4740

Weekends are made for sleeping! I awoke late this morning, ate some breakfast, took a shower and went back to sleep for several hours. Finally pushed myself out the door and into the traffic. Had a late lunch and picked up a toothbrush. Then, back to the nest--but not back to sleep. Slow day!

Dreamed last night that I was near the beach. I was with family and friends. It was late--the sun had already set. We were gathered at a beach area. Most everyone was in the water. I wasn't. I had been in the water earlier and had found it to be too cold. Didn't seem to be bothering any of the others though. There were some earlier parts of the dream back in a cabin. It was all like a chaotic family affair with lots of people going all which ways.

Family across the way from me moved out this weekend. They came in and blitzed the place--moving, discarding, and cleaning. It was like a hive of bees had descended and buzzed their way through the days.

I managed to juggle three balls for an extended period of time (throws) today. I could feel the rhythm in my arms that makes that possible. I've been trying to recover my juggling skills for quite some time. Today it came back for a while. Awesome! Keep on juggling!

Will head out to a CW dance class (final one for this session) tomorrow. Looking forward to moving some! Dance the dance!

4741

Lazy day! Slept in late and came back from running errands and slept some more. Feeling fairly good today, but just want to sleep a lot.

Dreamed last night a set of dreams that had to do with words. It was like I would go though a dream sequence and at the end a word would appear that summarized the dream scene. Or, conversely, I would see a word and then a dream would unfold based on that word. It made for a crazy set of dream elements--all tied together by single words. What can I say? Strange dreaming!

Picked up a couple of movies from the library--Spartacus and The Bicycle Thieves. Spartacus was directed by Kubrick and GH indicated we would not be seeing it in our mini-festival. Thieves is an Italian film that's high on the "must see" list of early international films. I watched Thieves this evening. It was engaging but in the end somewhat disappointing--not just because of the unhappy ending. I wanted the character who played the father to be more aggressive. He attempted to steal a bike near the end of the film, but failed to do so. Everything he did ended up in a muddle. I wanted to see more from him. He didn't deliver and the movie ended on that note.

The film was an example of the early neo-realism that came into movies during the 40s. Thieves is lauded, alongside Citizen Kane, as being a forerunner of this style of cinema. The film was gritty but somehow not exactly realistic. The father couldn't afford to make such big mistakes given the realities of the times. But, it was a slice of life during those times.

4742

Went to the acupressure session this morning. It really relaxed me. I came home and sat down and went flat to sleep. Almost slept past my lunch time with BH. Made it there a bit later than usual. She had fixed a beautiful plate of spicy noodles with sliced duck, mango, onion and more. It was a perfect lunch.

GH and I watched Kubrick's Lolita. An interesting film that was like and unlike his previous pieces. It was a bit long, but was fast paced. There was a chess game, voice over narration, and other signature elements. It had an all star cast. Peter Sellers played a character that foreshadowed what he would do in Dr. Strangelove--the next selection in our mini-festival.

Dreamed last night but let the details slip away when I awoke. Bumped into WB at TJ's. We spoke briefly about the PD and how her husband, JB, was doing with his battle with the illness. He's lucky to have WB there to help him.

I felt good after the acupressure session. Muscles in my left leg were relaxed and loose. He worked that side of my body very thoroughly. I'll get three more sessions with him before he takes off for his summer holiday. I'll have a juggling act in front of me keeping up with classes/sessions as the summer progresses. Schedules are going to be shifted around some. Shake, rattle and roll!

4743

Went to two movement/dance classes today and also did my laundry. The movement/dance classes felt really good. The tightness in my left calf subsided quite a lot today. Have to give the credit to the classes. Seems absolutely clear that movement and dance produce positive results in terms of symptoms and effects. How to do more? That is the question! Explore some more and see what is available. Dance and move! Move and dance!

Went to the laundromat after attending both classes. It was late in the day and I felt a little blotto, but everything went quickly and I managed to get everything clean and dried. Went for a dinner and had the "recession" special--a choice of several entrees, soup and salad, bread, drink and vegetables with gravy. It was a lot of food, but it tasted great! I was hungry--only had breakfast and a banana as a snack. All of the movement/exercise left me famished.

Got a fun note from LL in Hawaii. Some cows wandered into her area and she had to try and keep them from eating the fruit trees. She had an adventure trying to round them up and ended up meeting some of her neighbors. Also got a note from MOP--she's moving to Albuquerque! I will miss not bumping into her around town. Wish her well in her new surroundings.

Dreamed last night a couple of dreams that involved survival themes. In one dream, I was busy stocking the shelves with food and survival gear. I had decided that we needed to be prepared for some kind of major disaster so I had gone out and bought tons of items. In the second dream, I think I was meeting with people in the area regarding disaster plans and protocols. Both dreams were not too tense or heavy, but they both involved what felt like a serious set of actions just in case something happened.

Acupressure session in the morning! Then lunch and a movie with BH/GH. Kubrick Festival continues with Lolita!

