Saturday, June 14th, 2003

Susannah and I are traveling early in the morning through some wooded area when we come across an inn. We'd just driven through the night and wanted to rest. I pull the car around and Susannah checks is in. As she sleeps in our room, I notice a video store in the courtyard (though there's no signage or clear indication it's a video store). I start plotting to rob it. I notice a person in the foliage near our cottage and I head out to check it out. It's a skinny woman with a cat. She and a few other women and their cats walk through our room toward the courtyard. As they exit, a bunch of roaches of different sizes scurry toward the door. I also notice a huge beetle. We both freak out and Susannah demands that we check out. I agree and we start packing.

Since we've been able to get a few hours of rest, we decide to hit the road.

Later...

Tamara, Cathy & I are in a historic downtown area (Charleston?) trying to find our way back to our bed & breakfast. We ask to look at another tourist's map but decide we need our own. We go to an information booth to buy one but notice they're selling for $12. We decide to just wing it and guess our way back.

Friday, June 13th, 2003

I'm at my parents' house on Otter Creek for a Holiday (or something). I go outside and see mom and dad discussing something about a car. My dad points to a white Buick Century station wagon and says, "I need to get your car fixed." I want to tell him it really isn't mine anymore. My mom and Li Hong get in the wagon and Li Hong begins to drive it down the street. The car rolls slowly into a parked SUV (maybe Li Hong's). The SUV backs up, slowly rolling into another car.

Later, I finish watching a movie and come into the kitchen where some of Susannah's relatives are gathered. I say to Susannah and her aunt Sissy, "Boy, don't watch this movie unless you wanna spend an huor pounding someone to death." I show Susannah my red and bruised hands. I begin telling her and the others about this old movie where a woman gets into an obsessive relationship with another woman. "It begins innnocently enough. They became instant best friends. In fact, the one woman was a bridesmaid in the other's wedding. But the other one began to obsess about her and she began to worry. Back in those days, it wasn't acceptable to confront someone about it. And it's not like she could've had a heart-to-heart with her husband about it. So in the end, she ends up killing the other woman." As I'm recounting the movie, someone is serving coffee. "Do you take sugar?" She asks me. "No. I mean, I don't need any coffee, thanks." I walk into another room.

Wednesday, May 21st, 2003

I'm watching a short film about a man whose son peed his pants. The father gives the pants to his wife to launder and goes off on a business trip. The film is a series of still shots (ala La Jetee). The wife is picking up her blonde son. They get on a bus together in San Francisco. There is a pleasant, nostalgic mood to the film. Now I'm on the bus with them going down a stretch of Fillmore St. I've never been. I tell myself to look for new restaurants I'd like to try.

I'm now off the bus and walking by some outdoor food vendors. There are enormous slabs of meat grilling. I start jonesing for a huge piece of ham. I wander through the kitchen into a back room. I walk through some empty corridors and try to find my way out. I end up in an old arcade (one I've been in before). I walk the aisles but don't see anything I really want to play.

Tuesday, May 20th, 2003

I'm working at the store, there are lots of people at the counter. As I'm rining someone up, a middle-aged black woman comes to the counter. She shows me a small cut on her hand and claims that she hurt herself on a DVD she bought here. Her arms are covered with scabs, bruises and cuts. I tell her we're not insured against injuries and that I can't help her.

A short, dark-skinned Latino man comes in selling candy. He's wearing a bad toupee and speaking Spanish in a song-song voice. I wave him off. The black woman asks if she can use our tanning bed. I tell her it's not installed. I ring up a couple at the counter who have put a bunch of coins down. I go through the change and notice it's all foreign currency.

Sunday, May 18th, 2003

I'm at an outdoor Subway platform at night. I hop over some tracks to a different line and see a bus coming toward the station. It's going way too fast on the icy road and starts to swerve. A group of us watch as it spins out of control and flips several times, crumpling like a soda can. I start sprinting down the street toward the wreckage. A few other guys follow me. As we reach the wreckage, emergency workers are already there. They tell me to stay back. I see passengers stumbling out of the bus, most are barely injured - just bruises and scratches. One young father carries a bin with a huge, fat baby in it.

