2001-10-29 - 5:02 p.m.

I was in this huge room, one half of it had bleachers like in a highschool gym, along another part of a wall was dance bars and a mirror, the middle of the room had some couches and folding chairs, then the other half of the room was a giant set--- It was b asically a huge cave coming out of the wall. Hard to describe -- but it was cheesy like a movie set made out of paper mache to look like a rock cave, or mayb it was real rock, but anyway it was man made, and there was giant arched rock doorway that ran the length of most of the cave so that you could see everything going on inside the cave room. There was also another enterance to the cave room from the side, because it jutted out into the main warehouse like room.

In the cave room there was a beautiful chandalier on the cieling. The walls were rock, but they were lined with couches -- or not really couches but a shelf that was cushioned across the back and the seat so that the whole cave was a LOUNGE!!!

I Knew in my dream where I was because I had dreamed it before!! That's the coolest part about it -- I had a dream about this place and the cave lounge last week, and another one today. I didn't remember having the first dream last week, because I woke up or something and couldn't remember it to write it down. But I know I dreamed this before, because it was a continuation of the dream, and the people in my dream referred to last week.

In last week's episode of my dreamlife, the cusions along the couch were red with gold trim. This is very important -- I remember thinking at that time how decadent and beautiful, it was like a valentine lounge, like something at the playboy mansion, it was over the top and rich and luxurious. In last weeks dream there were sexy women there in evening gowns, and the men were dressed in nice suits or fashionable dressy attire. In the middle of the room, on a pedestal was a punch bowl. The punchbowl was the shape of a giant martini cocktail glass, and inside it was vodka. Like, the punchbowl was full of one huge vodka martini, and everyone ladeled martinis into their glasses.

Last week when I came, the party was going on but I wasn't a part of it, I was just there because I was passing through the warehouse room and I happened upon it. The warehouse room was connected to a larger building of dance studios. Mikael Barishnikov (sp?) was there!! I had been sent to run some kind of an errand for him. He was old, but still HOT. For some reason, I went home with him that night, but we didn't sleep together, and I don't remember that part of the dream. But anyway, after that I was his friend -- sort of. I don't think he had any friends, or if he did it took a while to earn his friendship.

And everything in the whole of the dance studio and lounge and warehouse room and all the people totally revolved around him. If Barishnikov snapped his fingers, people did whatever he needed them to do. But there was noone there he didn't want, and he never allowed people to bring others or invite people into his presence that he didn't want there. Last week, he needed someone for some reason and I knew a girl who was young, like 19, but she was well educated in whatever it was so he agreed I could send her over. I don't know if it was dream interpretation, or if the girl was a dancer and he needed her for a bit part, or to run errands, I don't know what she was for but she had some kind of a job to do.

So today I was back and I understood more about how things ran in this place. It turns out the party last week was being filmed for television,which is why the cave room was kind of a set located in the bigger warehouse room. And today they were filming the second half. I made a big mistake -- at the first of the dream I met a woman in a neighboring building. She was the chief choreographer for a nearby theatre, where Barishnikov had performed the week before and where he would be performing again, kind of like his permanent theatre for dance performances when he wasn't travelling. The woman knew Barishnikov, she'd seen him, and she was in charge of part of the choreography for his shows. But she had never been to the cave lounge place, or ever hung out with Barishnikov. I knew there was going to be a party of some kind there that night so I brought her.

Barishnikov was angry that she was there, because he hadn't personally invited her. He sent her away and he gave me a warning that if I brought anyone else there, anyone at all, even a mailman then I was no longer welcome. But he didn't throw me out. He had a respect for me of some kind or I wouldn't have been allowed to stay. I really liked him and thought he was sexy, despite the fact that his thick stage makeup made him look like a drag queen. I wouldn't kick him out of bed anyway.

The rest of the people there were all the kind of people you think of when you think of 1950s lounge singers and their guests. Frank Sinatra music was playing. The guests were mostly men in suits like the kind I remember from dean martin and frank sinatra type movies. One of the men had the vodka punchbowl with him. They were about to film a spot, like a commercial or promo or something. They needed people to sit in the audience and be super quiet on the set, so I did that, but I dropped some green guitar picks on the floor and they made noise and they had to stop shooting. barishnikov didn't notice it was me, but I didn't feel guilty at all anyway because I couldn't have helped dropping them. I picked them up and put them away in my pocket.

They took a break from shooting, and the whole time one man was ordering people around about helping out with the set and the shoot and to get the punchbowl ready etc. But they abandoned the punchbowl and i found a roll of toilet paper in it. I tried to fish it out so they could keep shooting, but by the time I did, the men didn't want it, they said that they were going to scrap the project. It was too bad, because I had wanted to be a part of it, to help out.

The lounge set this week had been WHITE with little symbols from cards dotting the fabric --so that all the fabric looked like ermine fur only with hearts and spades for dots. It was all snowy and glittering and fabulous in the cave. They must have had a party in there with it like that between the time I was there last week in red and now. They changed sets, and within a few minutes the walls were now lined with cushions and fabric that was black with gold glittering trim -- All three sets had been fantastic, and this black was even more so, it made the cave feel like another world.

I was invited to the party, and it was going to be filmed, but the guests who were here were used to this and didn't mind being filmed, they just had a good time. The punchbowl in the middle of this room was a huge round bowl, i can't remember if it was silver or gold or what, but it was full of straight whiskey this time. i asked one of the guests what they would do with the vodka and they said throw it out, it was old. I asked them why the bowls were full of whiskey, because they could fill them with coca cola or colored water or whatever and save money and noone would be able to tell from the film, but she said the woman who ran the studio insisted that there was real liquor flowing freely at all times. This place was supposed to be some kind of party place, a secret underground den of fun, that was mysterious to other people but was broadcast on tv once in a while.

The only other part of the dream that really stands out is the transportation factor -- the warehouse/studio/lounge was located along a deserted funky road, and I can remember driving to get to it. Last week, i think I started off meeting Barishnikov in the theatre, and then he invited me to his lounge studio and he got someone to drive me there, a man who was in a motorized wheelchair. His wheelchair went as fast as a car, and he had a little sidekick ride like for motorcycles I got to ride in. I didn't like it that much. This week, I had my car, but the windows were down and the night sky was clear, I could see all the stars, and off to my right the ocean -- and to my left alongside me in the next lane was wheelchair dude and we had a really pleasant conversation as we rode and I liked him better this time.

I'm not sure what this all means, it didn't seem prophetic, but it was really beautiful and pleasant and curious -- I'm going to have to think about the symbolism for my life on this one and come back to it later -- but the one thing I did notice is that I was stronger in this dream. I was driving a car instead of hitching a ride. I was a guest at the party instead of an onlooker. Me and Barishnikov had a little respect thing going between us. So I'm glad I was stronger in this dream. The other thing that blows my mind is simply the fact that I could have a recurring dream that told a continuous story!!! I hope I dream about this place again . . .