4801

End of the month of March! April fool's day tomorrow. Did laundry today and went to the movement class this afternoon. Feeling really good after taking the class. Something magical about those innocuous Rosen Method movements. Class was considerably smaller than last week's crowd. It was a fun session.

Dreamed last night two different dream scenes. Both were continuations or extensions of some previous dreamings. One involved working with a programmer to complete a piece of code that would be used to encrypt a large set of data. The technique that was used was a breakthrough algorithm that was unique and very complex. I had dreamed a dream before that was the precursor to this current dream. In the precursor, we did the planning and architecture of the final block of code. In last night's dream, we completed the code, tested it, and verified that it performed as expected.

A second dream involved a construction project that was being done underneath and outside a a home where I lived. The project involved excavating underneath the house and removing debris and sediment from that location. Outside, the project involved digging channels down a hill and out into the ocean. The channels had to breach a retaining wall that stood along the edge of the beach. Large cranes and huge earth-moving equipment filled the area in front of the house and out into the water. The people working on the excavations were very disciplined. They worked methodically and non-stop.

Oh, what dreams we dream when we fall into the dreaming place.

Tomorrow--PD exercise class. Week is speeding by! Weekends are slow, but the days zoom by when the weekly events kick into place. No earthquakes today (there was a small one yesterday--4.3 or so)!

4802

Lunch at the BH grill was superb! Saute of shrimp and scallops, various seasoned vegetables, dip and chips, whole grain pasta, and an ice cream sundae for dessert. The afternoon movie was more of a mixed grill!

The movie was It's All About Love--another Vinterberg film--quirky, odd ball and strange. The film is a somewhat SciFi thriller/love story with more than a few black holes in the storyline. It was, however, beautifully filmed and attention grabbing--as the audience tries to figure out what is happening. It was not as good a film as his Celebration, but it was intriguing to watch. There are many unanswered questions regarding just what he was doing this time.

Today's film was somewhat like watching a dream unfold. My dream last night was quirky like today's film. In one part, I was trying to locate a plot of land. It was in the middle of nowhere and not clearly marked. I was being guided to the place with both a mobile telephone and an Internet connection. When I finally got to the purported location of the land, I found a place with lots of water (lakes, streams, and so forth). It reminded me of some of the places where I fished as a small boy.

A second part of the dream took place at an ocean beach. I was wading in water about chest high. In the surf closer to the shore, I could see shadows of large fish swimming in and out of the waves. Some of these fish were quite large and made me nervous since they were between me and the shore. There were also large coils of a type of seaweed floating in the surf. It was a bright yellow in color and looked soft and lacy.

Got a call from LL today. She talked about a film called Under Our Skin--a documentary about Lyme's disease. It looks like a good film to see. I don't think my PD symptoms are related to that disease, but there are certainly overlaps in how this two illnesses present themselves.

4803

Slept a lot today. I did get out for a walk--the park route. Feet felt a bit heavy, but did alright. Need to walk some everyday. Got out of the habit of doing so and it's hard to start doing it again.

Definitely someone's birthday here in the apartment complex. A gang of people were on the deck area cooking today. There has been a lot of traffic in and out yesterday and today. Celebration time!

Dreamed last night about something I have dreamed before. It was like a continuing of an older dream. It involved the documentation of a complex piece of software. In an earlier dream (have no idea of when), I had devised a way to document the code so that it could be verified by a team of people who read the comments that had been written. In last night's dream, the software was going to be updated, but before that could be done we had to verify the status of the current version. We began to review the embedded comments and soon discovered that the proposed schema was working well. We were uncovering pieces of the code that needed updates and corrections, as described in the comments. The process saved an enormous amount of time and effort. I was elated that the plan had worked.

During my walk in the park, I was bombarded by a hatching of what looked like a horde of orange and black moths. They were zooming westward or north westward. There were dozens of them darting and dancing along the trail. If the number of critters I saw is any indication, there will be a lot of bugs this spring. Good news for the food chain!

4804

Slept in this morning. Got up for breakfast and then went back to sleep. Woke up in the early afternoon and went for lunch. Slept a bit more and just had a bowl of fruit. Sleep and eat; eat and sleep. Spit kit is on its way! Got a couple of email messages from FedEx telling me where the package is located. The kit is for the genome testing that's part of the 23andme PD community activities. They say it will take 10 weeks to get the results. Won't see them until sometime in June.

Dreamed last night that I was at some kind of evangelic gathering. We were in a huge arena. Most of the people were Caucasian and upper middle class. Everyone was smiling and buoyant. I was in a seat high up in the arena and the people on stage looked like ants. There were large monitors that displayed magnified images so we all could see the details. I was reading a book. It was written for someone with a 5th grade level of education. The sentences were very simple. No big words were used. The content of the book wasn't all that clear. The paragraphs just rambled on without bringing a lot of meaning to what had been written.

