Owl's night vision

[owl]

From this point forward, I'll be using the following key when describing my dreams: Blue will represent lucid dreams/moments of lucidity Black will represent normal dreams Notes will be written in purple (unless I'm too lazy to change font color )

[owl]

3-21-08: Pseudo-Wild I had this dream when I recently started reading about lucid dreaming... I suppose I had lucid dreams on the brain. I lived in a much more spacious townhouse, with a similar layout to my current home. I was on the upper "loft" level; there was a winding staircase leading down, but I didn't explore that section. There was a lot of light, and everything was bright and colorful. I sat on the couch, next to a cluttered, oak coffee table. I yawned, and decided to take a nap. What better time to try a WILD? I curled up on the coffee table in fetal position and closed my eyes, reminding myself to do a reality check. This is really amusing to me. I was falling asleep on a coffee table, accepting an unfamiliar place as my home, yet there I was, reminding myself to do a reality check once I fell asleep... Obviously I failed the reality check when I needed it! However, within the dream world, I was successful in my pseudo-WILD: I fell asleep, and my dream-self felt the world growing black and the walls of "reality" fading into a dream. We "woke up" as ourself, probably about the age of 10. We knew it was a dream, but it faded almost immediately. At this point, J entered, although he was shorter and skinnier than his waking version, and blonde. He wanted to show me his new tongue ring. Every time I looked away and then turned back to him, it had gotten bigger, until it was the size of a golf ball. He wanted to tell me that he'd spent the night with another woman. I felt very uneasy upon hearing this.

[owl]

Since I'm just beginning my online dream journal, I'm starting out posting dreams from the very recent past. I'm hoping to update on a daily basis from this point forward. If I have a night with poor recall, I may post some favorite past dreams. 3-28-08: Roller Coaster Road to Lucidity I'm sitting in the passenger seat of a red convertible being driven by H from work. She's laughing and not paying much attention to the road. Clearly a bad idea, given the hilly, shoulder-less road. If anything, it looks like the track a roller coaster follows - all ups and downs, nothing visible but the sky to the left or right, no other cars on the road. H. turns to look at me to tell me something and her hands aren't on the wheel. The convertible is approaching a bend in the road - if she doesn't turn the wheel, we'll drive over the edge. I don't say anything, and we drive onward and over. At this point, I sense that something is off. Car crashes are a common theme in my dreams, especially when they involve driving off the road. Two things are different about this one - 1) I wasn't driving and 2) the car didn't become submerged in water after driving off the road. The combined strangeness of everything made me realize that I was dreaming. Instead of staying with the falling car, I decided I would be much better off flying. I took off and flew among clouds. I could feel the wind flowing through my hair - I was elated, but managed to stay within the dream. After a few seconds, the clouds started to disappear, and I looked down; the land below looked empty to me. I thought that it needed more green; a few pine trees appeared. Not as much as I would have liked, but it was something. I landed near a patch of trees, next to a two-story stone house. I had the feeling there was someone waiting inside. Outside, I tried changing my physical appearance, and was successful to some extent. **[more on this later, perhaps]** Before much else could happen, I could feel the dream surroundings start to fade. I really didn't want the dream to end, and sort of remembered that I'd heard something about spinning (which I remembered well enough after waking up!), but couldn't fight it. My cat made a noise that woke me up - not sure if this was an actual awakening or not, but when I remembered how vivid everything was and how real everything felt, I was happy. This experience was a lot clearer than any of my past lucid dreams.

[owl]

3-31-08: Mirrored I woke up, laying in my bed as usual. I felt my left arm tingling a bit, and thought that seemed a little strange. From downstairs, I heard my brother yell, "check for dream signs!" I thought that was a good idea, so I turned to look at the clock, and the numbers were not displaying correctly, but were blurred together. That was enough for me to realize that I was dreaming (apparently, it wasn't enough to hear my brother yelling something, even though he lives 10 miles away). I got up out of bed and decided to look in the mirror - I don't think I was entirely in control. I've been using the same dresser for the last 20 years; there used to be a mirror attached to it, but I haven't used it any of the last few times I've moved. The mirror, instead of being its actual straight, horizontal mirror, had three parts, so you can look at three different views at once. Also, as I got closer to the mirror, I ended up in my childhood bedroom, where my dresser was located in that corner of the room. The dream started off as dark and a bit blurry; this improved a little once I became lucid, but wasn't as clear as I would like. I stared at myself, and thought I was looking a bit chubby. I decided to make a change, and ended up changing my gender - don't think I was in control of this. >< Every time I've appeared as a male in my dreams, I've always looked the same. I tried to make myself change to that apperance, but met with some resistance - my face was too skinny, or my hair color wasn't quite right. Then, finally, in the mirror on the left, I saw that familiar reflection, and "he" winked at me. At this point, I think I started to lose lucidity. The scene slightly changed, and I was on the first floor of an unfamiliar house, surrounded by some unfamiliar DCs. The police were coming, and I was feeling uneasy, so I wanted to move away from the house. I walked down the street (still unfamiliar), and hugged someone on the way to a brick building. Everything from this point isn't very clear, although once I left the dream house, the "outside" world was much brighter and crisper - I just remember that in the end, there are two people floating in an open room - they are supposedly from the opera Tristan and Isolde - the woman is wearing a royal blue/gold dress. There wasn't any music related to the dream that I can remember. I woke up at this point, and made sure I checked the clock. This time, the "4:03" was easily read. I wish I could remember what happened between entering the building and waking up. I tried to fall back asleep into a dream, but I'm a very light sleeper, and easily distracted by sounds. Misplaced elevator *Fragment: I was looking for an apartment, and was looking for the elevator leading down to the office. I walked into a bathroom, and the elevator was located in here. I thought that this signified a very poor design, because - what if you were going about your bathroom business, and all of a sudden someone exits the elevator?

