I had a really harrowing dream last night that made me feel exhausted upon waking. This dream is RIFE with Freudian issues, so beware!
I dreamed that my boyfriend and I were going on a Romantic Getaway to the same place near Seattle where a friend of mine got married last summer (in real life, which I attended). It was (is) a really neat bed and breakfast on an island overlooking the water and I was really looking forward to this weekend, especially since somewhere buried in the dream was the knowledge (suspicion??) that my boyfriend was either going to propose or we were actually going to get married (?!).
We had to take a bus to the B n' B, and the grizzled driver dropped us off in front of the building, complaining that he had to drive all the way back to the ferry and then to the mainland. We tried to give him directions, but he just kept complaining.
As we walked up toward the inn, I saw a person getting out a car in the parking lot and as we drew closer, I realized it was my mother. I was so angry that she had somehow figured out where we were going, and went so far as to track us down. I swallowed my anger, though, and we decided to try to have a nice weekend, even when several other family members showed up.
My mom ended up taking over the whole show, organizing outings, dominating conversations (quite unlike her in real life, btw). I was just seething that she'd ruined my romantic weekend, and presumably my chances at having The Talk with my boyfriend.
There was a lot of confusion about bathrooms, like who was showering when. Apparently there was only one shower, which was just a little enclosure in the center of the house. I also ended up sleeping in the strange alcove that was reached by climbing a ladder. It was just a sort of narrow shelf in the wall near the ceiling, and I was using it as a refuge from my mom.
Eventually, during a meal, I ended up losing my temper with my mom, though I'm not sure what event precipitated the actual loss of temper. I ended up screaming and crying at her in the dining room with a roomful of people, with my sister and boyfriend trying to calm me, or at least remove me from the room. I kept screaming something like, "Goddamn it, just stop it!!! Just stop it!!! Everyone gets your point, goddamn it!!!"
That's when I woke up, and it took me awhile to get back to sleep. Eek!
Monday, February 8, 2010
chubby and manly?
I hate to displace the great dream below, but if I don't I'm going to forget this. I've had three depressing low-self-esteem dreams lately, three nights in a row.
1.
All I really remember from this one is suddenly realizing that my posterior was WAY bigger than I had been thinking it was. This didn't really fundamentally shake my self-concept, it was just really weird and very surprising. My first thought was, "well, I guess I didn't need to be worried about having a lack in that area", and my second thought was, "oh, I guess I should start exercising more". I also wondered what other aspects of my self-image were totally inaccurate.
2.
This was the worst one, and I was discombobulated by this one for a while after waking. It was in the course of a much longer dream in which I was in Italy on an extended vacation with my parents, sister, and grandmother. We were staying in a huge rented villa. It was a very old building with a lot of weird rooms and strange layouts resulting from hundreds of years of add-ons and modifications. There was also some very unattractive carpeting and paint (think a church basement/fellowship hall with carpet that was cheap thirty years ago).
At some point I was attending a wedding in a nearby church. I don't know who this wedding was for, but the curious thing is how I was dressed. Normally in a dream like this I would have gone through an agonizing search through a weird assortment of very detailed clothes, but I don't remember a getting-dressed sequence in this one. I do remember what I was wearing: an oversized sports jersey (hockey?) tucked into a rose-colored below-the-knee early 90s pleated skirt and topped off with a squarish navy blue cardigan (??!). I had my hair straight and parted on the side, and I remember being satisfied with how I looked [although, at the same time, my always-awake editorial review board was strenuously objecting to the outfit].
I entered the church and wasn't sure which side I should sit on, not recognizing any of the guests. I had just chosen a spot when an older man stationed on the opposite side of the church said--loudly--"young man!" I looked around to see who he was addressing, and he repeated it. Somehow I realized that I was the "young man" in question, and I tried to make him understand that I was not a young man. He was not to be dissuaded, and getting more and more worked up. He said, "young man, don't argue with me!", and went on to bluster that my lack of a tie was inappropriate and that I was going to have to leave until I could produce a tie.
Needless to say, it was extremely humiliating and destabilizing. I think everyone else there pretended that nothing was happening as I beat my retreat.
Later on in the dream, I had an exchange with Lindsay Lohan, who seemed very depressed and a little needy. We talked about how cruel the "entertainment media" was to publish pictures of "Stars without Makeup" and dissect celebrities' appearances when they didn't look any worse than your average person on the street. I got tired of the conversation pretty quickly, but I felt bad for her and couldn't figure out how to extricate myself without hurting her feelings.
3.
The third dream involved a couple of my real-life friends. We were eating in a restaurant somewhere, and one of them (who in real life is the most tactful person you could ever hope to meet) commented on how much I was eating. She said, "yes, I've always been amazed at how much you can eat and how often. I could never eat that much. I guess that's why you're chubby with a belly." This was said with a perfectly straight face, as if it couldn't possibly be offensive to me, so I figured I had better respond in kind, as if it were just a normal discussion about anything else.