I'm now in an old house saying goodbye to Susannah. She tells me not to forget her. I tell her I've spent so much time with her recently, it'll be strange not to be around her. I take a picture of her and go into another room. I suggest she take a picture of mee, too. I'm made up like a bloody zombie missing half my leg. I sit down in a chair and pose for the camera, pretending to chew the severed prop leg.

Tuesday, May 13th, 2003

I'm in bed with Susannah talking about a play/musical I'm up for. Susannah becomes the writer/director of the play and tells me I have the part. I'm very excited as we dicuss my part. It's of the Elf Queen, opposite Hugo Weaving. I ask him (the writer) what my character's relationship is to the Elf King. He says I'm supposed to be his mother. I bring up the fact that Hugo Weaving looks much older than I do. The writer suddenly realizes this and says he may have to rewrite. The Queen's name is Lololo and her part is much bigger than I expected. I get very anxious about the show (which starts tomorrow). Susannah gets frisky and takes off her clothes and is about to give me head. I'm distracted and reach for a flyer about the show. It doesn't mention my part. The review only mentions the brilliant set design and art direction. I start reaching for the script to read before I go to bed. Susannah has now turned over to go to sleep. I tell her I'm sorry we didn't get to have sex. She stirs awake and asks, "Oh, you wanted to have sex?"

I tell myself the audience/reviewers will cut me some slack for being a newcomer.

Monday, May 12th, 2003

I'm at work at the San Francisco Chronicle offices. AJ is working near me. He tells me he has to type up a letter from some executive to our chief editor/publisher John Waters. It involves some business deal. AJ's reluctant to do it and won't say why. He tells me he also has a response letter from Waters to type up. It turns out the whole thing is a backroom deal (a merger or tax cut that will cut jobs & increase profits) cooked up by Waters.

I get very pissed off at discovering this and tell AJ he shouldn't type the letter. Lynnette and another friend are sitting in the office visiting us. I start pacing the room, frustrated and angry. I start ranting about how corporations are always trying to screw the workers. I ask AJ to give me the letter so I can go tell off Waters but he won't do it. Lynnette asks me about the letters but AJ won't let me tell her about them. I start throwing things and stomping around, talking about how everything I read in Howard Zinn's book (People's History of the United States) is true. The others in the room are taken aback by my anger.

Lynnette starts quietly telling an anecdote about Everett. He was crying and a nurse rubbed him with some baby powder and he calmed right down. I joke that it was probably laced with a narcotic. She laughs.

Saturday, May 10th, 2003

Tom and Lynnette own three apartments and we're touring through one that we're about to rent.

Later...

I'm sitting with a very pregnant Catherine Zeta-Jones. She's talking to me quietly about being an immigrant and being married to Michael Douglas. I start kissing her thighs. We decide it's probably a bad idea for us to have sex.

Later...

I'm playing a video game where I'm flying a small spacecraft and shooting things down. I spot a small landing area where there are some upgrades to pick up. I land in the space, with some difficulty and get the upgrade - a heavy machine gun from the ship. I start using it to destroy the antique cars around me. As I blast the second car, it explodes in a burst of water. I'm now in an apartment and water is running everywhere. I scramble to get some towels to mop things up before Susannah gets home.

Thursday, May 8th, 2003

I'm in a hotel room with a bunch of other people. I'm trying to get everyone sexually worked up but nobody seems interested. I begin kissing a hunky, stubbly-faced guy. This gets the attention of a young blonde closeted guy next to him on the couch. I lead their faces together and they start making out. I start kissing the only woman in the room and she asks me to go in her ass. I enter, with some difficulty at first. She rides in my lap while others watch. Now everyone is having a good time, many of them getting into a private pool.

Wednesday, May 7th, 2003

I've pulled off some crime for a guy named Sammy (who looks like Doug Pagan from Amoeba). Now I'm planning to move to Hawaii and turn him in. I'm driving a stick-sift car down a wide freeway but have trouble slamming the brakes. Along the side of the road is a beach front. I see a huge cluster of couches and furniture on the beach with people lounging on them.

I wake up and go to the office to write down my dream. I hear Susannah talking to AJ. I ask AJ why he didn't go to work. I also notice he's pinned up a bunch of concert posters to the dining room wall. I tell him that I dreamt he did that. I point to an amateur drawing of a Metallica skull and say, "Love that one." He shows me a flyer signed by Monica Lewinsky.

