and I happened to have the windows down, so as I approached them I heard my wife say,
"This is ridiculous. We should just go home and get something to eat." I stopped right next to the curb where they were standing and my wife said sarcastically, "Our taxi's here." She and Arina got in -- Arina in the front, my wife in the back. To my surprise, two other large women filed into the back seat as well. I leaned over to Arina and said out of the corner of my mouth, "Who are those people?" She shrugged: "I don't know!" but laughed -- she thought it was hilarious. Apparently the other women heard my wife's comment, and thought I really was driving a taxi, and my wife didn't try to disabuse them of this notion. My penance was to have to drive the strangers to their destinations, with Arina laughing the whole way.

*****

Dream 1: Copernicus

I knew that Copernicus was a renowned scientist of the Renaissance, but had no idea that he was also a Catholic cleric. That's interesting.

My wife and I began watching "Spartacus" on Netflix DVD last night. I wonder if I thought of Copernicus because so many people in that film had somewhat similar names: Spartacus, Crassus, Gracchus, Batiatus, Glabrus, etc.

The Chop

Sunday night, 8/3/08, in Maine

It was the present day, and I was in a western mining town, where archaeologists were excavating an old graveyard. I saw a few guys moving old coffins and stuff. The top layer of ground was littered with coal. I had my ax with me, so I thought I'd help out. I swung it over my head and into the ground -- "THUNK!" It hit something hard. I called out, "I've got something!" and several guys came running. I lifted up a cool old tombstone, made of wood. After the excitement of that abated, I looked down where I was digging and was horrified. Yeesh. I saw two open coffins with skeletons in them. One was laid out vertically at my left. The occupant was still wearing some 19th century clothes, but he was a bleached white skeleton. The same was true for another burial at my right. Furthermore, the man to my left had a big hole in the back of his skull. I wondered, "Was the poor fellow shot, or did I do that (with my ax)?"

The Mood Strikes

Wednesday night, July 30, 2008, in Maine

The Andy Griffith Show's Aunt Bee was marrying some young stud with black hair. He was under the impression that he was supposed to make some speech outside, behind the church, when I realized that everyone was inside, waiting to begin; we were holding up the proceedings. We entered the back of the church and ran full speed down long corridors before the groom entered the church itself, and sprinted down the aisle (from the altar to the front entrance), all the while to the applause of the guests. He entered a room where Aunt Bee was and shut the door, but he must have asked her to have sex with him then and there, because I heard her say in an embarrassed voice, "Jeffrey! On a Saturday?!"

*****

In & Out / Castles Made of Sand / Thugs

Monday night, July 28, in Maine

Dream 1: In & Out

The Police were playing an arena show on their current reunion tour, and they had asked me to join them for the evening. I think I was the second guitarist. When the show ended, I glanced over at Sting and said, "No encore?" He said, "No, that's it." I followed them down a corridor to their dressing room, where I saw lots of fresh meat and fish laid out for them on the counters, resting on tin foil. I was impressed, and exclaimed, "Look at this!" Then I noticed my boss, Jennie S., standing and waiting for the band.

Dream 2: Castles Made of Sand

I was making a sand castle at the beach, and was digging a hole underneath that got deeper and deeper. As I did so, I had an idea: maybe sand castles could be used as forts for our military personnel. Tom Brokaw heard about my plan, and came out with a camera crew, to test the walls of my creation for durability.

Dream 3: Thugs

I was preparing for another card game in my parents' basement, and a few friends had already arrived. Suddenly, a 1950s-era Frank Sinatra strolled in through the basement door, with one of his tough guys -- apparently he was Sinatra's bodyguard. This guy was a real goon, right out of 1940s mob movie central casting. Frank's appearance turned me off, and I said, "I don't feel like playing." I turned around and placed an L.P. on my stereo. Sinatra was annoyed, but he got the hint. He said, "O.K., we'll only play ONE HAND." Everyone sat down at the table as Frank dealt the cards.

*****

Ill Gotten Gains

Wednesday night, July 22

Some pretty rough-looking characters were involved in a poker game, and there was a lot of money on the table. One of them, Robert De Niro, turned out to be an undercover cop, who busted the rest. At the end of the day, he wasn't much better than the other guys; I saw him grab fistfuls of cash and stuff them between the buttons of his long, black winter coat.