1.
All I really remember from this one is suddenly realizing that my posterior was WAY bigger than I had been thinking it was. This didn't really fundamentally shake my self-concept, it was just really weird and very surprising. My first thought was, "well, I guess I didn't need to be worried about having a lack in that area", and my second thought was, "oh, I guess I should start exercising more". I also wondered what other aspects of my self-image were totally inaccurate.
2.
This was the worst one, and I was discombobulated by this one for a while after waking. It was in the course of a much longer dream in which I was in Italy on an extended vacation with my parents, sister, and grandmother. We were staying in a huge rented villa. It was a very old building with a lot of weird rooms and strange layouts resulting from hundreds of years of add-ons and modifications. There was also some very unattractive carpeting and paint (think a church basement/fellowship hall with carpet that was cheap thirty years ago).
At some point I was attending a wedding in a nearby church. I don't know who this wedding was for, but the curious thing is how I was dressed. Normally in a dream like this I would have gone through an agonizing search through a weird assortment of very detailed clothes, but I don't remember a getting-dressed sequence in this one. I do remember what I was wearing: an oversized sports jersey (hockey?) tucked into a rose-colored below-the-knee early 90s pleated skirt and topped off with a squarish navy blue cardigan (??!). I had my hair straight and parted on the side, and I remember being satisfied with how I looked [although, at the same time, my always-awake editorial review board was strenuously objecting to the outfit].
I entered the church and wasn't sure which side I should sit on, not recognizing any of the guests. I had just chosen a spot when an older man stationed on the opposite side of the church said--loudly--"young man!" I looked around to see who he was addressing, and he repeated it. Somehow I realized that I was the "young man" in question, and I tried to make him understand that I was not a young man. He was not to be dissuaded, and getting more and more worked up. He said, "young man, don't argue with me!", and went on to bluster that my lack of a tie was inappropriate and that I was going to have to leave until I could produce a tie.
Needless to say, it was extremely humiliating and destabilizing. I think everyone else there pretended that nothing was happening as I beat my retreat.
Later on in the dream, I had an exchange with Lindsay Lohan, who seemed very depressed and a little needy. We talked about how cruel the "entertainment media" was to publish pictures of "Stars without Makeup" and dissect celebrities' appearances when they didn't look any worse than your average person on the street. I got tired of the conversation pretty quickly, but I felt bad for her and couldn't figure out how to extricate myself without hurting her feelings.
3.
The third dream involved a couple of my real-life friends. We were eating in a restaurant somewhere, and one of them (who in real life is the most tactful person you could ever hope to meet) commented on how much I was eating. She said, "yes, I've always been amazed at how much you can eat and how often. I could never eat that much. I guess that's why you're chubby with a belly." This was said with a perfectly straight face, as if it couldn't possibly be offensive to me, so I figured I had better respond in kind, as if it were just a normal discussion about anything else.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Noah and the Flood
I dreamed that I was with my boyfriend, his family, and several other people in a large house clearly located in Florida. I'm not sure why we were all together, but we learned that The Flood was going to happen (yes, the Biblical flood). I guess we heard it on TV, so we were trying to get things ready in the house (sort of like hurricane preparation). I guess we were going to try to ride it out at home.
The house was very open, airy, and light with lots of windows and skylights. I was worried about all this glass, so we decided to take refuge in a bedroom that only had one window.
As we were making preparations, it seemed that I was the only one who was really worried about the severe weather approaching; I could see the vast, black storm cloud coming up on the horizon. I grabbed my laptop and wondered if I should go and get my backpack, which apparently had my clothes inside. In the end, I didn't because a distraction arrived.
Apparently, the Biblical Aaron arrived, who had apparently made the prediction that this flood would happen. (Notice that I'm confusing Biblical characters here: in my dream, Aaron was Noah's brother.) When he showed up, I rolled my eyes and inwardly sighed; he was wearing what he clearly thought was a "hipster" suit, sunglasses, and he had long straight hair, parted down the middle. The suit, however, was large and boxy, in a navy blue, and he was wearing this mustard yellow shirt underneath, sans tie. I thought he was trying to act the part of Prophet a little too hard. (I believe that Noah was already present in the house, though he didn't have a large role in the dream.)
Everyone was really impressed that we had Aaron in the house. Everyone had gone into the small bedroom to wait for the storm to hit. This stranger, a woman, was sitting across from me. She was total Florida from head to toe, wearing a pastel suit, tons of makeup and jewelry, and had a deep mahogany tan. She kept asking me questions, as though to show that I wasn't as cool as I thought.
Then a guy came to sit in front of me because I was going to shave his face (?!). I was using this tiny, extremely sharp tool to shave him, sort of like a straight razor, but much smaller. More like a larger exacto knife. I was scraping away at his (surprisingly thick) beard/neck hair under his ears (??), and he kept twisting his head around to look at me. He kept asking me really personal questions, implying that he'd seen me several times in porn videos!!!
