Thena

I'm on a cruise ship sailing into port. I'm lounging on the Lido deck and looking at the ship parked next to us, which appears to be from Royal Caribbean judging from the distinctive crown and anchor logo. Everyone else is buzzing about going ashore, and I should probably be getting ready myself, but where am I? I have no idea what port this is. I have an idea that feels brilliant: I'll check Google Maps on my iPad and see what my current location is. But it's not so simple. Google Maps takes forever to load, refuses to show my location, and seems really hung up on a landlocked plateau in South America. I give up and run to my cabin. There's a Costco reusable shopping tote on the floor, and I ponder whether it belongs to me or to one of my roommates. I'll have to see where I can get one for myself. I pop into the bathroom and use the toilet. I look out the window as I'm going -- and realize that this isn't a toilet, but actually a lounge chair on the balcony and people on the ship next to us are watching me pee. I look over and realize my stepmother is sitting on the lounge chair next to me, and she has a look of disgust on her face.

I must have started to wake up. The dream ended, but I realized I was still physically asleep while my mind was awake. I needed to take advantage of this!

I really can't remember my last dream (in fact, I didn't remember anything from the cruise ship until I got up later) but I can remember only one of the tasks of the month: use the Force. I picture an inflatable blue ball, sort of like a cross between a basketball and a soccer ball. I toss it around a bit using the Force to guide it up and down, back and forth. The ball deflates and one of my coworkers appears, a woman who is not that bright. She offers to show me where I can get an air compressor. I follow her until she finds the appropriate model. Then, using the Force, I shove her away and prevent her from saying any more useless things. Then I use the Force to insert the needle attachment into the ball, connect the hose to the needle, and telekinetically flip the on switch on the air compressor.

I feel that using telekinesis just isn't enough. I let the Force flow through me, and suddenly I feel thousands of Expanded Universe characters crying out in despair over being erased in the new movie. That's a shame. I really liked Jaina Solo.

I try to think of other things I want to do, and I see a door open. Inside are a couple of men wearing suits. I remember a dilemma I was having with my boss and I summon him out of the room. Then I use the Force to pin him against a wall and tell him, "You will approve my request to supply power to the display models in my department." He looks terrified and nods in agreement. I can hear birds chirping outside and realize I'm losing the dream. The problem with using the Force for everything is that my sense of touch helps me stabilize. I summon a light saber so I can grasp the hilt. Unfortunately, instead of a "real" light saber, I get my friend's toy light saber. I feel the plastic hilt and try to focus on summoning a more realistic light saber like one from the movies, but I wake up too quickly.

First time I successfully used DEILD! One thing I use sometimes when I'm having a dry spell is to review and old list of lucid dream goals, and one of mine was to visit Venice.

I'm not quite awake after the last dream ends when I decide I want to go for it and return to the dream. Instead of the restaurant I was dreaming of, I'm now walking through very deep snow headed towards a small building with white siding. It looks like a church. Outside the door, there's a man waiting for me. He's wearing a red sweater, his dark hair is cropped and he has a round face. There's something about the way he looks at me that makes me uncomfortable. He asks, "So, how have you been taking care of yourself?" It feels intrusive. I look down at the snow and wonder why I'm even here.

I try spinning and find myself in the upstairs hallway of my house, where the paint colors seem a bit more vibrant than I remember. Unfortunately, Creepy Sweater Man seems to have followed me home. I head downstairs and he follows me -- oooh, wait, those are really cool shoes sitting on the floor by the front door. Are those mine? I pick up one of them. It's a black wedge sneaker with all these metallic accents. I trace one of the metal pieces as I listen to Creepy Sweater Man trying to get my attention. Then I cut him off to ask a question: "Who is my soul mate?"

Without any hesitation, he answers, "Gerard Butler."

"I don't even know who that is! I've never seen any of his movies," I reply. I can't even picture what the guy looks like, and I get a little upset.This is not exactly the answer I was hoping for.

Creepy Sweater shrugs. "I really don't know anything. I just took a guess," he says.

The scene shifts, and now I find myself in a partially lit room full of pottery, and I'm holding a pair of vases. At least Creepy Sweater Man is gone. I'm right near a window, and when I look outside, I see that I am in Venice. I've always wanted to come here! I can see a canal just outside this building, and I race downstairs to get closer to the water. I come out onto a balcony that is about four feet above the canal. It has the feel of being in a video game where you have to navigate three dimensional levels on a 2D screen. I see a gondola waiting on the canal and I worry about how to get there, but then a ladder appears that allows me to climb down.

Once I'm in the gondola, the gondolier sets off and starts to sing "O Sole Mio." It's a song I usually enjoy, but today I'm a little impatient. I cut him off and ask, "Who is my soul mate?"

"The gentleman waiting at the bridge, he is your soul mate. You will see him soon," says the gondolier. I'm thinking that he means the famous Bridge of Sighs. I wonder how I'm going to meet someone there because there's no access to the bridge from the canal. As if the gondolier is reading my mind, he instead takes me to the Rialto Bridge.

I don't even remember getting out of the gondola as I'm in such a hurry to get on the bridge. As I'm climbing up the bridge, I can see Benedict Cumberbatch (an actor that I am very familiar with) waiting at the top. When I get to him, I ask, "Do you know who my soul mate is?"

He looks a little surprised by my question. "Darling, it's me," he answers before leaning over to kiss me. I'm so overwhelmed that I wake up.