To sleep, perchance …

I've been having dreams about someone. Three, in the past week.

We'll call him G.

I've only met G. twice, and when we've met we've had little opportunity to speak. But I feel like I know him. He has an uncanny resemblance to a college friend. I didn't notice it the first time we met, as I had my I'm-dating-someone-else blinders firmly attached at the time. The second time we met, the similarities were profound.

I've never had prophetic dreams. They're usually symbolic.

So here's what's perplexing me. What does G. symbolize?

After the first dream, I woke up with only a photo-exact image of his face in negative. It was as if, dreaming, I saw the positive image, and the reverse lingered upon waking. He was smiling, and pushing his hair out of his face.

In the second, we were driving somewhere together and I was asking G. advice about car maintenance. He was exasperated with the questions. (I usually dream about cars with failed brakes or spinning along an icy road when I feel out of control of my life.)

In the third, we were at a swanky party in a very luxurious condominium downtown. G. showed me a losing lottery ticket, complimented me (for what I can't remember), and I moved the champagne from his hand to the table and started to kiss him. He resisted, at first, and then gave in whole-heartedly.

I only remember my dreams occasionally. Why three in one week?

Anyone have insight for me? (Or, at least, if I call him, something other to say than "I've had three dreams about you in the past week.")


Knobs, skunk and the crib

Last weekend, a friend-of-a-friend mentioned that she bought a cribbage board while visiting family in Wisconsin. She's taking it back to Pittsburgh.

I hadn't played cribbage in at least ten years.

My uncle (from Wisconsin) spent the last three days with me as a houseguest. He'd left at home the cribbage board he usually keeps in his car. So Tuesday night I bought the last remaining cribbage board at the local K-Mart.

The packaging was spartan: a tin case holding a folding three-track board and deck of cards. Nowhere did it lure shoppers with phrases such as "Fun for the whole family!" or "A minute to learn, a lifetime to master."

For good reason:

The dealer gets two hands of cards, his/her hand and "the crib," two cards from the dealer's original six-card hand, and two cards from the other player's original six-card hand.

The remainder of the deck is cut, and a card turned over, but ignored until after the players play thier hands.

The dealer and other player play their hands, adding each sequential card. Points are awarded for the player who makes a total of 15 or 31, as well as the player who completes a run or pair or triple as the addition goes along.

Then the players group their hands into scoring points. Groups of 15 are awarded, as are pairs, triples and runs. If a player happens to have the jack of the suit of the card cut from the remainder of the deck, they get "knobs" — an extra point.

Finally, the dealer checks the crib for pairs, triples, runs and knobs, and gets points accordingly.

Switch dealer, start over.

Play continues until someone gains 120 points, or until someone gains a so many points so as to "skunk" their opponent.

I'm bringing cribbage to the next barbecue I attend. It'll be hours of fun.