[owl]

4-1-08:. New APB In the parlor at Aunt T.'s house. The images in this dream were crisp and vibrant. I accepted everything as real, even though the furniture and the layout of the room were unfamiliar. Facing the window from the entrance of the room, the couch was located on the left, where the double doors would have been. I was sitting on the leftmost cushion. There was a coffee table in front of me, and a chair to my left. Stephan from APB was sitting on the chair - his hair was shoulder-length and mostly a reddish-orange color, with some lighter parts beneath. He looked like a cross between the actual APB Stephan that I've seen in music videos, and Russell Crowe; sometimes when I looked at him his face looked older and wrinkled. Other times, he looked younger (~early 30s). We were friends, and engaged in conversation (I can't remember the subject ). Cousins C & D ran down the stairs and entered the parlor; D sat down on the couch next to me and was searching for something underneath the cushions. They looked about 5 years younger than their actual ages. At this point, Stephan mentioned something about being Swedish (even though this isn't true in the waking world), and thought I should ask if anyone wanted to me a Swedish person. I ran out into the living room and yelled, "Anyone want to meet someone Swedish?" The back porch was now a bedroom, and someone was sleeping in there - it looked like a cross between my grandmother and older brother. Whoever it was, they weren't interested, so I went back to my seat in the parlor. A DC entered the room - supposedly he was a member of my dream family. He made a comment that some of Stephan's hair looked pink. He proceeded to describe the many past colors of hair - the dream "zoomed in" on his hair at this point, showing each color. I asked him if he used to have plaid hair, and laughed. The conversation finally turned to music - he was talking about how important it was for him to evolve as a musician and take new directions. His new cd was set to be released by a new label - I don't remember the name, but my dream mind associated it with death metal - and would be instrumental. I was disappointed because APB would seem empty to me without the vocals. Not sure how the timing went exactly, but Stephan had to leave. Me and A. were also on our way out, with Aunt T. driving. We were getting in the car, when we noticed one of A.'s old stuffed animals, Teddy, laying discarded on the driveway. I ran to fetch it, but a gust of wind blew it onto the side of the road. Once the wind stopped, I rescued Teddy. Cut to an unknown date in the dream future. Me and Dad are watching the new APB video on my computer - to my happy surprise, the song was not instrumental, and was similar in vocal style to Harmonizer, although the music was a little more mellow/subdued. I can't remember any of the lyrics, but the song was dedicated to me. My dad disapproved of this, and I thought that strange, because Stephan was a good friend of mine in the dream world (perhaps Dad thought there was more...). Boring Work Dream #1 Checking my work e-mails. I notice that there is an extra country listed for an upcoming project- Australia. I panic a little because 1) I hadn't noticed it earlier and 2) in dream-land, there is only one Australian linguist, and she was on vacation.

[owl]

04-02-08 The good - I slept better than I've slept in weeks. The bad - Horrible dream recall When I woke up, I couldn't remember any dreams. Finally, when I was in the shower, I remembered a small fragment/short dream, and then later this morning I remembered another vague fragment. Boring Non-Work Dream #1 I was shaving my armpits, but every time I looked under my arm, I had more hair, and couldn't get rid of it. Untitled #1 **Really short fragment. I barely remember anything from this dream - I think the colors weren't as bright as my dreams last night. I was in an unfamiliar room, and trying to find clothing to put on a few cabbage patch kids. That's all I can remember .. I've been trying all day to think of any other images from the dream, but nothing's come to me. When I remembered these little pieces, there was a quick image of me in a different setting - another dream on the edge of my memory. Hopefully I'll have more to add about these.

[owl]

4-3-08 Once again, I didn't remember any dreams immediately after waking up. After a few minutes, I remembered at least a few faded images. Building I was male in this dream, outside in the backyard of a dream house, with my dream brother and dream father. It was bright and sunny, everything was crisp/clear. Me and DB were building something, sawing pieces of wood to the proper size, and then fastening them together. I think were were building a tent, or structure of sorts. Talking about DB's girlfriend, but I don't remember the conversation. Everyone was getting along well. Yay familial harmony. Movie chase I was being chased. I don't remember too much about it - there were at least two DCs after me - one man, and one woman. I was in a mall (common dream sign, strange). I ran into a movie theater, and there was an elevator in the screen, leading down. I hoped my pursuers wouldn't see me, because the elevator was hidden. They never caught me, but came close a few times. Image of a jeep involved in the chase. Images were somewhat fuzzy. I must have fallen back asleep after hitting the Snooze button. My green car In a house, talking about my car to my brother. It was green, and had an annoying horn. I went outside, and heard the sound - it was supposed to sound like the theme to a tv sitcom, but I'm not sure which one. Actually, I thought it was pretty great, but no one else liked it. In the driveway, my car was wrecked, so I was not happy. I went across the street, and sat on the porch. I thought it was Pat's house. There were balloons tied to the roof. I woke up - false awakening. I was writing down a dream, and wrote down "Icarus/Daedelus". I don't remember having any dreams remotely related to that.

[owl]

4-4-08: Read some past dreams in my dream journal from January-June 2002. Minus the partially lucid dream, my recent dreams have been pretty "boring", in that I haven't woken up thinking about the great things I just experienced. I only remember one from last night. Searching for a new home Me and J. were looking for a new place to live. The first place was one story, fairly large, blue color scheme, but the rooms were dark. The next place had less room when entering, but then I noticed there was a second bedroom, so it was larger overall. Then EM. and WM. showed up, and they were going to move in with us, so we were all trying to decide if we liked the place. The floorplan was open, and there was a lot of light. Everything in this part of the dream, in general, was very vivid. The bedroom had a mirror covering most the wall opposite the door, and white cabinets built in beneath it. I thought how convenient it would be if dresser was built in to the room, but wasn't sure what I'd do with my dresser. The walls were pink/mauve. In the main room, there were two "sections" - the second section was one step up - one of the bedrooms was out in the open. There was a piano, that looked like a baby-grand piano (round in the back), but there were only a few keys, and they looked like the ones on A.'s sequencer. I played them, and it sounded like a piano, rather than a synth. Now A. was also going to move in with us, and we needed to see if they had a 3-bedroom available. The rent would be about $1300/month. I thought that didn't sound too bad, considering it would be split three ways. MV then showed up out of nowhere, to tell us where it was located. Zoom in on a computer screen with a map, looked like something from googlemaps. The townhouse was located on W. Ridge Road. I was not happy about the location. Before that fact, I was ready to move in. But Ridge Road is not convenient at all...

