Dream #270 (September 30, 2010)

The last day of September, 2010. I did dream, but it was disappointing for the last dream of September.

I dreamt that I worked in a library. I spent the entire dream either sitting behind a desk, sorting out the card catalog, or returning books to their proper place. Throughout the whole dream, only a couple people entered the library (and this was only to quickly return books).

I eventually awoke. Hopefully the first dream of October will be more interesting, though I may not be able to post it until October 2.

Dream #269 (September 29, 2010)

Another dream, somehow.

I dreamt that I was spending the night in a gymnasium with a bunch of guys. I don't recall knowing most of them, but there was one individual I did know, and that was Justin Egger (an old classmate of mine). In the middle of the night, as I was tossing around in my sleeping bag trying to fall asleep (which took up a large portion of the dream), Justin got up and began to magically write prophesies all over the walls of the gym. The prophecies had to do with the deaths of people in the gym and with primarily negative major events. It was weird.

I watched Justin do this for quite some time until, with the warning of a shiver in my spine, two ghosts entered the gym and flew him through the roof. When this happened, everyone else in the gym woke up and began examining the walls. Apparently I was the only one who had witnessed the event. Even so, people believed every word I told them.

After I explained what had happened, everyone gathered their sleeping bags, pillows, and blankets and piled them on the baseline of the basketball court.

Then I awoke. That was a pretty strange dream.

Dream #268 (September 28, 2010)

This was actually kind of fun, though it was school.

I dreamt that I went to a new film school with Kevin Chupp and Chuck Zook. It was not a graduate school, and I was going there just to get the few credits I needed to get my diploma (which, in real life, I already have). It was really late in the night, and I was in the dorm room with Chuck and Kevin. I was wanting to go to sleep just in case I had morning classes (the schedule was not yet released, and I had classes the next day), but I kept thinking of thing I needed done (I had homework even though I did not have any classes yet). I specifically remember a purple notebook that had my transcripts in it, for it was the only thing with saturated color in my dream.

It was five in the morning, and I still hadn't fallen asleep. I then opened up my email and saw that my schedule was emailed to me. I printed it out and looked at it. I was blown away when I read the my English class had already passed, for it was scheduled for 3:00 a.m. I didn't care much, for I knew I was going to drop that class (I already had all of my English credits) I then woke Kevin up and, together, we grabbed our backpacks and headed to a film class.

This class was strange right off the bat, for it met at a small house in a little town outside of the city (we were in Chicago, I believe). When we arrived, we discovered that we were the only ones who showed up and that a middle-aged couple taught the class together. The husband teacher was going over the syllabus with Kevin and me, and I was learning that he was a bit crazy. He would grade things that had nothing to do with the class. In fact, he gave me an 'A' for the day because I brought a telescope to class (he used it to help explain how lenses work). He also gave me an 'A' for playing the living room piano while he went to the bathroom during class.

When that class was almost over, a bunch of people walked in, two of which I knew from Regent University (Dan Ostrem and Andy Didway). The professor decided that he was going to teach a whole different class since more people were there, so I ended up staying for another hour. He talked about baseball bats for about half of that time, for Dan had brought one with him, then went over some of the cinematography discussed in the book for the rest of the time).

When the class was over, Kevin and I started walking back to the dorm. On our way, we had to cross a busy street. When we thought it was safe, we started crossing, only to both get swiped by an old green car.

Then I awoke. This dream made me want to go to graduate school for some reason.

Dream #268 (September 24, 2010)

This was pretty gross.

I dreamt that I was in a hospital/hotel with a few other guys and Carrie and Stella (Carrie's daughter) Badertscher. We were all there (except for Carrie and Stella) because we had to get our chests removed and replaced with a hard plastic/metal chest with a special liquid that would keep us alive. For some reason, the power went out right before our operation, so the doctors would not save us.

We all sat in the dark room, waiting for our lung diseases to kill us. Then, out of nowhere Stella (who is not yet two years old) began to take the replacement chests and prepare them for the procedure. I was curious, so I approached her. When I did so, she pulled out a battery-operated saw and cut into my chest. I did not pass out, but I felt very little pain. I watched as Stella took my old chest out and put my new chest in. She then sucked out the special yellow liquid from its storage container (which the rest of us did not think possible to obtain), and she spat it into its designated tube in my new chest. She closed me back up and I was fine.

I learned how to do the operation from Stella, so I successfully performed it on the other guys. When we were done, we walked outside of the hospital/hotel only to discover that the city had been bombed turned into a desert while we were in the hospital.

Then I awoke.

Dream #267 (September 23, 2010)

This will be short, but funny (to those who know Kyle Heffelfinger).

I walked into a McDonald's in the middle of a small city. For some reason that I didn't figure out until later, the Mac D's was decorated in blue and white. Even the arches were baby blue. That was the main reason that I went into it in the first place (that and I was craving a Mc Chic and a Double Chi).

When I went up to the cash register, I realized that the decorations were for a wedding. I turned to a stage on the right-hand side of the cashier and saw Kyle Heffelfinger getting married to a woman I had never met. I then watched the rest of the wedding, interested in who this woman was.

