I think that noticing that things are strange is a very good sign. Patricia Garfield, in her book Creative Dreaming, writes of four levels of lucidity: 1) Something strange happens in a dream and we think nothing of it. 2) Something strange happens and we identify it as strange, but quickly think of an explanation: "Oh, my friend must be wearing a mask." 3) Something strange happens and we realize, while still dreaming, that we can't account for it. 4) The strange thing we see makes us realize we are dreaming.