*****

Designing Woman

Tuesday night, July 21

I'd heard that my old friend Denise was working at a business in Falls Church, so I thought I'd look her up. I walked in and said, "Is Denise P. here?" She said, "Yes, she works here; she designs couches." She wasn't in at the moment.

*****

I think Denise has a new last name, hence the P. I still haven't seen her since she was 18. She turned 40 last May.

Pink House

Sunday night, July 19

It was wintertime, and I was in Summerville, South Carolina. There was no snow of course, but it was plenty cold, particulary because it was nighttime. I was staring up at my aunt's large house, still clad in boards, still standing at the end of South Magnolia Street, as it has since the 1840s. Its appearance had recently changed a great deal. No longer was the home painted white with the familiar black shutters; now it was painted a garish hot pink, with purple shutters. My aunt still lived there, but most of the building had been converted to a hotel. As I pondered all of this, a fast, nearly frozen stream rushed along nearby, practically under my feet.

I went inside, and the place was brimming with noise and confusion. Many of my cousins and other family members were there for a family wedding, and I wasn't sure where I was supposed to be, or what was happening next. Several of them passed by me near the concierge desk. They were all dressed in black formal attire, and were apparently heading out for a celebratory dinner or some other important event that I should attend, if I only knew what or where it was. I looked down and noticed that although I had the proper black pants and sport coat, I was wearing a loose, short-sleeved cotton button-down shirt made in India, which (to me, anyway) was dyed a very pleasing light aqua color. Right shirt; wrong occasion.

Suddenly everyone else had walked out the door, and I didn't know what to do next. I didn't know where to go to catch them, and I didn't know my room number at the hotel. I decided to walk around to the other side of the house (on the main floor) and sat down to collect my thoughts. My dad found me there and sat down across from me. He had a stern look on his face, and demanded to know why I wasn't where I was supposed to be, with the rest of the family.

*****

Dad was thinner in this dream; more reminiscent of the way he looked in early 1960s. In fact, it's odd that I dream of Dad appearing in a way that I don't remember at all, at least not consciously. (Then again, maybe that's the point. In dreams, one's subconscious comes out to play.) Dad was beginning to put on some weight by 1966 or so, and got much heavier after he quit smoking in the early 1970s. My brother Jimmie would have much stronger memories of a thinner Dad.

By the way, I love that aqua shirt. I wore it the other night while my wife and I strolled around the neighborhood.

Black and White World

Friday night, July 17

My brother Jimmie was staying in my old bedroom and Mom and Dad's house, and I went up there to visit him. In fact, his bed occupied the same space mine did, long ago. As I approached him, I noticed that he'd set up his stuff, just so, and there were a few surprises. I began to notice several black and white pictures in black frames. They weren't photographs; instead, they appeared to be silhouettes -- some of which Jimmie had made. I was intrigued. The first one I noticed was a picture of a hand, rendered in black, on a stark white background. I said, "I really like this." He said, "I made it." Looking around, I saw another neat picture, this one a very dark brown image of a coffee cup, and a few rings or spills for good measure. I asked him if he'd made that one, too. He said that he hadn't; he thought he'd seen it in a magazine. In fact, he didn't know where he'd gotten it, but he'd found it somewhere along the way, and kept it.

*****

Jimmie always had a good eye, and experimented with photography starting back when he was quite young. I especially like some of his black and white work.

And I've often clipped images that I really liked from magazines. I still find them filed away, years after the fact.