4744

Did the PD exercise class today. My left calf continues to feel tight. The muscle seems to be contracting for some reason. Another mysterious ache and pain! I don't recall straining that leg or muscle in any way. Might be related to PD but am assuming it's not and that it will clear up given time. We did a sustained walk today in PD class (5 to 6 minutes) and it seemed to not activate the tight calf muscle. Tonight it's more noticeable. Always some new twinge!

Dreamed last night that I was part of a team of people (two of us). We were demonstrating some new software architectures that involved the Internet and cross-computer communications. We were running a presentation where we were showing off the system's features and capabilities. By the end of the session, I was starving. I walked outside and found myself near a boardwalk that had amusement rides and many food booths. I cruised some of the booths and bought something to eat. As I ate, I continued walking along the docks and soon came to some open beaches. I wandered about for some time before coming back to the boardwalk and the meeting rooms. I seem to recall seeing people in the boardwalk crowds whom I knew. We nodded to each other but never spoke. The people seemed to drift out of the shadows, into the light, and back into the shadows like wraiths.

Tomorrow there is a movement class and a dance class. Ready to move!

4745

Went to movement class today. Really felt good! My legs are still feeling tight and stiff, but things loosened up with the class. Motto: Got to keep on moving! Even if there are class breaks, I need to figure out how to keep moving during the lulls.

Dreamed last night about words, but I don't recall the details. In the dream, I was doing something with words.

Read a lot of the trivia information surrounding the Paths of Glory film. Kubrick met his soon-to-be third wife during the making of this film. After the film was done, he ended up divorcing his second wife and marrying Cristiane--who played the character of the woman singer appearing near the end of the film.

Each of his films has a horde of ancillary bits of trivia. For example, in Paths of Glory he took over 60 takes of a small dinner scene involving three soldiers who were to be executed. There was a roast duck on the platter on which the food was displayed. They had to roast over 60 ducks in order to do the scene. He was a stickler for details.

4746

Today's movie was Paths of Glory. It was the film Kubrick made right after The Killing. What a shift! He went from a film noir setting right into a war scene. Glory is an anti-war statement that earned Kubrick very little from France, Germany and Spain. All three countries banned the film (for different reasons). It wasn't a box office success. But it is a powerful film! It portrays both the heroism and insanity of war--a view from the trenches and the civilized veneer of leadership as events play out in the midst of battle. Next is Lolita! Almost seems implausible that these films were written and directed by the same person.

My left calf is giving me trouble. The muscle is tight and twinging. Not exactly sure why it is doing what it's doing. I suspect the clutch pedal in my truck may be contributing to the problem. I'm trying to massage it out and getting it to relax. Have a movement class tomorrow--will see if that helps or aggravates the situation. Always something!

I lost my DSL carrier this morning. Managed to get it back online finally, but it took a long support call. Not clear what caused the outage. Made me realize how dependent I am on being able to access the Internet. Something else to shake up the day!

Dreamed last night about something that is becoming a signature in my dream states. I dreamed that I was working on some sort of classification schema that organized information into a three-tiered structure. The image of the produced results was a set of embedded boxes. The outer box was the most general result. A middle box refined and focused the results from the outer box. The third inner box focused the results even further, pinpointing details and implications that were not evident in the first two boxes. The whole structure was like the results of a more-and-more refined set of search results. In the dream, I was responsible for the specification and implementation of the schema. I was explaining how the process worked to a group of co-workers--showing them how it behaved and the results it produced. It was a clean, clear dream with no tension or pressure regarding what was being done.

BH made a great lunch today! Everything was very flavorful and tasty! Time for dreams!

4747

Saw newest grandkid today. She's in good form. Babbling a lot, smiling a lot, and learning about the world. She's a little over double her birth weight--she's sassy and happy. My daughter, who teaches swimming, had her in the water this past week. The just over 3-month old went underwater, floated, and seemed to generally take to pool. Amazing! She seems to be a water child!

Missed my afternoon nap today, but don't seem to be phased by it. I'm ready to read some and then sleep, but I don't feel all that tired. It's the first day I've not napped in the afternoon in quite some time.

Scheduled for lunch with BH tomorrow and a movie with GH. Look forward to seeing another Kubrick film. I'm really interested in his life and work.

Dreamed last night that I was at the children's library. I had gone there to pick up a kid's book. There was a huge line of people stretching from the reference desk all the way outdoors. I got in line and waited anxiously for the line to move. It was nearing closing time and I was concerned that they would close the place before I could get to the front desk. Eventually, the line shortened and the last people who were waiting were all inside. When it was my turn, I told the librarian that I was looking for a particular book. She knew right where it was located and retrieved a copy for me. She also brought along some peripheral items that came with the book. When the book was read to a child, the peripheral items could be used to reinforce the story. There were hats, swords, and other things that went with the story.

The librarian pointed out the objects that did not have a fee required. Some of the objects did require a fee, and some of the fees were rather steep. I chose some objects that were free.

I also had another dream sequence that involved an eerie, creepy man. He was scary and strange. So much so, that I consciously stopped the dream. In the dream, I realized that the dream was scaring me and I chose to stop it. I've had many dreams that were scary, but very few that were so ominous that I ended the dreaming.

