Dreams: "Penny! I Love Ya!"

Most of the members in my local church congregation are stranded on the island from "Lost." We got stuck there because for a time the island had stopped moving and seemed to be just a normal, tropical landmark, so it was opened up for tourism and small towns were built to accommodate the traffic and provide some night life. When the island decided to start going nutso again, it happened to be a day that most of my congregation was doing some sightseeing, trapping us.

Determined to get off the island, I decide to make a swim for it. Every once in a while I can spot a mountain range just a couple miles offshore, and decide that I'll head for that, despite the warnings from other people that I shouldn't. While a party is happening on the beach, I warm myself up by swimming in the air about 7 feet off the ground, heading toward the water, and then finally plunge in and go for it. I'm about a mile out when I realize that my arms and legs are giving out on me (in real life I'm not a very strong swimmer). Luckily I haven't even left the large channel that I had decided to start from (because walking on land to the furthest point out certainly is just plain illogical), and soon I find Cabeza, old roommate Warren, current roommate Darren, and friend Amanda coming out to rescue me, and they dutifully pull me to the shore that I had been moving parallel to and carry me back to the rest of the castaways.

Emotionally drained from a failed escape attempt, I plop down in a seat with the congregation, who has set up folding chairs on the beach, facing away from the water, to have some church meetings. An announcement is made by one of the leaders that a small group of packages has mysteriously arrived at the island, and each one is addressed to a different person there. Another leader holds up a large box over his head and I can see that it's addressed to me, but suddenly someone a few rows back stakes a claim on it! Not one to be had, I stand on my chair and furiously yell "HEY! THAT'S MINE!" over and over, repeating myself because I keep getting drowned out by the applause of the surrounding congregation, who is very excited for this fellow to be receiving a box of goods.

After three or four attempts, I'm finally heard and the impostor sheepishly gives me the box. As I begin to slowly open it, I wonder who would have sent it to me. Looking for a name, I find "Marcos" scribbled on the side of the box. I begin to sob as I express gratitude for Marcos, a real-life member of my congregation, who was so thoughtful to send this along.

Opening the box, I find that it contains several clothing items, most of which belong to me, including a set of military fatigues and my blue and white beanie that an old college roommate had crocheted for me (see picture). It feels good to have something of my own again.

Later on, Amanda and I keep going to an abandoned saloon to drink the non-alcoholic beverages, but every time I try to jump over the bar to play bartender, the bottle of whatever I'm going to drink falls out of my hands and shatters. One of these times, the beverage is a gourmet lime soda. The only other drinks immediately available are bottles of Jarritos, which neither of us is really in the mood for.

The rest of my experience involves exploring a nearby restroom, making plans to dig out a new living area/cave (including an uncomfortable bed made of sand), and watching three cartoonish-looking animals try to save each other from plunging off the side of a cliff to their demise.