Sassafrass: September 2005

9.30.2005

Nasty RESTroom

Here is the postcard image- Please don't touch and wash your hands after reading this entry

Re-occurring Dreams

I recently got a postcard in the mail from a friend. Most people would be appalled by the image. Not me. I think the photo is excellent. It is Real, Raw, and captures superb lighting, very moody. However, because of the Realness, I was afraid to touch it, in fear of catching Hepatitis or some nasty disease. This image reminds me of some re-occurring dreams I used to have during my 20's. Has anyone else had strange re-occurring dreams? It always started out where I had to use a public restroom. These restrooms were always poorly lit, dirty, empty, and very creepy. Not the standard harmless missing stall doors either. Real Bizarre. I always wondered why they were so twisted. What is the phobia called when you're afraid of using public restrooms??

For instance I remember one dream going up a dark stairwell in what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse. The restroom must have been on the 10th floor and no elevator. The first two floors had textile sweatshops. A lot of Chinese women sewing small sequins on fabric by hand. And they just stared at me as I walked by. I tried to ask a Chinese woman where the restroom was, but she just looked at me as if she had never seen another human before. I guess she didn't understand english. So I kept going up the stairs. I got to the restroom and opened the door. It was a large closet with a toilet in the middle. There was no sink, no mirror, no window. The ceiling was very high and I had to pull a chain to turn on the very dimly lit bulb. So dim that you could barely see the floor or to see what your feet might step on. I didn't want to shut the door, I needed more light from the main hallway.

Most often my public restroom dreams entailed the toilet as a bar stool or some sort of chair with No bottom, No tank, No hole if you get what I am saying? You just sat on that. In the middle of a large, dirty, poorly lit room. Hoping no one will come in and interrupt me.

Another memorable public restroom dream was in a very large and again poorly lit room with approximately 15 stalls. Truly reminds me of this postcard image. The weird thing was that all the toilet seats where hovering over the floor on a wire thing. The wire ran through the side wall of all the stalls and the toilet seats attached onto it (somehow) You had to really balance yourself on the toilet seat(and again just the toilet seat, no tank) Imagine pulling down your undies and then climbing up onto a toilet seat that was on a wire, and when someone else in another stall got off her toilet seat, it sent the wire in motion and would move your toilet seat up and down. Strange.

9.26.2005

New Sites for You and Me

I have been trying to get a flickr account up and running. I was not impressed with flickr at first, but now I have come around. I also have a new fun site for you to check out. 43 Places- I have put some information on there- Yes I have been to 27 out of the 50 states! And also to the District of Columbia (which is technically not a state)

I want to publicly THANK everyone who has given me a squisshed penny or 20 since I publicly announced that I collect them
Thanks: Peg, Mom, Dad, and Nathan!!
My quota for Minnesota is currently FULL, but feel free to look in the other 49 states for squisshed pennies

Coming Soon to a Blog site near here: Sirrah a photoblog by yours truly

9.24.2005

Nah'Leens

I do sympathize for all the people effected by Katarina, in some way or another. (at press time, another catagory 4 hurricane is barreling down on the gulf coast) I will try to hide my cold heartless comments. But recently I guess I have been mourning the thought of a lost city. I came upon some images on flickr and began remembering the times I had traveled to New Orleans in my youth. I hope the city will someday return to the legendary status that it once had reigned. Nah'Leens.

