I posted a little "preface" to the following in the "Newbie Zone" called "Signs to look for?"

HOW IT HAPPENED:

I've been trying for months to have a lucid dream. I've tried everything from dream
symbols to techniques on this site. I even recorded a message to myself on my iPod and set
it to go off in the middle of the night. None seemed to work - until now!

I say my first "controlled" lucid dream because my real first LD ended just after I had
said to myself "I'm dreaming... aren't I?! Yes, it has to be!" I heard the sound of metal
(like huge doors opening) then my body being pulled up really fast - then I woke up.

Knowing that I at least had the ability to do it I kept trying. Last night in a dream I
won't go too much into, I saw something that I've been terrified with and loved in many of
my dreams - tornados! Storms, great tidal waves, hurricanes - for some reason I'm
fascinated with these natural occurrences. Tornados have appeared in a lot of my coolest
dreams. In this lucid dream, it was the only thing that made me ask "Am I dreaming" (and
believe me, there was some pretty weird s**t going on in this one that should have made me
ask earlier!). It was a strip of 4 tornadoes banded at the top heading towards the house.

I had either read somewhere or saw on Waking Life that if you ask someone (in your dream)
if you are dreaming that they would have to say "yes". So I asked the group of people I
was with at the time and they said "what? You crazy, no". So I ran down into the basement
but my friends wouldn't go. As I heard the tornado rip through the house, I then started
to think that there's no way anyone would want to stay up there! They lied, I AM dreaming
!!.

Then, it was the classic learning to fly dream. I was back outside, weather was great. I
jumped up with my hands out and floated into the air. I saw an F-18 Hornet and what looked
like an F-22 (Fulcrum?) doing maneuvers in the air. I decided to join in. I cannot
emphasize enough how REAL and CRYSTAL CLEAR everything was!! I could see every marking on
the jets. Every panel of sheet metal! My vision was 20/20 (I doubt I was waring my contacts in the dream!)

The dream went on for a bit. I woke up, then fell asleep again and even though I know I
was lucid again for the second dream, I can't recall it at all. Oh well, I just can't wait
until tonight.

ANY ADVICE FOR ENVIRONMENT CONTROL?:

Hey, I was able to fly, and that was great. But I know it is possible to change the
setting, environment, people, etc around you. Is this a harder thing to do or is it just a
matter of thinking of it?