Silent Saturday

Everyone here at 's place is asleep, except for me -- and the cats who are just cat napping. The sun fingers the closed blinds looking for a way to get in and I am awake and a bit congested. Strange dreams chased me all night, dreams that I still remember despite their kaleidoscopic changes. Cleaning oilcloth covered tables and yanking off ants with their mandibles deep in my flesh who are determined to get the crumbs of food I'm washing away. Strangely intelligent men with bi-racial daughters asking questions about divorce so they can marry the woman of their dreams. Pools of water that anemically suck at me while I hang onto a granite-faced wall to flush out the pool. People I've never met discussing the night attire of women in pictures, women I know and whose over-sized clothes I pull away from their slender bodies to demonstrate how they fail to fill out the semi-transparent silk gowns. Expounding at length on divorce law and how to obtain a real quickie divorce without going to Mexico, Haiti, or the Dominican Republic (I did a series of short articles on divorce for a law web site recently) and running the risk of having your divorce ruled invalid. Walking silent moon bathed streets in unknown cities and passing pockets of shadow full of chattering people. And the dreams continued.

I wonder if all those dreams could possibly be the result of an enjoyable night of Constantine at Tinseltown in Colorado Springs followed by a wandering drive, after being separated from my friends I was following, down to the Broadmoor and the really ritzy side of town, then back onto I-25 and down Academy to Constitution where I stopped at a Sinclair station to ask the name of the restaurant and directions. came to the gas station and gave me directions and I followed her (sort of) to this little Chinese place off Powers where we had a feast and much laughter. talked to the service staff and asked them to sing happy birthday to me in Chinese, but I got away unsung. They must have forgotten and I didn't remind anyone. Then we went next door for a bit of ice cream (mmmm amaretto) and then back to the apartment to talk and enjoy a few quiet moments. As usual, the muse and I stayed up past midnight while poor , who also served as navigator to the restaurant after my solo trek, stood huddled in his blanket with a pleading, mournful and somewhat toe-tapping-you're-keeping-me-from-sleeping look on his face.

All in all, the contemplative drive from my mountain aerie to the Springs accompanied by some really good music on a sunny and peaceful day, and despite the hassle of traffic slow downs and congestion (worse than the one in my head and sinuses today), and a good time with great friends made up for the rotten birthday I had the day before. Well, that, and a quick chat with , who insisted that he did NOT forget my birthday the day before but rather did remember and just didn't send his natal day wishes until the time had passed because he was busy, early in the morning and before I left the snow-flocked fastness of my little secluded hideaway, made my day.

I debated stopping to drop off some books to but demurred since the traffic was so horrendous and I was behind schedule, and since I will see him Tuesday morning when he drops me off at the airport for my trip to New Jersey.

But this morning when the muse clan wakes from their television-accompanied night of dreams I have been threatened with apple fritters at Krispy Kreme and a chat with a notorious female of malign purpose who, I have been informed, will attempt to charm me and throw me off her fetid track (but will fail miserably). There will be a trip to various marts for business and a jaunt thru the local environs and dives so that I may learn a little more about my soon to be adopted home. Tomorrow will dawn somewhere beyond the darkened windows here and I will be off in the dark to Aurora for a hamfest where I fully expect to buttonhole some experienced hams and soak my psyche and dreams in the magic of electronics and radio for a few hours, a trip I am looking forward to with relish -- not to be confused with hot dog relish which is a much different condiment altogether.

I think I'll hop back in bed with Tolkien and finish Frodo's latest adventure while I wait for the house to wake. In the meantime, may your day be what you wish and may you find something to smile about.