Currents

I was in a poor country - but I was on a high building? I feel like I could sort of zoom in around me, but at the same time I was above everything.  There was a man with a large brown bull by a dirty river bank. It reminded me a little of Egypt or Thailand. I think Mom was there too. We were talking to a man, when all of a sudden a great wall of water crashed into the building we stood in. The building was now made of glass and metal, and we were inside. The man laughed and said the building could handle a little water. Then the water smashed through the glass and ripped towards us. I reached out for my Mom, but the current was so fast is slammed me back. I screamed, and yelled that I would find her when it all stopped.

The water was so powerful, I couldn't steer myself. I tried to swim, because I knew I was a good swimmer, but the current was too strong. I was careening through the streets of a town, and the water was on level with the rooftops. I was slammed into walls and couldn't control my direction. I remember reflecting in that moment that this is what it felt like to be in an undertow, and I calmed down once I realized that I couldn't do anything other than brace myself as best I could.


***

I was back on my college campus, sort of. It was night and very cold - the fountain had a coat of ice over it.

This part of the dream is hazy - there were some children playing by the fountain, and I was concerned for them because the water would be too cold. The...parent? caregiver maybe? did not seem so concerned.

When I decided to leave for awhile, I walked to the highway. The left lane was filled with water instead of pavement. I glided in, and someone warned me about the current and catching hypothermia. This time I just drifted along speedily. In the distance I saw a semi crest a hill, and worried about how I was going to get out of its way. I caught myself on the pavement and pulled myself out before the truck drove by. Oddly, I hadn't really gone anywhere, and I did not get up. I sort of pulled myself along, and realized that I was crawling through something squishy. I reached under me and pulled up a hunk of what looked like rice krispie treat stuffed with bird seed.

"What the..." I started.
"Oh yeah, they laid out the bird food already." Someone said. I took a bite - it didn't taste like anything. I couldn't figure out why someone would pave the sidewalk in marshmallow and bird seed.


***

Random remembrances:

- Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman were writing Sherlock Holmes books in a big office.
- There was an awards show where one celebrity was mad at another celebrity for taking his seat, and I was supposed to fix this somehow
- SD was there and we chatted about nothing important


****


Currents seemed to play a large part of this dream. Being controlled by them, or feeling like I was losing control to them - it's a great metaphor for life I feel. And this is a repeat of a theme - I've dreamt of currents and waves of water before. Now that I think about it, the wave or wall of water has been knocking at my dream doors for a while now. This was the first time, however, where it was violent and frightening. I do remember my panic at the sheer force of the water's pull.

Undressed by a One-toothed Gypsy

I was in a convention space. It was very dark, but there were hints of mirrors and very high ceilings. The ground had a sort of gridwork of fluorescent tape, but it was haphazardly placed. It was a little like a haunted house. I was at the end of a long hallway, and there was a mirror on the other end. I realized that the solution to getting out was to run directly at the mirror. I did so, and as I got to the mirror I found it was an illusion and I jumped through. There were twists and turns and I barely made it out before the "doors" closed behind me.

It was dimly lit outside, and there was a sort of caravan. There were people - dusty people walking around. It reminded me of a Renaissance Faire, except there weren't really any costumes. I was wearing a heavy oilcloth canvas top with a map printed on it.

Ahead of me was a young woman with blond hair. She was very skinny and wearing fishnets with holes in them and a black corset with a sort of grey petticoat. She swayed about, and did not walk very well. Her brother was there - he had short blond hair and blue eyes, and he wrapped his arms around my waist. I didn't know how I felt about it, but I smiled anyway and played along. Then he untied the canvas tie around my neck and started to pull at the neckline of my top. He smiled at me, and I could see that he had only one tooth. It didn't look like an adult tooth - it looked like a baby tooth. He had this big pink set of gums and this disgusting little tooth right in the middle of his gums. I couldn't think of a way to politely tell him I was not going to make out with him. In the dream, my brain refused to think about what it would be like to French kiss a man with no teeth.

That was a strong emotional force - I didn't want to be rude, but I also didn't want to do what was expected of me.

The sister found me, and she seemed really excited that I would be sleeping with her brother. I tried to tell her that I wasn't, and then someone suggested a three way. I panicked and stumbled away.

There was a trailer, and water was lapping up against the sides of the windows. The whole road looked to be flooded out, and all these twisted carnival gypsies were clambering over debris floating around.

