She is a much better person than I am.  No matter what the situation, she seems to remain calm and cheerful.  We have had a great friendship, mostly because while I am pessimistic and negative she is hopeful and positive.  I think she thinks that I am funny.  I like Mel because she is a good-hearted person.  She is spiritual, and she does a great deal of community service.  She and I used to go to yoga classes together, but then we both fell off the wagon.  When we’re together we have the best times, whether being serious or goofy.

Dream: My boyfriend and I were near work when it began snowing.  Suddenly everyone was outside having fun and there was a huge festival happening because of the snow.  One of our more abrasive coworkers was running a ski jump, although she was instructing teenage boys how to do it by speaking in a combination of Italian and other languages that she only partially knew.  I walked by a band dressed entirely in white that was playing alternative music on a hill.  I went into the bathroom when suddenly another coworker and one of my aunts barged in and began talking about how they would redecorate with mirrors and by opening blinds.  I left the restroom and met up with two women in their 30s who were shopping for shoes and handbags.  As we were leaving the store, one of them began singing.  I met my boyfriend outside and was telling him about the singing, but he told me, “She’s not really singing.  She’s lip-synching, just like in the movie.”  I paused to think about this because I realized that he was saying something very important.  However, I soon forgot because I was hungry and wanted to go home to make dinner.  We were debating whether we should go to my apartment or his, but ultimately we decided to go to mine.  While we were there, much of his extended family showed up, including relatives with babies.

Analysis: I’m lost as to what this dream means.  My boyfriend told me that we watched a James Bond movie involving a ski jump yesterday, but otherwise I have no idea where these images came from.  I do find his comment in the dream interesting because it seems that he is comparing our lives to the plot of a movie.

This article at CNN.com details the temporary outage of www.perezhilton.com after its host dropped it due to alleged copyright infringement.  More interestingly, the article indicates that a judge refused to issue an injunction against the site, even though a lawsuit is pending.  The website’s author claims he, as a journalist, has a right to use the pictures taken by the paparazzi.  It’s shocking to me that more hasn’t been done to stop his website from infringing.  He does often alter the images, perhaps leading to the analysis that it’s not infringement because he is creating a spoof or compilation, etc.  However, I think the message being sent is that judges are relecutant to side with the paparazzi, even if they don’t like what Perez Hilton is doing.

Dream: My mother and I were trying to find the restroom in Borders when a woman she knew left the cafe area and came over to us.  The woman suggested that my mother might be able to get a job there, despite the fact that my mom is disabled.  The woman acted as if the job was so easy and the pay so generous that no one should miss such an opportunity.  I didn’t really think my mother should be considering getting a job, so I tried to herd my mother into the restroom and encourage her friend to leave us alone.  Her friend took the hint and moved back to the cafe counter, but seated at a nearby table Regis Philbin yelled out to us.  He was also giving my mother career advice.

Analysis: I am not sure what this dream means.  I think possibly it symbolizes my need to have alone time with people with whom I am close, without interruptions from others.  Any comments or analysis would be appreciated.

I was raised as a Christian.  My mother, brother, and I went to church several times a week, and my brother and I would spend part of our summer vacation at vacation Bible school.  Those experiences have made me who I am, however, recently I have been reading more about Buddhism.  On September 19, 2006 I attended a talk the Dalai Lama gave at the University at Buffalo.  Listening to him talk was extremely inspirational and encouraged me to learn more about the religion.  Eventually I would like to participate in some sangha meetings or meditations.  I think that Buddhism helps explain anger and other emotional problems in a way that is more helpful.  Learing about this religion has certainly made me look at how attachment has affected many of my choices.