Tuesday, May 6th, 2003

I'm walking with someone through a multilevel hospital/mall. We're walking through the maternity ward with Halloween decorations (even though it's supposed to be January). There are large playpens decorated with babies' names. Most of the kids in the cribs were tottlers, not infants. We walk around until we find a men's room. The person I'm with turns out to be Tom Hanks. He says, "Wouldn't it be funny if I ended up winning the lottery?" I say, "You'd go from everyone's favorite to America's Most Hated." I also want to ask him about his thrww Oscar wins (most recently for Road to Perdition). After relieving myself, I walk out of the bathroom into a huge Korean store. I check out the DVD section and spot a supernatural Korean movie called "Men Love Charcoal Women".

Monday, May 5th, 2003

Susannah and I are in a movie theater. We'd just seen a movie and are getting ready to see another. Susannah is calling Michael Sullivan to see if he wants to come. She also asks me if I want anything to eat or drink. As we head to the concession stand, she notices some empty drink cups in the theater and is tempted to use one to get a free refill. I go to the concession stand to get her a medium drink. There, I decide against a soda and get a bottle of water instead.

Saturday, May 3rd, 2003

A woman is narrating/recollecting my high school experiences. She talks about how I got into heavy metal. In her words: Once I went to a 30-hour concert featuring Megadeth in Cincinnati. There, I also interviewed Slayer in their hotel room, witnessing heated band arguments. My other high school art teacher Bob Ross (actually Bob Sanford) encouraged me to go into journalism. He relates to me his experiences with journalism when he was in high school. I ask the narrator woman if she remembers how I felt about it. She says I was ver encouraged by it.

Thursday, May 1st, 2003

I'm watching the Fine young Cannibals video "She Drives Me Crazy". Suddenly we're in a club watching them perform it live. Their banner is a mirror image. The club is fairly empty, with no one on the dance floor. The band is obviously disappointed. We see a man examining a painting on the wall. A security guard brings the man over for Susannah to identify. She says he's the one who robbed our store. I'm very skeptical because he's a long-haired, bearded Asian man in his 30's. He's also dressed like a cop. The security guard says he's banned from the club. A white woman with him is very upset. The Asian man opens a piece of his mail as he leaves. He wants me to throw it away for him but is worried I'll use his social security number. I tell him to throw it away himself.

Monday, April 28th, 2003

I'm Anthony Hopkins boarding a plane. As the crew makes preparations, I pull out a gun and force the drew to take off. I go to the body of the plane (which looks like an office lounge) and gather up the few passengers around a table. I keep an eye on them while I ask the crew where we're headed. They say we're about to pass over Hawaii. I ask them how much fuel we have. They tell me just enough to get to Vancouver. The crew and captives seem more frustrated than frightened of me. I want to tell the pilot to fly me to Chine or Siberia but don't.

Later, I demand the crew make some food. As I walk to the lounge, I realize I've lost my gun. I find it again in the cabin. I notice one of the pilots has started installing Age of Empires on his computer. I ask the crew who's doing that but nobody answers me. I tell them I am really good at this game and can teach them to play it. Alone for a moment, I begin to sob. A voice-over says that whenever I'm alone, I cry.

Saturday, April 26th, 2003

I'm in an apartment or studio belonging to Rob Reiner. he has lots of movie props strewn about. I pick up a prop H & K submachine gun. For a moment, I wonder if it's real but its light weight confirms that it isn't. I pop a clip in, pull the front grip down and fire it. For some reason it's missing the front part of the barrel. Rob seems eager to get rid of all the props in the house.

Friday, April, 25th, 2003

I'm rushing to a small hill/field to meet my girlfriend. It's late, almost 10 pm, the sky is quite dark. I see her lying on the side of the hill, waiting for me. She's a thin, young black woman (who resembles Kimberly Elise). We kiss, giddily. I let her taste the gum I'm chewing. She tries to give me some Nerds candies but I don't take them since I have gum already. I start thinking about making love to her. The hill changes to an indoor setting and suddenly Susannah is there. She's asking me to help her with something on the computer, something about a font. I mentally change plans and think about being with Kimberly tomorrow during the day when Susannah's gone. Then I realize Susannah is leaving for a few hours tonight (to give us time to be alone?). Kimberly says she wants to go somewhere nice to do it. I tell her we can stay home.