I kept asking him to sit still so I didn't slit his throat ("Sir, please sit still!"), but he kept saying things like, "You don't have to pretend with me, I've seen you naked," as he kept giving me leering glances. He was really gross too, a red-faced, thick-necked guy with a big, fleshy ear and jowl. I never really understood if he was mistaking me for someone else, or if I really had been in porn videos. I just decided to keep my professional shaver's demeanor and asking politely for him to sit still. My boyfriend was sitting beside me the whole time, and I knew he'd appreciate it if I didn't respond to this idiot.
The house was very open, airy, and light with lots of windows and skylights. I was worried about all this glass, so we decided to take refuge in a bedroom that only had one window.
As we were making preparations, it seemed that I was the only one who was really worried about the severe weather approaching; I could see the vast, black storm cloud coming up on the horizon. I grabbed my laptop and wondered if I should go and get my backpack, which apparently had my clothes inside. In the end, I didn't because a distraction arrived.
Apparently, the Biblical Aaron arrived, who had apparently made the prediction that this flood would happen. (Notice that I'm confusing Biblical characters here: in my dream, Aaron was Noah's brother.) When he showed up, I rolled my eyes and inwardly sighed; he was wearing what he clearly thought was a "hipster" suit, sunglasses, and he had long straight hair, parted down the middle. The suit, however, was large and boxy, in a navy blue, and he was wearing this mustard yellow shirt underneath, sans tie. I thought he was trying to act the part of Prophet a little too hard. (I believe that Noah was already present in the house, though he didn't have a large role in the dream.)
Everyone was really impressed that we had Aaron in the house. Everyone had gone into the small bedroom to wait for the storm to hit. This stranger, a woman, was sitting across from me. She was total Florida from head to toe, wearing a pastel suit, tons of makeup and jewelry, and had a deep mahogany tan. She kept asking me questions, as though to show that I wasn't as cool as I thought.
Then a guy came to sit in front of me because I was going to shave his face (?!). I was using this tiny, extremely sharp tool to shave him, sort of like a straight razor, but much smaller. More like a larger exacto knife. I was scraping away at his (surprisingly thick) beard/neck hair under his ears (??), and he kept twisting his head around to look at me. He kept asking me really personal questions, implying that he'd seen me several times in porn videos!!!
I kept asking him to sit still so I didn't slit his throat ("Sir, please sit still!"), but he kept saying things like, "You don't have to pretend with me, I've seen you naked," as he kept giving me leering glances. He was really gross too, a red-faced, thick-necked guy with a big, fleshy ear and jowl. I never really understood if he was mistaking me for someone else, or if I really had been in porn videos. I just decided to keep my professional shaver's demeanor and asking politely for him to sit still. My boyfriend was sitting beside me the whole time, and I knew he'd appreciate it if I didn't respond to this idiot.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Steam creature
I was at my friend Cynthia's brother, Charles's house for some reason. We were talking, I can't remember about what, but then he took me back to Cynthia's apartment which was made up of parts of her actual apparent and parts of a house my family built when I was about ten.
Charles and I walked into Cynthia's bedroom which was right across from the front door. Something didn't seem right, and I asked Charles if this was really her place, I felt like he had accidentally brought me to an apartment that she used to live in, but she didn't anymore. He said this was the right place and left.
I walked into the kitchen which was right next to the bedroom. It was actually the kitchen from my old house.
When I went back into where the bedroom had been. The door to the room had moved to another wall, the room was now twice as big, and it was an office. The room was a mess with papers, CD cases, and small boxes stacked everywhere. In one corner next to a closet with a sliding door was a computer desk. There was a tall pile of papers stacked next to it, and in front of the pile was the air mattress I sleep on.
Another friend of mine, Issac, was trying to organize the paper pile into the closet. I laid down on the air mattress and was talking to him while he worked, until he almost knocked the whole pile of papers down on top of me. I decided that I would help him, so he stood on the desk chair and put papers up on the top shelf of the closet that I handed him from the pile.
After a few minutes of this, something out the door caught Issac's attention, he was staring intently into the kitchen area. After a while he said, "Come... to... Wondrousworld?" I asked him what he was talking about and he told me there was a face in the steam in the kitchen mouthing that. That freaked me out a little bit, and I edged around to see out the door into the kitchen. The door to the dishwasher was open and heat and steam were rising off the dishes. The air was rippling and I could just make out a face, it's mouth was moving but I couldn't tell if it was saying anything.
I don't remember exactly what happened next, but the next thing I knew I was out in the hallway outside the kitchen. The figure in the steam appeared to be much more well formed. It now looked like the full body and head of a generic grey alien, small body, large egg head. It seemed that the steam moved around the shape of the alien, but the shape itself was partially full of smoke. It also seemed to be saying something and beckoning with it's hands.