I left my seat and made my way to the lobby. There was a woman there that I knew. She asked if I wanted to ride with her to the beach. I said I did want to do that. We went outside and had a little difficulty finding our cars. We came across mine first and decided to use it for the trip. I awoke as we were threading our way through the lot to the streets.

I had a feeling that I was somehow not connected to all of the people at the gathering. I felt that I was not in agreement with them on some basic attitudes and beliefs.

4805

Acupressure, lunch and a movie! Full day! I also took a nap for a couple of hours. Now, it's the afternoon edition--writing notes, doing puzzles, watching a streamed TV show, and getting use to the warmer weather.

Lunch was a feast! Duck, tangerines, potatoes (white and yams), salad, and dessert (tapioca)! Yummy, yum! The movie was another Vinterberg film, Dear Wendy. A definitely quirky film about a group of young people who become enamored with guns. The movie is set in West Virginia, in a small coal-mining hamlet. The whole thing was filmed in Denmark using a constructed set. So, Dear Wendy is not a Dogme 95 work--it doesn't adhere to some of the many Dogme 95 rules.

Dreamed last night about being involved in an "ultimate" soccer game. It was like ultimate Frisbee, except we were kicking a soccer ball around a city and large park. Obviously, there could be no scoring so the dream was an endless montage of scenes where the ball was being kicked and stolen. It was a surrealistic dream played out in the darkness of a nighttime city.

The week ends (weekend, weak end) and the living is easy. Summertime (some other time)!

4806

Movement and dance; dance and movement! Had two classes today--a flowing movement session and a PD dance class. I made it through both of them feeling well. I even made it out for breakfast before the movement class. I came back after the PD dance session and slept for a short while. I was a bit tired, but pleasantly so. Tomorrow it's acupressure and lunch/movie.

There's a lot of news items about the spinal stimulation experiments that have been made on mice. The results of those experiments (that the mice greatly reduced their PD symptoms after stimulation) seems aligned with what's happening in the movement classes. Those classes don't involve a lot of movement, but mostly subtle work with the lower sacral areas. It's like stimulating the lower spine. Will have to watch more closely and see if there are exercise excerpts that I can do outside of class. The mice in the experiments didn't need as much medication as well. That's consistent with what I've been doing. I know dancing and movement really feel good.

Dreamed last night that I was in an elaborately structured house. There was a part of the house that was on one street with another part on another street. There were all kinds of tunnels and connecting passages that linked the two structures. I was staying in a room in the second house. There were many people lodged in the two places. People were coming and going in a constant flow both between the two buildings and out into the city. There were many people that I knew and everyone was friendly and joyful.

There was a second dream that I totally do not remember. It slipped away as I awoke this morning and headed out into the day of moving and dancing. I seem to recall that it had to do with homeless people. There was a homeless man who was teaching people how to survive when they were cast out into the streets. He was running seminars/tours that showed people how to get along while being homeless. The ways things are going it may be a dream that becomes reality.

4807

Good PD exercise class today. Learned that there are some new techniques that have the same effects as DBS without any brain invasion issues. The new techniques involve stimulating the spinal cord to suppress the low-frequency oscillations that seem to trigger the onset of "freezing" in PD patients. The techniques might augment or replace the conventional drug therapies, which tend to become ineffective over time. DBS is also not 100% effective either. So far, the techniques have only been tested on mice.

Had quite a few dense, dark dreams last night and this afternoon. Don't recall specifics, but remember the heaviness of the dreams--as if they were in another dimension. Perhaps a result of some of the stories I've been reading. Dreams and reality; reality and dreams. They mix together in an infinity of patterns.

Will be going to a movement class and a dance class tomorrow. They both fall on the same day. Will be interesting to see how I fare with a double event on my schedule. Move and dance; dance and move. The dreams unfold!

4808

Movement class today (this evening)! Felt good! Missed not having a dance class yesterday. Need to walk more while classes are suspended. Notice even one day of not moving around.

Went out for breakfast this morning. It was really pleasant at the cafe. Sat in a sunny spot while I ate my breakfast. Only slept a short time right before the evening class. Of course, I didn't exactly get up early. Feels so good to sleep in, especially since I'm getting to sleep late because I'm reading at night. My day is flipped around, but have to assume my biorhythm has settled into its own normal pattern.

Dreamed last night about the house I lived in on Cowper. Don't remember details except for being in the house and walking around the various rooms. I spent some time in my "office" room with its wooden shelves and bright sunny lighting. Replayed some scenes of me working in the room. Replayed the day I called the police to a suspicious man sitting in his car. Turned out he was an undercover cop on surveillance. He was not very circumspect about his presence and it made me suspicious. So I called the police, who informed me that he was undercover. The dream was a memory in dream form.

