lastnite: a dream journal

Hermit camp and a visit from Zach

I was ordered by the courts to attend a camp for hermits to break them of their "dreadful habits": we had private rooms, but were expected to participate in group activities the whole other time. A guy came up to me and said, "My name's Mario. Just Mario. If anyone asks, you never met me." He stuck out his hand and I shook it. "Just Mario," he repeated. I said, "Just one name, like Cher and Madonna." "Just Mario," he said, walking off. I went back to my room and read; the camp directors weren't too happy with my performance.

I had just had surgery, and Matt and Zach came over. Zach looked essentially like he did the last time I saw him (1995). I was in my newest old room in the Summitlawn house. Matt went outside to get something, and I mustered all my strength and courage to go over and hug Zach. "Thanks for being here," I whispered. He didn't say anything, but as I hugged him, it was like I could read his thoughts--which were plain text documents. So it was as if I was reading messages behind his back: "Sorry about last time . . . I'm here now . . . " etc. There were a lot of ellipses, which is unusual.

Lael and I were waiting in IHOP. He was showing me something he had written, and he turned to me and said, "I sometimes feel like two characters on television--either Eddie [the dog from Frasier] or Giles [from Buffy the Vampire Slayer]." I told him that I felt like Daphne from Frasier, "Oh, I don't want to deal with all this," I said in a British accent, "I'm going to go wash my hair." We both sat stunned for a minute because Daphne is nothing like that. I got depressed and looked out the window. Melanie and Anna J. were riding horses. I looked back inside and a puppy was urinating on the floor; Lael barely got his bag moved in time before it ran in the ruts where tile grout lives.