ok just recently i got into the intrest of dreaming and lucid dreams... so my first question is that a whole lot of times i remember dreams long after i wake and start my day... let me start by mentioning my dreams that i remember are about 90% related to the physical real world with nothing unusual happening... so anyways an example of how i remember a dream is say i meet my friend sometime during the day and i'll remember a dream involving that same friend, but before i realized it was a dream, i had it in my mind that it was an actual event that occured.. so lets say my friend got a new car in my dream, the whole day in the back of my mind my friend has a new car but when i see him later is when i realize it was a dream... i know only few times in my life i remember a dream upon waking... any suggestions??

my second question out of curiosity is why dreams can seem to last long extended periods of time with just the most elaborate scenes and detail within a single rem period?