My junior year in high school, I joined the summer marching band. My two sisters and all of my best friends played an instrument. I didn't play any musical instruments but was tired of being left out when they would leave on these superb summer getaways. Then they always came back with great stories and many inside jokes. So, I had a brilliant idea. I would march in front of the band with a flag. Someone needs to hold the American and Minnesota flags and girls are needed to hold the school banner. And bonus, they got to wear white cowboy boots! So, I picked up a flag and joined the color guard. I was so clueless that I actually joined in the winter season when they did Winter Guard. Winter Guard is a competition sport where you danced and twirled a flag in a choreographed routine to top 40 kind of music. I hated this extra-curricular event with such a passion that the trauma has left me thankfully with very little memory of it. I do remember my mom was very happy I had joined an organized school program (rather than an unorganized school program...mischief) I thought they would teach marching drills through out the year. No, they competed in these strange costumed, modern dance, choreographed type of events. There was no marching band nor marching band music. I was horrified by what I got myself into. Can I quit and then re-join for the summer? No- the band director encouraged me to stick with it through the winter. I didn't know any of the girls. They were friendly but strange. I had never seen them in any class or hallway. All my friends were cool, they were in the marching band. Who ever heard of color guard? And who joins? Oh, I understand, majority of the girls were dating someone from the drumline. I get it. (Something about drummers, eh?) Fast forward to the summer of 1988 ( I think?) We sold enough citrus fruit packages, pizza's, and god knows what else door to door, that we could afford to go to New Orleans with the summer marching band. We took the Amtrak to New Orleans. I had never traveled that far without my parents before. I had traveled to the south before and had even been to New Orleans before with my family. But the memories of Nah'Leens from that summer had left a magical fantasy inside my head. (Or was it being herded around with my fellow pimpled band mates) We were given a lot of free time to venture through the city on our own. I think we wanted to find as many kitche gift shops as we could. (What else do teenage girls want to do?) How many New Orleans tee shirts, shot glasses, buttons, or magnets did one person need? I remember walking down the famed Bourbon Street, and thinking what is all the fuss about? (it was probably 9 am and not a person around) I remember walking the back streets and marveling at the French inspired architecture as we rushed from one gift shop to another. Us, White Yankee Girls had never been on our own before in such a big city to find mishchief. I remember being corrected by our poor yankee pronunciation. It is pronounced Nah'lans not New Orleans. I also remember taking a bus tour through the historic parts of the city. Seeing the Spanish moss hang off the large magnolia trees and trying to envision the city back 100 years earlier. I even remember doing a stupid trick with my chocolate ice cream but accidentally spit it all over my best friend's white tee shirt (Sorry Ericka, god that was embarrassing) One night some of the horn section of the band, even got together in front of our fancy hotel for a New Orleans inspired Jazz impromptu. Many tourists stopped and threw money into a hat they had put out.

In reality, New Orleans was dirty and smelled. It had many pan handlers. It was hot and very humid! But it's the rich history that is so fascinating to me (White Yankee Girl) I never got to Mardi Gras (get panic attacks in large crowds) and someday I am absolutely positive the city will be back to its raw appeal. Someday, but not in the near future.

9.22.2005

Tummy Pudge

I have been very proud of myself. For the last 4 months I have held the Ol Tummy pudge at bay! (otherwise known as the Ol'beer gut) At the beginning of the summer, I switched the two a night quota of my high fibrous beer to the stealth- shed a couple pounds whiskey. My forever size 2 girlfriend even commented that I looked good. But these last few days as I have been rubbing my ever growing tummy pudge, I have been wondering why the Ol'stomach is expanding ever so slightly. I really haven't drank beer in 4 months. (No joke, Mom) I have been eating pretty well too. Such as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for breakfast, freshly picked garden tomatoes for lunch (accompanied by a salami sandwich) Bowl of frosted flakes or my favorite: half a bag of chips and a large bowl of salsa for dinner. I am getting my fiber, vitamin C and D, and small amounts of protein. Sounds Healthy! But today while at work, I realized as I was downing my 16th mini-chocolate bar, that my supervisor got a little over zealous on the Halloween season. (It is only the middle of September) We have enough chocolate and caramel in our office to keep a 2nd grader wired for the remaining school year and half of next summer. Hands off the Almond Joy, Sara!

9.21.2005

Sweet Broken Tooth

As a child, my mother rarely bought us "sugar" cereal. We always got the healthy fibrous bran kind. But I always seemed to empty 2/3 of the sugar bowl onto my healthy breakfast. Which I guess you wouldn't classify as healthy anymore. I admit it, I have a sweet tooth. Now as an adult I can purchase the (highly overpriced) sugary cereal all I want, but have learned that they are kinda gross. I will eat only certain sugary cereals. I buy generic frosted flakes, frosted shredded wheat, and Sugar Smacks or Honeycombs. But it usually is frosted flakes. (cheap) I could care less about any prizes inside the boxes, but this morning I got a big surprise! At first, I thought it was a 10 carat diamond. My puffy sleepy eyes had a hard time focusing on it. It glimmered and twinkled in the morning light and I almost cracked a tooth on it. I spooned it up and realized it was just a very large crystallized sugar glob. I throw it back in the milk to dissolve. And by the time I finished my bowl of generic frosted flakes, it was gone.