[owl]

4-5-08: Mostly just remember small parts of dreams from last night. It's a good thing I wrote down the first four, fragments or no. I woke up at 7:00 with the Halloween/walking with coworkers fragments, and had to fight falling back asleep to write them down. I had almost forgot the second one by the time I wrote down the Halloween dream notes (writing that one led me to remember the office/mini-dinosaur pieces also). When I finally got out of bed this morning, I had completely forgotten everything about these four. Halloween I was in a store, trying to find a Halloween costume. I don't remember much more than that.. Mini-dinosaurs Going for a walk, with a group of DCs. Walking over a hilly/rocky area, there were some puppy-sized dinosaurs looking over the edge of some rocks. I wanted to pet one, but they were snappy, and they had sharp teeth. No walking I was thinking about going for a walk with some co-workers, but I was at home, in my childhood house. I needed to pee, and I was hiding behind the curtain of the window at the top of the stairs, thinking about going right there (????). Mom left the bathroom, so I went in there instead (no - I did not wet my bed in waking life ~.~). I never made it out of the house for the walk but at least I got my exercise in a previous dream. Office Sitting at a desk, in a dream office. The desk is high up, like one of the high tables they sometimes have at restaurants (the ones I really dislike). I was sitting on an equally high chair (swivelly). My desk was cluttered, more with decorations than actual work. I'm not sure what my job was supposed to be exactly, but it was an administrative position, and was a second job - I still had my actual job. There was a gargoyle statue hanging on the corner of my desk, some comic-book related things -I'm pretty sure there was a Spiderman toy, a few stuffed animals, a Duck Tales book. Lots of red/green colors. My desk was in a cubicle, but only the front and right sides were blocked off. Everything was open on my left and behind me. The ceilings were either very high up, or non-existent. A walking tour passed by my desk (common theme last night o.O), and some of my co-workers were there - they were DCs, but worked at my waking job. When they were approaching, I thought something along the lines of "grreeat, now they'll see what a dork I am". There were two DC co-workers. One of them picked up the Duck Tales books, said something like "Duck Tales, huh?" I said I'd had the book for 15 years. They opened it up, and there was writing on it, that listed notes from various dates. DC co-worker wrote something else in it, but I don't remember what it was. I was also embarrassed that they saw me working at a second job, but mentioned that Mike, our former co-worker, also worked there. No Goodbye This one was very vivid in its emotional content. One of those dreams where I wake up, still feeling the same emotions. That's all well and good when I'm excited from a lucid dream, but not so good in this case. In the Adirondacks, but the cottage looked different. There was only one floor, me and J. were in a bedroom off the living room - bigger than any of the actual bedrooms. Empty except for a closet in the corner - left side of the room, directly across from the door, and a bed. Some people were in the lake, swimming, others hanging out in the living room. There wasn't any furniture. It was a couple of days after J.'s birthday, and he was still excited about it, but I was getting annoyed. A box arrived from his brother, but I'm not sure what was in it. A. left, without saying goodbye, and I was really upset about that. I heard him saying his goodbyes to everyone in the living room, then he drove off.

[owl]

4-6-08: I need to remember to do a RC when I wake up and write down my dreams, because this morning I woke up to an empty notebook Learning to Swim At an unfamiliar house, with an enclosed porch. An old man was sitting on the porch, with a blanket over his lap. He was missing a few teeth. He told me that A. was in the pond learning how to swim. I went in the backyard, and A. was there, floating a little bit in the pond. He was doing a doggy-paddle sort of swim, and managed to stay up for a few seconds. The "pond" didn't seem to have an end, but there was a lot of murky areas with moss/rocks jutting out. I was worried there would be leeches in the pond - thought that there had been in the past. I went in anyway, trying to help him improve his swimming methods. I vaguely recall that there was some greater purpose to learning how to swim/something that everyone in the house was preparing for, and I was doing my part to help. I don't remember what that was. I think I may have written it down in my dream dream journal >< I went back inside, had a towel around me, wearing my blue swimsuit. I sat at the table in the "kitchen" area. Writing "Kitchen" made me think of a fragment of another dream from last night - very little remembered. A group of people, 1-2 staying in a house. There was a box in the kitchen with a first-aid kit. Most of the time, the door was shut leading from the kitche into the main room. It was needed for something - (a band-aid?). A class was taking place in the house. People were "voted out" - the main house became empty, and someone asked who wanted to take over this one - Kathy from Survivor came to stay in this one, along with an unknown DC man. Writing that one made me think of yet another fragment - in my dream bedroom, trying to sleep. Unfamiliar surroundings, but B. and his gf came upstairs. They turned on the radio and didn't like the song that was playing. There was a jewelry box similar to my waking one, and the radio was located inside of this. Back to the kitchen of the first dream ... we were trying to decide what game to play. Someone suggested DnD, and describe how rolling the dice worked to Aunt T. She thought this sounded fun, but then I thought she might not like the "roleplaying" part of it. Zooms in to a separate "DnD"ish scene, where people have gathered panels from completing a mission of sorts. I don't remember anything more specific. :/ FFXI Sand'oria Conspiracy In FFXI. At first, it was playing more like a single player console rpg. I had two people in my party, one was a girl with glasses and short, curly hair. Not sure about the other. I went to a Xarcabard-ish area, entered a "dungeon" - had to zone to get in. I was fighting a battle with 6 enemies - two flying, and four on the ground. My curly-haired character had a jumping attack, so I set her on one of the flying monsters (it was yellow/gold), but she missed. My other character went after a land monster, but also missed. I decided it was time to run. I zoned out, but it followed me out of the dungeon. I thought that wasn't allowed, and it went away. Now it switched back to being more mmorpg-style. I was thinking that I was really behind because I hadn't been playing since the last few expansions. There was some desert quest from the last one that I missed out on, and nobody was working on it anymore. I went to a "town" - stone ceilings/awnings - a little bit like the outside of Windurst. Someone was examining a tile in the ceiling - something was missing. Walking around the outside, there were a few such missing pieces. Somehow, it was signalled to me that anyone from Windurst or Bastok wouldn't be able to reach Rank 10. When I reached Sand'oria's area, there was a sign saying they were closed, and they were all Rank 10. Suspicious! I decided to investigate a little bit, and saw a dark-haired man with a cape lurking around. He seemed to be getting rid of anyone who was on to his plan. I followed him around, lurking behind tapestries to watch. He was standing with a guard, and saw me. I started to run away, he shot at me with an arrow, but I knew there was no way it would hit me.

