Monday, December 29, 2003

Monday, December 29th, 2003

I’m watching a big jazz/blues tribute concert featuring a bunch of musical legends. The bandleader introduces a famous harmonica player, who then goes into a solo. Later, the other harmonica player solos. I’m inside the body of the second musician as he plays. The bandleader refers to him/me as the greatest player alive, much to the annoyance of the first harmonica player.

Later, I’m wandering around a department store near the concert venue. I see a few Amoeba employees working here. I pass an aisle of chairs and stools and try (without success) to find a stool with a back for the store.

Later, I’m leaving the store and see some people buried up to their necks in the concrete floor. They all seem placid and unafraid. I ask them one by one if they are on drugs and they all are. I kneel down and begin trying to dig a girl out (maybe Rogue from the X-Men?). I use a chisel and hammer to break apart the concrete at her neck. As I try to pry her loose, she comes apart in pieces. I set aside her head and pieces of her neck. I call another guy over for help. I’m very worried about not being able to put her back together.

Later, I’m at a dinner table where we’ve been joined by Tom & Lynnette’s relatives from Australia. They’ve brought snacks and things for everyone. They pass around seashells that resemble crepes. I hold mine around my ears to try to hear the ocean.

As we eat, I mostly ignore them and am still trying to think about putting my friend back together.

One of our rabbits runs into the dining room and I ask someone to nudge her back towards me. Susannah says she can do it and steers the bunny to me. I chase it around the room a few times before it runs into the other room. I nudge it with a stick. Instead of running away, the bunny lets me push her onto her side. I run and tell Susannah to come see what she did.

Sunday, December 28, 2003

Sunday, December 28, 2003

I’m with a large group of young people and we’ve been instructed to find our way through an underground tunnel system. A few people in the group are worried but I announce to them that I went through the tunnels twice the other day and could lead them. We all enter a freight elevator to get to the tunnel level. I jump out before we get to our floor in order to fetch a flashlight.

Later (or continuous), I’m in a restaurant when I overhear a few waitresses talking about a secret room in the restaurant. It was apparently built in the old days. I also overhear an old couple talking about it. The old man says that they can go and fool around in it during the next life. The woman is a bit embarrassed.

I enter the secret space through a strange door. I hear one of the waitresses knocking and I let her in. The space is a small room with a bed and some amenities. It’s like a secret bedroom.

Later, there are a handful of us in the room. Everyone is lazing about. There is a teacher/leader among us. He is sketching something. Then I notice several of the girls (including Sarah Polley) have taken off all their clothes. I get a bit excited though most of the others are napping or reading. I try to get the others to get up but no one seems interested. I go and turn the thermostat up to make sure the naked girls don’t get cold.

I’m looking out the window with one of the girls. We see one of our people (a slightly overweight Goth girl) meeting her ex-boyfriend. “Look,” the girl I’m with says, “She’s counting all the buttons and pins on his leather jacket.”

Beyond them, several people we know are standing on a snow mound. Several motorcycles race around them.

I get bored with our group and say to no one in particular, “This is the sleepiest group I’ve ever encountered.”

Tuesday, December 23, 2003

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2003

I'm in a high school watching Sean Astin walking his girlfriend to the girl's locker room. She's a shy, big bossomed girl. He makes some excuse to pull down her top and look at her breasts. They soon part ways.

Later, I'm walking through the halls, trying to find a locker to put away my things. I see Judge Reinholt and ask him where things are. He goes to a computer and starts printing out vouchers for the lunch room. I wonder if I should pay him for them but then realize that he's stealing them.

Later...

Susannah and I are at her work Christmas party. We receive a gift certificate for one day of day care a week for a year. We're very excited about it. I ask Susannah sarcastically if we can get a refund if we decide not to have kids.

Thursday, December 18, 2003

Thursday, December 18th, 2003

I’m in a large indoor space (like a stadium or large theater). I start picking people off with a sniper rifle. Small pockets of people panic but overall, most people are calm. After a few shots, I pack up the gun inside some crutches and begin to make my way down the stairs and out of the building, trying not to get caught.

Later…

I’m in a large saloon where every floor has a huge hot tub. I’m in the hot tub on the ground floor with lots of other people when someone enters and wants to challenge me to a knife or gunfight.

Later…

I’m in Liza Gilbert’s house with someone (maybe Susannah). Liza is gone and I’m snooping around her place. I look in her large, two-door fridge and find mainly condiments. I want to look through her bedroom but the place is huge and I can’t seem to get there.

Later…

I’m having a knife fight with a pretty but slightly trashy girl. I end up cutting her up (though she doesn’t show any scars). At one point, I feel bad for fighting a girl and throw her my knife. She comes at me with both knives and I try to fight her off. I get cut a few times (though the cuts don’t hurt or show). I start walking away from her and she follows me as though she is in love with me and doesn’t want me to leave. She asks me if someone will write a screenplay about her life and bring it to her. I tell her it won’t be me. She asks why. I tell her I need to learn some things first: how to write a screenplay, some more things about myself. As I talk with her, I continue to walk away without looking back.

Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Tuesday, December 16th, 2003

I’ve just bought a ticket to the Cyclone at Coney Island. I sit on a bench near the ramp up to the ride itself. When I notice people coming down from the ride, I realize I should stop waiting and go up. At the ride, I get on the first section of the coaster along with a young black man. We notice the seats are compressed together and we both struggle to open them up. It turns into a bed and I wonder aloud if I can ride the coaster lying down. I have a minor flirtation with a woman on the bed.

Later…

Susannah and I are staying at someone’s house. We’re on vacation together. Susannah’s in the bathroom and I’m lying on the edge of the bed, looking at photographs. I realize we’re staying in Rachel Schankula’s parents’ house and we’re sleeping in her old room. I flip through a bunch of pictures (include lots of her orange tabby cat), wondering if I’ll see any pictures of me. I notice her bed is covered with a orange fake-fur comforter.

I stand up to a large wall mirror and start to shave with an electric razor. The glass is steamed up and I have to keep wiping it. I shave thoroughly but keep finding strange patches of thick stubble. Eventually, I shave myself clean and announce to Susannah, “Come check me out, I’m the most clean shaven you’ve ever seen me.”

Monday, December 15, 2003

Monday, December 15th, 2003

I’m at Tamara’s cousins’ house picking up some things. The male cousin I usually deal with isn’t there. A younger male cousin puts together my things and I head out the door. I see two of his brothers in a car trying to pull into the driveway. They have trouble getting out of a pool and grind their wheels against the edge of it. I watch this for a moment and then head off. I see a policeman up the street watching all this.

I head down the hill, past a school and into what looks like a hotel. Inside, I get lost and ask some employees how to get out. They lead me to a loading dock and point me out. I tell them I’m trying to get to a train back to New York. They seem surprised to hear that. I tell them I was staying at a house not far from the train station. I ask them where I am exactly. They pull out a map and show me that I’m very far from where I started. I realize that I went the wrong way from the friend’s house and ended up quite a ways from where I started. I study the map and tell them that I need to get to Kent Station.

One woman leads me away from the hotel. She holds me close and acts kind of secretive. She’s hugging me loosely and I feel her ass. She’s wearing silk pants and her ass is round and firm. I tell her she feels nice and soft and ask her how I can get some of that. She tells me I can’t. I tell her I figured as much. I head on my way alone.

Later, I’m back at the cousins’ house working on an art project. I’m making a smaller replica of a longhaired horse. It turns out like a stuffed animal with too little stuffing. It’s limp and doesn’t stand up on its own, but it looks strikingly like the original.

I take it into the next room to show the girl (the same girl from the hotel). As I enter the room, I ask if she’s asleep (it’s late). She’s sitting close to Susannah working on a project of her own. I show her my horse and she seems impressed. I sit down against Susannah and ask the girl what’s she working on. She shows me a wood and plastic model of an Anime-inspired cat. Susannah and I are both very impressed. I want to lean over to kiss the girl but it feels awkward to do so.

Sunday, December 14, 2003

Sunday, December 14th, 2003

I’m talking with someone about food. I say, “If life gives you lemons, don’t just make lemonade, why not make lemon tarts?”

Saturday, December 13, 2003

Saturday, December 13th, 2003

I’m walking up Smith Street with Susannah. She goes into a building while I head to the store. I see a man walk into a store across the street from our store. I notice there are three people outside holding some lighting equipment. I ask one of them if the guy who went inside is Spencer. They say yes. I tell them that he’s here to photograph us and that we’re across the street. I start crossing the street and notice that our gate is already rolled up. Inside, the UPS guy is standing on our counter changing a light bulb.

Friday, December 12, 2003

Friday, December 12th, 2003

I’ve impulsively entered a globetrotting adventure (along with Tom and many others around the world) where you chase after several items that are pieced together to form some relic or prize. I lose Tom along the way.

I’m on a train high above the Himalayas. We go over a giant ravine and I ask the train operator to please go back so I can get off. The train goes into reverse and takes a steep dive like a roller coaster. I hang on for dear life. A passenger near me says, “That’s nothing, you should see the way we go into China.”

Once on the ground, I get off in a crowded courtyard. I see Tom anxiously looking for me. I proudly walk towards him, waving a piece of artificial fabric (like a piece of a diver’s suit) at him, showing him part of the prize. He sees me and is elated. I also see Susannah, her mom and several other friends and family coming for me. Everyone is excited for me. Susannah’s mom tells me she read all about my progress in the Richmond paper (which makes me realize how big of a deal this all is). Susannah seems worried or anxious for me. The cell phone in my pocket rings and it’s another friend/well-wisher. I tell them that I’m doing fine and meeting up with friends and family in Quebec (or Montreal) for dinner. They ask me, “They just all showed up in some random place, hoping to find something to eat?” I reply, “No, we’re in a very touristy area, so I’m sure we can find a restaurant.”