Got my discount code from the 23andme site. I can now sign up for the genetic testing and join their PD community. Should be interesting to take their surveys, get their results, and use their tools. Tomorrow, I'm going to the PD exercise class. Onward and onward!

4809

Had lunch with BH (fish/shrimp, potatoes, salad, veggies, dips and dessert). Was a treat!

GH and I watched a Danish film, Celebration, directed by Thomas Vinterberg. It was an astounding work. It was about a family gathering where heinous family secrets are revealed. The film developed an incredible tension as events and secrets were revealed. The director was one of the founders of Dogme 95--a group of filmmakers who proclaimed a style of filming that adheres to certain principles and rules (natural lighting, hand-held cameras, not crediting the director, and so forth).

Celebration is one of the best films I have ever seen. It's difficult to watch, but it's brilliant. We'll see if Vinterberg has more films and perhaps explore other films in the Dogme 95 genre. Very interesting!

I dreamed last night something about "pods." The pods were like small spaceships that were darting about the universe. Each pod contained a child. The pods would sometimes line up, end to end, and zoom across the stars. It was a strange dream--left me in a strange dream state.

4810

Winter returned! Heavy rains last night and cold temperatures. There was snow on the mountains around the area. I was worried that the roof might leak since the roof repair people had been walking all over the place. But, ship seems tight!

Dreamed last night, but lost the details as I awoke this morning.

Met with L today for a tea and dessert. Haven't seen her for a while. She's made her move from a house to an apartment. Her father is not doing well. It appears that he may be showing signs of Alzheimer's. The family is going to have to set him up in a care giving facility. Bummer!

Heard several reports on NPR today dealing with technology. There was one piece on the $100 laptop, which has now been distributed in around 20 countries. Other pieces dealt with the Internet and its impact on our society and culture. A lot of churning regarding laws, limits, and how best to manage a technology that's careening onward--faster than can be fully assimilated by the average user. I know that even I am somewhat boggled by everything that's materializing on the web--especially the social network innovations. It is amazing!

No dance class tomorrow. Bummer! Have to try and walk some or do some form of movement/exercise to stay on an even keel.

4812-4811

Missed making a post yesterday. Not sure why. Just didn't think of it until I was wrapped up for sleep last night.

Had a good acupressure session on Friday morning. Followed it with lunch with BH, who fixed a tasty meal of pork loin, potatoes, slaw, a taste of caviar, beets and turnips, and fruit for dessert. I was really hungry and enjoyed every bite. GH and I watched L' Atalante a film by Jean Vigo (in French with English subtitles). It was the only major film he ever produced. He died shortly after its completion. Have to wonder what he would have done had he lived. He used a variety of cinematic techniques, some of which were experimental. It was a good film to see for what he tried to do in those early days of film making (1934).

Dreamed Thursday night that I was with a group of guys who were camping (in ski huts) in a mountainous area. There was a lot of snow and we were exploring the region on skis. The dream was filled with scenes of us speeding down mountain trials. The skiing was effortless and full of excitement and exhilaration. A fun dream!

Last night I dreamed that I was in charge of the creation of a "learning room." The place was a large auditorium-style facility with very high ceilings and spacious classroom areas. I was working with a team of educational designers and we were putting together a state-of-the-art facility that would let teachers use every available technology to drive classroom activities. In the dream, I struggled with making the place easy for teachers to learn to use, and give them control over how the facility would evolve with use. I often had to make pencil drawings of sections we were building to make sure the workmen put everything in the right place. It was a very satisfying dream. I awoke refreshed and alert.

I drove down to SJ today to drop off some things to my daughter and visit with my 7 week-old granddaughter. She's growing like a weed. She's gained 3 pounds over the last 7 weeks. A 40% weight gain over that span of time. She's tracking people and movement and is learning about her world. It was good to see her and hold her for a while. The drive down and back was not a problem. I'm glad they're so close.

4813

I went to the movement class today. Felt good! But, came home and fell asleep--like a log. I guess the class really relaxed me. Have an acupressure session tomorrow and lunch/movie with BH and GH.

Had a bowl of oatmeal this morning with bananas and cinnamon raisin toast. It was pleasant sitting outdoors at the cafe, except for the people with their dogs. The dogs kept barking at each other and made the place noisy as hell. Would be nice to put a mute on the canines--especially early in the day.

The kids at the apartment complex have begun to quiet down some. They held forth for a couple of hours. I don't know how their lungs can sustain such long periods of yelling and shouting. It's quiet now, at last.

Don't remember any of my dreams from last night or this afternoon. I think I dreamed a bit about solving Sudoku puzzles. I've lowered by time some on the easy puzzles, but am still not solving them as quickly as most people do so. But I have trained my brain to solve them a bit faster than where I started.