Monday, April 21st, 2003

I'm leading a female journalist up some stairs in a loft/warehouse to see an unamed subject. When we get to the loft, she realizes the mystery subject is a woman that lots of people have been trying tpo find and kill. The subject has jut killed many of her adversaries and is hiding out in the loft temporarily.

Sunday, April 20th, 2003

I'm exploring some underground caves with three other people. We're trying either to find a way to escape somewhere or a way to hide out in the caves. The caves are dark and damp as we walk, climb and crawl through lots of rooms and tunnels. We make our way up some stairs into a room (which has a pull-string switch). There are two of us in the room while the other two trail behind. The woman behind us is holding a small rat by the tail and announces, "Look what I found." The man with her also has one. The two of us emphatically tell them "DO NOT bring those things up here!" They throw both rats into our room. We're very annoyed and a bit skittish.

Later...

Susannah and I are in a house we share with a few other people. We're in a communal bedroom and decide we want to have sex. We lock the door since there's no one in the room right now. Then we realize others are slated to return and we feel too nervous to do it. I hear AJ come back into the house. I grab a roll of tissues and lead Susannah quickly to the basement. AJ's in the kitchen and seems surprised to see us up so early. We don't say anything to him as we dart past. We go to the back bedroom in te basement (it's my old house on Otter Creek). I check the basement doors for locks but find none. I go to the bedroom to set up but I hear Susannah talking to someone in the den. It's an old man from the neighborhood asking about "Jack (somebody) and Annette." I help see him and his wife out. I go back into the basement den and turn off the TV (it's playing a tape of the Hobbitt) and discover a stack of DVDs behind it. I'm happy with the discovery and remind myself to retrieve them later. I usher Susannah quietly into the bedroom.

Saturday, April, 19th, 2003

I'm watching a report about WWII told in present tense: "The Germans' morale is low from all the fighting and constant arrests of civilians.

Later...

I'm in a friend's house with lots other visitors. We're all spending the night. It's 11 pm and most of the people are going to bed. I'm dissappointed no one else wants to stay up. Tom and Lynnette are staying in a room with AJ and a few others.

I'm hitting on a beautiful naked woman and being rude. I'd just signed a marriage contract with another woman in the house. I keep trying to pull the beautiful woman into the bathroom with me but she won't go. I feel bad for being rude and come back out to apologize. I hug her and tell her I'm not usually like this. I kiss her.

Later, I'm in a school building trying to figure out where my class is.

Friday, April 18th, 2003

I'm at someone's house having dinner. There are lots of leftovers, mostly seafood. I'm cleaning up and putting the food into containers. A woman is trying to talk to me about something.

Thursday, April 17th, 2003

I'm with a large group of people my age inspecting underground shelters/bunkers. We spend quite a bit of time on the first one. As we move to the second, I suggest we split up into groups to make the inspections faster. I ask one of them to give me three more people (beside the one already with me). I do a head count and realize I have five people and the other group has eight. I pull Robynn Takayama from the other group.

We start venturing down another hole in the ground. As we go down, the tunnel becomes too narrow to get through. Perry Siewert from my group begins kicking the dirt in the tunnel to wide it. I have a better position for it and I start stomping away the loose dirt.

Later...

Susannah and I are going to work at Entertainment Outlet. As we walk in, we notice they've minimized their DVD and CD sections to focus on comic books and toys. I go to the counter by the door to open the register. There are already lots of customers in the store.

A man at the register asks if I can give him ones and fives for his ten. I hesitate to give him change from the drawer so I dig through my pockets. I notice his ten looks a little sketchy.

I'm trying to ring up an older couple but they keep reaching over and trying to punch keys on the register. I get mad and try to stop them. It turns out they were trying to punch in a senoir citizen's discount. I'm frustrated at the location of the counter to the door.

A shelf behind me falls and I try to put it back together with someone's help. I get fed up with the poor quality of the shelf and stomp on the pieces angrily.


I wake up from a dream and try to find a pen in the living room to write it down. I walk into AJ's room and notice it being bigger and configured differently. AJ says something to me and I'm startled. I ask him how his room's arranged. He shows me this video game he's playing. His character, a man in a space suit, is blasting a hole in the side of a mountain. I ask him if this is Metroid Prime. The character is now trying to keep a huge amount of large gems and stons from sliding off the side of the mountain. Eventually, he gives up and all the gems tumble down. I ask AJ how he's ever going to get the gems at the bottom.