No dance class tomorrow. I think there's one final class next Monday and that will be it for the summer. I've been researching other venues that might fill in the gaps.

When I went to dinner tonight, I asked the cashier if they gave discounts to seniors. Turns out they do, but she said that I didn't look old enough for a discount. Nice! She was truly surprised that I'm old enough for a discount. Keep on dancing!

4748

Picked up some new stories from the library. Bumbled about today running errands and such. Got my hair cut. Man, I'm getting bald! Dome top when the hair is trimmed back. Although, my mane was looking a bit wild despite the paucity of locks.

Had a set of interrelated dreams last night. In the first dream, I was with some of the people I used to work with at SRI. I was briefing them on a major problem regarding our computer modeling systems. We had been letting people alter the primary data elements of the modeling system dynamically. Doing so was causing problems with keeping the data elements in sync. When you built and ran a model, you had to do all kinds of double- and triple-checks to make sure the data being referenced was the same as when you last ran a simulation. I was proposing that we initiate a three-level system. The first level would be for local use only while models were being constructed. When the model was ready for testing, it could be pushed up a level where validation routines would be run. The validation runs would note and tag any variation in data elements that were being triggered by the new models. A team of verification experts would review the tagged variations and certify that the primary data elements could be altered to accommodate the new models. If the verification process indicated that the data sets could be altered, the new model would be pushed up to the third executable level along with any data set alterations. If the verification process failed, the model would be placed back at the local level where the model builder would reconfigure the model to match the data set constraints. What a dream!

The second dream involved myself and two programmers. We were responsible for implementing a master operating system to handle the modeling and data verification procedures outlined in the first dream. In the dream, we spent a lot of time working out the overall processes of the operating system. We got the system up and running.

What a set of techno-dreamings! Where did that deluge of digital dreaming come from? I was reading a story based on operas before I went to sleep. Music and mathematics! Merged!

4749

Acupressure session helped ease the rib tightness. I managed to lie face down which I could not do last week. Ah! The miracle of human touch! Luca, the practitioner, is a marvel. He is definitely a healer. I'm going to miss my sessions with him next month when he goes to Europe on vacation.

Had a wonderful lunch with BH today. We were able to sit outdoors in the middle of her lunch garden. So many colors and blossoms! GH and I (and J, a house guest of the H's) watched one of the first films that Stanley Kubrick directed--The Killing. It was a film noir style of movie with a complex plot about a scheme to do a big robbery.

I learned a lot about Kubrick from the movie database. He really didn't do that many movies, but they were nearly all good films. Apparently, he wove various scenes into nearly all of the movies along with cryptic items or objects. He was an avid chess player and the game surfaces in most of his films, or at least the strategic way in which the plots unfold. The Killing has a lot of puzzle elements and definitely foreshadows what he did in later films. It appears that one of his scripts is still in production. Like Fellini, he will have some of his work appear posthumously.

Kubrick was an eccentric, very bright person. His personal story and actions are almost more interesting than his body of work. More on him as the Kubrick Festival unfolds.

I dreamed a three-part dream last night, but I don't recall any details. They might have had something to do with dance, but I'm not sure. I was researching what dance/movement classes are available locally. I'm pulled to do more dancing/movement. The PD dance class yesterday kicked loose some yearnings for movement that seems really pertinent to me. I'm not sure where it all leads, but I feel a hunger to move my body--and to do so in ways that I've not attempted before. We shall see! Dance, dance, dance! Dance and dream! Dream and dance!

4750

The movement class instructor came down with the flu and had to cancel class today. May she be well! I went to the PD dance class. Had a good crowd of people and the class was excellent. I could feel my body wanting to really move. We did a free form set of movements that were grounded in spine. The music was exquisite! I was moved by the movement. I could feel some sadness release and float away. I had gotten the news right before class that one of my daughter's uncles had passed away. He had been battling cancer for several years, so it was not unexpected, but sad all the same. Farewell, D! Keep on dancing!

I know I dreamed last night, but right now I don't recall any content. Bumped into C today (RM's wife). She remarked how good I looked. It was to nice to hear confirmation of how I was feeling--I was feeling well. I spent some time today looking through class schedules for the summer. I found a line dance class in RC that is at the same level as my Sunnyvale class, and at about the same time on the same day. The SV center is not doing a class in the summer, but I can substitute by going to RC. Sounds like a plan. There are, no doubt, going to be other adjustments that will come up as summer arrives. Go with the flow!

4751

Went to PD exercise class today. At one point in the session, I had the thought "How did I end up here? In this room full of people who are struggling to keep moving? How did I end up here?". There was no answer. Just the realization that I was there. There and aware! I continue to feel that I'm still don't have the severe symptoms that many of the people have--but I also worry (think about, mull) about when it will show up. I also think that it will never happen--that what I'm doing is forestalling progression, slowing down the onslaught. Along with that feeling, I then feel that I need to be doing more (movement, dancing, walking, exercising, stretching, yoga, running, cycling, diet, meditate, and such). About then, I often feel tired and have to go lay down. Meanwhile, the sands keep falling--the hourglass empties. Life continues!