Weather has warmed up substantially. I'm having a few problems adjusting to the changes--weather variations affect my symptoms. Always something!

4814

PD exercise class today! It was quite a large class--perhaps the biggest since I've been going. Class time went quickly. With the large number of people, it took more time to do things. But, I did get the information regarding the 23andme discount codes. Going online is the way to go. We were told that they haven't had as many people register as they expected so far. That means I have a good chance of getting a code from my request. Good news!

Several people in the class are not doing well. It comes with the territory, but it's difficult to watch how it unfolds.

Apartment area is noisy today--really noisy! There are the carpenters working on the roof. Kids yelling and screaming in the carport. People coming and going. And to top things off, a neighborhood police notice that there was a shooting just down the street. In addition, the landlord is showing the vacant unit. The sounds abound.

I'm feeling somewhat tired today--kind of tired and logy. The weather is shifting to warmer days and I seem to register the changes. I awoke feeling really good, but kind of fell off the horse as the morning progressed. I didn't eat too well today and that hasn't helped. I also had some "technical difficulties" with my printer. I ended up putting in a new ink cartridge, but the system is still acting odd. I did get it to print though. Hallelujah!

Dreamed last night that I was dancing in a large circle dance. The dance was Traveling Four Corners. We were in two large circles with the outside people facing inward and the inside people facing out. This made the dance lines move in opposite directions--people facing inward going counter-clockwise, people facing outward going clockwise. Everyone was having a good time and were dancing away.

Got a note that the PD dance class will begin next week. I'll have to stretch some to make both the movement and dance classes. Will do both and see what happens.

4815

Laundry day, St. Patrick's Day and movement class day! Plus some repair-the-roof day (landlord had some carpenters working on the roof right outside my apartment). I awoke to the pounding of hammers and the buzzing of saws. Got me up and moving.

The movement class got enough registrations to make it a solid GO! It will be a 12-week session, which will push it out into June. The class activities are really subtle, but seem to produce positive results. I think everyone with PD (everyone with anything) would benefit from taking a Rosen Method movement class. It's not strenuous and seems (for me) to produce a lot of positive results. I'd like to see the instructor run a class at the institute for PD people. Have to work on it!

Dreamed last night that I was in an auto repair garage in a small town. The routes around the town were very confusing. It was easy to get lost while trying to drive form point A to point B. I was giving some people directions, but they were still getting lost. It seemed that no matter what route a person took, he or she would eventually return to the garage. The sound of hammers woke me from the dream.

My daughter sent me a couple of new pix of the latest grand kid. It looks like her hair may be turning red. Her eyes were clear and focused. My how she grows!

PD exercise class tomorrow. Feeling like sleeping now! Happy shamrock day!

4816

The Tuesday evening movement class is a go! Yeah! I'm glad that it wasn't canceled. It would be a difficult class to replace. Danced twelve dances at the dance class today. 1.5 hours of moving! Was a little tired heading into the class (could have slept more last night), but did alright. Regret that we have a two-week hiatus before the class restarts. Moving and dancing, dancing and moving!

Dreamed last night that I was on a bullet train. The train cars were highly streamlined and very narrow. At one point, a companion and I climbed onto the nose of the engine. We nestled ourselves into some small depressions in the outer areas of the engine compartment. We rode the train for quite a distance while in the depressions. We could clearly see people and vehicles crossing the path of the train. I was surprised at how slowly everyone moved as we approached. We were hurtling along but the people crossing our path acted as if we were not a danger to them. They meandered back and forth across the tracks. The engineer leaned heavily on the train's whistle to warn of our approach. No one seemed to care.

After dance class today, had lunch with BH (potato-leek soup, salad, pickled beets, goat cheese, crispy potato chips, salmon [wild and farm-raised], fruit and chocolate)--a feast! We then watched a Downey Sr. movie, Rented Lips. It was a bit better than America, but was still not very exciting. It was like watching a formula film that was based on earlier, exciting works, but that had lost its energies. There was some good acting, but everything was over weighted by the ambling storyline and lack of surprises. Downey Jr. had a key role and he was good--glimpses of things to come.

St. Patrick's Day tomorrow and laundry day! Will the fun never end?

4817

St. Pat's day is on the way! Go green! No new news regarding Tuesday's movement class. No announcements that the class is canceled so far. No new news is good news!

Nothing much to report. Don't recall what last night's dreams were all about. Didn't do any walking this weekend. Looking forward to the final dance class in this session tomorrow. Will have a two week break in that class. Not a big break, thank goodness. Would rather just keep on dancing!

Enjoying the Mr. Gaunt stories! They are fanciful, scary stories about ghosts and goblins, darkness and forces. They make for a good read.