When Kyle saw me afterward (the reception was right there in the McDon's [how convenient]) and apologized for not inviting me.

Then I awoke.

Dream #266 (September 22, 2010)

This was pretty crazy and in many parts.

The first part of my dream took place at a giant church on the base of a jungle mountain. A wedding has just finished, and I was walking with some of my friends (all of which don't exist) in the parking lot. There I ran into my former editing professor (David Garcia). It was then I realized that I was watching a movie, but not really watching a movie (it was strange, for I knew something wasn't quite real, but I didn't know I was dreaming). Mr. Garcia, for one reason or another, was not acting like himself. In fact, he was acting as if he were mentally handicapped. Furthermore, he made the impression on us that he was related to some famous people.

As my friends laughed at him, I realized that he was trying to be a more lovable character than he really was. At one point he mentioned that Patrick Swayze was his cousin (in my dream, Patrick was still alive). He talked about him as if he had known him forever, but I could see past his lies.

Then I switched over to a different scene, which was only mentally connected with the other dream. I was standing atop an escalator, looking at the rotating glass door at the bottom. Then tons of the same person walked in and began ascending the escalator. Now, all these people were various versions of one man. Some were short, some were tall, some were skinny, and some were fat, but they all had the same face.

After a couple minutes of witnessing this phenomenon, I ran out the glass rotating door, then came back in. When I did so, the entire interior of the building had changed, and I was in the middle of a casino. I then began putting on a sort of show, throwing playing cards (that were stored in my pockets) all over the building. I once threw a whole deck of cards at a pool table, and the cards divided and landed in all six of the holes.

Then I entered a different dream. I was in a dark basement with Amber Kreider, David and Carrie Badertscher, Lucy, and Stella (their very young children). I thought that I was playing with Stella (I was chasing her around the room), but I soon realized the baby I was playing with the wrong baby because Lucy was crying when I tried to play with her instead of laughing.

Then I entered another dream. In this dream, I was in the top story of an academic center at a college. The lighting was dim and reddish. I was playing a game where people had to look at a painting on the wall and pick out which objects were not originally there (it was actually very difficult). Jessica Smith was currently taking her turn. In the scenic painting, she chose a rainbow as a false object, but she guessed wrongly, for the rainbow was originally there.

Then I awoke. I apologize if this post was not as together as usual.

Dream #265 (September 21, 2010)

Back on track.

Last night I was forced to go back to school (in my dream). The authorities at Regent University (from which I graduated) had discovered that I never officially graduated from high school, so, in order for me to prevent my diploma from being void, I had to complete nine more credit hours at Oregon-Davis High School. (I know this sounds like a crappy old Disney movie, but it's all my brain could come up with).

I immediately jumped ahead of time into my English class. I looked at the papers in front of me and realized that they were unfinished worksheets that were due that day. I initially felt sick to my stomach, but I realized that I could probably get away with finishing them in band class, because I never did anything in band class. I sat through the English lecture about gerunds or something (I paid little attention) then went to Calculus. This class, like English, was boring (for I had already taken it and aced it). And, like in English, I had forgotten to do the homework. Something odd about this class was that some of my old high school friends (Alik Hall and Adam Pflugshaupt) were still going to school there. Then Band class came and went. I only remember walking around the percussion instruments, waiting for class to be over as everyone else sat around playing Eukre.

The next thing I knew, the day was over. I actually woke up in my room (except I woke up in the top bunk of a bunk bed) and realized that I was late for school. As I rushed about the house trying to get ready (I noticed that the Christmas decorations had been put up that morning, which seemed a bit early, for it was September in my dream as well), I thought to myself, "Why am I taking all the classes where I get a lot of homework?" I only needed nine credits, so I could get away with taking just band and two art classes and not have to worry about any homework at all.

This seemed like such a genius plan that I went back to sleep, knowing that I didn't have to show up at school until the second half of the day.

Then I awoke.

Dream #264 (September 20, 2010)

Again, I am sorry.

I know that I was working on a stop motion film. I can vividly remember that the lighting was greenish and very dim, and I know that I was using only clay.

Oh, wait, it's coming back to me now. Yes.

As I was working with the clay (it was a Medieval setting with a large castle and a large forest), I became very small, so small that I could experience the world I created.

Oh, yes, I'm glad I remembered this. It actually was meaningful, I think.

I saw that the clay was melting, but I ignored this. I continued to walk through the woods, enjoying the beautiful scenery, the work of my hands. The trees, however similar they all looked, were each interesting to look at. They were not complex at all, but the texture of the fingerprints and the odd lumping of the clay intrigued me.

However, before I could realize what was going on, all the clay had melted around me, forming a solid mass.

Then I awoke.

Dream #263 (September 19, 2010)

I apologize.

This is a sad excuse for a dream update. In fact, it probably doesn't deserve one at all.

I remember that I was in my underpants in an apartment building. The only action I can remember is answering the door after hearing the doorbell ring.

I know that there was more to the dream, but I cannot recall any of it, no matter how hard I try.

