* The Sandman's Dream Journal o/***

Lucid February ToTM Attempt

I was driving a boss in my truck down the highway. The windshield fogged up, so I rolled down the window a little. I started having trouble staying in my lane, but I got it together. I felt as though I was drunk or tired.

Then I got off on the wrong exit. I started trying to work my way back onto the highway. I got over one lane and started going back onto the highway, but then the road took me a different way. I was afraid it was the wrong way on a one-way street. I kept going until the road ended when I realized I was dreaming.

I then drove off the road, phasing through a chain link fence. Then I wasn't in the car anymore. I was afraid I was going to wake up, so I closed my dream eyes and started floating in blackness. I settled back into a deeper sleep, but then I was afraid I would lose lucidity, so I started saying, "Task of the month. Task of the month."

After two repetitions of that, I was ready to begin. What was the task of the month? Look for a dream flower and give it to a DC. Great! I started flying around looking at a WINTER landscape. Mostly everything was brown, but I did find very small flowers.

First, I found small blue flowers that I'd seen in another dream. I thought this was unoriginal--almost cheating, or simply boring and not really trying or something, so I continued to look for other flowers. I found some more flowers of red and white like Candy Tuft. I picked some white ones. I still wasn't happy though because I thought that I should give a more substantial flower. A tulip or a day lily or something like that.

Then I woke up.

As I tried to go back to sleep, I heard my phone alarm which I just set yesterday to give me subliminal messages. "Reality check. Reality check." Louder and softer. The phone was on WAY too loud, but it was in another room, so again, I don't know if the alarm infiltrated my dream, or if my new friend SSILD worked.

I've spent more time on SSILD than I have any other technique, and I've gone lucid 2 days in a row. I simply don't know which stimulus is kicking me lucid. Oh well. That's the right problem to have.

Germany
I was just inside the border of Germany, looking up a hill at a little city or amusement park inside its own walls. buildings were all gold, or looked like gold. There was a place next to it that was also inside a wall. For some reason, I wasn't able to go any farther than just inside the border of Germany.

It was as though my car had broken down or something, and I was on a time limit. I forgot exactly what the problem was, but I had a false memory that this had already happened once, and it seemed like such a terrible waste that I would be there twice and not be able to see the country.

OGFJx3

I was outside looking at a park bench and there were two girls who looked similar to J. I likened that to torture. Then I realized I was with a girl who looked like J. Not exactly, but close enough. I was pretty happy.

All of her teeth were rotting, so I took out a hack saw and started sawing the bad part of her teeth off. Once I thought I went down too far and would hit the nerve, but I didn't. I think that was the point of the dream right there...now that I think about it.

Vaulting

I was holding a horse for someone. It was a female horse. She was acting up and I called her name hoping she would settle down, but she was acting wild around some other horses. Then came the good part. I was now standing on the horses rump with the reins held firmly, but not pulling on the horses teeth.

The horse bucked, but I stayed on the horse. I felt like a master vaulter. Then the horse bucked again and I stayed on, but I was now about to slide off which I eventually did, but not until people had noticed how awesome I was.

260z Maniac

I don't know how these dream frags stitch together properly, but I was unlacing a shoe because a missed one of the holes on the right side.

Then I was watching a Charles Bronson movie. A guy asked him if he wanted to be an Ace. They kind of brought up the idea of going to war to Charles, and he was game. It seemed pretty reasonable.

Then I was outside. I think I was coming out of a public bathroom...with some other people. Walking out, they stayed in a shadow. I walked out farther and into the light. I had a false memory of a 280z that really looked more like a 260z--trying to hit me. Then the white 260z did come after me.

I tried running away, but as it came at me, I ran up on the hood, went to a knee on the hood, maybe, but eventually the car was gone and I was safely on my feet again.

It turned out Evil Knievil was driving he car. Now he was in a bathroom hanging over the door. I jumped up to knuckle the back of his hands a couple times and then walked away.

I went back to "our" car with a couple other people. One person was upset about something. I noticed a medium sized turtle standing on its back legs and told the person to look at it as it was pretty cool, and maybe she would feel better.

The End

Dad

I lit up a cigarette and took a drag. IWL I quit 20 years ago. My father came home so I ran out of the house. I was afraid because I wasn't supposed to smoke in the house.

I told him, "I won't do it again." Then he was smoking too. Then I came up to him and neither of us were smoking. I was so excited to see him, I tried to explain how important it was that I connect with him this time. I knew that I'd had other chances and never could connect with him. I kind of knew that I'd been seeing him in dreams, but I didn't really put it all together.

The dream ended there.

Lost

I was looking for a party and got lost driving. I turned around and found my way back. Being lost on dream roads was really weird.

I got to the party and found a couple of my old bosses there. I felt out of place with one because he holds a much, much higher position than I ever did, but just as I was feeling that way, he hugged me.

At that point, he turned into an unresponsive DC. We separated, and the dream ended.

I was on a subway with my cousin who lives in Florida in waking life. She was in another car and I was trying to make my way to her from the neighboring car.

Someone gives me a map of where we are going. The paper has figures that are supposed to resemble the maps on the Marta trains, but instead are handwritten abstractions: circles with an "L" in the middle and then a 1. (OK, so there is an "L1" stop. Is that like "Left 1"? There were other markings, but they weren't clear in my dream.

I decided to just try to open the doors between cars to make my way to my cousin. As I forced the door open, someone started pushing them back closed. Kind of pissed me off. I finally got them opened and made my way through to the next car.

I looked outside the train car and saw tracks that went below a recent flood line. That was kind of disturbing.

The next I remember, I am being threatened by some criminal types. They are demanding all my money. I have a lot, but I tell them no, throw down a $20.00, kicked a couple of them and ran away. My brother was there and he stayed.

So, I ran away and found myself trying to find my way home. I was going through the shops in this little downtown entertainment district. I am lost in a maze of shops and courtyards. I end up with my mouth full of something that I need to spit out.

I go through this bar and find myself between two sets of two guys who are ultimate wrestling. I'm just trying to get by. One of the guys in front of me picks up his opponent and slams him down on his head. It would have broken his neck. Then the guy wants to wrestle me. I make my way around him.

I'm finally able to spit the stuff out of my mouth. I spit out a bunch of nastiness. Then some other guy spits out two balls of something and a fried egg. I spit out some more stuff and now my mouth is empty. (WTF?)

Finally I am in a marble courtyard. It is made up of square designs with steps. It is a complex architectural design. It was very pretty, but I didn't know how to get out.

I don't remember anything after that.