See where the landlord is renting an open apartment for $1,200 per month! That's $300 more than I'm paying. So far, they haven't increased my rent this year. It's scary to see what they are asking for the open unit. Makes me nervous!

I suppose I'll have to move to someplace less expensive eventually. Moving is just not something that I'd like to have to do. But, life (and rent) keeps on indexing. It would be nice if I could just snap my fingers and be whooshed to a less expensive, better place. Ain't going to happen! Anyway, first things first! Need to deal with taxes. Taxes and dancing, dancing and taxes! Turn, turn and turn!

4819-4818

Missed posting on Friday the 13th! I meant to make a post, but somehow ended up in bed, reading and asleep. Suddenly, it was Saturday morning. Actually, it wasn't so sudden. I slept in this morning until nearly midday. The gray skies made it seem better to curl up and sleep.

Had a dream on Thursday night that involved getting a crew to re-roof a part of a house. It was a chaotic dream and also involved an argument with my dream spouse about getting a new car. I tried to point out that her vehicle (a 4x4 SUV) was paid for and although it used gas it still would be more economical to keep driving it. We went round and round with no consensus being reached. Life in the dream worlds!

Don't recall last night's dreams. Probably were related to the horror stories I've been reading. The book is titled Mr. Gaunt and other disturbing tales. The stories are really well written. They're by an Englishman (I believe) and have all the flavor of dark UK sagas. Good set of stories!

I'm in a state of limbo! Days speed by in endless cycles. The calendar gives up the days in whole blocks. Over two months of the year now behind me. New granddaughter is now five weeks old. The time flows by like a raging stream, tossing a scattering of debris along the banks. Cycles upon cycles! I dream and tremble, sleep and shake. Waiting. For what? I never seem to know precisely. Never catch the moving symbols. Never hear a deciding voice.

BH called today with information about the 23andme web site. They do genetic profiling and have started a community of people with PD. They're looking to get 10,000 gene samples and then use the community to do online surveys and analysis. The site was started by the wife of a Google founder. The founder put up a block of cash to underwrite the sampling and recording of data. Google is everywhere! You can now do Google Mars!

Next: the Google Universe! Coming your way!

4820

Movement class today! Felt good! Heard that there is some chance that the Tuesday class is still a go. People are still registering. Will hear more this weekend if it is canceled. I won't be disappointed if the class is a go! Instructor was looking forward to some time off perhaps, so she may not be pleased totally if the class happens. Choices! Always choices!

Something a bit mystical about having three of my body workers at the same place today. I feel like the universe is aligning forces around my needs. Luca was standing outside during the ending of the movement session. Theresa was teaching. Jan was taking the class. I'll see Luca tomorrow for an acupressure session.

PD seminar was held today. I'm sure it was a success, but I'm happy not to have gone. Gentle movement session was much nicer thing for me to do.

Dreamed last night that I was in a huge script review meeting. The meeting was being held too go over and make final a detailed script for a film production. Everyone who would be involved in the shoot was in attendance. The script editors were busy capturing all of the changes and revisions that were being discussed. Everything was fairly calm given the immensity of the meeting and the many conflicting views. But in the dream state, it all got done. The magic of dreams!

4821

Feeling heavy today! Went for a walk on the baylands. It was perfect weather. Lots of birds and animals, blue sky and lofty clouds. But came back feeling heavy. Took a nap for a few hours.

Didn't have the regular PD exercise class today. It was canceled since there is an all day seminar tomorrow about PD. There will be over 500 people attending the seminar. I'll go to movement class tomorrow and avoid the crowds. As someone remarked last night when I described the PD exercise class--it's like a look at my future! The seminar will be like that times 500. I'm not liking these peeks into the future. I can't seem to feel good about what they portend.

I think I did well in the dance class on Monday and the movement class on Tuesday. Both activities felt good. One person in the Monday class said I seemed to have a lot of energy. Someone in last night's class said I seemed to be moving smoothly when we were doing a complex partner exercise. In both cases, I felt that the observations were accurate. Hearing them, I felt good. So, why the heaviness today?

There's so many things I would like to be doing, but I'm in this groove and seemingly have been for three years now. Right now, I'm moving and doing more than I was doing a year ago. But, the total output is still barely a fraction of what I once could do--have done. The future looms! I can't seem to shake off the heavy mantle that is wrapped around me. Days go by with few sensations of accomplishment or satisfaction. I eat, I sleep, I sometimes dream. Little else gets done.

Don't recall last night's dreams. Seems that the movement class lets me go into a deep sleep and I don't remember any dreams. Wonder what tomorrow's movement class will bring? More deep sleep perhaps. Also, it's tax time! Need to get it done this weekend. Mundane machinations! The sound of gold falling on the tables! Imaginary scenes! The well of time is deep! Good night! Good night!