9.20.2005

Hypochondriac and Proud of it!

You nailed it! I am a hypochondriac. So why is everyone and their sister trying to be my nurse. "Be careful you could get gangrene." Which is highly likely. I am not arguing that, but why tell me I could get an infection and then consequentially have my foot cut off. That is down right mean. EVIL. I am a hypochondriac people. Leave me and my aliments alone.........please! My foot is taking its sweet ol time in the healing department. I know, it is attached to me and I see the gaping hole every day, multiple times a day even. I am afraid I am going to be a cripple for the next 6 months. whimper, whimper I should just get a doctors note and use up some of my paid sick time. Ya good idea!

9.19.2005

Good Blog, You're Funny

It is funny, many of my family and friends have given me some positive feedback on my blog- Not too many of them leave comments- but they let me know I haven't embarrASSed myself too much with the oddities I have entered- I got an email from a friend and she asked if I was really stabbed by a dagger. My brother-in-law (who says he tunes into Sassafrass everyday) actually believed that I tried out for the Freakshow- We had a good chuckle about that (not sure if it was on his account for being gullible and believing my phenomenal short story writing or on my account that I am freakish and it would be normal for me to be in a freakshow)

9.17.2005

Laughed your Ass off lately??

Have any of you laughed your ASS off before??
Well, I was pretty darn close to that yesterday. My friends caught me off guard and I lost it completely- My laugh is not pretty at that stage and that made my friends laugh even harder which made me almost go unconscious because I couldn't breath. We pushed it almost to far-You know laughing so hard that you're making no noise, then your eyes tear up and even snot begins to develop in your sinuses- Then finally as you try to control yourself, you get a breath of air but since your body is in such a spazzed state, you inhale with a honking, or an unnatural gasping (which someone might mistake as an asthma attack and it would be considered an outside voice) that makes everyone double over again- And as if the pure ecstasy of laughter isn't enough- you begin to slam your hand down on the table and another person almost falls out of his chair but then covers it up by crawling under the desk- It was unstoppable- Contagious- I am sure if I had a full bladder, I would have left a puddle under my chair. Now, you are wondering what was so funny?
Inappropriate potty humor of course, my favorite!

9.15.2005

I am a Rockstar INXS junkie

I am a Rockstar INXS junkie- I saw the show almost from the beginning- I was talking about the show with an old friend over dinner- She and I were discussing the talented vs the not so talented and then our favorites- This was awhile ago so many contestants had not been booted off yet- I thought Ty was an excellent choice to front INXS (I am not saying he was my favorite performer, at the time it was Marty) She thought I was an idiot- She didn't say it out loud but I could read her thoughts- She said one of her favorites was Jordis (even though she knew she wouldn't make it to the very end) I said "oh yeah, I have heard she is good but I haven't actually heard her sing" My friend turned to me with this straight no nonsense stare and said "So have you really been watching the show?" Well I had, but I realized lately when the TV is on- I am not always tuned into the TV- Someone has to get this blog to the editor on time and she is a stickler for the deadlines-And I have developed a poor habit of reading magazines while watching TV- So now the last three Rockstar wanna-bee's are Marty, Mig, and JD- I will be honest, after I heard JD perform Pretty Vegas by JD & Money by Pink Floyd- I was a converted woman- I think he should win and front INXS- but I would like to see him perform again someday and you won't see me at an INXS concert- Yes, long ago at the age of pre-teen, I YINXS- but that was long ago- So next Tuesday (I think) check out Rockstar INXS and we'll see who wins- Mig the Broadway musicals guy, Marty the Seattle-looking blonde guy, or JD the Canadian (side note: my small 1987 Edition of Webster's dictionary doesn't have the words Canada or Canadian but it has the word Canuck, nice)

9.14.2005

Wacky Week

I am having a wacky week- I can't discuss most of my wacky week (Confidential) but here are some other items that are making up my Wacky Week-