Sunday, April 13th, 2003

I'm in the store (though it looks like the inside of an apartment) with two of my employees - Brian (who looks like a mix of Todd Dockery and Brian from Amoeba) and a black guy also named Brian. I'm looking up at a few posters and notice that large letters have been cut out. On other posters, there is marker writing. I ask white Brian what happened, suspecting a former employee did it. I contemplate replacing the locks. White Brian admits to doing it. I ask him why. He quietly tells me that he cut the letters out but forgot why. He says he wrote on the other posters because he was on a plane and there was no other reading materials. I get pissed off and start talking about how store property is not to be messed with. Black Brian asks me what the big deal is. I point to all the posters, "None of these are presentable now, I have to replace them all." I start tearing them down. Black Brian still doesn't think it's a big deal. I tell him, "Ok, how about this, everytime he fucks up, YOU fix it!"

I storm over to white Brian (who's sitting at a table), "Don't worry about anything, your buddy here will take care of everything." I go to the sink, grab a bottle of diswashing liquid and throw it against the floor.

Wednesday, April 9th, 2003

I'm watching a movie on a small screen or TV set. It's American Splendor (a yet-unreleased film about comic book writers). It looks more like a promo for the movie than the movie itself. Tom, Lynnette, Chris & Lisa are all in the film. I'm especially impressed with Lynnette since I didn't know she could act.

Tuesday, April 8th, 2003

I'm walking with Tony Soprano in a private driveway at night. We hear a police car pull up behind us. Thinking they're out to get him, Tony runs. I know they're not so I wait. The cruiser pulls up with a detective, Tony's son and two of his friends (one male, one female). The detective tells Tony his son is being charged with manslaughter. The son's friends are eating bananas we they listen. Tony's brother appears and takes a picture of Tony's son with a polaroid as I watch on.

Once inside the house, find out that Tony's son has killed someone I love. I start flailing at him and pressing a cane to his throat. The detective puts a weapon to me to get me to stand down. He tells me not to kill him. I say, "You're a cop, you can't just kill me." He tells me he has connections. I tell him I don't care and he can try and use them. I release Tony's son and tear through the house in a tearful rage. Tony's son is still in the hallway when I come back and I tear up a phone book all over him. He retreats to his room as I kick and throw things about in the hallway, cursing him all the while. As the things I throw impact stuff, there isn't the noise or force you'd expect.

5{pril 7th, 2003

I go next door into an abandoned building where some people are waiting to be killed. They are mostly middle-aged crime figures, including an Irish guy (who looks like Jim - formerly of the real estate office next door). There are also a few women there. I watch as Jim starts dancing by himself (as if with a ghost partner) and talking quietly about a sweetheart from his youth. Others are also engaged in acts of reminescing. I break down and start crying, partly because I don't want these people to die, partly because I don't want to die. the women in the room are surprised to see me crying. I suddenly realize that my emotion isn't fear, it's love.

Later...

I'm in a large indoor space with three large flat-panel TV screens. We're watching a chase scene where Stellan Skarsgard is being driven away. The three screens capture three parts of the action and create a panoramic viewing experience. A few minutes later, we relaize we'd been watching a car or beer commercial. A guy with a cell phone approaches us and asks if there's a payphone nearby. We direct to one outside.

Later...

A man dressed in the black & white Spiderman costume barges into a newsroom or hospital and demands to see Peter Parker. He goes around assaulting people until Peter Parker finally comes out from under a patient's bed and confronts the guy. They fight and the man jumps through an opening in the ceiling and taughts Parker from above. Parker (now me) grabs a pistol from a security guard and starts firing at him. Night turns to day and I give the gun back to the guard.

