Dream One

Title: The Essential Spirit Drink.
Themes: Artist
Emotions: Neutral
Major structural elements: Rainy afternoon.  Rectangular buildings side by side.  Very high ceilings.  Circular bead shapes, mostly red hues, fabric textures, movement of a few people/customers in shop. 
Unexpected elements: ice cream scoop, lime flavored ice, frosted/etched liquor bottles, large, wooden artist mannequin, very high ceilings, tubular piping, sweet and sour.

Rainy afternoon, I park my car in a small parking lot in front of a small mini-strip mall.  There are only three stores, and the reason I stop is because I spot a life sized wooden, posable mannequin in a window display.  It has a price sticker on its forehead, but I can’t read it because I am too far away. The store that this is displayed in is currently closed, but the sign on the door said: Back in 10 minutes.  

They are art stores, featuring hand made items from local artisans.  They are all connected through doorways.  I am not impressed with the first store; it is messy, tacky quality ceramic items on the floor, papers strewn about.  I leave immediately, not wanting to have to dig through the crap to find something decent.

The second store is surprisingly huge with very very high cathedral ceilings.  There are glass display shelves with handmade beaded jewelry, whimsical decorative items, pillows and highly detailed fabrics. The feel very rough for something that looks so soft.  Some are hanging on the walls.  There is very tall tubular piping (sort of like pvc plumbing, only thinner and clear in color) going floor to ceiling with hand blown glass globes being displayed on them.

I peer into the third store door, which is now open for business.  That is where I see the life sized man mannequin.  I am surprised to see that this is actually a very trendy bar, serving appetizers and alcoholic drinks.    The bartender / owner is flirting with me, and explains this is the new wave of restaurants / artist consignment / bar.   We discuss consignment, he winks, and offers to blend me a drink called: Lime Away.  I tell him I would prefer a Lime Ricky. 

He goes to the refrigerator, which has a full glass front, very commercial / industrial looking, and he removes a frozen lime concentrate mixture from a container with an ice cream scoop.  He starts pouring multiple glasses of these citrus flavored drinks into frosted glasses.  Although its cold and refreshing, my mouth puckers because it tastes like a very sour margarita.  He tells me that the drinks and the mannequin costs $50.00.

Title: The hunt for employment continues.
Themes:  Employment agency, financial negotiations.
Emotions: Frustration.
Major structural elements: computer, employment agency, and placement agent.

Unexpected elements:  Inoperable computer mouse, not wearing bra.

I have replied to a newspaper advertisement for a job position called:  Your Virtual Assistant.  I fax my resume to a temporary job placement agency called Professionally Yours and get an immediate reply.  They ask me to come to their office so my computer skills can be tested.  I put on a business casual outfit of black skirt and white blouse. 

When I get to the office, I am embarrassed that I have forgotten to put on a bra when wearing a white shirt.  The female placement agent gives me a Dixie cup with Poland springs water, sits me in front of a computer and tells me to being the computer knowledge test.  The computer mouse is broken, but I use keyboard shortcut commands, but know that this will affect my final test score.