Today I witnessed a mouse being murdered- You have to understand, I can NOT handle any moments of death when it pertains to helpless animals (venomous animals is another story) I can not witness the death or even the remains (such as road kill) That goes for nature shows too- I know all about the cycle of life- (Big animals eat smaller animals who then eat even smaller animals) I will immediately begin to bawl- It isn't just shedding a couple of tears- It is full out bawling- (just ask my sister about the time I saw a Mommy Raccoon and Baby raccoon lying in the middle of the road DEAD) At first I didn't know what was going on- I watched a fellow co-worker run down the hallway all crazy like- I actually thought he was going to throw up- Then he stopped at the end of the hall and started stamping his right foot- I then heard the small squeals of an itty bitty ALIVE creature being smushed under the foot of a 200 lbs man-
2 grams vs. 200 lbs who do you think won??

I have decided I will not hide the fact that I am tired of people with "substantially low common sense" I do have a special name for you, but will refrain from actually saying it, as not to offend you or any of my listeners right now- And Yes, I will tell it to your face if I have to be a witness to your substantially low common sense acts anymore-

another wacky thing- Today I saw a hitchhiker- Yep, a real live thumb in the wind hitchhiker- I was going East on Interstate 94 through the Midway area and he was apparently going West toward Minneapolis- Hell, I just spent the whole day in Minneapolis- I hope he is going further west than that stinky city- He was standing on the side of the freeway in the freshly cut grass with the freshly shredded litter-

9.12.2005

Mr Toothless Tuffy 1997-2003

The unforgettable Mr Toothless Tuffy

Mr Toothless Tuffy

September 12, 1997
My sister brought me a dog she needed to find a home for (make a long story short, while away from college for the summer, her roommates had taken in a dog that they didn't really take care of and shouldn't of had since no pets were allowed in the building- Then when my sister returned to college she found Tuffy a small tan dog) I was thinking about getting a dog and said I would take him- Description: small tan dog, approximately 10 years old and his tongue sticks out- What showed up on my doorstep couldn't have been more pathetic- My sister and her boyfriend (now her husband) known bohemians, had this small 6 lbs tan dog with crazy dreaded hair and a hemp dog collar- The dog's hair was all matted and his ears were bald- He appeared to be an alien- Yes, his tongue did stick out of his mouth- He was very timid and he was really shaky- We just stared at each other- But within a few days I loved this alien looking dog as if I had given birth to it myself- We bonded- The dog gained my trust and would be my cuddle companion for the next 6 years- The first time my mother saw the dog she said "Only Sara would have a dog like that." I could not stand the name and wanted to change it- I wanted to change it to something that fit it more appropriately, like Marley- Since it had all these dreads- My friends said that I couldn't do that because "you can't change the name of a 10 year old dog"- Okay, the name Tuffy will stay but he soon became Mr Tuffy, Toothless Tuffy, Mr T, the Tuffster, fluffbucket and the nicknames go on- With in a week I got Mr Tuffy groomed- He apparently was a poodle and the groomer gave him the "official Poodle Do" but with limited hair to begin with he just looked like a shaved dog with a pompadour (looking a lot like Don King) In the beginning we learned each others traits- I had to adapt the most since I learned early on I was no longer the Alpha dog in my own home- Mr Tuffy had separation anxiety very bad and would be known to bark incesstantly for hours until I returned home (my neighbors didn't like me very much) and then I developed the "pet owners" version of separation anxiety- "I hope my dog isn't barking, I hope my dog doesn't bark, I hope my dog doesn't bark all day long while I am at work and my landlord doesn't threaten me with eviction again"- I would repeat that to myself all day long over and over while always looking at the clock- I began bringing Tuffy in the car with me everywhere since a dog barking inside a car would have a lesser penalty then being evicted- So the dog came with me EVERYWHERE- well not to the bar of course, but he was small enough no one would have seen him snuggling on my lap- Tuffy soon became my subject matter in my photos- Tuffy was probably the most photographed dog ever- I wanted to somehow make a book or calendar and found out it was already done (and done very well might I say) Mr Winkles was Mr Toothless Tuffy's long lost brother- Mr Toothless Tuffy was a very well traveled dog too- He accompanied me on many excursions- He traveled many hidden roads in the stated of Minnesota and Wisconsin-He had traveled cross country from Minnesota to Oregon- He had traveled all along the Oregon coast as well as a good portion of the western side of Oregon- He flew in a plane and made a pitstop in Dallas (and I mean pitstop literally too) From the beginning Mr Toothless Tuffy was not a healthy dog but he immediately made my life healthy with all the laughter he brought me- Through the years he lost 3 teeth (and two were a surprise since I thought he only had one) He had many roommates humans as well as cats- I think he thought he was a cat because he would constantly lick his paws- He had a dainty walk and when he would lay down he would cross his front paws- When he got excited he would bark and run in circles, for example whenever a pizza was delivered to the house he would go nuts!! (he loved pizza) He was too funny- He always had to sleep right next to me and therefore had to sleep inbetween me and any of my boyfriends (he lived through two boyfriends) Tuffy was always a constant hit with family, friends, and especially with strangers- He met some colorful individuals on the street- Many people have stopped me wondering what I was holding- "What is that?" "Is that a lamb?" "What happened to it's face?" As Mr Toothless Tuffy got older and lost his teeth, his lower jaw bone began to deteriorate (that is what the vets had told me) so his cute and cuddly face began to resemble something else-Not sure how to explain- He always had the most foul smelling breath and often had puss leakage too- Hell, I still kissed him multiple times a day, on or near the mouth- My mother thought I would catch some creepy incurable disease- I never did until the day he died , that is when I caught the most incurable disease; a broken heart- It has been 2 years since my beloved Mr Toothless Tuffy left this nutty world (9/10/03) He is always missed and just recently I have been wanting to get another Fluffbucket- I have a name for her (or him) too- My next dog will most likely be named Twylla Tu (my alias for ordering magazines and catalogs in the mail is Twyla) But Mr Toothless Tuffy and Ms Twylla Tu rhyme well together and they are currently being used in short stories that hopefully one day will be turn into published childrens books- Please hold your glasses up as I toast my truely faithful, old, smelly, alien looking, funny dancing and silly incesstantly barking dog-