I had a series of dreams last night. One involved a couple of families getting together and going to a movie. There was my family (wife, kids) and another family (husband, wife, kids). We all jumped into a van and went to a movie house that was near our homes. We all rumbled into the place and took up two rows of seats on one side of the middle section. All during the movie, we kept moving around, changing seats, and goofing off. It was a lot of fun and it felt very intimate. There was a lot of physical contact, including some playful petting among the adults when we were next to each other.

A second dream involved being in a carnival setting. There were people milling about, going every which way. There was a wild-looking guy who may have been part of the carnival, and may not have been. He was going around making loud pronouncements. There was something I wanted to ask him, but I could never get close enough to him. He kept moving around the carnival lot along with a rather tall thin man who shadowed his every move.

The third dream disappeared after I awoke. I don't recall what it was about. I may have been still trying to get an answer to some questions, but I'm not certain if that was what I was doing.

PD exercise class didn't seem to bother my rib(s). I'm still a bit sore, but nothing major. Will be going to a movement class tomorrow and a PD dance class. It's been a few weeks of no PD dance so it will be great to get back to having a session. I'm a little tired tonight (I didn't get a long afternoon sleep), but am feeling good.

Got a set of photographs of Jude from my daughter. She's looking great! Looking forward to seeing them this weekend.

4752

Made it to the movement class today and did well given my rib discomfort. Nice to do some moving! After the class, I dropped by the Country Gourmet for some dinner. The movement class instructor and two people from the class turned up there. We all had a light dinner together. It was nice to have some interaction with some different people.

I have the PD exercise class tomorrow. Back in the groove! Not moving a lot this weekend was noticeable. Have to keep moving! Move on! Move on!

Dreams from last night did not stay in memory. I read a story by Joyce Carol Oates that I had read before in another collection. It was a eerie story about Poe moving into an isolated light house. Strange story! Probably why I didn't recall my dreams--the story stirred up the dream images and didn't let them fall into a memorable line. The story collection is about the last nights of various famous writers. Tonight's story is about Emily Dickinson.

4753

Heat abates somewhat. Did not make it to dance class today. My rib was still hurting some and I just didn't feel like buzzing about. I slept in and rested. Made it to BH's for a delicious lunch. I couldn't eat a lot since my digestive system is somewhat out of order--the intense heat over the past few days seemed to contribute to the problem even though I drank liters of liquids.

GH picked the film Wittgenstein for viewing today. It was an interesting glimpse into the life of Ludwig Wittgenstein and his battles with his own mind-self. The movie was done simply in a theatrical style. There were minimal sets/props and no outside shots. It was like watching a play. The actors were very good (mostly British) with characters that looked like Bertrand Russell, Wittgenstien and others. The story reminded me of the film A Beautiful Mind--the anguish experienced by a mind that sees so much.

I dreamed last night that I was moving into an office. I spent part of the dream hanging up tapestries and artifacts on the walls of the room. I took a lot of time putting things in just the right places--imagining what others would see when they walked into the place. There was an initial segment of the dream that took place outside the room in an open area of the campus. There were people carrying signs and banners, walking quietly around the courtyard. It was difficult to tell if they were protesting something or supporting a cause. They moved around without saying anything--a silent march.

I'm feeling logy and dense. Can't seem to shake off the heaviness. Have a movement class tomorrow evening. Will be good for me to get there--shuffle off some of this clingy dullness.

4754

Continues to be a scorcher! Hot! Hot! Hot! I spent part of the warm day getting a new set of tires. The old ones still have a lot of tread, but they are at least 7 years old (maybe more if they were on the shelf for a while). They were showing signs of sidewalls drying and cracking. Thought it best to replace them before one of them blows out on the freeway. Using my O-stimulus check to help defray the expenses and perhaps stimulate a small part of the economy.

Slept last night with the fan going all the time. Place was like an oven. Dreamed several dreams--something to do with kids and something to do with fishing. Not clear about the details right now. Just have image fragments floating in my dream brain. The complicated world of dreams--continues to be so.

Monitoring my Visa account! I'm getting some "phishing" transactions appearing on my summary statements. The transactions are pending, but I'm watching in case they get posted to the account. If they do, I'll have to dispute the transactions. Apparently, there's nothing the Visa card company will do while a transaction is pending. They only act after a transaction is completed--even though the source of the fraudulent transaction is a known source of illegal activities. The more bothersome issue is how the "phishers" got my credit card number. I suspect a donation that I made online for a cancer relay. I believe their site is hacked and is a source of leaked data.

Oh, the joys of the Internet! What games are being played!

4755

Hot! Hot! Hot! Over 90 degrees today! Major heat! I slept in this morning and napped in the afternoon. It's supposed to be hot again tomorrow. Whew!

Watched the documentary that LL sent me--Under Our Skin. A critical review of Lyme's Disease and what patients are undergoing to get effective treatment. Some people have terrible symptoms that leave them in pain, immobile, and severely damaged. The film makes the point that there have been a few doctors who have used aggressive treatment strategies (involving high doses of antibiotics for extended periods of time, but how they have been censored despite many of their patients showing progress and remission). The film is a sad commentary on the interactions of the medical hierarchy, insurance companies, patient's rights and needs, and doctors who are trying to do what's best for those who suffer from this illness. It's enough to get under my skin!

