4495

Dreamed last night that I was in an educational complex. The place was labyrinthine and difficult to navigate. I was following a person who seemed to know his way around the place. Much of the dream revolved around us going from location to location. There was some task we were supposed to be performing, but the details were overwhelmed by the tension in moving about. The complex was slightly familiar to me; I had been in the complex in previous dreams.

Went out to run some errands and grab a bite to eat. Day is warm and sunny. Cloud cover is forecast for later today/tonight. CW dance class tomorrow. Looking forward to being there.

Spent a little time trying to sort through my MRD options. Looks like I can draw down on one IRA and have it cover a draw down on a 2nd IRA. More research required. But the need for being clear has made me get started on my tax returns for this year. MRD, IRA, IRS--lots of acronyms!

4496

Watched a Film Movement movie called The Trap. It was a film made in Serbia. It was a thriller that revolved around a man having to make moral choices regarding doing a crime and helping keep his son alive. It was set in modern day times and was slick and shiny image-wise. The plot had a few twists and turns, but the man's angst seemed to go on forever. Not a film that I'd go out of my way to watch again, but well done all the same.

Some rain, some shine, some coolness today! Couldn't see the full moon last night because of the overcast. Slept some in the afternoon. Still feeling tired though. Can't get enough of that sleepy time stuff!

Dreamed last night but don't recall any details. I awoke fairly early today from neighbor noise, but went back to sleep until late morning. Got a notice from my daughter regarding the grandkid's one-year birthday celebration. One year old already! Time goes by!

4497

Rain returns! The gentle sounds of falling water reverberates everywhere. Lots of really needed moisture falling on the roof.

Had a wonderful acupressure session this morning. Awoke late and had to move it to get there on time. BH served up a tasty meal (lobster/artichoke soup, grilled vegetables, falafel patties, grilled fish, juice, and tapioca). GH and I watched a Hungarian film called A Hungarian Fairy Tale. It was a quirky story about the origins and life of a young boy that was fanciful and engaging. The director has only done a few other films. His best reviewed piece, Standoff, is only available on tape for about $100. Not likely that it will be in the library collections.

Dreamed last night that I was with a group of children. We were doing artwork using chalks and pastels. We were taking turns adding touches to single piece of art--a drawing of a scene that contained hills and children. In some way (that I can't confirm), the dream was related to the Choking Man movie as well as the Hungarian Fairy Tale. The two films had some common elements (animations, fairy tales, and so forth).

Weekend arrives! The month rolls to an end. Life goes on. MegaMillion drawing tonight! May luck come my way!

4498

Movement class today! Was relaxing! I was tense going into the class but came out mellowed out a bit. Gave me the energy to begin the conversations regarding what exactly is my responsibility regarding MRDs (minimum required distributions). Seems that turning 70.5 triggers some requirements regarding IRAs. The initial foray to the financial people who carry one of my IRAs (I have two) got me kick started on the issue. I turn 70.5 next month and it all begins. Like all things that deal with tax codes, nothing is simple. I'm on my way!

Watched a Film Movement movie tonight called Choking Man. IT centered around an Hispanic young man who was extremely shy. It was a tight film that kept me going regarding how it was going to end. It kept flashing hints regarding possible resolutions with just about none of them happening. The plot kept jogging forward onto alternate paths. The cause of the boy's shyness was never explicitly detailed, but here too there were several possibilities that might be deduced. A young Asian woman carried the supporting role. She is the daughter of a famous Chinese actress. They starred together in the film Crouching Tigers. She was the brightness in the Choking Man film.

Where did this month go to? It seems that it was just the New Year and suddenly a month has passed. Acupressure, food and a movie in the morrow. A bit early to bed tonight. Can't take any more analysis of last night's Obama speech. The country seems filled with anxiety and people are blathering about, unhinged in many ways. Wars, earthquakes, cold waves and financial woes are filling the consciousness. The world needs a vacation!

4499

PD exercise class was invigorating today. I did some of the exercises full out, which felt good. Did my laundry, which I was not looking forward to doing, smoothly and easily. I had the laundromat to myself. It was nearly empty while I was there.