Long Live Mr Toothless Tuffy Y

9.11.2005

The Real Deal: Mark and Pat

In my last blog entry I spoke about how important my friends are- I don't want to underestimate my parents- Now I am going to give a shout out to my parents, Mark and Pat-The REAL DEAL- As an adult I can look back at my childhood and understand my parents- Well, not fully understand them, but agree with how they lived life and raised their children in this nutty world- I am not a parent and don't choose to be one for a long time, if ever- But my parents did a fantastic job- Their encouragement through out my life has been exemplary- They figured out long ago that I was one who didn't want to be told what to do- I wanted to figure it out for myself- Learn the hard way- Go to the School of Hard Knocks- Tough Love- I am the middle child of five- I was probably the most unruly child of the bunch- As a child I often believed that I was adopted or was switched at birth because I didn't see eye to eye with my parents- But I should have realized that I was in the correct family, because everyone confused me with my sisters (Are you guys twins? You look identical) I even tried to run away from home once- I believe I was under the age of 9 because I was still wearing pajamas that had attached feet (the fuzzy blue jumpsuit kind) I remember putting on my winter coat and slipping my footed pajamas into my winter boots (ya winter, that is why it was an attempt and not a real run away) I decided I would walk the 6+ odd miles to my grandma's house and when I reached my grandma's, she would pour me a warm cup of hot chocolate and then proceed to call my parents and publicly scold them for not allowing me to have my way or whatever I was having a conniption about (I don't even remember?) I do remember only getting to the end of the driveway until I turned around and went back inside- My parents are the same age and while growing up I always believed that my husband had to be the same age as me- So I knew my childhood crush on Rick Springfield wasn't going to amount to anything long term- I have one brother John, who is the oldest and three sisters, Anne, Jennifer, & Gretchen- My sisters' Anne and Jennifer are very close in age to me- Anne is 11 months older and Jennifer is 13 months younger- I know what you're thinking- We won't make fun of Mark and Pat for not being able to keep their hands off each other- but my poor mother- It was like being pregnant for 3 straight years, 3 straight LONG years- My parents came from close knit families so I saw my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins often- Large family get togethers were common and very normal- My mother is now one of my best friends- She is funny or should I say you can easily make her laugh-My mother was the disciplinarian- If we knew we did something wrong or broke something, we knew what the "shitlist" entailed-God forbid she would ever find out- But I had 4 other accomplices to blame it on too- My mother just had to look at you a certain way and you could crap your pants- I haven't seen that look in many years (Thank God!) But I have been told I have inherited the Death Stare too- As a teenager I heard this comment multiple times "You have an attitude problem" "Watch your tone with me, Missy" There is definite proof that I was a little shit- I am embarrassed to share this next memory but it makes for a good story- Once, I remember smarting off to my mom, she slapped me across the face- I raised my hand to slap her back (purely a reaction) with one swift move she grabbed my hand and immediately slapped me again- Like she was one of those Hindu Gods with multiple arms- I didn't know what hit me- My father, being out numbered by all the women in our family, stayed out of everyone's way- He is a great gentle soul- I do remember pissing him off too- Once I remember sharing a bedroom with my sister Anne- It was bedtime and we must of been arguing about something dumb- I, being the supreme tattle tailer, went to my Dad- He was very fed up with hearing these two little girls arguing and he had no sympathy for whatever my sister supposedly did to me- He was walking me back to my bedroom and I was trying very hard to express how I felt victimized by my older (bully) sister- So I re-enacted it for him- With out him knowing what I would do next- I sucker punched him in the stomach- With the "Uuumff" of a gasp he made, I ran like a frighten bunny back to my room and hid under the covers- He didn't follow me (I hope it was the stomach it could have been lower, oops sorry)- My parents are still growing and exploring this nutty world (only they have slowed down a touch) Now they have help from their grandchildren (none of them are mine) Right now they have 5 grandkids: Nathan, Cooper, Nicholas, Boone, and Azalea (You never know when another one might show up) They love to garden, and puts around their yard- They love to get in the car and go on excursions- They love hanging out with their kids and especially if we're all together- They love LIFE-Growing up in a large family was special- My parents are very special! Y