Dreamed last night that I was in a room that was like an aquarium. People's faces and heads were floating by. I guess I too was one of the floating heads. Everyone was happy and cheerful. It was an enjoyable dream. I felt really good during the dream episodes and when I awoke. I felt energized by the dream and my interactions/conversations with the other people.

Got a call from my daughter today. She's running the Bay to Breakers tomorrow. Granddaughter Jude is doing well. She weighs 13 pounds. Healthy, quiet, happy kid! She'll sit out the race tomorrow though. It'll be a zoo without dealing with a stroller.

4756

Something has made my stomach empty itself over the past few days. My bowels are loose for a change, but it's not all that pleasant. Can't figure out if it's something I ate or if I picked up a bit of stomach flu. I don't have fever or such--I'm just on the elimination fast track. Oh, well! If it's not one thing, it's another (like a cracked rib)!

Had a gentle acupressure session this morning. Then had a good lunch at BH's. GH and I completed our Fellini Festival with Fellini's first directed film, Variety Lights. The film gives an idea of where he started, but not too many hints of his ultimate innovations. Look forward to seeing the two films currently in production based on his original scripts.

Dreamed last night that I was at a dance. It was a crowd of people from the CW dance community. It was my first time back with them since I'd been diagnosed. It was fun and enlivening to see some of them again and do some dancing. I had a long conversation with a woman who came to the dances. I had known her a bit when I was still dancing, but did not know her that well. In the dream, she came across as an old friend. It was enjoyable.

A second dream eludes me right now. I know that I had an extended second dream sequence, but it is now vapor. Oh, well! In the complicated world of dreams (I lifted that phrase from a book of stories I'm reading) all connections are made possible. Aha! I just recalled the second dream. It was about me uncluttering a house where I lived. I was busy throwing out a bunch of old stuff and clearing out closets and storage areas. I was feeling good about the progress we were making in removing all the excess items. I also got involved in a sequence of conversations with someone about not being in debt. I was telling him how I was debt free and how happy that made me. It was a satisfying dream scene.

GH gave me an article from the American Scientist (May-June 2007) called The Most Dangerous Equation. It's a somewhat complex article about errors that can be made by misreading statistical results. I'm proud to note that I found typographical/numerical errors on the article's initial pages. So much for fact checking/copy editing in a major magazine!

4757

Did my laundry today, but didn't make it to the movement class. I was zapped when I returned from the laundromat. Went out for a late lunch and did some grocery shopping. Came back and slept some more. Can't seem to get enough sleep--or rather I can just keep on sleeping no matter what.

Dreamed last night a pair of dreams. One involved a house that a friend of mine had built. It was up high on a ridge overlooking the ocean. However, a developer had come in and built a huge complex of apartments and townhouses immediately above my friend's place. The walls of the units were up against the fence that traversed the back yard. It felt like the units were looming over my friend's property, blocking the light, and posing a threat should the units ever start slipping down the hill. I walked the property and took a trail that led up and around the edge of the complex. It was a steep trail and I was struggling some. At one point, I encountered some local residents who didn't live in the units, but in a small place near the trail. They offered me some cookies, which I took and ate. I was perplexed by the intrusion of the units over my friend's property, but there was nothing that I could think to do about it.

A second dream involved being in a laboratory. I was helping a couple of people analyze some materials. We were figuring out the chemical composition of the material. We were in an elaborate CSI-like facility with all manner of technology and scientific gear.

Feeling like an early-to-bed evening is upon me. Have an acupressure session in the morning (hopefully it will help my ribs some) and then lunch/movie with BH/GH. They both have a birthday coming up (on the 23rd)--they'll be 82!

4758

Made it to the PD exercise class today. Glad I went even though I had to be careful with my rib(s). I just didn't do anything to exacerbate the injury. Seemed to work out well. Class is going to be moved--to Wednesday mornings. Won't be too bad; will just have to get up earlier on that day. The move will still leave the rest of my schedule open for dance/movement classes, lunches/movies with BH/GH, and acupressure sessions.

Dreamed last night and today a chaotic set of dream images. The dream scenes all had something to do with chasing and being chased. There were elaborate interplays as I closed in on the others or they closed in on me. There were weapons, but they weren't used all that often--it was more like an adult game of hide-and-seek.

I could feel the effects of missing dance/movement classes this week. My legs and feet just didn't feel like they were moving well. Can't skip sessions--in fact feel like I have to add in even more activity. Not sure how to do that given the tiredness that manifests with what I already do. But, need to be doing more--or so it feels.

The month of May is half gone (or half yet to go--glass half full). I continue to feel half engaged with everything--watching as the days go by--chasing my tail in an endless dance. Watching the stars whirl in the evening skies!

4759

Spent the day sleeping, eating and hanging out. Letting my rib(s) stay quiet. Didn't go to movement class or to do laundry. Just let things be.