The Pool / It's Just a Haircut

Monday night, 7/14/08

Dream 1: The Pool

My employer had embarked on a new money-making venture, assuming co-ownership of an amusement park and encouraging trade groups to spend time and money there. They had placed one of their managers, Shannon F., in charge. My wife and I went to check it out one day. I saw a large swimming pool, deep on the side to our far left, shallow to our right. We stood on the edge, next to a sliding board that deposited revelers directly into the water. A row of booths stood across from us on the other side of the pool, where vendors sold trinkets, T-shirts and food, and many more rides were back behind us. Some of my coworkers and some old friends of mine were milling about. I saw Shannon walk past me and say to someone, "We've had about 50 groups in already." My wife and I proceeded toward the shallow part of the pool, and got in at the far right edge, enough to get our feet wet. We, and a few other adults, were wearing plastic shoes -- the type that they sometimes sell at your fancy-shmancy upscale groceries. Anyway, as we walked over, I noticed that a familiar song was being piped through the sound system. It was a tune by ABBA, but it was a contemporary cover by a young country singer. When we got into the shallow water, our friend (and real estate agent) Kelly K. was standing to our right. She was wearing a light brown T-shirt with the "shadow" of an oval sticker on the top right. It appeared that she might have worn a name tag there long ago. I glanced around and noticed Jennifer A., a coworker who had actually just left my employer. I began to think to myself, "I wonder how many of these people I'll never see again?" when my wife broke the silence. She turned to me and said, "You can go look for any Hot Wheels you don't have, but there's NO WAY..." (meaning that if I happened to find late 60s or early 70s originals, if they were selling for outrageous prices, that expenditure would not be covered in, or sanctioned from, our family budget).

Dream 2: It's Just a Haircut

Johnny Cash was dead, but his wife, June, still owned their property, and had developed much of it into a theme park. There was a large central lake for swimming and boat rides, as well as a picnic area and all sorts of trains, large and small. I noticed that she had sold some land off to our left, behind the lake, where a tract of townhouses had been erected recently.

I was visiting the park with my brother Andrew, my friend Steve S., and Steve's son, Nicky. Nick was about 10 years old, and he was a free spirit. He had a pretty wild head of brown hair, and he had actually started sprouting the wisps of a beard. he needed a haircut. It would be my job to chase him down and hold him, while my brother did the deed. I saw Drew checking his scissors in the sunlight, no doubt making sure that they were sharp and ready.

Soon the chase was on, but before long I could tell that Nick didn't think it was fun, or funny. He was very upset; not angry, but distraught, and he wanted to talk about it. His dad wasn't around, but I sat down facing him, and listened to his story. Andrew sat at my right. At one point someone behind us started playing some familiar Beach Boys recordings, and Drew was distracted. He turned around and said, "Yeah -- that's good!" I motioned for him to pay attention, but soon we were interrupted again, when we had to move to make way for a caravan of miniature cars that was passing through. One of them was being driven by a cat.

Nicky explained that he didn't want a haircut because he already had a tough enough time fitting in with the kids at school. Some of his friends drank alcohol, and it made him uncomfortable, so he was already estranged because of that. A haircut would only make matters worse.

*****

Dream 2: It's Just a Haircut

I last saw Nick when he was probably about 6. I'm not sure how old he is now. I like him a lot, but know next to nothing about him these days. I have corresponded with his dad, Steve, a little in the past week, so that's undoubtedly why Steve and Nick showed up here. Johnny & June Cash used to own a large house on a lake in Hendersonville, TN, but never developed it into a park. In fact, June died shortly before Johnny did; about 5 years ago now.

By the way, I'm the one who needs the haircut.

Coach?

Friday night, 7/11/08

I was walking around in my house, but it didn't resemble any place where I've actually lived. Somehow I had an uneasy feeling, as if I was being watched. I peered through the blinds on a window in the front room, and was shocked by what I saw: a full marching band and football team (all in uniforms) were standing on my street, looking at me, and waiting for orders. I decided I'd better get dressed and go out to see them.

By the time I opened the door it was getting dark outside, and the street was deserted. I guessed that they'd all headed off to the stadium. I hopped in my car and headed downtown, but soon got lost in a maze of over- and underpasses, ending up on a dead-end street in a bad neighborhood. I got out of my car and walked up a hill in someone's yard in order to get my bearings, and got dirt all over my pointy black boots.

*****

I hate complicated highway systems. I suspect that I might have thought of overpasses and underpasses because I recently read about a new 30-year plan for yet another revitalization of the area around the Mall in Washington, D.C. (The plan included dramatic change of the crappy highway system that cuts off the Kennedy Center from most local traffic.) I'm all for many of the changes, including the push to relocate the FBI and tear down their monstrously ugly headquarters, but in the end, I could only imagine what such expenditures could do for other parts of the District that really need the money.

I wore those black boots on my wedding day in 2001. I still take them out of the closet on rare occasions.

Aftermath

Tuesday night

David Letterman really believed in a member of his show's staff, and encouraged him to run for public office. In fact, he was so impressed by the young man that he volunteered to be his campaign manager, and worked like a dog to get him elected. Unfortunately, on election day, things didn't go as planned, and Dave's candidate lost. Dave and his friend sat together on a couch, both in shirt sleeves, slacks and loosened ties. Both were in a daze. They passed a bottle of wine between them and wondered what went wrong.