Dream #262 (September 18, 2010)

I need to update my posts more consistently, for I am forgetting large bits of dreams that I know were good.

This dream took place at a zoo (I've been wanting to visit one for quite some time now). I walked around the place with a group of friends (Kevin Chupp, the Suters, Stan Marks, Ana, and Shana, all friends from my Freshman year of college at Bethel). We never said a word to each other the entire time.

The only animal encounters I remember where the following:

I chased a couple of peacocks, but after running into a large group of them, I was the one being chased (like in a Scooby-Doo cartoon).

I also threw peanuts at a gorilla.

I woke up at some point. Maybe.

Dream #261 (September 17, 2010)

Here.

I began the dream in a pawn shop. I was with Kyle Heffelfinger, and we were looking in the toy section. I began digging through a large barrel of old Sesame Street toys (some which looked familiar) as Kyle laughed at me. Disappointed with the assortment of Big Birds, I continued on.

After passing through a room of old wooden carved junk, which smelled like a garage sale, I discovered an alternative exit to the shop. Kyle didn't not want to join me as I walked through a glass door that led to a water park in a canyon.

I was amazed at the sights. However, I soon discovered that the canyon was fake and that I was then inside of a large mall (I despise malls). However, my hatred of malls was forgotten when I saw a shiny glass elevator.

I quickly entered in and pressed the highest number there was. Then I noticed that other people were also riding on the elevator, but they were riding on the deck that was built outside the doors. I was puzzled by this until I was doused with a bucket of water intended to catch the inexperienced elevator passengers off guard.

I was soaking wet when I arrived at the top floor. But my mind was taken from my troubles when I saw a large sand dune cliff about thirty feet ahead of me. I immediately, without any thought, ran and jumped off of the edge, falling about twenty stories into quicksand. I was stuck, and the people sitting in their lawn chairs at the top of the cliff were mocking me. I turned and noticed that Shaun Johnston's head was about three feet from my feet. Right before his head went under, his face turned into a Japanese cartoon version of himself and he froze.

Then I awoke.

Dream #260 (September 16, 2010)

A three-part dream.

I began the first dream standing in a line waiting to get into a small, light purple room. Every single person waiting in line was wearing a long, white lab coat (including me), and nobody was talking, or even expressing any sort of emotion at all. This line of white coats was endless, as far as I could determine.

When it was finally my turn to enter the room, I was greeted by a scientist in his late 30s. As I was shaking his hand, I was stung by a large, fury bee behind my right ear, causing only a small amount of pain. The scientist explained to me that I could choose from any number of things that I wanted to use for my experiments. For some reason, I told the man that I wanted bee seeds, which he then handed me with a look of concern on his face.

"Are you sure you want these, sir?"

I told him that I was sure, so he shrugged his shoulders and let me have my way.

I then proceeded to sit down at a big, heavy-weight table, setting my bee seeds on top of it. I then pulled out a vile filled with a transparent solution from under the table. I spread my seeds out and began to water them with the solution.

Moments later, one of the seeds turned into a bee that looked just like the one that had previously stung me. I instantly became filled with fear. Why had I chosen this particular experiment. I then realized that the bee-sting was affecting my thinking. I rushed back over to the scientist and explained my problem.

He immediately became very concerned with my health. Pulling me aside from the line of white coats, he explained to me that I needed quick medical attention. He went behind his counter of experiments and pulled out a large bottle of medicine that was different than any I had ever taken. It resembled chalk dust and was light pink. The scientist then instructed me to open my mouth, which I did, and he threw two handfuls of the stuff into my mouth, telling me to swallow it.

As he was putting the nasty medicine in my mouth, my vision began to fade to white. Furthermore, I was growing light-headed and dizzy. Right when I tried to swallow the medicine, my ability to swallow shut down, causing the pink dust to enter into my air-pipe. I could no longer breath. I grasped the scientists lab coat and squirmed around on the ground, trying desperately to loosen my throat, but to no avail.

I suddenly awoke, gasping for air. That was intense.

I soon fell back asleep and entered into a different dream. I was in a dimly lit, carpeted gymnasium that was rather empty, except for a few small 'presentations' (as I will call them). These presentations were displays of people's life work and achievements. There were only about ten displays in the whole place, and there were no people looking at any of them. I, too had a display, but it didn't even compare with some of the neat things other people had representing themselves, for all I had to show for myself was my homemade drum set. I sat at my drums and played them, for no reason other than my own enjoyment.

As I played I began to look at the other displays around me. One I noticed in particular was one that contained pictures of the Amazon Jungle. I then realized that it was representing Sabrina Hallock (a counselor at Prairie Camp), who was actually there. I waved to her, and she waved back, looking as depressed as I was. However, I did not understand this depression, for she had a very cool display. All I had was a homemade drum set.

Thankfully I awoke from this dream not long after that.

The last dream I experienced last night was much more enjoyable the the previous two (thank goodness). I was at a very old waterside town. All the buildings were made of wood, and the sky was very cloudy in this dream. After strolling down the brick street for a few blocks, I entered a large building, which had a sort of festival taking place inside. There were streamers, colorful paintings, dancers, and all kinds of people in this mall-sized building, and it was fun to be a part of. Soon after I entered the place, I ran into Wilco (the band).