Right then, Richard Dean Anderson came through the front door dressed as his character from Stargate. He walked around me and the open dishwasher, further into the kitchen, reached into the space between the cabinets and the floor, and, somehow, pulled out an old woman who looked like a crazy homeless cat lady. She was all covered with dust and crumbs and all the stuff that might get swept under the cabinets.
He told me that she had somehow gotten a hold of some technology that allowed her to create forms in steam and fill them with smoke using jets of air. She was using it to trick people, though trick them to do what and why I never found out, because I woke up.
Charles and I walked into Cynthia's bedroom which was right across from the front door. Something didn't seem right, and I asked Charles if this was really her place, I felt like he had accidentally brought me to an apartment that she used to live in, but she didn't anymore. He said this was the right place and left.
I walked into the kitchen which was right next to the bedroom. It was actually the kitchen from my old house.
When I went back into where the bedroom had been. The door to the room had moved to another wall, the room was now twice as big, and it was an office. The room was a mess with papers, CD cases, and small boxes stacked everywhere. In one corner next to a closet with a sliding door was a computer desk. There was a tall pile of papers stacked next to it, and in front of the pile was the air mattress I sleep on.
Another friend of mine, Issac, was trying to organize the paper pile into the closet. I laid down on the air mattress and was talking to him while he worked, until he almost knocked the whole pile of papers down on top of me. I decided that I would help him, so he stood on the desk chair and put papers up on the top shelf of the closet that I handed him from the pile.
After a few minutes of this, something out the door caught Issac's attention, he was staring intently into the kitchen area. After a while he said, "Come... to... Wondrousworld?" I asked him what he was talking about and he told me there was a face in the steam in the kitchen mouthing that. That freaked me out a little bit, and I edged around to see out the door into the kitchen. The door to the dishwasher was open and heat and steam were rising off the dishes. The air was rippling and I could just make out a face, it's mouth was moving but I couldn't tell if it was saying anything.
I don't remember exactly what happened next, but the next thing I knew I was out in the hallway outside the kitchen. The figure in the steam appeared to be much more well formed. It now looked like the full body and head of a generic grey alien, small body, large egg head. It seemed that the steam moved around the shape of the alien, but the shape itself was partially full of smoke. It also seemed to be saying something and beckoning with it's hands.
Right then, Richard Dean Anderson came through the front door dressed as his character from Stargate. He walked around me and the open dishwasher, further into the kitchen, reached into the space between the cabinets and the floor, and, somehow, pulled out an old woman who looked like a crazy homeless cat lady. She was all covered with dust and crumbs and all the stuff that might get swept under the cabinets.
He told me that she had somehow gotten a hold of some technology that allowed her to create forms in steam and fill them with smoke using jets of air. She was using it to trick people, though trick them to do what and why I never found out, because I woke up.
the easter robot
I can't remember much of last night's very long and involved dream, but there was an episode in which a group of retirees had an elaborate Easter tradition: every year they buried a robot, with great pomp and circumstance. I'm not sure if they then dug it back up or not, but it was a very elaborate ceremony.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Movie Roles
The other night I dreamed that I was in another Mel Gibson action movie (the odd part of that sentence is the last five words).
When I'm in the movie, I'm both a part of the plot and aware that it's a movie. This was a kind of home invasion movie in which Mel and I had to sneak into the house of the bad people. I was carrying a seriously big and bad-ass machine gun. It was huge and heavy, and I was worried about being able to use it while moving.
Mel and I started outside, where we loaded up our guns and split up. I entered the house through a bedroom on the first floor. I think this one had a woman in it, about my age, and I shot her with the gun. The bullets from the gun seemed to move in slow motion, even though I was trying to move very fast. I don't remember this scene very well, but I remember that the shooting didn't work, or my gun ran out of bullets, because I ended up having to smash her head over and over with a chair or something.
I proceeded on through the house, wondering what Mel was up to. Of course I was surprised by a young guy with a gun. He started shooting at me, and I could see the bullets moving in slow motion toward me. I couldn't feel anything hitting me, but I wondered if I was injured. I was shooting back at him, and I noticed again how heavy the gun was. I was kind of diving behind furniture and trying to keep shooting at him at the same time.
This guy wouldn' die, though. At one point, he was down and I walked over to him and shot directly down into his head and body and, thinking he was dead, I started to walk away. I looked back over my shoulder and saw him propping up on one elbow, trying to shoot me in the back. I had to run back and shoot him some more. I may have used a chair on him too.
I left the bedroom and started to creep quietly up a metal spiral staircase (just like the one at the back door of my apartment). I wasn't sure where this would lead, but I realized that since it was a movie, Mel was probably taking care of things in the other part of the house. I also thought about whether I was injured, but realized since I was in a movie, the injuries wouldn't last too long even if I was in fact injured.