Dreamed, but don't remember what I dreamed about. Last night's dreams were filled with activity, but as I noted nothing was remembered.

It was a day lost in the fog. Except for difficulty with elimination. The meal from yesterday was too much for my system. The beef ribs were the lost likely culprits. My system can't handle dense red meats. I know that this is so for me, but they sure tasted good.

I slept on and off all day. Watched some TV shows online this evening. Have a PD exercise class tomorrow. I may be up for going there. Will see how it's going when I awake in the morning. Nothing is for sure right now. Except the wrinkle of sleep!

4760

Didn't make it to dance class today. Cracked rib(s) was a bit touchy so I thought it best to not aggravate it more. It's was fairly quiet throughout the afternoon; pinching some now. Have to let it be--give it a rest. Too bad! Miss dancing! But I'll get back to it soon enough.

Had a great lunch with BH today. She's really going out of her way to fix various dishes. GH and I watched Fellini's Satyricon. An impressive film! Somehow Fellini performed magic in producing such a lush film on a really small budget (supposedly the movie was shot for $3MM in 1969 U.S. dollars). Even though many of the sets were facades, they were still done in monumental ways and with great attention to details. We have now watched a half-dozen of his films in our mini Fellini Festival. Impressivo!

Dreamed last night that I was working on a computer that belonged to a friend of mine. The computer was not working properly. The screen kept filling with overlapping, chaotic images. I couldn't keep track of the cursor and kept activating random files and applications that helped paint the screen with gibberish. I kept trying to find a way to prevent the screen from being so cluttered that I couldn't be sure what I was or was not activating. I seemed to recall that I eventually had some success and brought some order to the situation.

I'm still astounded that I cracked a rib, especially given what I was doing at the time--pulling on two objects that were stuck together. I guess leverage is everything. More so perhaps when my muscles and bones are weakened. What a cumbersome situation! Frustrating and aggravating!

Keep thinking about what I am to do as things continue to unwind. Can't help but do so! The realities of everything eats at my optimism. "Always Looking Up" is MJF's latest book. I'm having trouble looking up with my cracked rib(s) making me bend over. I guess that's from the book "Sometimes Looking Downward." Eloi! Eloi!

4761

Moon is full. I did manage to crack a rib on Friday night. It was a bit more sore today. Still not as bad as some previous times, but noticeable. Oh, well! Time will heal all wounds, even silly ones.

Got a call from LL this morning, from Hawaii. She's still settling in and is having some issues with the native fauna--namely bugs and centipedes. They are part of the ambiance of the islands. She's also been getting some residue of the vog (volcano fog) that emanates from the big island. When the trade winds stop, the vog drifts northward onto Kauai. Not a pleasant encounter. But, she's settling in and enjoying the other many pleasures of the place.

I dreamed last night, but didn't remember about what as I awoke. Dance class tomorrow, Will see if the cracked rib causes and discomfort. Lunch and movie scheduled with BH/GH. Really tired tonight. Will crash early and read myself to dream land.

4762

Spent the afternoon and evening with GH/BH. GH and I went to the library and picked up a copy of Fellini's Roma. Quite a film! The papal fashion show segment was a hoot! On the way back from the library, GH spotted two vertical cabinets on the street with a "FREE" sign. We stopped and threw them in the truck. They were in good shape. One had DVD/CD sized shelves. The second one was larger, perhaps for books or such. We hauled them away!

I did manage to crack a rib last night while we were trying to get the corkscrew off a bottle. The corkscrew had slipped down over the lip of the bottle and lodged there. We, in various ways, tried to get it loose. I was pulling on the bottle with one hand and pulling on the corkscrew with the other hand. I felt/heard a "popping" sound in my rib cage under my upper left arm. This morning it was sore and difficult to turn onto. This is about my 8th cracked rib. It doesn't seem to be too severe. Hope it doesn't interfere with dance/movement classes. We shall see!

Dreamed last night but don't recall the details. I was tired when I went to bed from being up so late. Have also stayed up late tonight. Starting a new trend? Perhaps!

I was quite buzzy when I left BH/GH tonight. It was a long afternoon and evening. Not what I've usually been doing, but maybe it's time for some changes. We shall see!

4763

Lunch at BH's today! A fish medley with salmon, shrimp, scallops, clam and tomatoes. Tasty, tasty!

GH and I watched Fellini's Juliet of the Spirits. It was a bit long, but visually a treat. He does love the bizarre and colorful. The film starred his actual wife in the lead role. He, as a character, was in the film, but not in the lead role. The focus was on the drama and the trauma of the wife.

Going back to their place tonight. GH is performing some of his cabaret pieces for a person who is celebrating a birthday. Should be fun!

Dreamed last night that I was with a group of colleagues. We were on a business retreat. We were in a foreign country like Taiwan or China. We were out having dinner. The cafe was nearly empty except for our group. We were eating a lot of different dishes that were being prepared slowly and brought to the table as they were complete. I went back into the kitchen to check with the chefs. They told me that they had a dinner party arriving at 6PM that would take up the entire cafe. We had to be finished by then--in a bit over an hour. I went out and told the group that we had to finish up and go back to the hotel. We would continue our discussions there.