They greeted me as if they had heard of me before, which they must have because they next asked me if I would be an instrumentalist/videographer for the band. I was overjoyed and immediately accepted their request. They told me to meet with them later and enjoy the festival. I began to run about the building, looking for somebody I knew so that I could share the great news with that person.

It was not long until I found Carrie Badertscher (Prairie Camp director). She was leading a group of inner city teenagers around the festival. They all seemed to be having a great time. When I told carrie the news, she immediately took me into a small shop in the big building (it really was like a mall) and bought me a very nice video camera with a beautiful lens. She told me that she had a 50% off discount, but I think she was just being extremely generous.

I was so excited with my new camera that I began taking footage for Wilco right away. I waved goodbye to Carrie and began finding places where I could get some quality shots. I soon found the ultimate place: a ship that was sitting in the water not too far from shore.

I somehow flung myself all the way out to this boat using a catapult system that was in place on the shore. When I landed, I climbed all the way up to the crow's nest and, after attaching my extra long lens, I began getting some shots of the band. What I saw was great. Wilco's drummer and guitarist (Glenn and Nels) were with Carrie and the inner-city teenagers, and they were buying them some nice Nike basketball shoes. The teens looked very grateful and excited, and Carrie had a huge smile on her face.

Just then, an intense storm blew in. I decided to stay where I was so that I would not lose the camera to the sea. The rain was not heavy, but the wind was treacherous. Huge waves started to ram into the side of the ship. Suddenly, a very large wave, over 40 feet in height, came at me. I was scared and thrilled at the same time (I enjoyed the intensity of this dream). As the wave came, I jumped, and managed to only get the very bottoms of my running shoes wet. I was so excited by the event that I began to shout with joy. I also began recording the event with my camera. Then the boat began to rock, so much that I began to tap the water on both sides of the ship (the ship almost hit a 90 degree angle on both sides). I loved the whole thing.

As I was rocking in the ship, I saw Wilco on the shore line, but they did not see me. I then began to shout "Wilco" over and over, trying to get their attention, but I was unsuccessful. I don't know why I didn't shout out their names. I just thought it was funnier that I was calling to all of them at once with one word. As I was looking into the lens, my back finally hit the water, only getting part of my shirt wet. I grinned at the experience, not minding getting wet at all.

Then I awoke.

Dream #259 (September 15, 2010)

This was a little wild.

I began the dream at Koontz Lake Missionary Church in the middle of the night. I was coming home from a late-night funeral, driving in some deep snow, with my brother Matt in the passenger seat. Just about 100 feet from the church, we started getting into an argument about money (we don't typically argue much at all). Apparently Matt was under the impression that I owed him $74, which was absolute ludicrous. If anything, Matt probably owed me money. To be even more obnoxious, he pulled out an old receipt out from under his car seat that was from some pizza place (which I actually paid for, according to my dream memory). He became so angry at each other that I told him to get out of the car and walk home in the snow, which he then proceeded to do.

I must interject and say that I have had a great relationship with my brother for quite some time, and this dream argument is not a representation of what I think about Matt.

I continued to drive a bit further. As I was almost to the extremely curvy part of State Road 23 near my house, I saw Katelyn Presnell walking alone in the snow. I had compassion on her (I, in the dream, actually thought about how much her mother took care of my chap lips in the past, which made me feel obliged to help her). I asked her if she wanted a ride, and she said, "Sure." Now, this part is very strange and is, again, not a reflection of what I think of Katelyn. Of all the places Katelyn could have sat, she chose the dashboard. I did not want to insult her intelligence, so I said nothing about her choice. Because of my passiveness, I had to drive the rest of the way home (about 1/2 mile) with a constant block of vision and constant unwanted steering wheel movement (due to Katelyn brushing against). There were several times where I almost ran off the road. We even almost tipped over a couple times).

As I was almost to my house, I received a call from Oregon-Davis Schools that I was to substitute teach the next day. So, I decided to the school so I wouldn't have to start the car again (which didn't make any sense), which forced Katelyn to come along with me. When I arrived at the school, the sun had already risen and school was about to start. I parked the car and told Katelyn that I would only be gone for about 7 hours, and that she could wait for me in the car (which was very unthoughtful of me).

The school day flew by so fast in my dream that I did not even recognize that it occurred. Before I knew it, I was being asked to be a substitute bus driver (which I am not, in real life, authorized to do). When Katelyn found out that she had waited all that time only for me to take a bus home, she decided to drive my car back to her house, with no intention of ever giving it back to me.

This fazed me very little because I was so nervous about driving a bus-full of kids that I could handle thinking about anything else. When I pulled out of the school parking lot, I knew that driving the bus was a huge mistake. I had, I believe, 7 near head-on collisions, numerous instances of driving a whole wheel off the road, and many other close calls. One particular time I received a call from Michael Presnell (Katelyn's brother), who was asking if I wanted to play basketball with him. I was distracted by the call that I never should have answered while driving, which lead me (or drove me) to almost rear end the red van driving in front of me. I was so flustered that I threw my cell phone out the window.