As we go off to eat, I’m imagining a newspaper interviewing me. I imagine tell them that parents should worry if their kids want to enter this contest.

Later…

I’m at a house in the suburbs with my mom, Susannah, her mom and other friends and family. We’re gathering up our things and getting ready to leave. I go outside and take a walk around the neighborhood. It’s a recently constructed neighborhood with lots of kids. Across the street from all the houses are jungle gyms, swings and other places for kids to play on. Next to the house where we are, there’s construction for several more houses.

Thursday, December 11, 2003

Thursday, December 11th, 2003

I’m in a Chinese restaurant looking at some menus on the wall. I see a lot of seafood options but don’t know if I want to pay $10 or more for lunch. Several Chinese men in long black robes come down the stairs carrying stacks of bamboo baskets. I assume they’re tourists stocking up on trinkets.

Wednesday, December 10, 2003

Wednesday, December 10th, 2003

I’m staying in someone else’s house with a few other people. A woman asks me if I have a jacket or coat she can borrow. I remember my old denim jacket that I never wear. I head to a bedroom closet to fetch it but realize there’s another woman staying in that bedroom. I peek through the door and see her sitting in a small round tub with her top off. She seems to be rehearsing lines from a play or movie. I walk in quickly and try not to look at her. She notices me but doesn’t cover herself up.

Later, I’m trying to sneak out of the house. I go out the front door and steal one of the two cars in the driveway. I pull out of the driveway, careful not to hit the other car, a large SUV. The car is a stick shift and I have trouble driving it. I also have trouble turning off the emergency brake. Unable to shift correctly, I coast through a few intersections.

Later…

I’m browsing used CD’s at Amoeba. I come across a bunch of cheap Belly and Edie Brickell CD’s. I consider them for a bit and pick up a $3.98 copy of Edie Brickell’s newest album.

A former coworker comes up to me and asks if I’d like to say hello to everyone. I agree and he tells me everyone is having lunch at the bowling alley next door. He leads me through the giant store and out the front door.

We enter a large cave/warehouse-like room. There are a dozen employees seated around a few long tables having lunch. Everyone seems to recognize me as I enter but they all seem blasé or bored by my appearance. I say hello to a few of them and someone asks me what I’ve been up to. I begin telling them how I came to open a video store.

Monday, December 08, 2003

Monday, December 8th, 2003

I’m watching the Golden Girls. Dorothy is lying on the couch while Rose and Sophia sit nearby. Blanche is standing behind and the couch and says, “Girls, I think someone’s been going into business for themselves.” Dorothy looks guilty and sighs. “Ok,” she begins, “You all know I’m the oldest among you and I’ve seen the most of the weather tree. Stan and I never owned anything in our lives…” She goes on to tell the girls that she’s bought a building as rental property and is leasing it to some college students for additional income.

I’m now in the backyard of the property. It’s nighttime and the ground is damp. The backyard is concrete and covered with cardboard. Someone notes that they probably throw lots of parties here.

Friday, December 05, 2003

Friday, December 5th, 2003

I’m in a digital space holding a pet carrier with a cat and a rabbit in it. We travel through a portal into a real space. I put the carrier down and take the cat out. The cat (a large aggressive cat) and I walk through this pet store. I let the cat devour a bunch of toys before realizing they’re just toys. I take the cat over to the birdcages but then decide against letting the cat eat the birds. I see a rabbit running around and realize I shouldn’t have left my carrier with the rabbit. I go back to fetch it. I look to where the portal used to be and it’s now an ordinary looking wall. I pick up the carrier, close my eyes and try to walk through the wall. It’s solid and I cannot get through.

I get a little worried and try to find my way out of the space. It now resembles an empty pharmacy/lab. I’m now carrying a plastic bag full of stolen medicine. As I try to sneak out, a security guard stops me. I tell him I was just here getting medicine for my pets. He smiles and tells me he can get me some Tylenol. I go to the counter and he gets me several packets of pills. The nurse/cashier at the counter then tells me that my plan doesn’t cover the pills. I ask her why and she can’t explain it.

I walk away, realizing I’m still getting away scott-free. I walk through the place (now a busy store) until I find an exit. It leads to an escalator and I take it down. I realize I’m in a mall and I walk out onto the street. There’s a light drizzle outside. I stand at the intersection of Bay and 31st streets and try to figure out where the subway/bus stop is. It all looks very familiar (like a mix of New York and San Francisco) but I can’t seem to remember. I cross the street as several cars coming down the slope have to slow to miss me.

Wednesday, December 03, 2003

Wednesday, December 3rd, 2003

I’m in a large space talking to a guy about the company he runs. He tells me it helps people get on their feet. He talks like a smarmy corporate executive and tells me they did very well last year. I tell him that it wouldn’t be very interesting if I just played the cynic and tried to deconstruct his notions. I ask him to tell me about the company. I ask him if he’d still do it if it were a nonprofit. He’s not sure what I mean. I clarify and he says yes.