Dreamed last night that I was returning to an office after being on vacation. There was a stack of mail that had accumulated while I was gone. I sorted through the items. I found a few that were important (mostly checks) enough to require handling. The bulk of the material could be thrown into the round file. After being there for a while, I felt like getting outdoors. I ended up jogging along a trail along a river. I was running smoothly and cruised pass some other runners. I ended up doing about a distance of about a half marathon (13 miles). When I stopped, I was talking with some people about how far I had run. I then realized that I had to turn around and run back the same distance to return to where I started. I didn't seem to be worried about making such a long return run.

Bumped into JV after I did my laundry. We talked for a bit. He remarked that I looked well and that my symptoms seemed light. It was heartening to hear his feedback, especially since this has been a full week of classes. Underscores my thoughts that I would like to be doing even more in that domain. Movement class tomorrow! Keep it going!

4500

Classes today felt good. Had the PD dance class in the morning. Movement class in the afternoon. Slept for a short spell between the two classes.

Not much else to report for today. Don't recall last night's dreams. Weather is gray and wet. It's also somewhat cool.

Have a PD exercise class in the morrow. Have to do laundry tomorrow. Not all that thrilled with doing that chore, but have to do it anyway. I've got to pick up some new jeans. My have disintegrated from wear and tear. One more item on my to-do list.

Full week this week! Classes, lunches, movies, and so on. Busiest week in over a month. Feels good!

4501

CW dance class was fun this morning. Learned four dances and came away feeling good. Was a little fatigued since we've not had classes for a while, but did alright. Looking forward to more.

Had lunch with BH (soup, salad, calamari steak, juice and fruit)--delicious. We watched Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. A film that was more like an animated comic book. Lots of action (violence, blood, battles) done in a tongue-in-cheek way. Brad Pitt was the least impressive, but the rest of the cast carried the day.

Had a dream last night that was slightly precognitive with respect to the movie. The first part of the dream dealt with the screening of a movie. It took place in a cinema that had similarities to the theater in the IB movie. The second part of the dream had me and two other men at a shooting range. We were shooting up the targets, outdoing each other with our accuracy and tight hits.

Got into a techno-puzzle tonight when I downloaded the latest AOL for my Mac. As usual, the update did not go all that smoothly. Took me a couple of hours to deduce how to update the new application with my old preferences and archived email. There's still a minor glitch that I spent a lot of time trying to sort out. I've got everything mostly in place though. Through some kind of osmosis process! I'm amazed I ever knew anything about technology given what I have to struggle with now. Dancing is more fun!

Reading a couple of short fiction books that are remarkable. One is by Barb Johnson--More of This World or Maybe Another--a collection of stories about some people in New Orleans. The other is a collection called Native Stories, written by Native American writers. The pieces in both these books are mesmerising. Wonderful tales!

4502

Diddle day, doodle day! Time goes by and flies away! What is where? And where is way? No one knows this diddle day!

Feeling like I'm wandering through a mirrored hall. Reflections of me scatter in the glass and spread everywhere. I see myself repeated. I can't tell which one is me in all of the repetitions. There are only multiples and never a single seed image. I am perplexed!

Dreamed last night that I was with a crowd of people. They were all dissidents of one stripe or another. I was speaking to them. They were clustered in groups at different tables. The hall was huge and there were hundreds of people there. I was telling them that they must keep on doing what they each were doing. That a resolution was imminent. That they should not lose momentum, but continue with their efforts--whatever they may be. The room was dark and shadowy, but the mood was up beat and hopeful. I seemed to know every person in the room.

CW dance class restarts tomorrow. Yeehaw! Time to dance! Let the good rain fall! Let it fall! Let it fall!

4503

Took today "off" in a way! Slept late, ate breakfast and then went back to sleep. Awoke in the early afternoon, made a sandwich, and watched a movie. The movie was Noise--an Australian mystery film. It was quite engaging, although the dialog was a bit muddled by the accents. There was a documentary on the DVD about the making of the film. The documentary was a great tutorial on how a film is made--from pre-production through final screening.

I'm holding steady on the PD front. Here's a recap. I'm still taking dance/exercise/movement classes each week and enjoying an acupressure session every Friday. My symptoms have become slightly more evident over the past six months. I may have to increase my medication. I'm evaluating that possibility. I continue to sleep a lot, especially on the days I do classes. I continue to read quite a bit and have watched about 200 movies over the past two years. I watch them with a friend who is an actor. He's 84 years old and still doing things on stage. His wife makes me a healthy lunch twice a week. He and I then watch a movie from his collection of films. It's been a treat to know and be with them.