When I'm in the movie, I'm both a part of the plot and aware that it's a movie. This was a kind of home invasion movie in which Mel and I had to sneak into the house of the bad people. I was carrying a seriously big and bad-ass machine gun. It was huge and heavy, and I was worried about being able to use it while moving.
Mel and I started outside, where we loaded up our guns and split up. I entered the house through a bedroom on the first floor. I think this one had a woman in it, about my age, and I shot her with the gun. The bullets from the gun seemed to move in slow motion, even though I was trying to move very fast. I don't remember this scene very well, but I remember that the shooting didn't work, or my gun ran out of bullets, because I ended up having to smash her head over and over with a chair or something.
I proceeded on through the house, wondering what Mel was up to. Of course I was surprised by a young guy with a gun. He started shooting at me, and I could see the bullets moving in slow motion toward me. I couldn't feel anything hitting me, but I wondered if I was injured. I was shooting back at him, and I noticed again how heavy the gun was. I was kind of diving behind furniture and trying to keep shooting at him at the same time.
This guy wouldn' die, though. At one point, he was down and I walked over to him and shot directly down into his head and body and, thinking he was dead, I started to walk away. I looked back over my shoulder and saw him propping up on one elbow, trying to shoot me in the back. I had to run back and shoot him some more. I may have used a chair on him too.
I left the bedroom and started to creep quietly up a metal spiral staircase (just like the one at the back door of my apartment). I wasn't sure where this would lead, but I realized that since it was a movie, Mel was probably taking care of things in the other part of the house. I also thought about whether I was injured, but realized since I was in a movie, the injuries wouldn't last too long even if I was in fact injured.
Civil War Distress
This was part of a larger dream, which I don't remember. At some point, I was in the garage of my mom's old house with my boyfriend, B. We were just hanging around when we heard and saw someone hobble past on a crutch. This person was dressed in rags and was clearly injured very badly, with one foot/ankle wrapped in a very bloody bandage.
Somehow I knew that this was a victim or combatant in the Civil War (i.e. the American Civil War...don't ask me how that got mixed up in my dream), and that this person was a minority of some kind. Not black or white or anything, but more like an ethnic minority of Eastern Europe or something. Anyway, I realized that this guy (it was a young guy) had been gravely injured and was fleeing from combat. He looked just like you'd imagine an Ethiopian refugee might look on TV.
He hobbled past our door and didn't say anything to us, but we could tell he stopped just past the door, because he was making these moaning and whimpering sounds. We didn't know what to do because we could see when he walked by that his whole foot was nearly off, just sort of dangling by the tendon at the heel. You could see daylight through the ankle. And I think he was injured in other ways too.
Eventually he ended up inside the garage, where he started begging us to kill him because he was in so much pain and we couldn't do anything for his injuries. His hair was shaved close and he had huge eyes. He kept asking us to kill him, and crying.
Finally, I went to the garage shelf and got my revolver (??), went over to him and, before I could lose my nerve, I shot him in the head. He died immediately, and I felt kind of relieved for him. But then it occurred to us that it might not be viewed as a mercy killing by anyone else, including the law. We started trying to think of what to do with his body. We were going to bury it in the field, but there was a guy (from my workplace, oddly) out there making dry ice (??) right where we wanted to bury the body.
I was starting to get really upset when I woke up feeling very relieved that I didn't just kill someone.
Somehow I knew that this was a victim or combatant in the Civil War (i.e. the American Civil War...don't ask me how that got mixed up in my dream), and that this person was a minority of some kind. Not black or white or anything, but more like an ethnic minority of Eastern Europe or something. Anyway, I realized that this guy (it was a young guy) had been gravely injured and was fleeing from combat. He looked just like you'd imagine an Ethiopian refugee might look on TV.
He hobbled past our door and didn't say anything to us, but we could tell he stopped just past the door, because he was making these moaning and whimpering sounds. We didn't know what to do because we could see when he walked by that his whole foot was nearly off, just sort of dangling by the tendon at the heel. You could see daylight through the ankle. And I think he was injured in other ways too.
Eventually he ended up inside the garage, where he started begging us to kill him because he was in so much pain and we couldn't do anything for his injuries. His hair was shaved close and he had huge eyes. He kept asking us to kill him, and crying.
Finally, I went to the garage shelf and got my revolver (??), went over to him and, before I could lose my nerve, I shot him in the head. He died immediately, and I felt kind of relieved for him. But then it occurred to us that it might not be viewed as a mercy killing by anyone else, including the law. We started trying to think of what to do with his body. We were going to bury it in the field, but there was a guy (from my workplace, oddly) out there making dry ice (??) right where we wanted to bury the body.
I was starting to get really upset when I woke up feeling very relieved that I didn't just kill someone.