When I finally dropped all of the kids off, I drove the bus to my house and vowed never to drive any bus ever again. My house in the dream was much different than any house I've ever lived in. It actually resembled a house of a relative in Pennsylvania that I once visited. My father and brother were both there. My father was making spaghetti and my brother was watching the television, which was mounted up in the upper corner of the living room (which had no furniture) in a fashion similar to the old televisions at Oregon-Davis High School. Mike was watching an old, gory Peter Jackson movie, and when he saw that I had arrived, he rewound it (it was, in fact, an old VHS tape), and began to play it again for my benefit.

Soon after that my father walked out with a couple of cans of spaghetti, ready for us to eat as we stood and watched the movie.

Then I awoke.

Dream #258 (September 14, 2010)

I don't remember this dream very well either, though I think I did yesterday morning (I'm posting this a day late).

All I can recall was me playing disc golf at the Warren Dunes in Michigan. I'm pretty sure Kyle Heffelfinger and my little brother (Mike) were both present in the dream.

I awoke after having quite a bit of fun.

Dream #257 (September 13, 2010)

Another poor sleep.

I again did not sleep well and, for the first time in a long time, did not remember anything that I dreamt.

I apologize.

Dream #256 (September 12, 2010)

The day before this dream was a very difficult one for me.

I did not sleep soundly the entire night, and when I did occasionally wander off, the only thing that I dreamt of was disc golf. All of the frustrations of that day seemed to have been represented in this serious of short dreams, for in each one, I would try to make a long drive or mid-range throw and would fail. I often hit trees, I occasionally would throw backward or sideways, and I even threw my disc into the road on one occasion. I was very frustrated in the dream and when I would awake from it.

I awoke the next day exhausted and unhappy.

Dream #255 (September 11, 2010)

I don't really remember much here.

I do recall some sort of outer space dream, but I don't remember exactly what it was about. However, I do remember that I wore a tight, bright green spacesuit that looked absolutely ridiculous. I also remember that I was employed at a space station.

I awoke.

Dream #254 (September 10, 2010)

This was fun.

The beginning of the dream took place in Bo Ennis' police car. Now, this car looked nothing like a typical squad car, for it was old, rusty, square, red, and without labels. We were, at that time, on a high-speed pursuit of an armed robber, who was driving a car identical to Bo's (except it was blue). Another interesting aspect of this dream was that the blue and red cars were the only two vehicles (and the only things moving) in the entire city. It was like a typical ghost town (dusty, abandoned, hot, and sunny).

We were gaining distance on the blue car (which is a testament to Bo's driving skills, seeing how the two cars were an identical make) until, unfortunately, we ran out of gas. We were stranded in the middle of the road in the middle of a dead city.

Then I awoke. However, I was still inside the same dream. That memory of riding with Bo was, in the dream, an event that took place the day before. I actually awoke in the middle of the night (in my dream), which I apparently had planned, for I awoke to the buzzing of an alarm clock. I rubbed out my eye boogers and exited the room (which was in somebody else's house; I had spent the night there). I walked down a flight of stairs and found my older brother (Matt) and some friends of his playing Risk (the board game). When Matt saw me, he immediately quit the game and introduced me to a new game. This game had some similarities to Jenga, but it was slightly different. The object was to build a tower, each person taking a turn, until one person knocked the tower over by the piece played. These game pieces where oddly shaped, looking similar to icicles (which is why the game was called, in my dream, "Ice Tower"), and were very difficult to stack. Matt and I had quite an impressive tower within a few minutes. Just as Matt was about to make an astonishing move, Bo ran across the room and, laughing all the while, kicked the tower over. I was a little angry with him because he had knocked over what I considered a work of art. Matt was apparently more angry than I was, for he physically attacked Bo. Fists were a flyin'.

Strangely enough I soon figured out that Bo and Matt were not actually serious about there fist fight, but were merely imitating one, mocking the emotions that combatants typically have in a hilarious way.

When I realized this, I awoke.

Dream #253 (September 9, 2010)

Another.

I dreamt that I was leading a group of high school students on an overnight field-trip at the sand dunes. The dream took place right after sunset as the sky grew very dark. I was leading a line of students across an enormous dune that had a knife-like edge.

After about a half of a mile, we arrived at a mystical and beautiful sand formation that looked like a mansion. Nothing like it exists in real life, so I was able to experience something entirely original. The students and I were able to walk atop and inside the sand mansion, exploring its wonder.

After a while I left the students at the mansion with Dan Matteson (a friend of my father's) so that I could explore other areas of these dunes.

I saw some mind-blowing sand formations that were awesome to climb around. I wish I could describe them, but I cannot.

When I was finished exploring I tried to call dan with my cell phone. Unfortunately it had fallen out of my pocket at some point in my journey, so I was forced to retrace my steps. I knew I had a long night ahead of me.

But, actually, I did not have to search long, for one of the teenagers ran up to me with a sand-filled phone and its battery in his hands.

