you probably know why... i was trying TOO hard, which puts stress on your mind. and the mind doesn't work well under stress (i know i'm breaking new ground here, ha). so i STOPPED thinking about it ENTIRELY. if it came into my head, fine. but i just stopped worrying about it.[/b]

You're exactly right. Not many people try to just stop and watch how their mind is constantly wandering and dwelling on things. This is a concept used in meditation called "mindfulness." Basically, you learn to be aware of your mental processes and to understand how your mind distracts you from the present moment. I think the reason why we have such bad short-term memory in dreams is because instead of being in the present moment, we're caught up in something that happened in the past or something we'd like to do. If you understand what types of things bring you away from mindfulness (which is really our natural state of mind...or should be haha), it might be easier to recognize them when they are manifested as dreams. Here's an example: the other day I was distracted by this hot girl and that night she appeared in a dream, and she worked as a dream sign. Sadly, I got too exited and woke up
I hope this helps!