wow; thanks for the replies everyone (but Thor's post was particularly great)

I will try to remove 'tenses' next time I mild; and I will combine it with more visualisation than usual.

Do you think when I imagine myself checking reality; that doing so in a 'past dream' is better than just a random scene?

And thor...are you hinting that self-hypnosis may be a good thing to try? is it difficult?