4822

Full moon tonight! Brightness in the sky! Went to the movement class this afternoon. Some chance that the next session will be canceled. Budget woes! 22 people have to sign up to make the class go. Maybe I can sign BH up. She can go or not, but she'll count towards the registration quota. Hmmm! Only need 6 more people to register--there are 16 already enrolled.

Walked the park route today after grabbing some breakfast at the cafe. Had hot steel-cut oatmeal with bananas, sugar and warm milk. Also had an order of cinnamon-raisin toast. Good tasting comfort food!

Dreamed last night that I was attending a symposium. The conference was for and about security systems. All the topics were classified and required that attendees have a security clearance in order to attend. I went to several sessions. At one point, I noticed that one attendee dropped something as he was putting materials into his briefcase. He walked away and I went over and picked up the binder. It was a classified document. I didn't see the person who had dropped the item. I wasn't sure what to do with the binder. I assumed that I should turn it in to the conference organizers. I didn't want to get the guy who dropped it into hot water, but I really didn't have other options. I went looking for the organizers.

4823

Went to the CW dance class this morning. Did a lot of dancing. We danced around 11 dances in the 1.5 hours of class. I felt pretty good afterward. I wore some leather-soled shoes and that helped smooth out the floor's stickiness. I could spin without feeling my feet drag and bind. One more class and then a few week's break. Next class starts in April.

Still getting used to the time shift. Should be acclimated after tonight's sleep. Had lunch (a feast of things from BH) and then watched a Robert Downey Sr. film Up the Academy. It was a kick! It was done before Putney Swope and he hadn't reached his sharpest levels of satire when he did this film. There are two hard-to-get early films, Greaser's Palace and Pound, that preceded Academy. GH is doing some research on those films. Robert Downey Jr. made his film debuts in these early works. Academy is not an award-winning piece, but it was funny and ribald.

I dreamed a series of four dream segments last night. One involved kids and I don't remember what it was about other than it centered around kids. A second dream had me solving some complex mathematical formula. I was writing code that was designed to compute the solutions to the equations. I remember entering the last segment of code and the computer solved the problem.

A third dream element involved an opera production. I was in the cast along with NH (woman I saw in passing on Sunday). She had a makeup malfunction that caused her large fake eye lashes to fall down her face and rest on her cheeks. She was in the middle of an aria when this happened and it threw everything off course. The show turned into a shambles.

A fourth dream scene had me going out to a street vendor to get some food. When I got to the vendor's cart, I noticed that his pans and dishes were not clean. There was food and debris on all of his utensils. Most people were ignoring that fact and getting plates of food. I turned around and left. I didn't want to take a chance on getting sick. This dream was probably triggered by a YouTube movie I saw about brain operations for "brain worms." Seems that people are being infected by parasites from undercooked pork--leading to seizures caused by the worms migrating to and lodging in the brain tissue. Ugh! Disgustivo! I dreamed the night away!

Movement class tomorrow in the late afternoon. Ewwww! Brain worms!

4824

Walked the park route again today. Felt a little too chilly to go to the baylands, so stayed on the inland route. Felt good to walk.

Bumped into M and MO while I was out this morning. M shared that she has a brother who is diagnosed with PD. He's the same age as me. Sounds like he is wrestling with things, as are we all. I gave her my phone number in case she wanted to put him in touch with me. I also gave her the name (wrong name it turns out) of the woman who teaches the Rosen Method movement classes. It sounds like he might benefit from some of those sessions.

It was good to see MO. Haven't seen her for about a year. She's the one who helped me dig out of the hole I was in last year. She did get the certificate for an acupressure session. It was good to know that it didn't get lost in the mail.

Saw NH in passing. Didn't get a chance to say anything to her. She was with a gnarly-looking guy. I'm not certain that she saw me. Also saw a few other people that I know in passing. It was a busy day at the street market.

Dreamed last night a two-part dream about a house. In the first part, I was helping install a security system. The system involved an array of cascading detectors and interlocks that would seal off sections of the house based on the perceived intrusion points. It was a complex system, but we (me and an assistant) installed the system and it seemed to check out as we ran it through some standard diagnostics. The owner of the house was a distinguished-looking man. He and a friend were in the house. His friend was jovial and laughed a lot.

In the second part, we (me and an assistant) installed a large fuel oil system. We had to winch a huge tank into place in the basement and run feed lines to the boiler system that extracted and distributed the heat. It was a fairly simple, but manual, task. The owner and his friend checked in with us occasionally, but we had little to report except that we were making expected progress.

Both dream scenes were very orderly despite the complexity of the first task and the manual effort of the second. I awoke from the dreams feeling rested. I sprang forward into the light of the day. Tomorrow I have a dance class and lunch/movie with BH/GH. Will be good to dance. I'm taking another pair of dance shoes to see if they work better on the flooring where we hold class.

