Dream: Bookstores and Murderous Acting Classes

The last few nights I’ve been dreaming of homes that weren’t mine and have never seen before; and yet when I’m dreaming I strongly feel an attachment to them and want to move in, even if they turn out to be someone else’s home.  But in this dream (as well as  another one) there are three square-shaped homes built close together on top of a hill.  And I’m somehow aware that not all three homes are inhabited.  I feel happy because the one that I like hasn’t been bought yet, and I can possibly live there.

Then I’m at this Barnes and Noble type bookstore that I’ve been put in charge of.  It’s large and spacious,  and I’m walking alongside the company president, who is dressed in a very expensive suit.  He’s throwing out all these sales and marketing projections and using terms I’m not familiar with.  I do research them though.

I’m feel flying by the seat of my pants; but instead of thinking I’m unprepared for this position and am way over my head, this doesn’t feel like one of those dreams where I’m in school and unprepared for a test.  Instead, because this position just sort of fell in my lap, I have this feeling like, “Hey, let’s just see where this goes.”   This guy has all this faith in me because he believes my outside-the-box perspective will mean more sales.  He’s even bought me new clothes.  I go out in the parking lot and stomp on rain puddles.   I walk back towards the store.  The boss and another person are standing outside on the sidewalk.  I notice my shirt is splattered with dirty puddle water, but I just shrug it off.

Then I’m in a car driving with Charlie Crews from the tv show Life as well as a woman I believe is his partner.  We’re driving  around Monument Circle in Indianapolis at night.  Crews is in one of his zen reflective moments and going on and on about what makes paper so special and what it would be like to be surrounded by fresh paper all day.  We pass a Barnes and Noble.  I mention how I once ran a bookstore and start talking excitedly about the smell of newly printed pages.  Joining Crews in his excitement about the subject of paper irritates his partner.  I still don’t recognize the partner, but I’m so excited about being in an episode of Life.

We’re on top of this skyscraper with an amazing panoramic view of the city.  We’re there to question a nefarious eastern European couple concerning their whereabouts during a murder.  We have to make it through their bodyguards though.  And we do after some back and forth.  We turn the corner and the couple is throwing what seems like a party.

But the couple informs us that they are observing an acting class lead by a black woman that’s supposed to be this very famous acting teacher.  She conducts an acting exercise aimed at breaking down inhibitions.  Everyone in class is supposed to embody a wild animal.

She starts shrieking and lunging around, flailing her arms about.  Other students, who are also black, do likewise and soon are worked into a frenzy–except for one female student, who sits by a potted tree and tries reading a book.   She’s clearly irritated.  When asked, she says she thinks the exercise is demeaning and enforces negative stereotypes set by Hollywood.

The exercise goes on and the teacher gets closer and closer to the student.  And just when it seems something might happen, it does.  The teacher attacks the student like a predatory animal, clawing at her with a berserk strength.  The detectives tackle her.  Once she is subdued, a little boy appears and identifies her as the “noisy monster” who killed his mother.

At first, it seems the teacher’s motivation for attacking the uncooperative student was because she wouldn’t participate in the exercise.  Then it seems the acting teacher just made up the acting exercise as a cover to attack the student.  But then it’s revealed the acting teacher committed murder because in her mind it made her performance as a wild animal more authentic and allowed her to fully embody the character.

Looking back, my mind was probably thinking about alternative motives for the murder mystery, but in my dream it seemed like I was really solving this crime and discovering the killer’s true motive.

There was also a question about the nefarious couple who had been suspects, and if they had intentionally thrown this party so as to expose the true killer.  Then as the drama was winding down and the murderer led away, a voice that sounded like a DVD commentary announced that this would have been Life, Episode 4.21.  When I woke up I was sad because I so would have liked Life to have lasted four seasons.

“If you have my gun, can I have it back?”

