I've been having some pretty weird dreams lately, and funnily enough they usually come on Friday nights when Tara stays over. The last one I still remember vividly is the four of us taking a road trip in an RV and stopping to visit a casino (like Foxwoods in Connecticut, which is funny in and of itself) but this was no ordinary casino. We split up and I went to the bathroom, and found it to be dozens of unisex open shower stalls, with all kinds of men and women showering separately without embarrassment, reminiscent of Robert Heinlein's book Starship Troopers.
After using the bathroom, I walked through the casino until I came to an empty room, with a door on the far wall. I went through that door and found myself in an infinite outdoor space, a pocket universe of sorts, where there was a lake with an island in the middle, and a footbridge to access the island. It was beautiful and peaceful, with only a few people about, basking in the sunshine and fresh air that was so different from being in a casino. I sat at the lakeshore and gazed for a while at the water before reluctantly leaving to return to the casino to find my family.
When we all met up, I excitedly told them about the lake and island, and wanted to show them before we left. Unfortunately, an announcement came over the PA that the casino was closing and everybody had to leave. Bee suddenly remembered that she had left her sketchbook in the bathroom and we had to go back for it. I said if we were going back to the bathroom, then we should also make a quick trip to the lake since it was only a room away. But then we saw coming down the hall an army of robots, standing shoulder to shoulder like riot police, cleaning everything and pushing people to the exits. It was clear we were not going to get past them, that we would probably be trampled if we attempted it. That's right when I woke up.
We continued our Heroes marathon with viewings on Friday and Saturday nights, and Saturday I took Yoshi in for his bi-annual vehicle inspection, which he passed (I'm so proud!). Sunday afternoon I went into the city with my friend Agnieszka to take a class in basic burlesque dance at the Slipper Room on the Lower East Side. We learned some of the basic moves - the glove peel, the bump and grind, and the tassle twirl. The last bit required us to put on homemade pasties on our breasts under our bras, which we then proceeded to peel off and reveal the tassels and make them twirl in different ways. Thankfully I had just gotten a very cute polka-dotted bra from Frederick's of Hollywood in the mail the day before - I got lots of compliments on it. Aside from being a lot of fun, it was very affirming for me to be with other women in a supportive environment as we all got over our natural shyness together. It was kind of like locker-room bonding is for guys, I think.
On Labor Day Tara and I went out to run some errands, first to the bookstore where I got the second volume of Laurell Hamilton's graphic novel Anita Blake series ('cause I just need more vampires in my life right now until Twilight hits the theaters Nov. 21) and Tara got a Brian Froud book of pressed fairies that she's been eyeing for some time now. I went to Sephora to get some makeup, then we went to buy her some clothes from Target and the Gap. I also got my Clinique Bonus from Bloomingdale's at another mall. Then we went to get groceries for our weekly visits, including a second griddle so she can make two stacks of pancakes at the same time so we can eat breakfast together on Saturday mornings. In the evening, Tara helped Bee organize her bookshelves while I reorganized my closet, since the shelves were repaired last weekend. All in all, it was a very productive day, and a relaxing weekend.