9.10.2005

SaraTee's FriendZ

Mucho amor para mis amigosY

What are friends for

I recently found out one of my fabulously awesome old friends' has become very sick- And it got me thinking about all the friends I have had in my entire 33 years of existence- I have lost touch with many of them or even told a few to Fuck Off (only to regret it) Sometimes people say we are shaped by our family and especially by our parents. I believe that our parents bring a certain percentage of values to us, but we are fashioned by our friends- People come into our lives for a reason- Old and Young- They teach us information- Good or Bad- They are like stepping stones- They remind us to stay on the path of Our Journey-We all have our own distinct journey that we are slowly walking- Sometimes we get distracted and a stranger will be there to calm down our anxiety or lend a helping hand in some way- I call them roadside prophets- Wise Strangers- Some people believe in reincarnation and in every reincarnated life, we keep the same souls with and around us- That is what we choose for ourselves before we even come to Earth or this LIFE (I must hang out in the metaphysical section of my local bookstore too much) I know the people I have brought into my friendship circle are here for a reason- I was instantly drawn to many of them- Some I couldn't stand at first, then found out we had similar interests- I have been completely fashioned by my friends- Especially my friends from my youth- It wasn't my mother who got me really drunk for the first time, it was my friends. It wasn't my mothers' bathroom that I then passed out in or my father's rum we stole, it was my friends. (I haven't touched rum since) It wasn't my mother who wanted to see Bon Jovi, or Motley Cure, or god forbid Poison. It was my friends, specifically Inger and Ericka. It wasn't my mother who made me look like an ass infront of a boy I had a crush on. It was my friends. You can't pick your mother but you can pick your friends- Love & Embrace the friendships you have- And for all of my friends, old and new that come across this, know that I feel so very special to have you in my life and I hope I have given the love back to YOUY

9.09.2005

The Cubists, not the Nudists

I couldn't attach this photo to the last entry so here is an additional entry of the Cubists: Dan, Beth, and SaraTee

Have you been CUBED?