[owl]

4-7-08: Barely slept last night. probably about 4 hours total, but I still managed to remember 2 dreams. The first, I woke up at 3:00 or so. Must've been the first REM cycle of the night, and I woke up because I was freezing. I managed to write down a few notes, and checked the clock. I was awake, and my notes were still there this morning. Also, going to stop writing dreams in the past tense from this point forward. I read that in the forum, and remembered that I'd read the same thing in a book about dreams a couple of years ago. Breakfast I've just moved into a new house, and it looks like a lot of people are living there. There seem to be different groups/families of unrelated people. I'm mostly "watching" this dream, rather than participating. I don't feel like any DC is "me". People are going upstairs to eat breakfast. There are at a lot of people at the table, not sure how many. A group of three girls goes upstairs together - early 20s, one dark-haired male (looks like my dream self when I'm male in dreams, but as I said, I'm just sort of watching this one). Someone who looks like Uncle W. is also at the table, and a taller, blond guy with curly hair. Dark hair is eating an orange, and is thinking about saving a few pieces for the blond. The scene changes, and now it looks like the kitchen at Aunt T's house, with a round table in the corner where the refrigerator normally is. In the dining room, a character that reminds me of someone from the Cosby show (the younger girl), is there, and she's talking about how she's in love with the dark haired guy. She wants to be near him, she wants to be with him, and specifically I remember her say: "Why can't I be him?" Yellow goo This dream is really gross. I almost don't want to write it, but I've decided to make myself write even the embarrassing stuff. Dark-haired guy again, this time I'm him. I'm in a men's bathroom, supposedly at a high school. I need to pee, and I'm standing over a trough-sort of thing. It reminds me of a skee-ball machine, but without all of the numbers and swirly things to throw the balls into. I started to pee, and it looked like a flourescent-yellow Mountain-Dew color, and it was gooey. It kept splashing up and hitting my hands, and some of it got on my shirt. The shirt is a white button-down, with pale yellow stripes. The flourescent stuff leaves a stain, so I turn around and see some shoe box-sized lockers. Apparently this is now a locker room. My dream-gym teacher is there and waves at me. There is another DC there, who's wearing a shirt with a picture of him and his boyfriend. He keeps looking at me like he's checking me out. There's another DC there too, taller, with dark hair. Actually, the guy with the picture on his shirt also has dark hair. I can't remember which locker is supposed to be mine, or what my combination is, so I find an empty one. I figure that no one will look there, so I stuff my soiled shirt into it. Apparently I'm wearing another shirt underneath it. I leave the bathroom, and I'm walking down a school-looking hallway.

[owl]

4-8-08: Woke up many times last night, for a few minutes. I checked the clock when I was conscious enough >< One of these days I'll try to get back to dreaming directly, but my only thought was "sleeeep". I've barely remembered any dreams right upon waking up, but when I do, the sequence of events/details tend to be clearer. Aside from the alcohol dream (I woke up at 3:00AM remembering that one), it took me a few minutes to recall anything. 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall I'm in a round room, reminds me of a cave, and the walls are lined with bottles of alcohol. J., J.'s dad, and a DC who was J.'s dad's brother are with me. J. islifting me up, so I can reach the bottles that are higher up, but I don't want to drink. Everyone else is getting tipsy. J.'s dad's brother is eying me like he wants me, and it's making me extremely uncomfortable. We leave, and drive away in a truck. I make sure I don't sit near the DC. It's dark and raining. Coffee Shop I'm sitting at a table in a coffee shop, where I'm a regular. There are two stories, and the staircase looks a lot like the one from my waking townhouse. Someone unfamiliar walks in, and everyone wants him to be the new DJ. I'm bored of the songs that are on the radio within the shop. We still end up singing along. Can't remember anything else I know there was a lot more, but the details have faded... Invisible Stairs I'm in a library, and suddenly it dawns on me that I've been given the key to a secret room. I have to find the stairs, but they're invisible. I start walking up to reach a door that's a few flights up, but I'm not able to make it all the way. I look for A. to help me. I go past the W. house, but it looks different. Now it's made of stone, and there's some green moss growing over it. There's also a pool in the backyard, filled with clear, bright turquoise water. A. and I get into a car, but it doesn't work like a normal car - it's kind of Flintstone-esque, because I have to keep sticking my leg out the door to get it to move. I'm driving up an invisible ramp to get back into the library, but I keep falling just as I reach the top.