We went back and met some more. I had a conversation with my supervisor where I told him that he was being promoted for a good reason. Our executives were trying to move several of us up the ladder so we could hire some new people and be ready for a growth spurt. I assured my supervisor that nothing was happening that was not planned out and thought carefully through. I seemed to calm him down some. Later, I booked an early flight back home. I left the next morning to return to the US.

The entire dream segments were very detailed and very clear. Like it was all being filmed.

4764

Went to the movement class today. Came away feeling relaxed and moving smoothly. Had no PD dance class today. Went to lunch after the movement class. There was a man in the cafe who needed two canes to hold him up when he moved. He was way overweight. I hate to say it but he looked like Jabba the Hut. It must be awful for him to get up and get around. He was by himself so he was driving. Not exactly sure how, but he wedged himself behind the wheel and rolled out of the parking lot. People have all kinds of challenges!

Enjoyed the waltz movements that we did in class today. I could feel myself more upright as we danced across the room. Only four people (including the instructor) in class today. Makes for a nice session but doesn't exactly support the instructor.

Dreamed last night that I completed a working computer model that used cluster analysis to analyze and decode various sets of data. In the dream, I was talking about the details of the algorithm that I had devised--how it worked and what it could be expected to do. It was a satisfying but slightly intense dream. I had some secondary dreams about being in grade school and skipping out of different classes. These dream segments were out in the countryside. We lived on farms and everything was rural and bucolic.

No acupressure session tomorrow. Will have lunch/movie with BH/GH. Early to bed tonight it seems. Only took a short nap this afternoon. Feeling logy!

4765

PD exercise class today. Noticed that focus is so much on the illness. Need more of MJF's new book--Always Looking Up. He's on the TV tomorrow night in a special. Will see if I can view it online. Should be able to do so.

When the class completed today there was some food in the lunch area. We migrated into the room and tried to make a meal from the leftovers that the research people didn't eat. Not very appealing--it's like a host of locusts had already passed through the place. One of the people in the group misplaced his cane. Several people were looking for it. I walked around the room several times and suddenly there was the cane! It was hooked over the back of a chair and seemed to materialize in front of me. More than one person had looked in that area and had not seen it although it was in plain view. Anyway, he was happy to find it. He was really unhappy at not finding it when he noticed he didn't have it.

I dreamed last night that I was helping put together a curriculum. I was working with another man and a woman. We were compiling the materials. Everything had been printed out and was gathered together in several file boxes. The boxes took up several feet of desk space. It was quite a hefty collection of documents when we finally pulled it all together. I also dreamed several dream scenes in my afternoon nap, but I don't recall what they were about. They were vivid when I was having the dreams.

Movement class tomorrow but no dance class. Dance instructors are doing some performances over the next few weeks. They'll return on 5/21/09. Time for some chocolate cookies and chocolate milk--my before bedtime ritual!

4766

Acupressure and movement class today. Acupressure helped me unkink from yesterday's dance class. Legs, hips and thighs a bit tight today. The 1.5 hours of movement in the dance class makes for some tight muscles. Felt really good after the movement class--as usual. Felt relaxed and grounded.

Found the Hurkle! I've been playing a round of HurkleQuest and I found the Hurkle. Took me five plays (sets of guesses). I would have done it in four plays if I hadn't flip-flopped my 4th set of guesses. Now looking for magical objects that are scattered around the spot where the Hurkle is hiding.

Dreamed last night a really strange dream. I was in a dumpy room in what may have been a motel--could have been some kind of lockup facility. I was able to look out of a window into an open area that divided the barracks-style rooms. Women were housed across the way in the rooms that bordered the open area. Men were housed in the rooms on this side of the area. I recall that there were four things that had to be done. I don't remember what the four things were, but I know there were four actions I was supposed to do. In one action, I was to throw myself through the window and fall into the open area. Why? I'm not certain. I was just supposed to do it. I don't remember what the other three actions were about.

PD exercise class tomorrow. MegaMillion lottery tonight! Might parlay my $7 winnings into something more. Jackpot is reset since there were winners last Friday. My ticket is good for two more draws (tonight and next Friday). May the lottery balls bounce bountifully!

4767

Danced today! I was quite tired after the class, but it was enjoyable. The instructor introduced a dance that's relatively complex. It has lots of sections and restarts. It looks like fun, but it's a challenge.

Had lunch with BH (tasty pesto pasta with potatoes and green beans, a warm goat cheese salad, and dessert). GH and I watched a Fellini film, 8½. A panoramic piece of work. He continues with his attention to dreams and memories. Also, his pointing the camera back into his own life, unflinchingly.We're doing a Fellini Festival. Prego! Prego! (An Italian word that has at least five meanings.) GH is doing much better with his eye issues. May he be well!