Classes, movies, lunches, and reading are all fun, but I miss "doing" things. Unfortunately, one aspect of my PD situation is that I not only feel tired, but am cognitively slowed down quite a bit. I can actively concentrate for only short periods of time and have trouble doing anything complex. It's odd! Like a part of me is shut down, just like an engine that's not firing on all cylinders.

Dreamed last night that I was doing something with a big name software company. I was promoting an application that I thought would be a good one for the company to create. I was with an old business partner, CW. He and I were in a city where the company had its headquarters. The location and the building we were in were places I had dreamed about previously--or places in which I have had previous dreams. Strange sense seeing previous dreamscapes appearing in new dreams.

4504

Lunch today with BH. She put together a tasty meal of papaya, pozole, chips, juice, fruit and a pecan pastry. GH and I watched I Love You, Alice B. Toklas. Peter Sellers does a great job in the film. He has a personality such that you can't help but watch him.

Rain slacked off some today but weather got colder. I ran the heater last night to keep the chill off the room. Dreamed I was going somewhere by bus. I was going to catch the bus and head out to some place that I was supposed to go to. While I waited, I went to a house. It was a house that I've been to in other dreams. The place had several floors with rooms scattered on each floor, connected by hallways that went in all manner of directions. It was easy to get lost in the house. I went up to a room on an upper floor, but got tangled in doing so and ended up wandering from room-to-room and floor-to-floor. There was not a lot of anxiety in the dream even though I got lost and wandered around. I had been in the house in several previous dreams. I was aware of that fact while I was in the dream. Some of the rooms in the dream were like the rooms in the movie I watched today. A bit of precognition! I think that has happened several times--my dreams looking like a movie I see the next day.

Weekend arrives! Next week is fully scheduled. Classes restart and I'll be moving everyday, in one way or another. I have several items that also need my attention next week--truck recall repair, check on IRAs and MDRs, clean up the apartment, and several other things. What will the new week bring? Peace and joy! Ding-a-ling!

4505

Movement class today! It was a good session despite the inclement weather. We were still getting rain today. Lots of rain! New person in the class. She's a bouncy, dancer-like person. Class may be too quiet for her.

Dreamed last night that I was participating in a presentation that was using a new display technology. We were demonstrating that teams of people could make joint presentations using the technology. The team members were in disparate locations, but the presentation was seamless. In a later part of the dream, I was in a campsite location. The place was near a lake. I walked along the lake shore on a wide path that cut through the trees. It was an idyllic location and was very peaceful.

Watched a movie tonight called Island. It was a film about a man who became a priest with a group of monks on an island in Siberia. The film was a mystical tale of the man committing a crime, getting picked up by the monks, and him turning into a healer. He was somewhat unbalanced and didn't follow the rules like the other monks. It was a beautiful location, but the movie was a bit slow and drawn out.

No acupressure tomorrow. LM is off somewhere and had to skip this week's session. CW dance class restarts on Monday. I'm feeling out of whack in some ways. I think I need to increase my medication. I dislike doing so, but it may be required. Will dream upon it!

4506

PD exercise class today! It was quite a workout. The new instructor is more into aerobics and it shows up in the way the class is done. We did a form of "circuit training" today that was nearly all I could do physically. We moved around a set of about 10 stations. We spent about 2 minutes at each station doing an exercise. By the end of the full circuit I was ready to rest. It felt good, but it wore me out.

Rains continue to deluge this area. Lots of water everywhere. Also had a few high winds that wailed through. There was a few lightning bolts, but no loss of power around here.

Have a movement class tomorrow. Don't recall last night's dreams.

4507

Had two classes today. Had a PD dance class and a movement class in the afternoon. Both felt wonderful! I think I could live fully if I had nothing else to do but sleep, eat and attend dance/exercise/movement classes. Actually, that's about all I am doing except there are hours each day where I'm doing just about nothing. My nothing time is spent obsessing about my illness. When I'm in the classes, the obsessing goes away. Need to figure out how to be in the "class space" all the time I'm not eating and sleeping. I also do a few other things--read, watch movies, watch some TV shows, and check my email. The time goes by in all cases, but the class periods are timeless.