[owl]

4-9-08: Lots of fragments. Some of them seem related, but I remember waking up in between, so I suppose some of the themes just continued. Spanish Project I'm at work, and bored. The office has been rearranged; it's smaller and the desks look like the ones from grade school - the ones where you open up the top and store your supplies inside. I go to D's desk, and pull out what's supposed to be a Spanish translation - she did the translation herself. It looks like it's written on a desk calendar. I decide to find an editor for it. When she comes back, I sheepishly ask her if she wants me to find an editor; she goes over to her desk to pull out the translation, but I tell her I have it. She doesn't seem mad, but I'm embarrassed that I took it without asking. Work Fragment The walls at the office are covered with jewelry that we're selling. Most of it looks hand-carved, and I think to myself that this doesn't look like anything my co-workers would wear. Tornado crash I'm driving along a street, lined with houses; there are two lanes on the road. The houses are close together. I see a tornado coming, but don't try to avoid it. The tornado is thin, and dusty, reminds me of a sandstorm. The funnel is shorter than most of the houses. I drive through it, and it knocks my car into a dark-green house. I don't feel scared at any point in the dream, and the crash doesn't harm me. We're being watched I'm in a monorail-type vehicle that runs across a river; there's no other way to get between the two sides. The exit areas look like the start of a suspension bridge, and it reminds me of when they load you onto/off the balloons at Enchanted Forest. I'm in the monorail with J. and a DC - short, fat man with a moustache - he looks like he's in his late-30's. There are two cables running across, and one monorail on each side. The monorail across from us stops to let people out, but ours turns around without stopping. I feel a little panicked, so I open the door, and jump out before it gets too far from the landing area. J. and the DC follow suit. There's a sign outside, but I can't remember what it says. We know that we're being watched by some malicious (probably) organization. The DC is given a small, black device that looks like a mini-Darth Vader helmet, without the markings for eyes/nose/mouth. Instead, there's a vertical line going from top to bottom. I'm not sure what the device is being used for, but it's important that we get it back to the people the next day. The scene changes, and I'm now watching (movie-style, I'm nowhere to be seen) the DC, setting the device down, and he's in what looks like a strip club. It's dark, and there are curtains around the stage he's watching. It jumps to two days later, and the DC never gave up the device. I'm really worried that the evil organization will come after me and J. because of it. J. says he needs to go to the doctor, and set up an appointment that day. I ask him if he can wait, because I have the urge to run away so "they" can't catch us. Art Teacher I've been sent to teach an art class at an elementary/primary school. I enter the school, looking for room K16 (maybe it's a kindergarten class?). I wonder why I was the one chosen for this, because I didn't know anything about teaching. I realize I had absolutely nothing planned, and I pass the room at first. I walk by K17 and K18, and then turn around. There's a skylight in the hallway. The classroom is small, and the teacher has dark, curly hair, in a ponytail. She has tan skin, and looks like she's around ~30. The class is bored and restless. The kids look like they could be kindergarteners. I'm not sure how many kids there are, but the teacher introduces me (what did she call me? o.O I don't remember...). Then she takes over the teaching, and I'm relieved. The kids are sitting on the floor, and there aren't any desks. They don't seem to be paying attention, and I'm trying to think of how I'm going to teach. The scene changes, and we're all in a room, with the kids sitting at their desks. I decide to pair the kids off in groups of two - they each have to draw an animal with an alliterative adjective (ie: fiery fox). I don't get to see any of the artwork Instead, I end up outside, next to a pool that looks about twice as long as a normal "Olympic-sized" pool. I'm there with AH from high school. We decide to go for a swim, and jump in (no idea what I'm wearing at this point). I make it to the end (she beats me there), and I'm shocked (but happy!) that I made it there without needing to rest. I think "I'm in better shape than I thought!" Scene change again - I'm in a field, next to WM, sitting on some grass. The field is rectangular, and surrounded by trees. There's a few small rocks near us (kind of like the one near the uphill hike in the Adirondacks). There's a cut on my big toe (left foot), and it looks like my toenail is completely covered in blood. WM suggests I have it looked at, but I say it doesn't hurt and it will just go away.

[owl]

4-10-08: Shopping in New York City I'm in New York City, and some of my coworkers are also there. They leave a department store, carrying bags from their shopping adventure. I decide to check out the same store (I don't remember what it's called). When I first walk in, it seems like there's not much there - just a small, square room, with a couple racks of clothing, mostly dark purple. Then I notice there's an escalator leading up. I go to the next floor, and the place is huge. I wander around, but don't see anything particularly interesting. One dress catches my eye - sleeveless, with a blue/yellow/blue pattern on a white background. I just pass it by and continue looking around. I think about buying a pair of jeans, but they're "designer" and therefore expensive. That particular section is blocked off by curtains, with two mannequins wearing jeans with holes in them. One mannequin has a black tee-shirt and sunglasses on. I look around for the swimsuit section, thinking I might buy a new one for my trip to the Caribbean. I pass the men's section (pants/polos), and the lingerie section. Loyal to the Company I'm just waking up in my bed at the W. house (would've been a great opportunity for a LD ). The room is organized similar to when I was ~10 years old - my bed is in the corner, near the window, the dresser is across from me (no mirror on it this time), and the second bed is next to the other window. There's a poster of the map I drew for a story I was writing year's ago - enlarged - hanging over the second bed, which is cluttered. I remember that there are supposed to be visitors soon. A tour is coming through. Apparently the house is now a movie production company, and the poster is from a movie that we're making/have already made. I get out of bed, and people come in the door, without knocking. There are 2-3 of them, at least one woman and one man. I go over to the dresser and look for clothing, but then think that I really need to take a shower. There are two red towels on the second bed - with a black stripe. I think to myself, "didn't we only have one of these?" Another missed opportunity.. >=( The towel I pick up is plush, and I'm surprised that it's not worn out like I expected. The tour folk ask me if I plan on leaving the company, and they wave a book at me. I'm shocked that they would suggest such a thing, and tell them I'm completely loyal. American Idol Audition I'm auditioning for American Idol. (????) I'm my male dream-version of myself, and think, "should I really be auditioning, even though I'm not American?" but then quickly follow that thought with something to the effect of, "if Michael Johns can, then why not me?" I am worried that my passport won't be valid, and I won't be allowed to stay. I'm in a large auditorium, that makes me think of a high school gym. It's nearly empty, but there's a karaoke machine in the middle. It's small and square, and there's a plastic microphone. I have to do a pre-audition. I'm not sure what I should sing, and then decide on the Peter Gabriel Song "In Your Eyes". I sing a little bit from the chorus (and actually sound really good, at least to my dream ears), and I'm proud of myself that I hit a note in the lower register of my voice that I was worried I was going to mess up. The judges (I don't think these are the usual ones) say it's okay, but not great. They see potential. I wanted to do a unique arrangement, but couldn't think of anything off the top of my head. When it comes to my "real" audition, I sing a different song, but I can't remember what it was ...