*****

I'm reading Barack Obama's book "The Audacity of Hope," and recently finished a chapter titled "Politics," in which he describes an unsuccessful race for the U.S. House of Representatives in which everything that could go wrong did.

Gesture / Wedding Plans

Tuesday night

Dream 1: Gesture

My brother Andrew and I were living together, and one of our friends, a guy who was about our age, was visiting us, and his family was there, too. They were Jewish. The friend and Andrew were playing a game of Ping-Pong, and the rest of us were watching. At one point Andrew got pissed off about how the game was going, so he looked at the friend and made a dismissive gesture: he took his right hand, splayed out his fingers, curled it under his chin (palm-side down) and then flicked it at his guest. The guy at the other end of the table took it all in stride, as a typical "psych out" move, but his family was horrified and offended; they thought it was an anti-Jewish attack. Seeing this, I tried to intervene, but muddied things further. I said, "No, that's not what he meant at all! We're Catholic!" This information seemed to prove the father's point. He said, "You're Catholic?!" He stood up, ready to leave, along with his wife and younger children. I immediately backpedaled. I said, "Well, we were raised Catholic..."

Dream 2: Wedding Plans

I was hanging out at the apartment of an old friend of mine, a woman with a Hispanic surname. She and her long-time partner, Jodie Foster, had finally decided to tie the knot, and she was busy with preparations. We discussed how the big step would change their lives.

*****

DISCLAIMER: Dream 2 is not fact; it is fiction. It's only a dream. I have no knowledge of Ms. Foster's personal life, and don't have any interest in it.

Dream 1:

Actually, I think that the gesture in question is of Italian origin. I must have seen it in many movies and TV shows, notably "Moonstruck."

Dream 2:

Now I guess I've hit the lesbian story trifecta.

*****

Today marks a year since I began typing up my daily dreams (for the second time). It's been interesting, but it is hard work keeping up with it day after day. I'll keep the blog up and running, but I intend to slow down, and make occasional posts from now on, when I have dreams that I find particularly interesting or strange. In the meantime, I've gone back and compiled some data about my dreams of the past year.
Below is a list of the Top 10 people who showed up most frequently, or regularly, in my dreams over the past 12 months. (I didn't count every dream in which these folks appeared, but rather, counted how many months in which these people showed up at least once.)

1. Andrew C. (12 months out of 12)
2. My wife (11/12)
3. Dad C. (9/12)
3. Mom C. (9/12)
4. Jimmie C. (8/12)
5. Bruce Springsteen (7/12)
5. Eddie M. (7/12)
5. Gordon S. (7/12)
6. Jennie S. (current boss) (6/12)
6. Preston W. (6/12)
7. Brent L. (5/12)
7. Ed B. (5/12)
7. Rod S. (old boss) (5/12)

None of this surprises me all that much. These are the people that I think about the most, anyway. I do wish I could knock those managers out of my sleeping moments. On the other hand, I am a little surprised that I dreamed about Frank Sinatra in 3 out of the past 12 months...

Simply Appalling

Monday night, June 30

Actor Adam Sandler was being filmed having sex with a large rodent. It appeared to be a beaver, and the poor creature was on top. By that I mean the beaver, not Sandler.

*****

DISCLAIMER: This event did not happen; it's a strange dream that I had -- nothing more. I'm sure that Mr. Sandler is a very nice person who never abuses any quadrupeds.

This morning my wife asked me if I had any dreams, and I made the mistake of telling her about this one. I'm not sure she's over it yet. What could account for a dream that is so vile and strange? All I can figure is that I cooked up this scene as a quick sight gag in one of Sandler's silly movies. One can imagine his character sitting around a table playing cards with the guys, who are all bragging about their sexual exploits. When it becomes Sandler's turn, he says, "Boy, did I have a beaver last night!" (Cut to the shot of Sandler and an actual beaver.)

Comedy is not pretty, as Steve Martin said long ago.

Many years ago, some time in the early 1980s, I was watching TV late at night, and came across the documentary "This Is Elvis." I was very amused when Elvis was filmed while sitting with members of his entourage in the back of a limo, and the King was overheard (on network TV) saying, "I was buried in a beaver last night!" Suddenly he noticed that he was being filmed, and immediately began singing "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." That Elvis. What a card.