I felt out of place.


***


This dream was odd.  I might note that I had trouble falling asleep - I had a very rich dinner late at night and coffee. Before I fell asleep I sort of hallucinated red spider fairies floating above my bed.  Don't worry - they disappeared when I turned on the light.

But the black rooms, the running, the nervousness - these are not common themes for me. Perhaps the chaos of my current situation is starting to take a toll.

On the upside, I remembered a dream.

Run Down: The Consequence of Fatigue

I have been dreaming.
I don't remember my dreams lately like I used to.

For example:

I dreamt I was in a great underwater theater, in a dome. Above me, there were divers plummeting from a plane (?). All I remember was a man hitting the water in a dive, and then blasting through a window to get into the underwater dome. The goal was momentum.


I dreamt of marshmallows.



---

I wake up and have an image or an idea in my mind, and I know that it is only a small piece of a much larger dream, with intricacies. Except maybe for that marshmallow one. All I remember from that dream is that there were lots of tiny marshmallows everywhere.

Why this dry spell? I believe it is because between two part-time jobs, a four hour commute, and rehearsals, I am getting run down and my brain is suffering for it subconsciously. I cannot hold onto my dreams while I am so tired.

I hope this turns around - I feel very much like I have neglected all my writing at the expense of sitting in a car for hours every day.

Bad Hosts

There was an awards show - we were in a big theater. I believe it was the Academy Awards, but it was poorly lit. There were too many hosts - all famous comedians. They were trying to be zany, but no one was laughing. It was painful to watch. At one point a man was "eaten" by a giant mechanical robot, but it looked too real. At another point D, who was sitting on my lap, ran off to another woman, who agreed to hold him. I said it was ok, but truthfully I didn't want to keep watching the awards show without him.

There were a lot of gowns.

****

I was in the front yard in my old neighborhood. There was a bad man on the loose. He was after the children.  I saw him running out of my neighbor's house, and he was chased. There were mothers on the streets. I grabbed a small shovel, then a larger shovel, then a big shovel and tried to join them. The man - who was small - fell to the ground and started to sink. I hit him in the face with a shovel, and he passed out. When he came to, we were all standing around him. One woman told him we had called the cops. The man's mouth was hanging open, and we could see the back of his throat. In front on him materialized an enormous black spider with teeth - like tentacles? They were like monster teeth, crustacean feelers, but not long. I remember being a little mesmerized by its creepy teeth. It was red on the back, and shiny all over.

The women started to chuckle, and I was uncomfortable. I felt the feeling of vindictiveness and revenge rising around me. They said something like they would simply let the spider (they knew its Latin name), do what it did best. The back of the spider detached - it was the male spider. It started crawling towards the man. I knew that the spider was going to crawl down his gaping maw of a throat, but I could not watch. As I tried to leave, the ground began to sink around me, and I panicked that I was falling into a sinkhole. One of the women grabbed me and pulled me to safety. The sinkhole spread around the man further.

****

Somewhere around here, I was going to meet a television crew for a show. I got a text from a man I knew, and he was curt. I saw him from across a way, and ran to him. I demanded to know why he was upset. He would not tell me, so I pressed him further. He yelled at me for forgetting to help him with his graphics problem. I told him I was going to, that I didn't know he had needed it so soon. He did not seem entirely mollified - he still acted distant and unconvinced.

_________________


If I had to pick a theme from the past couple of dreams (since I've been away from home, at least), it would be groups. I don't feel as though I dream of big crowds. I would have to think on it a bit more, but I also feel as though there's a heavy feminine strength thing strutting around my subconscious - or a feminine weakness. It gets confusing, drawing out what means what.

Metamorphosis and Grand Poisonings

Two parts - a dream and a nightmare

I was outside the old library building in my home town. There was a stop sign coming out of a wooden bucket. Inside the bucket was a snake submerged in water, but the snake had a row these fine strands coming from its side - like the legs of a house centipede, or the sides of a feather. It looked stuck.
"Now aren't you interesting?" I said, coming closer. I did not know if the snake was poisonous, so I was hesitant to touch it. The snakes feathery strands floated in the water, and shimmered dark opalescent. I reached out to pluck it from the water, but it started to twist away gently. The feathery strands grew larger and the snake rolled into a ball. It changed into a black rooster with the same black/green shiny feathers. It looked at me quizzically. I asked it if I should remove it from the bucket, when my cat Axle showed up and pounced. I knocked her away and picked up the rooster. It was not very big. I carried it inside the library, which now was a two story white house that was falling apart. Inside, I set the rooster down, and tried to find food. I only had meat, and a few breadcrumbs in my pocket. Another of my cats, Bait, arrived - much fatter than I've ever seen him. He sort of waddled to the rooster and tried to bite it. I smacked him gently on the nose - then there was another cat. I felt like I had to work really hard to keep this rooster from getting attacked.