4825

Spring forward! Clocks get set ahead tonight. Seems to be out of rhythm somehow with the new times--too early, too late. But, the law is the determinant--I'm setting all of the clocks to match the consensus.

Made it out for a walk today. It was a sunny, balmy day. Went for a short stroll around the park loop. Perhaps will do the baylands in the morrow. Took a short nap (maybe not so short) this afternoon.

Dreamed last night that I was in some type of store or shop. There were hundreds of items, most of which I didn't have a need. I spent a long time going through the various items, but ended up not taking anything. A second part of the dream had me and several men in an apartment. My daughter was there along with another woman. At one point, the women were going to take a shower. The men, including me, left the place. I walked the men down to the street and returned to meet with my daughter. When I got to the apartment, there was a paper bag standing in the doorway and the door was open. The woman was heading for the door. She appeared to be going to pick up the back and take it to the trash area. I asked where was my daughter. The woman said that she had showered and left already. I was a little worried. The neighborhood was not all that good and I didn't like the idea of her walking alone. I pulled out my phone to call her. I realized that I could contact her and tell her to wait for me. That's when I awoke.

Ate quite a lot today. I was hungry and felt like munching all day. Munch, munch, munch! Is it time for lunch or brunch? I know! I have a hunch! It's really time to munch.

4826

Had an acupressure session this morning. Felt good to relax and let go. Afterward, had lunch with BH (fish, polenta, asparagus/lobster soup, steamed vegetables, bruschetta and dessert)--a feast for the eyes and the palate. GH and I watched Love Affair or the Case of the Missing Switchboard Operator directed by Dusan Makavejev (Man is Not a Bird, Innocence Unprotected, WR and Sweet Movie). This film fills in the sequence of movies he made that led up to Sweet Movie. Having seen all of these films, I have a clear sense of what he did as he developed this sequence of movies.

Came home and slept for a short while. Feeling a bit jittery for some reason. The weekend trembles perhaps!

Dreamed last night that I was in a countryside location. The place was foggy/misty and seemed eerie. There were large floating creatures that looked to be part whale and part bird. The creatures skimmed through the air, making no sound as they passed. In this part of the dream, I just walked through the fields and watched the floating creatures.

In another part of the dream, small owls were attacking the floating creatures. The owls would fly out of nowhere and snap at the floating creatures. The owls would rip small patches from the floating creatures, who would then begin to deflate like huge balloons. When they had lost enough of their gaseous substance, the floating creatures would drift down and fall into the sea. There was nothing I could do except watch as the owls brought down the floating creatures. I knew somehow that what was happening was natural--that it was part of the way things worked.

4827

Went to the new (2nd) movement class today. It was helpful. It is just across the street, which makes it easy to get there. It was a really small class--6 people! I think my observation that the focus of the movement classes--on fun and relaxation--make the difference in how the exercise class is experienced. The focus is not on the illness, but on relaxation and release. I came away feeling good. I ended up sleeping for a few hours in the afternoon, but it was a restful sleep. No tensions or anxieties! I'll continue to go to both movement classes for the next month and see what plays out. From the perspective of getting access to the Rosen Method techniques, the classes are a deal! The Mt. View class is $22 for 12 sessions! The Palo Alto class is $15/class, but as I indicated it's just across the street. Nice!

Made it to the library today. Picked up some new books, and my monthly SF periodicals. Prices of the periodicals have jumped by an incredible amount--from $4.99 to $7.99! I guess they are trying to encourage readers to subscribe. $3/month may be enough incentive!

Dreamed last night that I was attending a birthday party for someone. The party was being held in a blocked off street area. There was a bar or pool hall that was on the street and was open to the party goers. I got there a bit early and things were not very crowded or all that active. Eventually, the crowds gathered and the place got crowded. People were dancing and milling about. There were no problems and everyone was having a good time. Later, as the party wound down, I found myself in an apartment that was off the same street. I was getting ready to lay down on the sofa and go to sleep. The couple that owned the apartment were down a hall in a bedroom. There were lights glowing from their room that was making it difficult to sleep. They turned off the lights and I drifted away. The party had been for someone who often was in that section of the town. He was well known and had a lot of friends.

Acupressure session in the morning followed by lunch/movie with BH/GH. Lots to start reading on tonight!

4828

Rainy drainy, lots of drops! It's not all that cold though, which is nice. Went to PD exercise class today. I spent some time trying to understand why the exercise class seems "heavier" than the movement class. I don't come away from the exercise class feeling as "quiet" as I do after the movement class. Last night, after the movement class, I felt really peaceful and relaxed. Not entirely so with the exercise class.

I think part of it has to do with the focus of the classes. The movement class is focused on relaxation and having fun. The exercise class is focused on the illness. It too has some fun parts, but the focus is on the disease and what it's doing to the body. I think that's the key difference between the two. Dance class on Monday is also mostly focused on having fun, but it's just more intense than the movement class and is not as relaxing. Will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow in the second movement class. Will be with a new instructor.