I made good use of the pleasant fall weather this afternoon and worked on clearing  my front garden and getting it ready for winter.    As I was piling leaves and stems into my wheelbarrow, a guy walked up my driveway.  He told me how his friend had tossed something in my yard because he thought he’d be stopped by the police.  They’d come by my house earlier and knocked on my door as well as my neighbor’s looking to find what the friend had tossed.  But I guess they couldn’t find it.

I told him I’d been clearing the garden and hadn’t come across anything.  What was this “something” that had been tossed in my yard?  It turns out it was a gun.

I suggested maybe the police saw the friend ditch it and they have it?  No, it seems the gun was ditched before the police got to the friend.

All I could say was that I’d cleared my garden and hadn’t come across anything.  Of course, I hadn’t gone around my barberry bushes.  I said he could look around them if he wanted, but there were thorns, so he should be careful.

He walked away.  This happened a few hours ago, and I’m wondering if there really was a friend.  Did the guy think because he couldnt find the gun that maybe I had it?  If so, did he expect me to pull the gun out of my pocket and just hand it over to him.  Sure, let me hand over this loaded gun to you, Mr. Complete Stranger.

Dreams: Missed Keys and Chases

I dreamed about an ostracized woman involved in a small town scandal.  She wants to return to her church and play the organ again.  But this stern woman in charge of the church tells her that she’ll have to prove she’s truly sincere by playing a particular song.  It’s sort of test.  Only someone who is sorry for what they’ve done can play this song without making a mistake.

The woman plays, but she misses the keys.  But here’s the thing: the woman isn’t trying to play the song the other woman told her to, but one she thinks is appropriate.  This is all about the woman wanting to be heard and understood for who she really is.

Then the dream changes and it’s like I’m watching a cat-and-mouse thriller involving high tech gadgets and chases through hallways and stairways in order to capture a criminal mastermind.

The River Flows South (Just Like Downtown Progress)

Got up this chilly morning and went downtown for the Greater Dayton Downtown Area Plan Update.

I believe in downtown. I believe the city and region need a dynamic center if the Miami Valley is going to succeed and prosper again.

But, seriously, wake me up a year from now. After the interstate, bridge and other infrastructure projects are completed or near completion.

I’ve attended three townhall meetings and two Urban Nights this year and have seen these same conceptual drawings.

I get it. We’re sitting atop a huge water source; need to attract young professionals; green buildings and sustainability; renovate historic buildings; bike-ability; walkability; and all the other abilities that will make downtown (and I’m getting tired of the over use of this word) vibrant.

All hail the urban playground that will come!!! May its many amenities be sufficiently pleasing for members of the beloved creative class to migrate here and deliver us all unto greater prosperity! Amen.

But you have to build it first. Everyone is anticipating great things, but this seems so premature, like looking at blueprints and already planning the menu for the first house party.

I would’ve been okay with this as a little progress update or a brief detour on my way to Second Street Market if this had focused solely on downtown. But when the attendees broke off into little discussion groups, I listened to a city planner go over a large map with a colored highlights marking areas of renovation and future interest. Fine. But what bothered me was how far south the city planners’ vision extended while highlights west and north of downtown were confined to just along the river.

True, building accessibility between the University of Dayton campus and downtown would be important. Yet all the south end neighborhoods in between were highlighted as well; and the city planner started using a marker to detail additional projects that were all slated for-you guessed it-south of downtown.

And as a north-of-downtown resident I felt excluded…again. For years I’ve been hearing about plans for improving downtown and the surrounding areas, but the greater percentage of them all seem concentrated south of 3rd Street. I would’ve felt better if the map included highlights of all the park land and bike paths stretching north along the river and all the way up to Triangle Park.

After all, green spaces are supposed to be an important part of the downtown vision and it does run along the river. Also, considering all the infrastructure projects west and north of downtown targeting improved traffic flow, I was looking for an indication what positive impact this might have on major streets such as Salem Avenue, North Main Street and Riverside Drive; and how far north might it spread.