[owl]

4-11-08: Fun in the Caribbean I'm on a beach, supposedly at Dominica. It's very bright. There are lots of people, varying in age/gender. My view is limited to the very edge of the beach, so i see a small stretch of it, and the ocean. The DCs are gathered either just on the shore, or a short distance from the beach. There's an invisible rectangle past which there aren't any people (or anything but water). I'm there with A., standing on the shore. There are dolphins swimming nearby, among the DCs, at first all I see are fins sticking out of the shallow water, and I wonder if they're sharks, but a few of them leap out. I realize that I don't have my camera with me, so I decide I need to go back to my room, but I also don't have a room key. Somehow, I "warp" into my dream hotel room. It's a bit darker in here, and I look through my suitcase. I see an old swimsuit, but no camera. I have a vague feeling that I shouldn't have just ended up in my room, without a key, but I miss the chance to become lucid. Somehow I end up back on the beach, camera now in hand. Half the time, the camera doesn't work, and won't take any pictures. However, I do manage to take a picture of a dolphin jumping out of the water, and the arc, and the dolphin's face are perfect. I'm excited that I got such a great shot, and keep trying a few more times. Suddenly, everyone runs out of the water, and the dolphins somehow disappear. I wonder, again, if there's a shark, or some other danger. But.. it's just a boat. It looks like a kayak (only twice as long) with a motor. When it passes through, the ocean looks like it's a river, and there's jungle on the other side. Somehow I'm now viewing the shape of the islands. Dominica is now located on the northern tip of a larger island, but is separated by water. When I "zoom in" closer to the larger island, I realize there's two different islands here - the one on the left is Barbados. At first glance, I think that it's possible to walk from Barbados to the larger island (not sure how I labeled that one), but the view zooms in more, and it's farther than I had initially thought. Apparently, it is possible to swim between two of the islands, and I see someone riding a bike from the northern tip of the big island to Dominica. Now I'm with J., and he suggests we try that, but I reply that I don't really like bicycling. There's another person on stilts with roller blades at the end who's gliding across the water. I'm back on Dominica with A., and now C. is also there. Things are back to a "normal" view. We decide to go play Skeeball. C. and A. both get 50 points on their first toss, and I get 40. C. brags about his great throw. This is when the alarm clock goes off, so I wake up, and never make it back to sleep. Overall, the dream left me with a good impression. Aside from the hotel room, everything was bright/sunny. It is the Caribbean after all!

[owl]

4-12-08: Weekends are great, because I get to sleep in! So, I've come to the realization that I don't remember my dreams right when I wake up, unless I'm woken up directly from a dream, in which case I remember them more clearly (see Caribbean Adventure, Yellow Goo, and New APB- however, this didn't work entirely for Mirrored, and I only remembered the lucid section clearly...). It took me about 5 minutes to remember 1 dream, then bits and pieces of them came to me later when I got up to go to the bathroom, or when I was just trying to get back to sleep. The best part about the extended weekend sleep is more time to think about dreams when I have the opportunity to go right back to sleep, and this leads to a greater chance of... Mini-Lucid #1 - short I wake up, and hear my niece and nephew's voices; they sound like they're coming from downstairs - it sounds like they're laughing/playing. I think to myself, "I just had a dream about a family gathering, and I think they were in it. Then I realize that I should not be hearing their voices in my bedroom, considering they live 30 miles away. It must, then, be a dream! I glance over at my clock, and my suspicion is confirmed. There's an unfamiliar rectangular white clock on the bedside table (analog, but I don't notice the time). I glance at my normal clock and it reads "12:07". It was enough to see the unfamiliar clock to reach the actualization of dreaming, but I checked my regular clock a second time, and there weren't any numbers, just some random red lines. My room otherwise looks pretty normal - my dresser/jewelry box are where they should be (there's no mirror - I check for this, since the mirror was there in my last lucid dream), my blanket is its usual purple/green/beige color. I'm excited and wonder if that will make me wake up sooner, so I remember that I should "ground" myself, so I feel the sheets/blanket. I'm trying to think of what I should do next, but I can't move my blanket. I want to look at my hands to see if they look weird because I'm dreaming, but again, I can't move my blanket. Then I can't move at all, but my mind keeps envisioning throwing my blanket off. Next thing I know, I need to open my eyes again, and the clock reads 9:37. I check again, and it doesn't change. I decide that it's time to get out of bed, because I don't think I'll be able to fall asleep again. Instead, I go downstairs, start a pot of coffee, and type in my dream journal. ^^ What's interesting about this one to me, is that it started out almost exactly the same as my last lucid dream - laying in bed as usual, hear someone yelling from downstairs (although, last time my arm was tingling). At least this time I realized the yelling was a dream sign, since my niece and nephew didn't yell at me to check for them! Also, I'm wondering if the inability to move had anything to do with sleep paralysis... in my first lucid dream this year, I felt the dream fading. In the second, I lost lucidity and woke up as usual. In most of my past lucid dreams, I either don't remember how I woke up (they were long, long ago...), or I was waking myself from a nightmare, in which case it was close my eyes in the dream, open them up in the waking world - there wasn't an in-between state, or any fading. Since the inability to move seemed to be a transition...