---

I was in Chicago - sort of. There was a park with trees and a large, old, brick building. There was a man there - but the man was deformed or on stilts - both. He was grafted onto these mechanical spring stilts, and he was on a drug that made him strong but crazy. He was hunting for the scientist who did this to him, and I offered to help. I climbed on his back and he leapt high and far into the trees. He shimmered in and out of focus as he did so, but I knew they could see us because he was hitting the branches too hard. He was too hard to control - he was so full of rage. He leapt again, to another tree. I was talking to him, trying to calm him down. He leapt to the outside stairs and ripped the metal off the wall. I fell to the ground, and called to him.

We tried again - this time I made it to the door and called him. Inside there was a great commotion. A squat man wearing outside ribs of metal was bathed in blue electric light. He was electrocuting the man with the mechanical stilt legs. He was also trying to break down a door. I knew he should not do this. As I ran to confront him, his power suit broke down and I started pounding on the metal "heart" of his suit - a button. I felt very weak, like I wasn't doing anything at all. The squat little man looked at me from behind his dark glasses, surprised. His lackeys just stared at me as well. I think I must have succeeded, or the mechanical stilt man showed up and helped, because his skeleton suit fell to pieces.

There was a chaotic bit.

The building was now a hospital of sorts. The mad scientist who made the mechanical man - who may also have been the squat little man - was putting all sorts of drugs into the food and drink to control all the people. I knew this, and was trying to expose him. There was a crowd of people - restless. There was a sort of protest going on against the food - there was an underground system. I was walking (I wore saddle shoes and an old style dress). When I saw a man coming - black, and somber. His family was there. I started to cry and shook his hand. I thanked him for what he was doing and he invited me to walk with him to the building. This surprised a great many people.

 I found children in an old-timey candy shop. There were basins of glittering candy around the shop - hypercolored biscuits and donuts and pastries filled with glittering, shimmering filling. But something was wrong - this was more dangerous food. I got out my smartphone and started recording the donuts. The sprinkles were turning into bugs and eating the donut - all the candy and food was eating itself. The crumbs swirled around me like a kaliedescope and I was trying to catch it all on my phone. The mad doctor had erased his evidence, I realized, so no one could catch him. I had the video, and tried to leave. There were men there and they tried to stop me. I think I knocked something over - I turned the power off? - and ran.

I found the mad scientist's servant on the second floor, and she tried to hide me. She gave me a pair of red flats and took me into his apartment. The maids were all part of the underground, and they hid me in the bathroom. The scientist came in, and knew exactly where I was. He was cold and crisp and oily all at once - I hated him. I shoved past him and took off running, again trying to shut down the power as I went.

I got through the hallway of the building, then to my car. I went driving down the Indiana toll road, except there were people in the way. Children were laying down in the streets with their parents - the parents encouraged it. I stopped and asked a group of men what was going on. They did not answer me, but spoke in street talk I did not understand. Some asked for money.  I rolled around them carefully, but did not make it out. Somehow I was brought back to the old hospital building. There I was hooked up to a wagon, which was covered in wire. I looked around and saw people dear to me. I asked them why they were letting this happen. A nun I knew was looking on - I begged her to help me. "This will help you," she said in a cold, neutral voice. The machine turned on and I started feeling electricity work its way over my skin. I struggled to free myself.

The dream rewound.

I was on the steps of the building again, and again the black man was making his way slowly with this family. This time, however, another woman stopped in front of me with her friend - they were talking about how each of them hoped to be the man's girlfriend. I stood there, politely waiting with tears in my eyes. This time the man stopped at them instead, and they cooed over him. He only looked at me before walking on. I sort of followed, but not really.

I confronted the mad scientist about the food. He had me tied up to a wagon and the electricity started up. I asked my friends to help - but they were all drugged and thought it was better if I were fixed. I saw the cable ahead of me was forked, and I grabbed the end of it. I was starting to fizzle with what I knew was pain. I grabbed the cable and pulled myself to the wagon. I fed the cable back in on itself by plugging it in to the wagon's outlet, and the power short-circuited.