Dreamed last night a panoramic dream of my own. We were in the countryside near the house I dreamed about within the past week. We were hiking along a trail. There was three men, a boy and a dog. One of the men was jogging and had gotten far ahead of the other two men (I was one of the two). The boy and the dog were somewhere between the man jogging and the two men bringing up the rear. There was a mild concern about the boy and dog getting lost, but the dream went on with everyone being where they were.

The dream shifted back to some place near the house. There were several people jammed into a few cars. They were speeding away from the house. There was something not quite right about things, but things seemed to clear up as the cars sped away.

Have an acupressure session tomorrow (going early in the week--Luca is out of the area on Friday). Have a flowing movement class in the late afternoon.

I noticed this morning that I had skipped my medication yesterday afternoon. Not sure how I forgot, but I did. I took a nap and didn't take my medication when I awoke. Doing so didn't seem to have any noticeable effects. I was perhaps a bit more tired this morning, but it is hard to pinpoint any major issues. No harm, no foul!

4768

Dreamed last night that I was going back to college. I was signing up for courses at a junior college. I had some questions about one of the courses. It was class that was being held at a remote location. That meant I had to ride a bus to the site. It would take a few hours to reach the class location and we would have to spend a few days there. The class was an art's project course. We, the students, were going to design, construct, and install a large art object.

The second part of the dream involved the creation and installation of the art piece. I was struggling with some large pieces of cloth. I was supposed to coat the fabric with a white wash. I used too much wash and the cloths got soaked and were not usable. I had to do them over. In part of the dream, I was painting on parts of the object. I was painting sharp black lines along the ridges of object. The effect was like adding quills to that part of the object. It was a pleasant activity.

Finally, we completed all of our separate sections of the object. We did a final assembly and erected the object using a system of ropes and pulleys. The final work was impressive. We stood around the base of the object and viewed all of the various elements that were now integrated. It was a satisfying experience.

Back to dancing tomorrow! Looking forward to doing so. Walked some today (not a lot). Felt good! Must do more!

4769

Ahhh! The joy of chasing spam! On one of the Yahoo group sites that I visit, a spammer has been dumping messages with porno links on the listserv. One of the members voiced a complaint and asked if it could be stopped. I sent a note to Yahoo abuse telling them about the problem. They responded with instructions about email abuse--not group listserv abuse. I responded and told them that the abuse was on a group listserv. They replied that I needed to send them an example of the abuse. I copied about 25 messages and sent them to Yahoo. They then replied that the owner of the list was the one who could delete spam and purge the offending member, but I had to ask the owner to do that. I sent the owner a copy of my dialog with Yahoo and requested that he/she purge the member whose ID is being used to spam/abuse the list. We'll see what happens! It's such an obvious misuse of the list, but the system for clearing it up is like a federal bureaucracy! Why the spammer is wasting their time (and others) with such nonsense is an open question. Where's the "reverse spam" button? Push it and it dumps the spammer's messages back to their account.

Been rather quiet today. A bit of rain today; cloudy and cool. Well I did have some minor good fortune--I had three of the lottery numbers in last night's MegaMillion draw. I won a grand total of $7! I had three out of the six numbers. The jackpot winners (there were three of them) had to trisect the pot, but they'll probably not complain. They will receive about $75MM each. Just three different numbers and my 7$ would have been 10MM times greater. Maybe next time!

I dreamed last night that I was with a group of people (we were quite young) who were riding the current of a river. We were traveling down the river and going through several narrow places where there was treasures in the waters. When we came to the narrows, we had to swim through culverts and enclosed spaces. As we did that we would try and locate treasure items, grab them, and swim past the narrow areas. Some of us were doing well. Others were being blocked in the narrow areas and were stuck there. At various times, we would assemble (those of us that were still mobile) on the river bank and assess how we were doing. It was an exciting activity, but filled with tension.

Hopefully, I can do some walking tomorrow. I'm being too sedentary on the week ends (weak ends). Use it or lose it!

4770

Acupressure session today. The person who gives the treatments is going to be gone on vacation for a month or more in June. I'll miss getting treatments while he is away. I guess I might look into finding someone who could fill in for that period.

Had a great lunch with BH today. Her refrigerator stopped working so she has been juggling trying to keep food cold while they wait for a replacement. I'm impressed with how she and GH deal with so much turmoil. They had a leak in their kitchen faucet, their refrigerator crapped out, she's having problems with bursitis in her hip, he's had his eyes go bad, and god knows what else. But, they stay on an even keel and find creative ways to keep going. GH devised a way for him to "watch" movies. He stands on a ladder with a pillow on the top part--in this way, he can keep his face level (parallel to the floor) and still see the images and the subtitles. Very ingenious! Also, I suspect, not all that comfortable, but we "watched" I Vitelloni today--another Fellini masterpiece.

For some reason, I thought the film was in color (it's b/w) until near the very end when I became aware that it was in black and white. It was an autobiographical film of Fellini's earlier days before he left for Rome. The film presages some of the subjects of his later films (carnivals, clowns, dancing, music, and complex relationships).

I don't recall last night's dreams. I woke up somewhat late this morning and felt like I was in a haze. All evidence of dreams dematerialized as I awoke. Nice rains yesterday and today. Makes the air soft.

Happy May Day!