I was going through boxes and stuff- Ya know cause I was organizing my room- And I came across these small doodles that were created on napkins- A couple of my friends & I had created them long ago while philosophizing about life over beers- Oh the good old times of drinking and wondering why the world is the way it is- I remember the night pretty well- We were sitting in a bar in West Duluth, Minnesota- A bar with my favorite Rocker/Metal/Hockey/Blue Collar kind of clientele- I was with my good friends' Dan and Beth- At the time, Dan and I were dating- My friend Beth had just gotten a book called Secrets of the Cube: The Ancient Visualization Game that Reveals your True Self- The book is a self discovery game where you are asked some questions and then they provide some universal interpretations for your answers- Basically interpreting who you are and the people you surround yourself with- You are asked to write down the descriptions- but we, being the highly creative bunch, decided to draw them-
Imagine a desert- (this can be a real one or fantasy, your choice)
In this desert, there is a cube- (write down at least 5 adjectives describing your cube, appearance, mood etc.)
Now, in the desert, there is also a ladder-(what is the ladder made of? Where is it in relation to the cube? Approximately how many rungs does it have? many, several, few?
In the desert there is also a horse- (what kind of horse is it? What color? Where is it going? Does it have a saddle or bridle or not? If so what kind?
Somewhere in the desert is a storm- (What kind of storm is this? Where do you see it? And does it effect the cube, the ladder, and the horse, or not? If so how?
And finally, in this desert there are flowers- (Where are the flowers? Are there many or few? What color & what kind?

Before you read any further make sure you have written down the thoughts- I don't want to ruin the game for you- You should know I am going to give the universal interpretations next- If you are curious and want more answers the book is written by Annie Gottlieb and Slobodan D Pesic- You should check it out in your local bookstore-
Here is the master key:

The cube is YOU- your self portrait- The adjectives you wrote down describe yourself- (many more details inside the book)

The ladder represents your friends and co-workers- (more details inside the book)

The horse is your lover/ life partner-(more details inside the book)

The storm is trouble/ upset/ challenge- Life's power to stir things up-

The flowers are children of your body &/or mind-"your baby"- Whatever you create and nurture-

The desert is your life and your view on the world-

Here are our interpretations or drawings of our CUBE's-Much has taken place in our lives together as friends and as well in our individual journeys since that night- I will describe my cube in the next entry since I don't remember the details of the others- Sorry if I have ruined the cubed experience for any of you- If you haven't wrote down your description of your desert you should do that know- Looking at other peoples interpretations can sway your own visual interpretation-

The Cube Drawings

My Cube
As you can see by my lovely napkin drawing, my cube is large, well the largest amongst my friends- It is 7 feet by 7 feet (almost the length of my arms stretched out) It is made of old stone like the pyramids, one side is facing out and it is sitting in the sand-(translation: I am earthy, cool, permeable-sensitive to outside influences- I am grounded- I am comfortable with myself and will show all sides of myself) The ladder is leaning on the cube and I believe it is made out of wood- (translation: someone who is loyal, warm, "Lean on Me" -mutual support, I am a people person) The storm is far out in the background with the mountains- (translation: Dark clouds and lightning means worry that trouble is on its way, I am apprehensive, trouble is in the distance letting me live life but I have one eye on it, the lightning is illuminating insights within the darkness) There is a lot of cacti surrounding the cube (translation: many difficult people in my way) The flowers as I remember are small daisy like (chamomile) in a patch (translation: my children or small dog because I had no children, or work is innocent, pure, will compete with a demanding lover or I don't give enough emotional support to my lover) and finally for the horse-do you see the horse on the far right- Well the horse (a pinto) doesn't have a saddle and is eating the flowers- (translation: a lover with a crazy patchwork of interests (checkered past?) free, trustworthy, companion, but can run away- I want him to be there on his own will, near the ladder so I consider him a friend, but he is eating the flowers which has contradicting meanings so I don't know how to interpret it-

Dan's Cube
I don't remember to many details on how my friends visualized all of their deserts but I do remember Dan's cube was small like the sand and it was tumbling with the sand- He and I were dating at the time and I don't really remember what his horse was doing- Looks like it was running around in the distance (No, I wasn't literally running around on him)- Beth's cube as I remember was small and invisible or made out of a material that made it see through and her ladder was made of green wood (not sure what the difference is between green wood and regular wood) Beth's Cube

Sassafrass