I ran. This time I had no phone, no shoes, and I was wildly running. I ran through all my friends - they were so interconnected I knew I couldn't go to one without one of the mind-controlled ones figured out where I was. As I ran, I realized that I had to go north - to HW. He would keep me safe - but I had no phone. I determined I need to get a burner phone, and a pair of shoes. The ground beneath me started to incline and decline - a series of small hills. I wondered if I would ever get home again. I knew they'd never stop chasing me.

----

Ok, there was a lot going on in this dream. The details were so vivid - the red shoes, the glittering candy. Also, I don't know if this is important and I feel strange writing it, but everyone in the second half - the crowd, the people on the highway, the maids - they were all African American. Perhaps that was my subconscious making assumptions about Chicago.  Ethnicity has never been a strong aspect in my dreams, but upon waking I think it's an important point because it was so clear.

And there was so much more nuance than I can remember now. There were so many more words spoken, so many more reasons. The man on the legs did much more I know. And the mad scientist guy did more - he hunted me a lot more, but I can't remember how.

I will say that the short fat man looked like Gru's assistant from Despicable Me. The man on stilts sort of resembled Steve Valentine, and the mad scientist at times reminded me of Bob Balaban.

Flipper Flipped

This was an abrupt dream:

I was driving to the beach I believe. There was someone else in the car. I don't remember what we were talking about, but all of a sudden a dolphin was hurtling towards us. It smashed right into the hood, nose first, and up through the windshield. It was really angry about something - I could see it in its eyes.

--

I woke up with an audible sound - not much time had passed since I went to sleep. Wonder why that dolphin was so upset...

An Angry Past

This dream was very jumbled, or was when I woke up. Note: there were a lot of people I recognized in this dream, so I shortened all names:

I was on a sidewalk in the drizzle. There was broken furniture on the street, and I wanted to see what it looked like. I was examining a nightstand when I saw K and K driving nearby. They started to tear into me, talking to each other about how much they hated me. I got angry and started to walk away, but then I realized I had to go in the same direction. The two women, who were now walking on the sidewalk with me, gripped each others forearms in front of me and kept walking, yelling and swearing at me. I tried to confront them, but was never able...

Then there was a restaurant. I was given a table. I did not have a lot of money, and the restaurant was pricey. A waiter was there, and I asked to sample a white wine. Instead he poured me half a glass, set the bottle on the table and walked away. I saw that the bottle was two-thirds gone already. Next to me, a portly man was drinking rose. There was a commotion of some sort...

EDIT: I remember that at some point, I felt a peculiar feeling in the back of my tooth, like there was food stuck between my molars. I felt with my fingers, and after several attempts I found something and pulled. It felt like I was pulling my own tooth out - it was really uncomfortable and I could feel a building pressure in my head. But I kept pulling, and finally I pulled out a piece of string. Except I kept pulling, and more string came out. I must have pulled out four feet of white cotton string! I stared at it in my hands, confused.

I was home, and B was in the kitchen with D. Jake came charging in, and I had to grab him. D yelled at me to get the dog out of the house. Again, I felt tense and upset because it was Jake's house too.

There was a large basement, like under a church. It was TD and everyone was in a panic, packing and bustling about. I found J and asked what I needed to do. He just ignored me, and so I went walking around, observing. There were biscuits (?) everywhere. J found me all at once, and demanded to know why I wasn't working. I told him he hadn't given me anything to do, but he didn't believe me. He told me I needed to have everything checked off - off of what I don't know. There was a clock ticking above on a wall, and now there were large puppets being pushed through the space.  We were walking in a large carpeted hallway, and there were special effects. A wall melted away to reveal a door; A face appeared and laughed before turning to a black pit. I was impressed with the quality of everything.


****

I think that I wrote this out of order. I think it started with the convention center, went to the restaurant, then home, then to the sidewalk. I don't remember where I went after that.

I'm a little concerned about the tension in this dream. It doesn't really match where I am in life right now. Well, I know where part of the tension is coming from, but I'm not talking about it here. Perhaps this is my subconscious trying to relieve old tension. Perhaps it's because my back really hurts and there is tension there. In any event, tension dreams are dreams I could do without.