Then I awoke.

Dream #252 (September 8, 2010)

I've fallen behind, but I will catch up today.

The dream that took place on this particular night was fairly odd. I was at Prairie Camp, but instead of the Prairie Camp programs, college was taking place there. I was sitting in a film class being taught by my former professor Doug Miller. Interestingly enough, the inside of the cabin we were learning in resembled my 4th grade classroom.

Halfway through the lecture (which was taking place in the very early morning, around 4 a.m.) I decided to leave the classroom and walk around. Outside the cabin I discovered a large wooden chest that I remembered from childhood (I only remembered it in my dream, not in real life). I decided to open the chest.

When I did so, a hawk flew out, followed by my dead dog Sadie. Oddly enough, I was conscious of Sadie's death in my dream and was wondering how she was alive again. I came to the conclusion that she had never died but had merely been trapped inside the chest for a year (I never actually saw my dog's dead body in real life, which may have something to do with this). I was so excited that she was still among the living that I ran around camp with her until dawn.

When the sun began to rise, I took Sadie into the A-frame dorm and went to sleep with her lying right beside my bed.

Then I awoke.

Dream #251 (September 7, 2010)

I had a couple of dreams last night.

The first one was very odd. It didn't really follow time or logic or any sort of pattern. In the dream I was an elderly man. I always wore a red button-up shirt with rainbow suspenders. I had black hair, a larger nose, a scruffy beard, and I was short and chubby. I pretended to the outside world that I was a balloon salesman, but I was really some sort of crime lord. However, I spent the whole dream wondering what kind of crime lord I was.

That was the weird part. I kept thinking about what was going to happen next in the dream so much that I didn't really focus on one particular event. I would jump through time. One moment I was selling balloons, the next moment I was entering through a dark and secret hole in the wall, then the next moment I was walking down a dark alley. I kept jumping back and forth in time that I had no idea where I was or what I was doing at any given moment. It was very strange and it made me feel ill when I awoke from it in the middle of the night.

When I fell back asleep, I eventually entered into a different dream. I was finishing up a large game of Capture the Flag in a cornfield with a group of teenagers. When an athletic young man brought his opponents' flag to the centerline, I instructed all of the teens to head home after drinking some water. I then decided to walk to a nearby white farmhouse and met up with a bunch of my friends (Stan Marks, his girl friend Anna, Eric de Araujo, Kevin Chupp, Jason and Allyssa Suter, and a few more people I can't now identify). As we sat together and drank lemonade, I realized that I forgot to go and get the other flag that had not been discovered. I also realized that I didn't have my car to take me there quickly, and none of my friends had vehicles either. Thankfully, all of my friends accompanied me on the 1-mile hike over to the area where the other team's flag was located and back to the house. I told them I would have driven over there, but I didn't have a car. When we returned, I realized that I forgot my shoes (which, in the dream were skateboarding shoes, which I never wear; I only wear running shoes) over where the flag was previously hidden.

My friends were frustrated with me, but they were willing to walk with me again. However, I told them not to worry about it, for I would go by myself to get it. Just as I drank my last sip of lemonade (made by Eric D), when I was getting up to leave, Dori Walterhouse pulled up in her car and offered to drive everyone over to my shoes. I was very grateful.

Then I awoke.

Dream #250 (September 6, 2010)

2.5 hundred dreams blogged.

This dream took place in a post-war United States of America. The whole country had been bombed by an unknown force, and there were very few survivors. I was residing in a town that was made up of tents and clay houses assembled atop the rubble of the buildings that once made up the city. There were shards of glass, old paper, ashes, and large rocks all along the streets. I wish that I could better describe the area. There was no liquid of any kind to be seen. Everything had a brownish-red coloring, and the sun felt brighter than ever, yet colder than ever.

I was walking along through all of this with the goal of arriving at the only supermarket in the city to buy the groceries for the week. When I was almost there (it was the only normal looking building, for it was intended to bring back feelings of nostalgia for the 'old' America), I ran into Amber Kreider, who also intended to shop for groceries. Amber insisted that she help me find and make my purchases, and after a little bit of resistance, I allowed her to do so.

We entered the store, snagged a couple of shopping carts, and made our way through the aisles. There were no packaged goods in this place, only dry grains and vegetables. I picked up some lettuce, peppers, carrots, and oatmeal and was satisfied with what I had. Amber, who had to feed her child and Jeff, took a little longer picking out her food, so I had to wait a little bit for her to finish, but it did not bother me. When she was through, we walked through the checkout line, which was calculated by a man of Middle Eastern descent using a pencil and notebook. Amber graciously paid for my food.

Then I awoke.

Dream #249 (September 5, 2010)

Almost to 250.

I don't remember much of this dream. I do remember, however, entering into a tent full of rip-off Native American crafts that were for sale. A 'full-blooded' native was there selling his goods, though I doubted his sincerity for some reason.

That is all for now.

Dream #248 (September 4, 2010)

Mediocre dream.