Dreamed last night about meditation. I was with someone who had a regular practice. I was asking them about doing meditation and what to expect. It was a simple, interesting dream.

When I left the movement class the instructor asked if I was having problems with my shoulders. To her, it looked like I was hunching my shoulders. Despite the two classes today, I think I was scrunching up my shoulders in a protective action. I've been feeling fragile and fearful. I was scrunching as a way to protect myself--despite all of the loosening in the classes. Fear and tension! Hunch those shoulders! Pull back into that protective shell! Oh, well!

4508

Thunderous rainstorm rolled in last night and throughout today. It dumped floods of water and overflowed into the streets. The deluge is forecast to continue throughout the week.

Had lunch at BH's today (lentil soup, cheese, Korean seafood dish, juice and a slice of a decadent chocolate cake). GH and I watched Mr. Saturday Night. The movie starred Billy Crystal. It was well done and very moving. It was also funny. Crystal did a great job in the film. He directed and starred, and also helped write the script.

Dreamed last night that I was heading up a seminar. It was a management seminar that was being hosted by the management consulting group I once worked for. I was aware of the fear I carried when I did those events. In the dream, I relived doing the seminars, but also the fear and anxiety I carried when I did them. It was an uncomfortable dream. In the dream, I was aware of me having to pretend that I knew more than I really understood. It was a performance and not a relaxed, free-flowing experience. I was happy to awaken and not be in the seminar room.

PD dance class and a movement class in the morrow. Soon to bed! Time to read myself to dream land.

4509

Got my truck back today. Not cheap, but it looks like it takes care of some eventual problems that I might have experienced. It's been a long day. I was up a bit earlier than usual. I took the bus to the shop where the truck was fixed. I had to walk a bit further than I've been walking. It felt good. But I felt anxious throughout the activities. I was glad to get back to the apartment and zone out. I grabbed a sandwich and brought it back as well.

I believe I dreamed last night, but nothing stuck.

Supposed to start raining tonight/tomorrow and pour for the week. I picked up some movies today. I grabbed several titles by the Film Movement group. Mostly foreign films. May find a jewel or two.

Time drags along so slowly. The days seem to expand and never end. I read and watch movies. Those activities help fill the void. I guess I should be happy that I'm here, in some capacity, as contrasted with the people in Haiti. So much suffering; so much pain! May the light shine on everyone there, and bring them peace!

4510

Took my truck in for an oil change and came away with all sorts of repairs that were needed. An oil change that ended up being several hundred dollars. They also couldn't complete the repairs by the end of the work day today so I'm truckless. Feeling sort of anxious as I realize how vulnerable I am to circumstance and events. I came back home via the bus and will have to use that mode of transportation tomorrow. Not a good feeling to realize how restricted I am without a vehicle. Also don't feel all that good physically. I've been too long in isolation. My symptoms amped up today. I was shaking a lot, especially when I had to deal with the repair place, take a bus, walk a fair distance in moving about, and so on.

I seem to remember that I had an interesting dream last night. I lost the details as I plowed through my hectic day. Watched an Argentine movie, XXY. It was a story about a young child who was a hermaphrodite and had reached an age where decisions needed to made regarding the condition. The film focused on the difficulties friends, family and everyone involved had to deal with as events unfolded. It was a good film that unflinchingly examined the feelings that people face when dealing with such an issue.

4511

Good acupressure session today! Also a delicious lunch with BH (chicken pozole, carrots, salad, chapati, juice, fruit and a pecan pastry called angel wings). GH and I watched a British film called Bedazzled. It was a funny film based on a soul meets Satan plot. Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, and Raquel Welch and others starred in the movie. The film was redone in 2000 with different actors etc. It's not supposed to be as good!

Dreamed last night an eerie, dark dream. One particular scene seemed to stand out. It involved several women drinking something from metal cup. As they drank, the liquid spilled over the edge of the utensils and stained the metal with a viscous, dark liquid. The drinks seemed to be potent. The women passed out as they took their initial drinks.

I think I'm headed to an early bed tonight. Feel like sleeping unless my energy shifts over the next few hours. I have several things that I need to get done (service on truck, recall item on the truck, financial review and plan, and more) during the rest of this month. Go time!