Dreamed last night that I was with a group of men. We were entering a secure complex. There were four of us. We were riding in a jeep-like vehicle. We were supposed to be escorted onto the complex, but our driver ignored the guard's warnings and just drove on into the facility. He was driving like a mad man, going down the wrong side of the road, and having to avoid collisions as we careened along. At one point, there was a huge water spout that appeared on the horizon off to our left side. It looked menacing and seemed to be bearing down on us. I awoke as the spout was approaching so I don't know what happened. The dream was intense but didn't seem to portend any danger or harm. It was like an adventure.

I came home from the exercise class and zapped off to sleep. I awoke after a short nap, took my medication, and went back to bed. Slept a bit more and then was awakened by the sounds of the apartment complex. The roaring of the kids at play! Life goes on!

4829

Rain, rain and more rain! Thunderous deluges coming down, one after the other. Managed to get out and about some today despite the moisture. Did laundry at my new laundromat and found that Tuesday morning is not that crowded. The place is also roomier than what was my regular facility.

Grabbed a bowl of hot udon from Whole Foods, which was a nice complement to the rainy day. Came back and slept for a few hours (I was somewhat tired) and then went to the movement class. Turns out that the person teaching the Thursday movement class is my Tuesday night's teacher's teacher. Small world! I'll try the Thursday class for a month (until the PD dance class) begins and see what happens. Based on what time the PD class takes place, I might be able to do both once the PD class gets underway. Move and dance, dance and move!

PD exercise class tomorrow.

I had a series of intense dreams last night and today. One dream was a replay of my last divorce--a re-visitation of the sadness and upset that went on at that time. There was a looming implication of infidelity that made the whole dream heavy and dark. I felt that I reprocessed the whole scenario and came to a still point by the time the dream was over. It was a most unpleasant remembering.

Another dream scene had me being awakened by a strange man. He was poking at me and smacking me with his fist. I struck back and ended up throwing myself off the bed (actually) as I was dreaming about punching the man in the head.

A dream segment that I had this afternoon involved having BH (not lunch time BH, but one of the men on the men's team) stuck in a toilet. He was having problems with his bowels and needed help cleaning himself up. The dream may have been prompted by a huge bowel movement I experienced when I awoke this morning. My stomach was cramping and when I went to the toilet I expelled a massive elimination. I felt really cleaned out. I think the large dinner I had on Sunday evening was too much food for my system so late in the day. I have to eat my largest meal around midday to keep things healthy.

Enough about these shitty dreams! Time for some happier images!

4830

Lots of rain! Feels good to be getting some moisture in the air.

Went to dance class (CW line dance) this morning. Floor was a bit sticky from the moisture, but it was a good class. We've learned around 10 dances so far, which makes for an active class session. My legs and feet seemed to work well today. I also seem to be remembering the dance steps without a lot of difficulty. I've danced most of the dances being taught, but it has been a while and I'm not practicing between classes. The challenge level is about right it seems.

I've become one of the dancers who "know the dances." I tried to hide out in the back of the room, but when we turn around I'm right in front of everyone. It's fine! Good to get some compliments!

Had lunch with BH today (tasty soup and a pasta casserole, followed by coconut sorbet sprinkled with chopped mangoes). GH and I watched Mafioso, a black comedy about a regular guy from a small Italian village gets co-opted into helping the Mafia with a crime. One of the writers on the film was Marco Ferreri, who also wrote and directed La Grande Bouffe. There's a family meal in Mafioso that presages the extravagant gorging that went on in La Grande Bouffe.

Forgot my dreams from last night. They were intense, but I lost the details when I was awakened by the rains. Dreams will return! Tomorrow is a laundry day. Also have a movement class in the afternoon. Move and turn! Move and turn! Dance the days (the daze) away!

4831

March comes in like a sponge! Rained a lot last night and today. The flowers are thankful.

Watched the movie Salo today with GH and his house guest, J. The film was difficult to watch--it is unrelenting. But, it helped to have watched a bit of it the other day and to "prepare" for today's showing. It is a masterful but disturbing work. It deserved the Chicago Film Critics designation as one of the scariest films (65th out of 100) to watch.

The interviews we watched last week helped set the context and mitigated the film's ferocity. Not sure I'll ever want to see it again. In some ways, I won't have to--the images are burnt into my retinas.

Dreamed last night something about three figures who were dressed in dark clothes. The whole dream revolved around those three images. The sense was that the three figures were not really solid and part of the dream scenes. They seemed to float over the surface of the scenes as if they were ghosts or specters.

Dance class in the morning. Then lunch and movie with the H's. The month of March begins.