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2003

I'm in a bodega near the store looking up at a new brand of chips on a high shelf. The flavors are all very strange and I finally pick the shrimp-flavored. As for pay for my chips, I notice the bag feels light. I open it to find it empty except for a nickel on the bottom. I take this up with the manager - a middle-aged white guy. he tries to help me find another bag but they're out of that flavor. We look around the store for an alternative. He has a long grabber that he uses to knock down items on high shelves. We're now in the toy section as he knocks down a plush turtle. I ask him the price and he tells me $27. He also tells me that times are tough for his store and the owner wants him to do everything possible to keep customers happy. I tell him times are tough for me too. I tell him it's a good thing I have someone working at the store for me and I can kill time at his store. We come across another shelf full of action figures and I try to pick one out as a replacement for my chips.

Monday, March 31st, 2003

We're on our way outside to find some band that's playing. The lawn's covered with slugs.

Sunday, March 30th, 2003

I'm at a movie theater/film festival. A woman who recognizes me from the store comes up and asks me about a movie called Tube People. She and her friends want to watch it on video. I tell her since it's still in theaters, it won't be out for a while. She seems to think it's already out on video. I tell her I haven't seen it on April or May's release sheets. Annoyed, she walks away and boards a tour bus.

Later...

I'm working at a law firm and talking to people about getting movies. Then the Hulk and I go chasing after a woman (either a superhero or Jennifer Garner) through some rooms. Hulk tears through walls trying to get her. She eventually escapes but pauses when she sees a small child climb out to a flimsy fire escape. We call for the child to come to us, then hold it hostage to catch the woman.

Then the whole scene replays. Instead of calling the girl over, we call for her mother (who's Chinese). Her mother comes out and prevents the child from falling.

Now I'm at a party celebrating our victories/captures. Ally McBeal is on stage with a band. She starts singing and playing keyboard.

Saturday, March 29th, 2003

I'm in the car with my dad and we're having an argument. I get out, smash the windshield and walk off.

Later...

My dad (or someone) is questioning some people (Michael Moore and other celebs among them). As he questions them, he stabs each one with a small knife.

Thursday, March 27th, 2003

I arrive at a new subway station with Tom, Lynnette, Chris and a few others. We're trying to catch a movie and get dinner. We go into the food court in the station to grab a bite. I go to a movie ticket vending machine to buy tickets for Phone Booth. It begins showing on the vending machine as well as TV screens in the food court. I go back to our table and try to watch the beginning of the movie with headphones on. As Tom and I watch the movie, Chris tells us about an upcomnig fundraiser/festival. We flip through the brochure and see that it's sponsored by the UK Wildcats. We're all very suprised to discover this and wonder if UK blew their whole budget to sponsor this out-of-town event. On the back of the brochure is a group photo of the Wildcats lineup. I point to a dark-skinned, bearded man (who I think is Tubby Smith) and say, "Doesn't he look like an Al Qaeda terrorist?" Then I notice the actually Tubby Smith in the picture. His arms are crossed and he looks cranky.

Tom and I start discussing where we should go to catch the rest of the movie. he mentions a new theater he want me to try. I tell him I already bought tickets at the 19th St. theater. Then we realize there's also a theater inside the subway station, just beyond the food court. We decide to go here so we won't miss any more of the movie by going to another theater.

Tuesday, March 25th, 2003

I'm leaving a party, getting a ride with a guy who drives a bus. I'm chatting it up with a handful of people I just met. We go a short ways to drop off a few women. A bunch of us get out with them. The live in a huge warehouse. We all go up in an old freight elevator. Inside their flat, there's a huge communal kitchen with a giant sign about how the vast majority of the world eats rice. One of the women is introducing us to her flatmates. I walk around and notice one of her flatmates, a Chinese woman. I complain about something to her.

Later...

I'm roommates with Brian Alexander and Josh Weill. I get up in the morning to get ready and hear Peggy and Brian talking in bed. She apparently came over in the morning to visit him. I go through Josh's room (he's gone) to the bathroom to shower. I hear some noise in the hallway and peek out to see. My grandmother is folding sheets and cleaning up. She hears the noise also and looks around. I come out and make myself known to her so she won't worry. Then I realize I haven't seen her in a long time.

I end up not taking a shower. I walk to another part of the house where my mom, May, Mercedes and a newborn baby boy are getting ready to leave. May looks a bit tired and puffy. I hear my dad in Brian's room talking loudly. He's reprimanding Brian about having a woman over. As my dad leaves brian's room, I yell angrily at him, "You have no right to yell at Brian. You don't pay rent here, I do. You don't know him. Instead of coming to me to ask about it, you reprimand him?" My mom says, "Well, he shouldn't have women over." I say, "How do you know she spent the night?" I'm still very angry with dad.