4512

Movement class today! I came away a bit tired. I'm feeling better now that I've eaten something, but I still could sleep some. Also I'm a little sore and creaky today--a result of the PD exercise class yesterday. My body felt the effects of not doing much over the holidays and resuming nearly everything over the last week. Weather has warmed up which helps, but there's still a few months of cold days ahead.

Dreamed last night a repeat of the previous night's dream, which I didn't remember yesterday. The whole dream replayed and also had some additional pieces. In one part of the dream, I was with JON and RS. JON was upset and threatening to hit RS. The argument was over some project that JON was doing for RS and that JON had been late with his deliverables. I felt that I was there to keep JON from doing anything physical. It was a bit scary especially when JON looked like he was getting out of control.

In a second part of the dream, I was in an audience. We were watching an animated feature that dealt with undersea environments. At one point, I was asked by a person sitting behind me if I would scoot down in my seat. My head was blocking the view of people sitting with that person. It turned out that they had squeezed four people into two seats so their site lines were screwed up. I mentioned the fact that there were standing room locations in the theater. I also scooted down a bit, but not enough to throw off my view of the screen.

Acupressure, food and movie tomorrow. Rest break until then!

4513

Had a PD exercise session today. It was a more than normal workout. The regular instructor is having a knee operation. The person taking her place is more physical. She kept us moving today. She gave us a workout, especially since we haven't had a class for over a month. She doesn't use music as much, but the extra movement feels good.

Dreamed last night but I don't have a clue what it was about. Strange! I seem to feel like it's just on the edge of my consciousness, but I can't bring it into focus. Oh, well! Will dream again tonight!

Earthquake in Haiti looks like a terrible disaster. There is some speculation that there may be half a million dead. It was a 7.0 magnitude event. May the light be with everyone there.

4514

Two classes today! Had a PD dance class and a movement class this afternoon. Both felt wonderful. I'm feeling like I'm much looser than I've been--that the movement and dance is permeating my spirit and leading me into joyous places. It certainly makes a difference to be going to classes versus sitting and waiting for things to happen.

Dreamed last night that I was attending a party. It was at a large house that sat up on a hill. The parking area was down below. I drove up to and past the house, heading back down to the parking area. The lot was full! There were dozens of vehicles parked there. They were jammed into any small space that was available. I saw a spot next to the gate, but it was marked as not being a legitimate parking space. I made another trip up to the house and back to the parking area. I believe I found a space on that second pass. There were a mix of people at the party--some I knew and many were strangers.

In movement class tonight, I had a vision of everyone who was standing in the circle being water plants. They were all moving as if they were surrounded by water--floating, flowing and moving. It was a really pleasant experience. Dreams become reality becoming dreams!

4515

Lunch with BH today. She put together a tasty combination of papaya, beets, crab and mushroom chowder, bread, juice and fruit with creme fraiche. GH and I watched a Danish film Italian for Beginners, a film that adhered to some of the Dogme 95 concepts. It didn't adhere to one tenet that the ending not be resolved. The director said she wanted to end the film according to her own sensibilities. I think it contributed to having the film not being that effective. An unresolved ending would have been more likely since there were several plot lines that had to brought together. It was the highest grossing Danish film ever, perhaps because of the U.S. screenings.

Dreamed last night that I was joining a large group of people on a huge floating platform. Several of us had arrived on bicycles. We were crowding together near the part of the platform that was near the shore. The platform extended out into the water for quite a distance. As we were gathering, there was a massive explosion out near the far edge of the platform. Some of us went out to the far edge after the blast. When we got there we found clumps of bicycles tangled in seaweed, floating off the edge of the platform. There was no damage to any of the people--just the platform and the stuff that had been tossed into the sea.

I felt tired today. I felt so mostly this morning and into the afternoon. I drank some green tea late in the afternoon and that perked me up a bit. It's been cold today and that has been triggering my symptoms. I continue to meditate on what I am to do with myself.

4516

Was somewhat tired today. Wanted to sleep. Got up late, ate some breakfast and went back to sleep. Got up then and went out for breakfast (brunch). Ended up watching a movie. Watched a film by a Taiwanese director. It was an interesting, but lengthy, film about a couple of families and their tensions and issues. The photography was pristine, using a lot of reflected images that gave the film a real modern feeling. The film was a bit long (about 3 hours). It relied on many instances of the camera holding an image for long periods of time before moving on to the next scene. But it did manage to keep some tension going.