[owl]

4-12-08: I think at this point, my previous dream is special enough to warrant it's own entry. I'll post other dreams/fragments from last night here. As far as sequence goes, these all came before the mini-lucid/SP thing. Most of these are just small pieces of dreams. FLA Concert I'm waiting for a FLA concert to start, at the plaza I used to work in, near where Bed, Bath, and Beyond would be in waking life. A. shows up also. For some reason, I'm feeling lonely/unhappy. One of the band members shows up, who is not part of FLA in waking life (some woman - don't remember her appearance). Most of this dream has faded by now Travel Plans This is the dream I was thinking about in the mini-lucid. Me and J. are trying to figure out the best way to get to our travel destination. I'm not sure where we're trying to go, but we decide it's best to drive to Pittsburgh, and then take a flight from there. However, we end up in Ilion, so that plan made no sense. We're behind Aunt T.'s house, and there are mountains of snow ahead of us, and pine trees behind us. By mountains of snow, I mean, we keep climbing up, and there's just more and more snow to scale. I decide to take a different route, and try walking around the mountains instead of going over them. This was a good move, because I eventually made it into the backyard. For some reason, the front of the house seems to be in the backyard, so we go in. We're in the living room, and T. and E. are there, and so is A. They're all watching something on some bizarre tv - there's one tv enclosed in glass on the left (long and skinny, unusual shape for a tv), and then a smaller, more normal-looking tv on the right. The same thing is playing on both tvs. It's a show about some sort of orange monster, who reminds me of Horton, because he has big ears. Otherwise, he was Wooly-Whatsit-ish. No one agrees with me that he looked like Horton. ~.~ There's a dog running around, labrador-sized. I go into the other room, and decide to give him a treat. I can't decide which kind - there are some that are in wrappers, and I'm worry that those smell funny and I won't be able to get the smell off my hand. Now the dog is poodle-sized, and has big ears like the Horton-monster. That's all I can remember. >< Talk Show Mother is on a talk show. The "stage" doesn't seem to have an end, and there are two folding chairs on it. She is sitting on one, and her "mother" is sitting on the other. Her mother doesn't look 91 - she hasdark, curly hair, with some white mixed in, a somewhat-wrinkly face, and horn-rimmed glasses. She was slouching in her chair (for some reason, now reminds me a little of the Trash Heap in the shape/slouchiness). She looks confused, like she has no idea what's going on. The talk show host (can't remember anything about the host, other than it was a woman, carrying a microphone with a wire) asks Mother's mother if she knows who mother is. Don't remember anything else... Class troublemaker I'm teaching a class, and give the students a short assignment. They need to write something down (I can't remember what this was ...). Most of the class isn't able to come up with anything. I tell them it's okay, and I want to collect the papers anyway. Some students are holding up their papers, and some appear to have a few lines written, others are blank. There's one student who looks a little like Kelly from The Office, and she's saying that she was able to come up with something because of meth. I hear this, and I'm disappointed in her. I tell her that if I hear her talk about this again, I'll need to report her. I don't say this with much authority, and I can tell she's annoyed, and doesn't believe me or care. Her reply is, "do you even like any sports?" I get defensive, and say that I do. She starts listing some off - baseball, tennis, football. I shake my head at these. I tell her I like basketball, at least to watch. I make a motion like I'm throwing a basketball. "Hoops. I like shooting hoops," I tell her, but that I don't like to play competitively. There's another sport I tell her I like, but I don't remember what it was.

[Jdeadevil]

Hey Owl, nice title on the Dream Journal. You're doing very well, keep it up!

[owl]

Thanks Jdead ^^ \I'm hoping to cut back on the "but I don't really remember" sections of dreams. Details, details...

[owl]

4-13-08: Ahhh! Disappointing! I had another little dream where I was writing in my dream journal, and didn't think to do a RC. When I went to write something down this morning, the page was blank. ><; Mostly I've just remembered lots of bits and pieces. I'm planning on going back to sleep after writing these and reading a bit more. Some fragments: research paper - trying to find a source article (what subject?), tea in what looks like a beer mug, smells like a lavender-scented candle This is progress, since I rarely smell things in dreams! M from work is drinking one, and I'm annoyed that she's going to finish the entire thing. Shopping with Co-workers again Another shopping dream! This time I'm in a mall, and actually shopping with co-workers H and D. We got into a store, and this time it's huge - I don't see an end to the store, actually. I go to the first display, and there's a wall with some clothing displayed, and two racks opposite each other. The one thing that catches my eyes is a green coat with a paisley-like pattern sewn in (no other colors, just the same kinds of shapes you'd see in a paisley pattern). D looks at everything in the racks and says, "Why is everything size 2 1/2?" I think that I could probably fit into any of it. Animal Tossing No worries, they're stuffed. I'm in a classroom, and for some reason I have to throw things to my classmates. The desks are lined up in 4-5 rows; I was sitting in the 2nd row from the left, 4th seat back. The first thing I throw is a set of three items, they're small and gray - the only one I remember is a screwdriver. I think one of them may have been a pair of nail clippers. I ask who wants them, and a male DC raises his hand. I toss them, and he gets the screwdriver, and one of the other items, someone sitting behind the DC also wanted these things, so he got the last item. Now I have some stuffed animals arranged on a table. I pick up what I think are three frogs. "Who wants a frog?" Toss it to a female DC on the right side of the room. "Another frog!" goes to another female DC. Sitting in front of her is Wagner from grade school/high school. When I ask who wants yet another frog, she corrects me that the smaller (and lighter green) stuffed animal I'm about to toss is not a frog, but a grasshopper. It can also be converted into a coccoon. I manipulate the stuffed animal so it has wings and then looks like it's in a little sleeping bag aside from the head. I toss this one to her for recognizing its form. Unfortunately I don't recognize the dream form, and I think this is the dream I was recording in my sleep dream journal.

[owl]

4-14-08: Only got about 3-4 hours of sleep last night, so not much in the way of dreams. Some fragments: police/ambulance? running out to a car. -former co-worker, company closing, map of amusement part, somehow related. Sleeping on the Job I'm at work, and the office looks completely different. There are two twin beds, and I'm laying in one of them. I wake up and realize it's 3:15 already (I don't look at a clock, I just know it's 3:15 somehow). I hadn't meant to sleep that long, and I hope I don't get in trouble for it. I have a project that I'm supposed to be working on, but it hasn't gotten done - it's for V. but I don't remember what language. Me and H. are both given gift cards for doing a great job, and I wonder if I deserve it, since I overslept.