*****

June 2008 Dream Roundup

Family and Friends:

Andrew C.
Arina H.
Brent L.
Dad C.
Ed B.
Eddie M. (someone called out to him in "The Party's Over")
Mom C.
Stuart R.
Tracy M.

Acquaintances and Coworkers:

Christy J.
Duncan S.
Jennie S.
Rod S.

Celebrities

Andy Griffith (as Sheriff Andy Taylor)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Don Knotts (as Deputy Barney Fife)
The Edge (of U2)
Frances Bavier (as Aunt Bee)
Frankenstein (I'd just seen the classic 1930s movie in "Sympathy for the Monster")
Hal Holbrook
Jack Lemmon
The Jackson 5 (one of their albums was seen in "Cleanup Time"
Laura Bush
Paul Giamatti
Ronnie Howard (as Opie Taylor)
Sarah Jessica Parker
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (one of their albums was seen in "Cleanup Time")
Steve Martin
Walter Matthau

That's Not Allowed / Actors' Studio?

Saturday night, June 28

Dream 1: That's Not Allowed

A scandal had broken out at the U.N. in New York. A woman who was a high official there was found to be in a relationship with the organization's spokeswoman, (Sarah Jessica Parker) which was against the rules. As this story was breaking, old school friend Brent L. was over at my mom and dad's house. He was filling out a job application as Mom supervised.

Dream 2: Actors' Studio?

I was attending an acting seminar at my old elementary school, Jamestown, and it was the present day. Several famous thespians sat in a row in the middle of the multi-purpose room, and talked about their experiences, including Hal Holbrook and Paul Giamatti.

*****

Dream 1:

This must be lesbian week in Dream Blog land.

Special Edition

Thursday night, June 26

I was shopping for DVDs, and I picked up a copy of "Unforgiven," but I already had a special edition of that one, so I put it back. Next, I came across a movie I hadn't seen before. It was a multi-disc set, housed in a special sleeve, and was the story of two women in their 70s -- lifelong friends, who had both longed for love, but never married. In their twilight years they finally realized that the thing they had been searching for all their lives was each other. It was apparently a serious, touching story, but the leads were played by Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. In drag, of course.

*****

High and Inside / Searching in Vain / Tutorial

Monday night, June 23

Dream 1: High and Inside

I was doing my flying thing again, this time inside a very large retail store; in particular, I was hovering near the ceiling, and passed a pretty cool toy helicopter which was sharing my airspace. All in all, I was pretty pleased with myself, and with the whole experience. Gradually I floated down to the floor, and passed my old VP, Rod S., who was helping a customer behind a counter, off to my right. I didn't speak to him. I kept walking, and turned a corner to my right, where I saw my old friend Stuart R., and my old boss, Christy J. They worked at the store, too, and were both behind another counter in the right-hand corner. Christy recognized me and said, "Boy, you get up early!" (The store had just opened.)

Dream 2: Searching in Vain

I was wandering around and around the grounds of a country club (seemingly modeled after Arlington's Knights of Columbus grounds, but much larger) and I was looking for my dad. I was a little exasperated, because we were supposed to meet there. He was nowhere to be found, so eventually I gave up.

Dream 3: Tutorial

U2's guitarist The Edge was sitting next to me, showing me one of his prized guitars. He played some licks and made some interesting sounds, and said that his guitar was the 2nd most effective instrument ever.

*****

Dream 1, High and Inside: This store seemed like a gigantic version of the Evans Distributors and Jewelers catalog showroom where I worked on Glebe Road in Arlington, back in 1981.

Dream 2, Searching in Vain: I know exactly where my dad is, but I often feel that I'm still searching for the dad that I wish I had. I called him on Father's Day, and he put me on the speaker phone, because my twin brother was there. I was in the middle of a sentence when Dad called out, "Well, thank you for calling." I guess a TV show was more important than talking to his son on Father's Day. I don't think that that type of uncaring rudeness is easily explained away. It hurts.

Dream 3, Tutorial: I wonder what Edge thought that his most effective instrument was?