My father, little brother (Mike), and I went fishing off of a highway bridge in downtown Elkhart, Indiana. We put bread (I think) on a hook, which was attached to a piece of yarn tied to a bamboo pole and let it set atop the water. Two-foot fish would come and bunch up around the bread, and we would snare them in a matter of seconds. After several minutes of fishing we had several large-meal-worth of fish to take home.

As we cleaned up our fishing poles, I thought I recognized a couple of guys across the street at a shoe store there. So, I ran across the street, dodging cars on the way, and into the store (which was green all over). I found Jordan Heim and Jake Everett, a couple of high school acquaintances. They greeted me then left with some nice, newly purchased basketball shoes.

Then I awoke.

Dream #247 (September 3, 2010)

This was fairly interesting, but not exciting.

In the beginning of the dream I was playing ultimate frisbee with a bunch of liberal, long-haired guys in their twenties. We were a group of nomads who wandered about the U.S. in a VW microbus.

When the frisbee game had ended, we decided to try and find a place to stay for the night. We chose to try out the very first place we saw, a large white house with a black gate around the yard. The owner of the house was a man in his forties with black hair and an old-school look about him. His wife, a large red-headed woman with a kind smile lived there with him. They informed us that they could use some company, for all their children had grown up and left them.

It happened that every single person got his own bedroom. The one I stayed in must have been a girls (I'm not sexist, just observant). There were innumerable fluffy white bears on what seemed like too many shelves for a single room. The sheets were pink, and there was a blonde doll that was sitting on the pillow, waiting for somebody to enter the room that seemed to have been frozen for years (yet there was no dust on anything). Because of all the comforting objects in the room, I quickly fell asleep.

When I awoke (which seemed to be only a moment later), I found that all of my companions had left me there to live with the older couple. It was strange, for the couple seemed to know about this, and they didn't care. In fact, the man had scrambled me some eggs. He told me that he wanted me to visit the nursing home to see his mother with him later in the afternoon. I had no choice but to accept his invitation.

When the man and wife had left for work, I took a shower. Because I was alone, I felt free to sing as loud as I wanted. When I walked out of the bathroom (fully clothed, and very clean) I was surprised by the presence of Michael and Katelyn Presnell. I immediately felt that I should be a good host and show them about the house (this is, remember, only my first morning in the place). The first thing I showed them was the DVD collection (I was curious to see what kind of movies the people I was going to live with owned). I was depressed when I began showing Katelyn and Michael the numerous Hallmark films and romantic comedies neatly organized by the color of the DVD case. For some reason I acted as if I loved the movies I was displaying and, because of that, Katelyn was disgusted with me as Michael tried to hold in his snickering.

They told me they no longer wanted to tour the house and they left.

Then I awoke.

Dream #246 (September 2, 2010)

These two dreams I had last night were very intense.

The first dream was especially strange because I dreamt that I was reliving a moment that had already taken place (not in real life, but in my dream). I was conscious of this idea the whole time.

The dream took place on a large passenger transport ship in outer space. I was with my father and mother; in the dream they were a legendary spaceship piloting team. They were transporting an entire city in the ship, and were the tail ship in a whole fleet of transporters, for an entire planet was being evacuated and relocated to another nearby livable planet. When the dream took place, though, there was only black space, with no planets to be seen.

Unfortunately, I was conscious of the fact that this particular mission was going to result in the destruction of my parents' ship, which would result in their death, along with the death of all the passengers. Because I knew this bit of information, I frantically scurried about the ship, trying to find the source of the defect that would kill so many people. I thought I could change the predetermined future.

However, after several minutes of this scurrying, I heard a loud explosion. I could then mentally see an exterior view of the ship (I wish I could draw you a picture, for my memory of the craft is very intact). The left rear engine/wing had failed and had caught on fire, causing the ship to head in the wrong direction. Without controlling the ship, we would be lost in space for the rest of our lives.

I ran through the ship, trying to calm people down, but what was I to do? Everyone knew that we were going to die of starvation or of a lack of oxygen. The ship then began to dive down, and the other ships in front of us were out of sight. All hope was lost at that moment.

A strange and eerie calm came over all the passengers, almost simultaneously. They had accepted their fate. Moments later, I heard a nasty scraping sound. I used my mental imagery of the exterior of the ship and saw that we had scrapped against a very small space station, manned by only a single old hermit. Fortunately, he was at the top of his game, for he managed, using a claw-machine-like apparatus, to bring the ship to a stop. I then put on a special suite and exited the ship. Interestingly, the man who had saved us did not need any sort of oxygen or space suite, for he developed a rough skin and gills that allowed him to survive in plain clothes. After talking with the man about our troubles, he immediately grabbed a toolbox and floated up to the destroyed engine of the ship.

Within minutes, the ship was repaired and we were able to get back onto our coarse. We even caught up with the rest of the fleet, beating destiny.

At that victorious moment, I entered into a different dream.