So I voiced my lack of enthusiasm. Then I went back and forth with the city planner who kept insisting there were plans for northside neighborhoods like Five Oaks and Santa Clara on another map. And then he tried throwing the argument back on me by asking what have I done to improve my neighborhood.

I’m already aware that a great percentage of the scheduled vacant property demolition slated in northside neighborhoods hasn’t started yet. Nor do I expect revitalization to spread uniformly in all directions. But after our discussion, my impression is that the city planners haven’t put much thought into North Main Street beyond the interstate project.

Perhaps the northside is seen as a little too ghetto to be included in the yuppified playground of a new downtown and will remain a casualty of a shrinking population until companies locate here and new residents look for cheap real estate.

I had a little better time at the table discussing downtown’s green future and efficiency projects. My suggestion that landscaping from many of these soon-to- be demolished properties be salvaged and reused in the dozens of proposed parks and public gardens gained a favorable response. (Well, except for this one woman who followed me from the other table and didn’t seem pleased with how I had spoken to the city planner.) There are many fully grown boxwood, barberry and other bushes and shrubs that would each cost well over fifty dollars apiece at a garden center. Why let all those healthy plants get crushed and ground up by bulldozers?  The same equipment that tears through brick walls and beams could easily scoop out a large bush or shrub and set it aside for transplanting elsewhere.

But I’m tired of talking. Just build it already. Then we’ll talk.

The Caterpillar that Ate Dayton!

I took this picture while walking around the demolition site of 4 Riverplace.  

Surrounded by piles of debris, the awning sort of looks like a giant caterpillar from an old Japanese monster movie.

The Caterpillar that Ate Dayton!  I would so see that movie.

Gardens are Structures Too

I went to Urban Nights and finally got to see the inside of the Arcade–the big fish of all Miami Valley historic preservation efforts.  It also turned out to be the last night the public would be allowed to see the interior before the entire structure undergoes a massive two/three year restoration.  After listening to the two men who purchased the building and will be supervising the project, I’m anxious to see the finished product.

I wish my camera hadn’t run out of memory because from there I walked through a few more older buildings, discovering hidden surprises along the way, such as a secluded terrace nestled among the skyscrapers and a turn of the century church sanctuary.  

But then I walked over to Garden Station to see what kind of progress had been made since I donated plants and bricks months ago.  And, frankly, I was upset.

Upset because, as an urban gardener, I believe green space is essential for downtown’s success as a working, social and living environment; and this two-acre lot’s landscaping potential remains so underutilized.  For all the murals on the northern wall and an impressive red arch and flower beds in front, that’s just the periphery.  Absent are any paths, bushes, or real hardscape that defines or provides structure for the area within.  There are a few cement block raised vegetable beds in one area; a tiny cement block water feature over in another; and an enormous fire pit close by along with a few random accent pieces; but nothing tying it all together.

On a bulletin board I saw a drawing of a space full of greenery and thought it was a rendering of what was envisioned for the lot.  Then someone pointed out that this was another proposed mural.  Geez.

The green oasis being created here isn’t a garden and never will be, sad to say.  Maybe an art park at best.  Heck, call it a playground for the creative arts; but don’t call it a garden.   Community gardens are structures just like office buildings and churches.  They aren’t constructed with good intentions alone.

And in a city where there are 1,500 structures set to be demolished during the next eighteen months, there should be a wealth of salvageable brick, wood, rock and metal for an artist collective to create some impressive landscaping.  It’s there for the taking.  However, the people involved with this space seem more inclined to pick up a paintbrush than a shovel or trowel.

While that might sound harsh, back near Courthouse Square, I looked at the display of concept drawings and plans for the redevelopment of areas around downtown and the University of Dayton.  I overheard people near me talking about possibilities, imagining their own participation and the community’s involvement.   Interesting what a little vision can do.