Monday, January 25, 2010
creepy megachurch
Over the weekend I had another Back to School/high school/boarding school/group trip dream (of course). All I can remember of that part is a very rudimentary dorm situation (metal bunk beds), and a girl I actually went to school with referring very matter-of-factly to herself as a lesbian. This was surprising because, although I wouldn't have been surprised to discover that she was, she came from a very conservative family. I was a little in awe of her courage in being so open about it, in view of her background, although the implication seemed to be that she saw it as a spiritual burden to be borne and fought against. I guess that made it a little easier for her to be open about it.
Anyway, the rest of the dream was in the same cultural vein. I somehow ended up in a gigantic megachurch. It was more of an alternate universe, really. Instead of being just a church, with the usual seating-and-platform setup, it was a vast domed structure, with the dome duplicating a sky. It was filled with houses as far as I could see, like your average suburban housing development with largeish houses crammed very close together on very small lots.
The houses were arranged around a central mountain-like contraption. It was very tall and narrow, modeled after the rock columns/mountains you see in pictures from Asia, and although I knew it had been constructed from scratch it was a very convincing facsimile. There was a walkway with railings spiraling around it all the way to the top (which disappeared, or at least appeared to disappear, into clouds). A children's choir was arranged all along the walkway, conducted from below by a woman in a yellow satin robe (I think the children were similarly garbed). She had to crane her neck all the way back and wave her arms at the sky, but they seemed to have no trouble following her (although I wondered about the acoustic viability of such a setup).
The inhabitants, from what I saw and overheard, were very excited about taking part in this alternative living experiment. The whole thing was extremely creepy.
Anyway, the rest of the dream was in the same cultural vein. I somehow ended up in a gigantic megachurch. It was more of an alternate universe, really. Instead of being just a church, with the usual seating-and-platform setup, it was a vast domed structure, with the dome duplicating a sky. It was filled with houses as far as I could see, like your average suburban housing development with largeish houses crammed very close together on very small lots.
The houses were arranged around a central mountain-like contraption. It was very tall and narrow, modeled after the rock columns/mountains you see in pictures from Asia, and although I knew it had been constructed from scratch it was a very convincing facsimile. There was a walkway with railings spiraling around it all the way to the top (which disappeared, or at least appeared to disappear, into clouds). A children's choir was arranged all along the walkway, conducted from below by a woman in a yellow satin robe (I think the children were similarly garbed). She had to crane her neck all the way back and wave her arms at the sky, but they seemed to have no trouble following her (although I wondered about the acoustic viability of such a setup).
The inhabitants, from what I saw and overheard, were very excited about taking part in this alternative living experiment. The whole thing was extremely creepy.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Now Starring Demi Moore as The Murderer
My whole family and the family that is super good family friends of ours went on a vacation. We went to see an art museum filled with some guy's amazing work, "They should throw him a parade!" [as an aside, I really wish I could remember what they looked like... then I could paint them and someone would want to buy them, they were AH-Mazing.]
Then we went skiing. First we had to cross-country ski, and we encountered and old man who cross country skied with a golf bag on his back. The bag was filled with clubs and guns, "cuz you never know". We nodded sagely and continued on. Then we got to the point where instead of skiing we decided to go down the Zip Line.
Everyone was taking their turn, and it was really fun, even in a dream to go down a ZipLine. It was at the bottom of the zip line that I learned that the son in the other family was dating Demi Moore. It turned out that the Ashton Kutcher thing was all a fake and she had actually been dating my friend this whole time. He just didn't want the spotlight, so they made up a fake marriage for her. Annnyway, everyone was joking that the last time they went down the zipline, she was wearing a full length beaded gown. They she appeared and everyone got really serious because also, apparently, that last time, they found a dead body, or killed someone, the details are a little sketchy, so everyone thought it was terrible of them to just hide the body instead of telling the police about it. They wouldn't admit to it, but they did agree to go down the zipline again, "in case there was anything suspicious". I took this to mean that this time they were going to find it and pretend like it was the first time they were seeing the body. I was relieved.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
movie #1 in an upcoming apocalyptic franchise
I had one of the most elaborate "movie" dreams I can remember last night. Interestingly, although it didn't last that long, the plot followed the conventional story path to an extent that none of my other remembered movie dreams have.
The beginning was fairly separated from the dreams before it (which I can only barely remember, except that a couple of old friends who recently visited me in real life were there for a visit), but I want to say that part of the previous dream involved planning to go see a movie--I could be wrong about that, though.
At any rate, there was a definite beginning to the "movie" part. It was clearly a movie, although at the same time it was participatory--I was right there in the action, participating. I was seated on some concrete steps going up to a building, in a residential neighborhood with wide streets. There were several early-20s girls there with me on the steps, and nothing much was going on. There was a girl from my elementary school there, and she was petting my doberman, who was collapsed on her lap in immobile ecstasy from all the attention [I have a hard time imagining this person appreciating a very large dog in real life].