This dream took place in an enormous basin (the land form kind of basin, not the dish) in the middle of a city in pitch black darkness. The city was on the brink of a civil war battle between the north side of the town and the south side. I was on the north side, along with hundreds of others (including David Badertscher, who was the only other person I knew in the dream). The south side had about the same number of people. We were meeting in a wooden pavilion as the south met inside an old stone tower (their base was much cooler). I remember being extremely nervous, because I did not want such bloodshed to take place between neighbors. I was only a lowly citizen, but I broke into the meeting of the political/military leaders of the north side and tried to persuade them to call a truce, but they would not hear me out.

After a little more debate, the battle began. Because of my low status, I was sent out with the first group of 'soldiers,' as was David. We snuck around to the backside of the castle without being detected. I was glad to be near David, for he had the reputation of being an extraordinary fighter; people even referred to him as The Beast. When we reached the back of the castle (the stone tower had taken on the shape of a castle), the fighting began. David leaped off the stone wall into the darkness. I heard a couple screams and gunshots, but did not see the results. The others standing around me began to fire their guns into the dark (apparently they had seen some movement).

I must say this, even though it takes away from the intensity of the story. Every time people fired guns in this dream, they made the gun noises with their mouths. So, though the guns fired real bullets, they made no real noise. I guess we had to compensate for the lack of gun sounds by using our lips.

Anyway, I had made it to the back entrance of the castle without firing a single shot (though the others in my company did have to kill about seven southerners). I did not want to kill anybody. Out of nowhere, several shots were fired killing everyone with me (except David, who was nowhere to be seen). Escaping death, I entered the back of the castle. To my dismay, the stairway I was on was lined with enemy soldiers. I began to fire rapidly (still making noises with my mouth). I was somehow able to kill about twenty guards on my way up the tower. However, when I made it to the top, which had a lookout onto the battle field, I found about forty men waiting for me. With no other options, I leapt from the tower (which was about fifty feet in the air) and landed in some bushes. I had lost my gun in the process. Two enemies had their guns aimed at me as I emerged from the bushes. I knew I was going to die.

However, right as I gave up hope, David leapt from behind a tree and stabbed one soldier in the neck, then proceeded to throw his knife into the face of the other guard. He saved my life (by brutally taking two others), and I was very grateful.

Just then, I found myself back at the beginning of the battle, just before the war broke out. I didn't understand why I had gone back in time, and I was a little disappointed because David and I had survived the battle so far. I didn't want to start all over again.

I didn't ask any questions, though. As I was again debating with the leaders about stopping the war before many people died, I was hit in the head with a large rock.

This hit sent me into a dream (though I didn't know it was a dream right away). I was on a bus, sitting next to a blonde female from the south, discussing the war. She talked to me about how she had hoped, before the fighting began, that she would one day take over her father's restaurant, but because of the war it had been burnt down. We actually passed the former restaurant as she explained this to me. Suddenly stones began to hit the windows of the bus. Then a bunch of gothic young adults rushed the vehicle (which only had the driver, the blonde, and me) and attempted to tip it over. They mentioned wanting to kill me for being with the southerner (I was, of coarse, a northerner), and they wanted to kill the poor young woman for her disloyalty.

It was then that I realized I was dreaming. I was able to force myself to wake up.

When I did so, I found myself sitting in a folding chair, along with many others from the northern army. We were sitting across from a bunch of empty folding chairs, with only three people remaining there. I asked my captain what was going on, and he said that instead of having a bloody battle, they would have a "name battle." This meant that each side would take turns guessing a person's name from the other team. If they guessed correctly, that person had to go home. The team who lost all its people first would lose the war and have to submit to the other side. Apparently the north was winning, for we had about forty people left to the south's three.

Right after the rules were explained to me, one member of the south was forced to leave, for his name was guessed. There were only two left. One of them was a hispanic man in his twenties, and the other was the young blonde woman from my dream. How was she a real person? I didn't understand. To throw me into an even deeper confusion, the woman looked straight into my eyes and winked at me. What was going on?

Before I knew it, somebody had guessed her name (though I didn't hear what it was), and she was forced to go home. Then, immediately after that, somebody guessed the hispanic man's name. As he was leaving, I asked him what his name was because I was unable to hear it as it was said. He told me, "Alex."

Then I awoke.

Dream #245 (September 1, 2010)

This was a little lonely.

I spent the majority of this dream walking down State Road 23 (the road on which my house is located) in the middle of the night alone (it was all downhill as well). After what felt like an hour of this, I passed by a broken-down brown wooden house. I looked inside and saw Morgan, Mike (my brother), and Michael Kaser playing a game together (just like in the previous dream). I decided not to go in.

After continuing down the road a short while, I came across a mansion that I did not recognize (I now don't recognize any of the homes I passed by in my dream). It was old and scary, but something about it drew me into it (maybe I wanted to enter because it was old and scary).

When I walked in, I discovered a large party going on. Apparently there was a theater inside that was debuting a play written by Ms. Paul (who was my English teacher in high school and has since been married). I began looking around the crowd for people I knew, which made me realize that I didn't really know anybody, until Adam Konkey (former classmate of mine) approached me to say hello. He was wearing a clown suite, which I didn't understand at the time and still don't understand. He asked me how school was going for me.

Then I awoke.