Arina Rock

Thursday night, June 19

I'd been watching some rock videos on my computer and was shocked when I stumbled across one featuring my friend and coworker, Arina H. I didn't even know she was in a band, much less one that rocked with this kind of punky attitude. Even better, they had a sly sense of humor. Arina was the lead singer, and she and the rest of her group were all dressed head to toe in red white and blue, and were rocking out in front of Independence Hall, in Philadelphia. At the end of the clip, the group huddled together for a close-up. All of the band members were shown wearing colorful veils over their faces, making fun of Americans' fear of Muslims. A short time later, I heard that Arina and her band were going to be performing for everyone at the office, and I was really, really looking forward to it. Just before show time, my hopes were dashed. Arina came up to me and said, "We go on at 2:00. You're covering for me [at my desk]." I'd have to miss the show. To make matters worse, my boss Christy called me into her office and chewed me out for something I'd done wrong.

*****

Arina and I have never worked together; she works where my wife does, and is a good friend of ours. She's from Eastern Europe. I have no idea if she ever sings or if she plays any instruments; I'll have to ask her about that.

Christy was my boss at the foundation that I left in 2005. Or, should I say, the foundation that left me. I liked working for her. She may have chewed me out a couple of times in the 7 or 8 years we worked together.

There are feelings of resentment bubbling up in this dream; not against Arina or Christy, but general feelings of extreme annoyance at having the type of job in which I have little or no backup, and have to make sure that my position is covered before I can get any time off to do anything else. I asked for Christmas week off 8 months in advance, and I've yet to get confirmation. I've got seniority over almost everyone in my position at work, and yet my boss is not confirming that I'll have the time off. It annoys the shit out of me. That's what this dream is really about -- the possibility of missing something that I really want to do because of inadequate "coverage" at work.

The Party's Over / Sympathy for the Monster

Monday night, June 16

Dream 1: The Party's Over

I was in my 20s again. The Super Bowl had been moved to Paris, and somehow several of my old guy friends and I had scored tickets and flown over for the festivities. After the game I was walking back from the stadium toward our hotel. I thought about all of the things I wanted to see and other avenues that I might wander, but it was late at night and I was walking by myself, so I decided to play it safe for the moment and head straight back to our room. Maybe I'd be able to do some sight-seeing in the morning. Once I got there, a party was going on, and the guys had asked some women to join us. I was thinking of ordering some champagne and asking one of the women if she'd like to try some when the phone rang unexpectedly. One of the guys answered, said a few words, and then he called out, "Hey Eddie... [our boss] has taken a turn for the worse!"

Dream 2: Sympathy for the Monster

I was at the home of a friend or acquaintance, and was walking down a large stairway, toward the main floor. Near the bottom of the stairs I came across a large slow, or semi-retarded man. I'd met him before, so I struck up a conversation. I told him that I'd been watching the classic movie "Frankenstein." He thought for a moment and, looking down, he said sadly, "Maybe he's my brother."

*****

Dream 2: Sympathy for the Monster

It occurs to me that the slow man's comment can be taken in different ways. Is he showing sympathy toward the monster because he, like Frankenstein's creation, has been feared and misunderstood his entire life? Or does his comment mean that he loathes himself, and considers himself to be a monster, too -- someone who feels that he's the ultimate outsider, who will never fit into "normal" society?

There's something deep going on in this one.

Hello, Old Friend

Sunday night, June 15

Ed B. came over to my parents' house, and Mom led him upstairs to my room. He was wearing some type of off-white jacket; he looked a little like Jim Fowler -- you know, one of those folks who was always bringing animals onto "The Tonight Show." I heard some people coming up the stairs, so I walked out of my bedroom to the landing to see who was there. Ed saw me and said, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" and gave me a big hug. I responded, "Well, Happy (belated) Birthday to You!" Mom liked Ed, and looked up at him and smiled. She said, "I remember when you had blue hair!" At that point Dad walked up the stairs, passed behind the group and went into their bedroom. He didn't greet Ed; I don't think he liked Ed's earrings.

*****

I don't know if Dad ever commented on Ed's earrings, but I do recall that my friend Brud once attended one of my (our -- I'm a twin) birthday parties, and wore an earring that dangled prominently. Dad didn't like that a bit, and said so.

I also don't recall ever hearing that Ed went through a blue hair phase, but it wouldn't surprise me.

Ed and Mom seem to get along smashingly in my dreams. (See "The Objector," April 23rd.)