this dream faded a lot becuase I went back to sleep. but here is what I remember.

I was walking along with Maria (my boss in real life) and we were going to a 10am class. it was some urban wasteland environment possibly in the future. I think it was my first day and she was showing me the way. we went down a street where the buildings got taller. they were all made of bricks.

we got to a T-intersection and the ground began to change. it was no longer concrete sidewalks and asphalt streets. at first I thought it was all just lite-grey gravel, but keeping the shape of streets and sidewalks. it crunched. then I looked closer, and it was a plant like the succulents with pointy leaves my mom used to really like. they were so pale a green that they blended in with the gravel. they were much hardier than I recall and withstood our steps well.

we got to the T and the cross street was this plant-and gravel stuff as far as the eye could see, going between tall brick buildings. the right hand side went west and it was getting on in the afternoon, so the sun streamed in. there were figures running across the street and taking cover like it was a combat zone.

we turned left, and stuck to the left, to avoid getting shot. getting to the class would require another left turn. we went a ways and headed suddenly across the street. there was like a shitty breakfast diner that opened up in the bricks like it had taken over what was previously a service garage. we met Maria's freind Robby there.

Robby was blond and had a square, tanned, weathered face. with a touch of acne scars. he was really stoned. I ended up seated between them and feeling very uncomfortable. Maria tried to get me to relax but it was that feeling like I used to get in college when I ditched a class and knew I really couldn't afford to.

we talked a while and then went on. we went away from the brick buildings and came to some apartment complex. there was one place with a normal cheap SoCal setup, living room had a wide aluminum-frame window. there was this round-faced hispanic person out front of it and I knew her and greeted her gladly. Maria went inside but I waited outside.

the window had 5 panes, and there was a knob to the lower right of it that had "settings". the wall it was on faced southeast so we were in shade from the westering sun. the settings were like one-way, transparent, some sort of checkered pattern, and there was a smoking one I didn't get. then I thought, there are chinese in the apartment and they will be smoking. so I set the window to that setting.

the window turned sort of bronze with a directional film, and then about 1/3 of the way from the end of the 2nd-rightmost panel a little metal tube protruded and bent upwards. it had a rectangular opening that now faced outward. smoke started to shoot out horizontally from that little opening as it started to clear the 2nd hand smoke from inside the apartment. I wondered what the chinese would think, but figured Maria would be happy I did this.