Dream within a Dream

Have you ever had a dream within a dream? I napped for three hours this afternoon. I dreamed that I dreamed that I was with my mother again. It was a hot sunny day and I wanted to go to the beach. She kept saying that I better not. That I should just go home instead. In my mind I could see a dozen miniature Mount Ararats in a strange sunny landscape that seemed like it could be Australia. My mother held me like a baby, and kept saying I should just go home. Then I knew it was a dream and tears started streaming down my face because it seemed so real and I wanted to stay with my mother. But I eventually woke up. It was late afternoon. Still sunny but a little too late to get to the beach. I walked up the road and went inside several houses. I was exploring one, looking at layout and the furniture. I looked out the window. On porches and in yards, girls were taking off their outer clothes down to bikinis and sunning themselves. I was watching one, sort of androgenous person who wasn't in a bikini, but rather a very loose pair of shorts that allowed a view of one buttock up a pant leg. Suddenly I was startled by Lamar Alexander and a plump, artsy woman who I knew was the sister of one of my co-workers. They were standing outside looking into the window. Alexander shook my hand and said "Hello Haik" like I was an old friend. His hand was rough. I told him Philip Baruth was running for the Vermont senate, and asked him how things were going in the US senate. He said things were fine, and that they even had a Burlington Pol there now, adding something sort of pejorative about it under his breath. I said I had just seen Bernie at a party the day before (which is actually true in real life) and I asked him how his daughter Kathryn was. He said twice that he had absolutely no idea. I asked how he and my co-worker's sister happened to know each other and they started acting very uncomfortable. "The Opera." She said. "Oh yeah," I replied "Everybody meets at the Opera." Then it seemed like Lamar Alexander wanted the conversation to end, and I was ok with that, because I figured I already had enough for blog post. And then I woke up for real. That was about six hours ago, and I'm still trying to shake it off.