Monday, March 24th, 2003

As I collide with some guy, our groins meet with a clanging sound. We both have pockets full of hard objects. he challenges me to do it again. I agree, confident with my bolt lock and keys in my pockets. There is a crowd gathered around us to see this. The guy keeps asking about technicalities and what-if's. He asks, "What if I switched objects in my pockets during this?" "That's easy," I say, "Then you'r ethe punk." The crowd laughs. I start making fun of his delay tactics, "Oh, oh, oh, can I name my team the Eagles?" Something falls out of my pocket and I tell him what I have in my pockets and ask him to reveal the contents of his.

Sunday, March 23rd, 2003

I'm looking through a high school yearbook from a school in Indiana. As I flip through, many of the students look very familiar. I keep looking for their names in the captions to see if they're Henry Clay students. I show the yearbook to someone else and tell them that it's trange so many HC students are in this book. I come across a club photo with AJ in it. The other person tells me to ask Elise about it since it's her yearbook. I go find Elise in the outdoor food court. I'm holding some kind of food and want to ask her what it is. She's busy behind a food stall and doesn't want to talk to me but instead hands me a sandwich. I wonder for a second if it's free, then decide to hand her a five. She hesitates, then takes it and gives me some coin change.

Suddenly, my dad appears and starts talking to me. I wave for him to join me at a bar/table. Susannah and Mr. Zhang are also there. Dad says to Susannah, "Don't worry, I'll speak English." Susannah tells him "Nice haircut" in Chinese. Dad doesn't seem to register thant Susannah just spoke Chinese, though I'm trying to point it out. Susannah says (in English), "It's too bad you can't come to England with us. It's soooo beautiful." Mr Zhang says, referring to my dad, "It's hard for him to get a visa."

Saturday, March 22nd, 2003

I'm in a math class with some people I don't like. It's a few minutes before class starts. There's a preppy guy who is ver competitive with me. I walk up to him and extend my hand, "I bet I can skip more classes than you." Bemused, he shakes my hand. "I bet I can skip more days than you." i add. He shakes my hand again. I leave to go to another classroom where Josh Weill is. There's hot pizza on his desk and I plate up a few slices (though one pieces falls to the floor). I take the pizza back to my classroom where class has just started. I hide the pizza on my lap and try to catch up. We're on problem #2 and I copy #1 from the blackboard (though I don't quite understand it).

Later...

I'm watching a 4-6 year old white kid walk home. As he approaches his apartment door, two older black kids come from behind and try to lure him away with an action figure. As they start grabbing him, an old black lady starts entering the building. The white kid runs to her and enters with her. Moments later, a white (or mixed) lady comes out yelling for the black kids. The woman is blind and swings her cane about. One of the black kids (who's severely cross-eyed) is directly in front of her and I tell her to swing at him. He starts claiming his innocence. The blind lady goes back inside. I go to the door with a woman I work with at a law firm. We're here to see if the white kid's parents want to press kidnapping charges against the other kids. We're trying to figure out what to say to the mother.

Thursday, March 20th, 2003

I'm in the store stocking and helping customers. Susannah is on the phone with a friend. I hear her talking about our sales figures and how much we normally deposit. There is a black man in the stor I'm suspicious of. I run to the counter and emphatically whisper to her, "DO NOT discuss our sales or finances over the phone." I get angry and grab the phone from her and hang it up. Susannah gets pissed at me. I tell her I'm sorry for hanging up her call but I cannor have her discussing store finances over the phone because potential robbers could get ideas. I tell her if she does it again, I'll hang it up again. I say all this while trying to present a calm face to the customers in the store.

Wednesday, March 19th, 2003

I get dressed for cold weather and head outside to enjoy the new snow. I walk alongside people's yards and slip and slide on people's decks. I walk by the Carmichael's house (on Otter Creek in Lexington) and hear Christmas music playing inside. I keep walking and end up on top of someone's garage. I walk for a bit more and end up on a roof surrounded by fences. I backtrack a bit to try to get back down. I see Indio and ask him how to get down. He shows me the way through the fence. A young man who used to be Indio's handyman/assistant comes up to him and asks for his old job back.

