Wednesday, September 29th, 2004

I’m running around my old high school. As I run quickly down the stairs, I notice how steep the steps are and wonder how the younger kids make their way up and down them.

Eventually, I leave the school with some friends. One of them keeps running ahead of the group and manically jumping at us with his camera. He runs out of film and pulls out a large negative and reloads another roll. I ask him why his negatives are so large. He tells me it’s also a video camera. I tell him I’d like someone to solve the camera size issue. “I want something the size of an average SLR with a lens that doesn’t expand and the ability to print film-quality pictures.”

We go into a film shop to develop some pictures. A guy in our group buys a Kit Kat and a pack of cards.

Tuesday, September 28th, 2004

Someone’s telling me about a news item where a young military officer is on vacation and robbed by several teenagers. After robbing him, they shot him when he came out of his car.

Now I’m at the scene of the crime. Cops have shown up and are engaging in a gunfight with the robbers (who are both very young kids). The plainclothed cops fire multiple shots into one kid who staggers away, firing back the whole time. The other kid shoots him also, maybe as a mercy killing. The first kid falls but doesn’t die. More police arrive and shoot down the second kid.

I’m back to discussing this story with someone. I tell him that I soot pistols occasionally and that it’s not easy squeezing off round after round from an automatic. I tell him that I’m surprised that a kid can do it.

We then talk about a basketball court near a ledge where violent confrontations occasionally happen. I tell him I don’t like the spot because the net is so close to a ledge and people could get accidentally bumped off the edge. The guy says, “Or pushed like Amy was.” He says that maybe I could carry a gun to protect her. I tell him it’s no use when everyone else also has guns. “It’s like a nuclear deterrent when everyone has a nuke and no one is afraid to use it.” I say.

Saturday, September 25th, 2004

Susannah & I are instructing Jessica on some matter. We’re showing her a large 3-D map of Finland and need her to infiltrate a power plant and take pictures.

Jessica is sitting in a field. She pulls an Enfield rifle out from under some grass and hay and checks to see that it’s loaded.

Later, we’re all in some abandoned convenient store. We raid it for supplies and get ready to head out. I see a stack of new DVD box sets and ask if I can take them. Everyone else is in a hurry to leave and I grab a few and try to catch up.

Later…

I’m in a college classroom when a storm warning is released. People start to evacuate and I start running around campus. It begins to rain hard and I try to remember where I dropped my umbrella.

I’m running around some decreped neighborhoods trying to find my way back to the school. I climb over some walls and try to cross a small creek. But it’s filled with foul garbage and shit and I look for another way.

Back at the school, I end up in my classroom again. The young teacher tries to begin the class again. I keep trying to sneak out but cannot. A classmate needles me for my failed attempts. I pull out my Xacto knife to jokingly threaten him but notice its blade has fallen off.

Friday, September 24th, 2004

I’m in a military unit guarding some prisoners. I walk around a corner and see that some of my fellow soldiers (who I don’t like) are degrading the prisoners by making them dance. I yell for my commander, a female officer. I point out the misconduct of the soldiers. She asks me what penalties should be dealt out. I tell her it’s up to her discretion. She asks me what I would do, either temporary suspension or dismissal. One of the misbehaving soldiers laughs and jokes about needing a vacation. I tell her that I would suspend a few of the soldiers and dismiss the officer in charge as an example. The commander agrees and sends the soldiers on their way.

The other soldiers in my unit are impressed with my speaking out. I tell them I’m a little tired of all the nepotism and family connections in this unit (the officer I recommended dismissing has high ranking connections). I tell them that my grandmother was a leutinent in the Chinese Air Force in WWII (which is untrue but I am playing a role).

Tuesday, September 21st, 2004

I’m visiting my dad in a secluded room in an old house. The room is cluttered with old furniture. He complains about something and I yell at him to get rid of all this crap. He laughs and tells me I’m right.

Saturday, September 18th, 2004

Susannah and I are staying in a hotel/bed & breakfast. It’s storming outside and we’re going a little stir crazy. We decide to go next door to Dizzy’s to get some breakfast.

We stand in line trying to decide what to get. Susannah thinks about getting an egg sandwich on a bagel w/ no cheese. Two women behind us ask us if we’ve decided and we let them go ahead of us. I tell Susannah to get her sandwich and I would go back to the hotel and make myself something to eat.

Back at the hotel, I wander through our stark, white suite. In the main living area there are lots of pamphlets and brochures strewn about. I suspect that the staff was using this as a work area and never cleaned it up.

I walk over to a window and look out into the rain. I hear John Garcia’s voice as he’s talking to some guy. I look down to the street and don’t see him. I realize I’m picking up his conversation through a cell phone on the window ledge. I pick up the cell phone to listen in. It sounds like one of them is on an airplane. I wait for a pause in the conversation to speak and say, “John, is that you?” The conversation breaks up and I hear nothing.

Later, I go to Entertainment Outlet to see Lenny. He seems to be the only one there, doing some stock work. I wander around the store a bit, then return to talk to him. I tell him I’m bored and want to buy something. I ask him if he ever comes across any used Playstation 2’s. He says yes and points out several to me (none of which look like Playstations). He tells me they’re priced between $300 and $350. I think for a second and then tell him that new ones only cost $150-$200.

Friday, September 17th, 2004

I’m checking my eBay rating and lots of people have inexplicably left me negative feedback.

Wednesday, September 15th, 2004

Susannah and I are at our new house by a lake. Snow is coming down heavy and I ask her if this is lake-effect snow. I suggest moving to Tennessee because it’s warmer.

Tuesday, September 14th, 2004

I’m in a city under siege from mythical monsters. A group of us are sitting around discussing who will face the enemy. An elder pours alcohol into three small hollowed-out melons and places them on a table in front of us. I look to a friend at the table and we both grab for a melon and down the alcohol, a gesture of defiance and willingness to face the enemy.

I lean over and discuss strategy with my ally. I tell him we have to lure the monster to land and that we’re at a great disadvantage at sea, especially since I can’t swim. I suggest that we clear a path through the city and lure the monsters to a building where we can contain and destroy them.

Outside, it’s now quiet and the rain has subsided. We walk through the rubble. I notice broken pieces of buildings putting themselves back together. I tell everyone to throw these pieces into a pit to prevent them from reconstituting. We pick up the large columns and pieces with ease and heave them over a cliff into a pit. There are also many rolls of carpet strew about. We also throw these into the pit.

Admiral Fitzwallace (from the West Wing) approaches and I ask him where the other leaders (Rumsfeld, etc) are.

Sunday, September 12th, 2004

I’m in a garden digging in the dirt. Under the sand, I find some vegetables, then some pieces of raw chicken.

Later…

I’m in a coffee shop buying a large ice coffee. The clerk puts ice in a clear plastic cup, caps it and puts a straw in it. He then putters around a bit and tells me it’s an extra dollar if I want coffee in it. Perplexed and pissed off, I take the cup and leave.

Later, I’m in a mall when I’m approached by the manager of the coffee shop. He tells me that they’re out of ice coffee. I recount the story to him and he seems surprised.

Wednesday, September 1st, 2004

I’m somewhere with Susannah when I run into a woman I know. I introduce her to Susannah and she ignores her and continues to talk to me.

Later, another woman hits on me. Later, that same woman calls me on the phone to ask me which of the political events I’m planning on going to. I tell her I’m not going to any of them.

I joke with Susannah that I never got hit on so much when I was single.