(5/19/05) other people's messes

(Entered in paper journal at 5:40 AM at home in Harlem.)

Dream 1

I was in a very messy bedroom with one regular bed and one bunk bed. Either it was a bright, sunny day or the room was full of incandescent light. I was either eating or fixing dinner. I had a Tupperware container of red beans near me. There may have been a cluttered wooden bench (on which the container may have been laid) between the two beds.

The messiness of the room disturbed my appetite. I thought of cleaning the room. A woman, Hispanic or East Indian, interrupted me and demanded I clean the room as the (three?) other beds in this room were soon to be occupied. I hadn't cleaned the room because the junk in it all belonged to my roommates. But now I had to make my (landlady?) happy.

I looked at my beans for a second. I told the landlady it would take me a few minutes to get everything cleaned. Gently she said, "I'll give you fifteen minutes because you have to clean the fridge, too. The fridge is full of food." She walked out quickly.

I sat still, wanting to call after her. The fridge was full, but full of food my roommates had left behind. They had never left me any space in the fridge.

(2/4/08) refrigerated laundry

(Entered in paper journal at 8:55 PM on B-train from Manhattan to Brooklyn.)

Dream #1

I was washing clothes in some place like a living room. There were a few people from my work. The room was somewhat empty, large, greyish, and dim. The washing machine was next to the refrigerator.

I pulled some clothes out of the washing machine. They weren't completely done. I hope that, as I pulled my clothes out of the washer, nobody would notice that the clothes were a mix of girl clothes and boy clothes.

But now I was putting a second batch of clothes together (out of the fridge?). I thought I then put the clothes into the wash. But then, walking away, I realized I'd actually put the clothes into the freezer.

I pulled the clothes out of the freezer. The articles of clothing, mostly girl clothes, were frozen and stuck to the walls. I laughed at myself for having done something so stupid.

MA, one of the liaisons between the Research and Sales departments at my company, caught a glimpse of my clothes as I put them into the washer. MA regarded me with a little disappointment.