As I make my way out of the yard, the young man strips out of his clothes. I also see Amanda Plummer and another man having sex in an nearby yard. The young handyman hides behind a bush, watching and masturbating. He is Amanda's ex and hasn't gotten over her. I watch all this for a bit, then move on.

Later...

I'm watching a Saturday Night Live compilation. During an opening monologue, the female cast members open their shirts one by one as they speak.

Later...

I'm at a party with lots of young people. A neon sign lights up reading "Eating Out Girls Begins in Ten Minutes". A girl says, "This is Tara's turn." - referring to Tara Fitzgerald.

Tuesday, March 18th, 2003

I'm inside an art building on campus & not wearing any pants.

Later...

I'm driving to the store (which is in a shopping center). It's afterhours and I'm dropping off a few things. I unlock the door and punch in the alarm code but it doesn't work. I try again and again until I run out of time. I give up and assume the police will come soon. I start entering some returned movies into the computer. A few customers come and return movies through the drop slot. I give one DVD back to a customer because the case is empty. He asks me about the late fees. A black man returns a few movies and wants to browse. One of the movies he returns is an early b-movie by the Wachowski brothers.

Later...

I'm at work in an office getting ready to leave early. A few coworkers start gathering around me. I tell them about my previous dream, "Typical anxiety dream - no clothes, can't disarm alarm..." Soon, a small crowd has gathered around me. I joke, "You're probably all wondering why I called you here."

Later...

I'm at home with a woman who looks like Susannah and a big black football plater who's resting up. There is some awkwardness between us. Outside the bedroom window, there's a high school reunion for Henry Clay. I see lots of people I knew. The woman and I joke about them and I'm tempted to yell out the window and heckle them. Some people set up an information booth just outside the window so we close the shades.

The football player and the woman (who I want to have sex with) are both on the bed. I wander into the other bedroom and notice someone under the covers. I lift the covers to find a middle-aged, balding an (who farts as he sleeps). I go back to the other bedroom to ask the woman who that man is. I suspect he's my mom's boyfriend (or an uncle).

Monday, March 17th, 2003

I'm going into a large warehouse to look at an apartment. I keep thinking that since Susannah and I are both artsy types, our chances should be good. We go up to a door inside the building and knock. A woman anwers the door and tells me she has two items for sale. She gives me a sheet of paper. It describes a 37-regular jacket from "The French Connection". On the back is a scene of people on the street with the letters "Taking Shit For Connecticut". On the sleeves are other scenes from the movie. I knock on the door of a darkroom and want to ask to see the jacket before I buy it. They're asking $40.

Sunday, March 16th, 2003

I'm sharing an office with a real estate company. One of my part time employees, a short Latino guy, works for both companies. he's unhappy about the video job interfering with his real estate selling.

He comes to me and hands me a sheet of paper with a paycheck and a form attached to it. He somberly (almost timidly) tells me he's quitting the video job. Then he asks me if I can hep him fill out the forms so he can fax it to his client. The form is half-filled out with the other half in Chinese. There are also light drawings sketched on it. I tell him he can just trace over the Chinese characters with a sharpie.

I'm getting irritated with him. I say, "1. If you're leaving, I respect your decision. 2. If you stay, I will help you with any English-related issues whenever I have time. 3. As long as one job doesn't interfere with the other, I have no problem with you working both. 4. Quit fucking around and tell me whether or not you're quitting... I'll be around."

I start to storm out. My mom is nearby and overhears all this. I tell her I'm irritatd with this guy.

Later...

I'm home with my mom and stepmom (but not Vanessa). One of them has stolen or betrayed us in some way. She is confined to a room with the other watches her. I call the police to come and get her. I am filled with shame and sadness as I wait.

The doorbell rings and a group of 5-7 people come up asking about the apartment for rent. I ask them if they'd called and made an appointment. They say no. I tell them the place is in upheaval and I can't show it right now. I tell them to give me a business card and I can call them back to schedule a showing. One guy hands me a flyer and asks me to call any extension under the travel section. I can't quite decipher the ad.

As they leave, I see two police S.W.A.T. trucks pull up. I tell the people leaving, "This is why I can't show you the apartment." As I wait for the cops to come up, I decide I will go with my mom/stepmom to the police station and translate for her, even though it will disrupt my plans.