chi town prep

I was on my way to Chicago, but only for the weekend. Despite the short duration of the trip, I decided to pack almost everything I owned. I had a whole suitcase for my shoes. And I decided to bring my cat (I don't really own a cat). The cat was all black. It was the white cat from my childhood, Sam, but the complete polar opposite. This cat was sleeping quietly, Sam was a beast--wild and always active. I had a strange suitcase/carrying case with a litter box attached. I thought this was gross.

A drag king, Rick O'Shae was at my apartment. Rick was coming with me to Chicago. We were just packing our last items. We were going to miss our flight. There was no time. My grandmother, who suddenly was in my apartment, called my mother to talk to my uncle over three way. She couldn't get in touch with him so she wanted my mother to call. At first I was going to see my friend Matt Dicke, but then later in the dream I was going to see my Uncle Steve. In waking life he doesn't live in Chicago, and Matt just moved to Philadelphia...

I was embarrassed and had anxiety about the amount of stuff I was taking. I didn't want to carry that much, but if I didn't bring it I knew I would have regretted it and wished I had.

last day in nyc

I was in New York for a visit. I was leaving later that day, but I didn't want to. I wasn't meant to spend so much time in the city anyway. I was supposed to be somewhere else, with other people, but I was hanging out with Jeff. In my dream I knew him much better and had a much longer history with him than I do in my conscious world. He had taken on the form of (and represented) a collection of people from home. We were in the back seat of a taxi. I didn't want the taxi ride to end. The driver pulled into a gas station and Jeff pulled out a coupon from his wallet that looked like a dollar bill. On the back it was said something about how the offer is good for black people, since they are full human beings "as advertised." It was like a funny bad English t-shirt. I joked around saying that I think it has been some time since black people had to market themselves as a full 5/5ths. The taxi driver came back and I was just going to pay him and get out at that point. He had stopped the meter even though we were still some ways away from Jeff's place in the LES. The driver insisted on taking us the rest of the way free of charge. I was pleased because I got to spend just a bit more time there with Jeff.

I woke up at this point because my phone was ringing, and strangely enough, it was Jeff.

the river

I was going to walk to town. I had to get there for some reason. I was afraid I’d be late. I remember that there was a train station. I was walking near the river when I thought, maybe it would be faster to go by water. I walked into the water. It was almost knee deep. Down stream were some Korean women with huge visors on. They had rolled up their pants and they were walking around in the water. I wasn’t very concerned with getting my clothes all wet. First of all, I didn’t have time to be worried. Secondly, I was quite pleased with the temperature of the water and it didn’t seem to penetrate my clothing and make me feel cold. I submerged my entire body in the water letting myself float. The current whisked me away down the river towards town. I looked to see cars and people on scooters on road alongside the river. I was going faster than them. I was so content. I was going to make it on time and everything was so beautiful. I thought about how easy it was to enjoy the present moment then. When everything was so beautiful and simple it was so easy to accept the present moment and really exist just then.

I woke up to a gorgeous day in my hotel room. The sky was clear, not the way it’s hazy even in the morning in Seoul. The blue sky and mountains, covered in lush green trees, were the backdrop for the centerpiece of my view--the river. I took a long walk, singing along to the music on my mp3. Later, I went into town, ate a nice lunch with friends and decided to stay another night in the country.