[owl]

4-15-08: Remember almost nothing last night, and it took me half an hour to remember any details at all. Fragment: At a restaurant with T., darkly lit, sitting at a round table. There are characters coming around visiting the tables (people dressed up, kind of like Chuck E Cheese). She liked one of the characters, but never heard of the other. I don't remember anything else. Zombies... Me and J. are rummaging through some stuff that's supposed to belong to V. We're looking for two movies, but we can't find them. We think that V. may have turned into a zombie, and discuss the methods of zombie demise. I can't recall the setting too clearly, but at this point we're 1) in a cluttered apartment when searching for the movies and 2) somewhere on Mt. Hope when discussing zombies. The scene changes to the W. house. B.S. shows up at the front door (it's bright outside, and within the house), and we discover that he has been zombified. A device that looks like an Xbox-360 controller is the only way to defeat them. Each button has some specific purpose, but I only remember that the top and bottom buttons are effective. They're both red. When one is pressed (I think the top one, but not 100% sure), a hole appears in B.'s head, and he falls over. I'm not sure who's in control of the device, but I'm never afraid of/uneasy about the situation - either killing the B-zombie, or the fact that there are zombies.

[owl]

4-16-08: For later elaboration: Fragment: I'm at work, at a training session, and they keyboard looks really small. Someone says that the keyboard belongs to B. Japanese Interpreter I waited to long to write this one out, now I'm having trouble remembering many details I'm at work, and we need to find an interpreter. I'm not sure what to do, but I remember that A. might do interpreting, but I'm not really sure if he's qualified. I go to his house, and there are some photos on the wall - one looks like it has MM and MG wearing Cubs pajamas, at Christmas time. I think the picture looks familiar, but I'm not really sure. The scene changes, and now the office is at the W. house. JC comes in to say he has a new address, but he doesn't say anything to me so I'm a bit sad about it.

[owl]

4-17-08: Notes for later: Lost in African Translation I'm working, and need to procure an African translation. I send it out on a plane instead of by e-mail, and attach a case to a plane manually, like the tail of a kite. The case is open, and looks like a cage (there are some bars on the outside). I'm paying this by cash, and attach a $100 bill. I think the translations will cost $90, but decide it's easier to put a $100, so I leave an extra $10 as a tip. I'm worried that the money will be stolen, because I see two people eying the case. I then realise that the translations were going to cost $90 x 4, and that I haven't sent enough after all. So much for the tip!

[owl]

4-18-08: I remember a lot more than I did the rest of the nights this week, but I didn't write much down this morning, just some quick notes, so who knows how much I'll remember at this point... I've been reminding myself lately to try to check for some of my most common dream signs. I've written these reminders in my regular journal, and I've been sticking with two, since I'm more likely to remember a smaller list. The first, is Aunt T.'s house, since a strange amount of dreams have taken place around/in there lately. The other is writing in my (paper) dream journal, since I missed this three times in the past month. Last night, of course, I dreamt about writing in my online dream journal, and didn't think to do a reality check. I was writing about the W. house/scaffold dream, specifically that I remember eating eggs, and that I barely ever remember taste. Interestingly, when I was talking about remembering what I ate, the scene changed to a table with a few foods on it. This is generally not a normal occurrence when I type in this journal... I do not warp into the kitchen of a past house... Vacation Fragment I do need a vacation... In my dream I'm in Canada -Montreal specifically, I think. I'm in a hotel with J., and I consider trying to find classes I can attend while on vacation, to take the place of my current classes. In the dream I'm taking three - French and two others I can't remember. I think that being in Canada is enough for French, and in the end decide not to look for classes. Yay. Dream Gym Actually, this may be part of the vacation dream. J. and I enter a gym, and wonder if we should use it if we're not members, and don't live nearby. I remember only a few pieces of gym equipment - doesn't seem like much, seems run down. I go into the locker room, and it seems endless. Much bigger than the gym itself. I keep walking past rows of lockers, with DCs scattered throughout. Some are having conversations with each other. I'm looking for a spot away from everyone else, since I don't want these strangers to watch me change. I have a bag with me, but never end up opening it. Fix the Floor I'm in a variation of the W. house (seems like this is replacing Aunt T.'s house now that I'm trying to remind myself to look for that area...), in the dining room. There seems to be a dinner party. I don't recognize everyone at the party, but some co-workers from my last job are there (SW, and I think EB). There is a two-year-old girl wandering around also, no one seems to be watching her, and I'm not sure who she belongs to. The dining room is familiar, and looks similar to the actual W. house dining room, and the kitchen does too. The strangeness is in how they connect. Normally, there's a door. in this dream version, there's an empty space between the rooms. The dining room is in the West of the house, kitchen to the North, and there's some iron scaffolding to the South/East (most of it is to the South). There doesn't seem to be a floor or a ceiling - the scaffolding appears to be endless. Yet somehow, there's a rope I use to swing from the dining room, to the scaffolding, and to the kitchen. The two-year-old is chained to the scaffolding to the East, and I'm really worried that she's going to fall. I wonder why no one is watching her. I remember less about the events, and more about the scenery. That, and the two-year-old, are definitely the most memorable parts to the dream. I don't remember tasting eggs. Forgiveness This one is also mostly vague - I didn't remember any of it until after I'd jotted down some notes about the other dreams, got up, took a shower, etc. However, parts of it seem important/memorable. I'm actually not sure who is in this dream, or who I'm supposed to be. I'm pretty sure there's 3-4 people. We're in a room, and there is a couch, and an empty space on the wall. There is a feeling of oppression/sadness among everyone. An older male says that he forgives his wife. Pictures of her appear in the empty space on the wall. There's at least one other proclamation of forgiveness. After that, the mood of the house changes. I wish I could remember more. I offer to buy everyone new beds after all are forgiven.