Suddenly, one by one, all of us were overtaken by a feeling of intense dread, and just after that a sensation of loss of bodily control, like everything was slowing down and we couldn't move our limbs--but at the same time, our bodies seemed to be contorting themselves of their own accord. It was very scary. At the moment when everyone had realized that something terrible and mysterious was happening, a mist crept toward the building from the other side of the street*.
This situation lasted an indefinable amount of time, and slowly everyone went back to normal, although we were still very freaked out. Then I heard sirens from several approaching police cars (from the direction the mist had come from, coincidentally). I was crossing the street when they approached, and was nervous about getting run over, when I noticed a circa-1960s blue Bronco approaching very fast. The young woman driving it seemed to be having some kind of violent spasm, and she then drove right into a tree, very fast, completely crushing the car. Just then I realized that similar things were happening to people in other cars all over the city (and possibly to pedestrians too): people were suddenly going completely crazy and becoming out-of-control in a savage, destructive way.
The next thing I can remember is being in a room resembling a cross between an old classroom, an "alternative" coffee house, and a warehouse. There were scaffolding-like things hanging from the ceiling, which I think may have been set lighting (this is important later). The room was full of the carefully diverse combination of people one sees in apocalyptic movies [the "people who would never normally associate are thrown together in a disaster" trope as plot device]. My husband was there, and it was obvious that we were both there as observer/participants and not really as "characters". I was a little annoyed with him for some reason, and sitting a few seats away--I thought he was being hyperactive and disruptive.
An older Asian man started to address the group, and it became clear that in this scenario, the U.S. and possibly the whole world had been taken over by China, making up a sort of mega-dictatorship. The man had a professorly air, and was talking about his life's work of designing and implementing a self-sustaining underwater city. He had a really beautiful 3-d model in carved wood showing the structure: like a globe composed of an organic framework, with a lot of little hanging lily-pad-like elements for the various components needed to make up the city. I'm not really sure if the model was physically there or if it was one of those hologram things sci-fi directors are so fond of using in movies.
Anyway, as the man explained his concept I slowly became aware that this was actually the dictator (he was also an engineer, as evidenced by the "P.E." after his name**). I got the impression that he hadn't really harbored ambitions of becoming Dictator of the World, but was one of those extremely cerebral people who was completely absorbed in his mission (the underwater city) and that he had been channeled into dictatorship by other parties who thought he would be the best choice.
The only other thing of note that happened while we were all in the room was that a young Japanese artist hung himself from the ceiling scaffolding. I'm not sure exactly why he did it, but it was an act of protest of some sort.
After that, the end of the movie showed a young couple arriving at their upstairs apartment (sort of an above-garage apartment in an old house in a neighborhood with a slightly gone-to-seed San Francisco vibe). It was understood that they had reached safety, at least for the moment--the perfect ending for the first installment of an apocalyptic franchise! It's hard to explain, but of course the couple was a parallel version of my husband and me.
At the very end of the dream, I saw the title art for the movie. There was a dark red background and a couple of shadowy faces. The name of the movie was incomprehensible. I couldn't figure out if it was some kind of symbol (Greek, maybe?), or if it was a very short, invented two-letter word or name. At any rate, it was in a stylized, slightly fuzzed-at-the-edges gothic calligraphy.
*I'm pretty sure this has to do with my noting this dvd cover at Blockbuster the other day.
**Yes, I work in an engineering office.
***************************
And stay tuned for a dream from a few nights ago featuring a camero appearance by Lars von Trier.
The beginning was fairly separated from the dreams before it (which I can only barely remember, except that a couple of old friends who recently visited me in real life were there for a visit), but I want to say that part of the previous dream involved planning to go see a movie--I could be wrong about that, though.
At any rate, there was a definite beginning to the "movie" part. It was clearly a movie, although at the same time it was participatory--I was right there in the action, participating. I was seated on some concrete steps going up to a building, in a residential neighborhood with wide streets. There were several early-20s girls there with me on the steps, and nothing much was going on. There was a girl from my elementary school there, and she was petting my doberman, who was collapsed on her lap in immobile ecstasy from all the attention [I have a hard time imagining this person appreciating a very large dog in real life].
Suddenly, one by one, all of us were overtaken by a feeling of intense dread, and just after that a sensation of loss of bodily control, like everything was slowing down and we couldn't move our limbs--but at the same time, our bodies seemed to be contorting themselves of their own accord. It was very scary. At the moment when everyone had realized that something terrible and mysterious was happening, a mist crept toward the building from the other side of the street*.
This situation lasted an indefinable amount of time, and slowly everyone went back to normal, although we were still very freaked out. Then I heard sirens from several approaching police cars (from the direction the mist had come from, coincidentally). I was crossing the street when they approached, and was nervous about getting run over, when I noticed a circa-1960s blue Bronco approaching very fast. The young woman driving it seemed to be having some kind of violent spasm, and she then drove right into a tree, very fast, completely crushing the car. Just then I realized that similar things were happening to people in other cars all over the city (and possibly to pedestrians too): people were suddenly going completely crazy and becoming out-of-control in a savage, destructive way.