No CW dance class tomorrow (restarts later this month), but have meal and movie planned with the H's.

I'm programming my dreams to give me answers to what it is I'm supposed to do next. Need some guidance! What's the plan, dream time fan? Let me know!

4517

Had a good time at the party today. Had a chance to be with my daughter and granddaughter. The grandkid is a trip. She's a totally happy kid and a joy to be around.

The party had quite a few people. About 1/3 of the crowd was from the PD dance class. We did a short run through of what we do in class. It was fun showing everyone what we do in class. Some of the people really got into it.

There was a ton of food there. People brought all manner of casseroles. There was plenty to eat--a lot that went back home.

I felt really good being there with some of my family members. It was nice to visit with my daughter. I would like to see her and the grandkid more than I do. Have to make that happen.

4518

Acupressure session was good today. Then had lunch with BH (papaya, great chili dish, carrots, salad, cornbread, juice, coconut milk, and blood orange). A tasty feast! GH and I watched Freeze, Die and Come Back to Life. It was a film about a mining town in Siberia after the end of the war. It was a desolate place with a milieu of sordid people all thrown together to try and eke a living. The action followed two kids, a boy and a girl, who became friends despite their rough ways of dealing with each other. The film used a lot of closeup work to communicate mood and feelings.

I watched a film, Dreams of Dust, about a mining settlement in the middle of a desert in Africa. The film showed how people worked in that desolate place trying to find enough gold to set them free. The title tells it all. There was an opening scene that was spectacular--morphing from a wide shot of the raw desert into a place filled with people as they emerged from the mine shafts.

Tomorrow there's a birthday party for one of the people in the PD dance class. My daughter and my grandchild are meeting me there. Looking forward to the event.

Dreamed last night but am not sure what I dreamed about now. Re-spin and reset! Dream again!

4519

Had a movement class today. Felt good! Seemed to be a little creaky from the holiday break, but could feel the flow return as we exercised. Will be getting an acupressure session tomorrow plus meal and movie with the H's.

The new tenant that moved in across the way was picked up and hauled off this morning in an ambulance. I heard some activity around 8AM and when I got up to look I saw them taking her away. They didn't blast away with sirens so I guess it wasn't critical.

Around 10AM there was a 4.1 earthquake in the area. I was sitting at my work table when I felt a thud move through the building. I thought at first that someone had backed their car into a support post in the parking area. But, then I felt the low-level shaking and realized it was a quake.

Dreamed last night/this morning a "repeat" dream--one that I've dreamed before. That's all I remember about it--the repetition. Not what the dream was about, just having had it before.

Watched a film, Day for Night, a french film by Truffaut. It was a film about making a film and the crazy issues that arise in the process. It was perhaps a more interesting peek behind the curtain than it was an interesting story. It highlighted some of the illusion-making that filming requires.

4520

Daze go by! Lazy daze! Daze of wine and roses! Long daze! Slept a lot. Feel like I could sleep forever. Can't seem to raise my energies. Not sure why! Just the way it is.

Dreamed last night that I was working on a software encoding package with CW, a guy I used to work with on several different projects. We were developing the encoding package and had just installed some updated modules and were starting to run test sequences. The updates were perfect and the test runs were being made by the system. We were watching as each new module kicked in and the screens displayed the results and noted the progress. We were pleased with the results. I asked CW how long he thought it would take to make the final tweaks and sign off on the package. We agreed that it would take about another two weeks. It felt good to have made such progress. The dream took place in a laboratory. The place was very hi-tech.

Movement class resumes tomorrow. I zonked out yesterday after the PD dance class. Good to be easing back into classes and routines. Hazy daze! And time moves on!

4521

PD dance class today. Felt good to be moving again--also felt clunky as well. One couple in the class is moving to Arizona. Made me feel like I'm trapped here when I listened to their plans. I want to get up and go also. Up, up and away!

Grabbed some food after the class. Came home and ended up going back to bed in the late afternoon. When I awoke (around 8PM), I felt disoriented--I wasn't sure of the time or if I had slept all night. Dreamed about dancing!

Watched a movie, Mystic River, tonight. I'd seen it before, but it's worth watching again. A good film! Not exactly a happy ending.

No exercise class tomorrow. It restarts next week. The daze go by!