The Dayton AIA had also propped up a plywood cutout of the downtown cityscape on a table.  Beside that were little pieces of metal, tile, plastic and circuit board along with a glue gun and a cordless drill.  I’d seen this earlier before I toured the Arcade; and now, hours later, people had pieced together what was shaping up to be an interesting collage.  Some people just stuck a piece next to another piece.  Yet others glued pieces on top of other pieces and created patterns as well as objects like wind turbines.

And someone else had handed out chalk and encouraged people to draw on Main Street between 2nd and 3rd.  Four lanes of city street had been transformed into a sort of colored chalk quilt of various drawings, patterns and statements.

I’ve never been completely sold on the notion that a “creative class” is essential to boost Dayton’s appeal.  Everyone is creative to various degrees and different ways.  The issue is creativity for purpose of display or function.  After tonight, I’m inclined to believe that what the city needs is creative talent that emphasizes the latter and inspires surprising contributions of expression and involvement.  The result is the sense of community that will link Dayton’s preservation of its past with a vision for its future.

My Urban Garden 8-24-09: Tomatoes, Green Peppers, and Eggplants

Now that I’m growing vegetables all I have to do now is learn how to cook them.

For the last few weeks, I’ve had little tomatoes to put in my salads.  This weekend I sliced the larger tomatoes and, along with basil, red onions, romaine lettuce, cheese and fresh marble rye, enjoyed the most satisfying veggie sandwiches.

But I’m going to have to find recipes for the eggplants and green peppers.  This will finally motivate me to look through all my dusty stacks of cooking magazines.

No way am I letting all this free food go to waste. 

Of course, it would be easier if my oven wasn’t on the fritz.

My Urban Garden Journal 8-7-09: Squirrels Steal Strawberries

Lately I’ve had a problem with squirrels raiding my strawberry patch.

Tonight I came home and one immediately darted along the fence, running away with what should have been my juicy, red snack.

And they only snatch the ripe ones too.  I guess I’ll have to start picking them earlier.

My Urban Garden 7-30-09: Salvaged Brick Path

 

What was once the exterior of a house is now a path in my back garden.  I’m so pleased how it turned out.  When the apartment building across the street is finally demolished I might salvage enough wheelbarrow-fuls to extend the path into my side garden. 

“Away We Go”: So Good It Deserves a Font All Its Own

With the movie poster’s school-notebook title font and pregnancy-centered storyline, it might seem like Away We Go is a deliberate attempt to cash in on Juno’s box office success.  Yet this grown-up comedy starring Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski has a sweet charm all its own and could become another indie sleeper hit.  It’s already my favorite film of the year.

Directed with restraint and thoughtfulness by Sam Mendes and anchored by an honest, understated performance from Rudolph, Away We Go follows thirtysomethings Burt and Verona as they travel across and outside the country to find the best place to raise their unborn child.  There’s an early indication where the couple will eventually settle, but the encounters with family and old friends along the way is what makes the film so special. 

We’re introduced to some shocking and bizarre examples of parenting, from the truly insensible to the overly attentive.  Maggie Gyllenhaal’s new age feminist is a memorable standout.  Later the troubles aren’t as evident, as is the case with two married college friends and their seemingly happy bustling household. 

But at the heart of the film is Burt and Verona, one of the most believable screen couples I’ve seen in a long time.  As their journey progresses, initial concerns about starting a family eventually lead to questions about the everyday nature of happiness and regret.  And it’s made credible mostly by Maya Rudolph, who contributes so much to scenes with just an expression and quietly counterbalances Krasinski’s moments of upbeat goofiness from becoming self-indulgent routines.

By the end, two sets of doors open.  One completing the couple’s search and the other marking the journey that lies ahead as parents.  Burt and Verona just don’t find a place to live.   They discover a home and have realized how it can be a happy one.

Floating back and forth between humor and insight, Away We Go is a rewarding examination of family and relationships.