The next thing I can remember is being in a room resembling a cross between an old classroom, an "alternative" coffee house, and a warehouse. There were scaffolding-like things hanging from the ceiling, which I think may have been set lighting (this is important later). The room was full of the carefully diverse combination of people one sees in apocalyptic movies [the "people who would never normally associate are thrown together in a disaster" trope as plot device]. My husband was there, and it was obvious that we were both there as observer/participants and not really as "characters". I was a little annoyed with him for some reason, and sitting a few seats away--I thought he was being hyperactive and disruptive.
An older Asian man started to address the group, and it became clear that in this scenario, the U.S. and possibly the whole world had been taken over by China, making up a sort of mega-dictatorship. The man had a professorly air, and was talking about his life's work of designing and implementing a self-sustaining underwater city. He had a really beautiful 3-d model in carved wood showing the structure: like a globe composed of an organic framework, with a lot of little hanging lily-pad-like elements for the various components needed to make up the city. I'm not really sure if the model was physically there or if it was one of those hologram things sci-fi directors are so fond of using in movies.
Anyway, as the man explained his concept I slowly became aware that this was actually the dictator (he was also an engineer, as evidenced by the "P.E." after his name**). I got the impression that he hadn't really harbored ambitions of becoming Dictator of the World, but was one of those extremely cerebral people who was completely absorbed in his mission (the underwater city) and that he had been channeled into dictatorship by other parties who thought he would be the best choice.
The only other thing of note that happened while we were all in the room was that a young Japanese artist hung himself from the ceiling scaffolding. I'm not sure exactly why he did it, but it was an act of protest of some sort.
After that, the end of the movie showed a young couple arriving at their upstairs apartment (sort of an above-garage apartment in an old house in a neighborhood with a slightly gone-to-seed San Francisco vibe). It was understood that they had reached safety, at least for the moment--the perfect ending for the first installment of an apocalyptic franchise! It's hard to explain, but of course the couple was a parallel version of my husband and me.
At the very end of the dream, I saw the title art for the movie. There was a dark red background and a couple of shadowy faces. The name of the movie was incomprehensible. I couldn't figure out if it was some kind of symbol (Greek, maybe?), or if it was a very short, invented two-letter word or name. At any rate, it was in a stylized, slightly fuzzed-at-the-edges gothic calligraphy.
*I'm pretty sure this has to do with my noting this dvd cover at Blockbuster the other day.
**Yes, I work in an engineering office.
***************************
And stay tuned for a dream from a few nights ago featuring a camero appearance by Lars von Trier.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
babies on this brain, too
i am currently surrounded by talk of pregnancy and babies. i have two cousins each with a child under a year, another cousin who is about to give birth any day now, and my brother and his wife who are also expecting (anyone want to feel sorry for me? anyone?)
this dream was about the cousin who is about to pop.
my cousin was giving birth on top of a round conference table. there were people seated at the conference table, all business-like, watching the birth take place. i was in another room when someone yelled to me that it was "time". i came running in to see the baby's head sticking out of my cousin. this was not nearly as disturbing to me in the dream as it was remembering it when i was awake. the baby was gorgeous and had heart-shaped lips. i quickly left the room to find my camera and when i came back i was able to get a few shots before the baby popped all the way out. when she came out, i was the first to hold her. and i was in LOVE.
the best part of the dream was that john travolta (!) was seated at the table, watching the whole thing. he was so happy. i took a picture of him holding little emma, knowing this was definitely something she would be proud of in years to come.
this dream was about the cousin who is about to pop.
my cousin was giving birth on top of a round conference table. there were people seated at the conference table, all business-like, watching the birth take place. i was in another room when someone yelled to me that it was "time". i came running in to see the baby's head sticking out of my cousin. this was not nearly as disturbing to me in the dream as it was remembering it when i was awake. the baby was gorgeous and had heart-shaped lips. i quickly left the room to find my camera and when i came back i was able to get a few shots before the baby popped all the way out. when she came out, i was the first to hold her. and i was in LOVE.
the best part of the dream was that john travolta (!) was seated at the table, watching the whole thing. he was so happy. i took a picture of him holding little emma, knowing this was definitely something she would be proud of in years to come.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Babies on the Brain
I don't remember much of my dream, but at least I'm remembering fragments again.
Last night I had a dream where my mom get pregnant. I was my age, my sister was her current age, and my mom was her age, and very very very excited to be pregnant. I didn't think for one minute that it was odd or unusual for her to be with child, I was just really happy to have another sibling.
Last night I had a dream where my mom get pregnant. I was my age, my sister was her current age, and my mom was her age, and very very very excited to be pregnant. I didn't think for one minute that it was odd or unusual for her to be with child, I was just really happy to have another sibling.
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