4522

Had lunch with BH today (shrimp and mushroom dish with cheese, orzo and asparagus, fruit, cake, and juice). Delicious! GH and I watched an Almovodar film, Bad Education. He was the director on Volver (which we saw about one year ago, almost on the same dates). The Education film was difficult to follow, but was not uninteresting though. It dealt with today's impacts of past indiscretions by priests, told by stories within stories. I think I would like to see it again now that I've been through it once and can understand the plot shifts. There are intense sexual scenes that deal with issues of homosexuality, trans-behavior, and drugs and violence. Not a film for the light of heart.

The man who played the lead also appeared in several of the other films I've seen over the past year (Babel, Blindness, Dog Lovers). He's quite young, but has been in 40+ films.

Discovered that there is a film distribution outfit, Film Movement, that sends out monthly DVDs with film festival winners. Many of these films are in the library and a "Film Movement" search brings them all up. Makes finding such films easier.

Movement teacher has injured her lower back. So, no movement class tomorrow. Hope she is recovering quickly. Should have a PD class tomorrow though. Hope so!

4523

Watched the movie Midnight Cowboy this evening. I'd never seen it for some reason. It was quite a good film--gritty and soft. Hoffman and Voight made for an interesting odd couple. The story jigged and jagged never quite going where it looked like it would head. Overall, a very good film!

Dreamed last night something about having to hide to keep away from some dark forces. May have been triggered by the Killing Fields movie--the hiding that the people had to do to keep from being captured.

Slept in but made it out and about some today. After returning home, a ended up taking a nap for a few hours. Will be heading to the H's tomorrow for food and a movie. First gathering in the new year. I bought a 2010 calendar today. There were a lot of people calendar shopping. The used book store had a pile of them for half price.

I'm feeling creaky and stiff. Partly a reaction to the cold, damp weather. Also has something to do with sleeping so much. Need to be up and moving more. Thank goodness classes restart this week. Moving on!

4524

Doing better today. Cold symptoms on the decline. Went out for lunch. Had a soup and sandwich. Happy to be feeling better.

Dreamed an intense dream last night. I was in Switzerland attending a science conference. I had brought several boxes of science articles with me. I thought I was scheduled to make a presentation. The attendees were all well known scientists. I was feeling a lot of reluctance regarding having to make a presentation before the group. During the morning session there was a lot of confusion. Unknown to the conference organizers, there was a huge group of tourists visiting the site that day. There were 10,000 visitors expected. They were going to inundate the facility.

After lunch, a person I worked with arrived. He took over the task of making a presentation. I was greatly relieved. However, there were all kinds of technical snafus that plagued his preparations. He had a small mobile device that held images and video segments, but he had problems getting it to interface with the presentation systems. While they were trying to get everything working, a delicious dessert tray was routed to the audience. Each tray contained 4 or 5 desserts that were really tasty. The dream ended with people eating dessert and still waiting for the presentation problems to be solved. For me, the dream brought up the bad feelings I experienced when I worked as a management consultant.

The dream was really clear and detailed. The dreamed spanned a whole day and seemed to last that long while it was dreamed.

4525

It's 1/1/10 or 14 in binary. Who knows what that may mean. Have recovered some from the cold that I had contracted. Had a good night of sleep last night. I wasn't interrupted by having to deal with a runny nose, like I was over the two previous nights. Chicken noodle soup helped a lot.

But, I still the bulk of the first day of the New Year on the horizontal. I just relaxed and slept as I could, stopping only for food and bathroom breaks.

I dreamed last night about riding a bicycle. I was zooming about, getting in tight spots, and wheeling away at the last moments. The dream was prompted by a YouTube video I watched about a guy doing all kinds of tricks on his bike.

I watched a movie, The Killing Fields. It was a story based on real-life events around the time of the fighting and purges that took place in Cambodia. The flow of the film was somewhat jerky but it gave a full sense of what the Cambodian man, who was the translator and ultimately the star of the film, endured and overcame. I must say I was a bit surprised by the movie--from the title I was expecting more about the war. It turned out to be more about a tale of friendship.

Day one! Oh, yes another day! What have I done on this initial day? Slept quite a bit! Read a little! Thought some about what it is I an do in 2010. What can I do that ends this malaise and sends me back out into the world? Can't seem to pierce the mists that surround me. I'm wrapped in the fog of a new year and I don't see a pathway.