Dream #472 (September 2, 2012)

For the black lab.

In the beginning of my dream, according to my wishes, I dreamt that I was sitting by Sadie, the family dog that was buried years ago.  In the dream I knew that the time remaining in her life on earth was coming to a close, and I wanted to be there when she passed.  I was sitting with her in a place that resembled my parents' basement, though it had a great hole in the wall that led into a thick wooded area.

As scratched behind her ears and under her neck, I heard a man calling my name.  I didn't want to leave Sadie there to die alone, so I ignored the voice.  It increased in volume with every yell, yet I held my ground.

Suddenly, Matt (my older brother) ran past me wearing short black shorts, a white headband, and a red track jersey.  As he took off into the woods, he shouted a goodbye to me and the dog.  Moments later, dozens of other runners ran beside and over me as they made their collective way into the woods.

After this incident, the great voice shouted my name one last time in such a strong way that I could not help but leave Sadie.  I took three steps up the stairs and looked back and saw my dog sprawled out on the ground, seemingly dead.  I ran back over to her and found that she was only sleeping, so I went back upstairs.

I was greeted by a fat Italian man with a thick black mustache and a worn out white tank top.  He told me and a host of other orphans to sit at the table, and we obeyed.

The old wooden table was filled with bits and pieces of what was once good food, but had since decreased in appearance and taste.  At one end sat a larger-than-life woman in a nasty pink puffy dress, and at the other was the Italian.  Once the two of them filled their plates, the orphans and I scrambled to snatch what was left.  I ended up with one half of a roll and a gnarly piece of ham.

While we were eating, and with food in his mouth, the Italian glared at me and blurted out, "Your dog is dead."  My heart ached.  I stood up and told him that I was leaving for Ecuador, and he told me that the plane had already left.

I decided to leave anyway.

I grabbed my luggage and made my way out of the house.

Before I left, I looked for Sadie and, in her stead, I discovered several tiny black puppies running about.  I then witnessed Nemo, my parents cat, trying to eat one of the puppies, and I quickly grabbed the cat by the neck and threw it across the room.  I patted the little pup on the head and left.

I hopped on a turquoise-colored train that was suspended in the air.  It traveled at great speeds through a vortex of swirling green and purple lights, through a deep black abyss, then out into a saturated field of green grass.  I hoped off near a grove of trees and decided to use the airport restroom (the airport was as all outdoor airport, and each toilet was sheltered only by a short tree).

I couldn't find a clean toilet to utilize, so I grabbed some toilet paper so that I could wipe off one of the seats.  After grabbing hold of it, though, I looked at my hand and noticed that it was covered in a light reddish-brown odorous matter.  I worked hard not to throw up and found new paper with which I cleaned the seat.

After doing my business, I looked at a clock that was hanging from a tree and noticed that my flight was scheduled to leave in a matter of seconds.  I rushed over to where the planes were loading and was relieved to discover that the clock I had seen was off significantly.

I was greeted, then, by my friend Jon Ayee, who took a look at my tiny luggage bag and asked me if that was all I planned on taking to Ecuador.  I opened it up and found only two changes of clothes and a turkey sandwich.  He laughed, but I panicked.  I was planning on spending six weeks in Ecuador, and I was surely not outfitted for that amount of time.

I searched for a phone so that I could call somebody to have them bring me more stuff.  I was successful, but I had no change on me.

Then I awoke.

Dream #471 (August 30, 2012)

This was rather odd.


I dreamt that I was visiting a high school running track with my brother Matt.  I was stretching a bit, getting ready to see how I could do on the track against my brother.  We decided to run three miles to see who would be faster.  When we began to race, I rushed into an all-out sprint.  Apparently I had forgotten the distance we had intended to run.  After a 50 second 400 meter run, I realized what I had done, and I stopped after another 100 meters.

Matt soon passed me up, and I tried to get him to stop and realize my mistake, but he just kept on going.  I decided I was done, so I went home as he continued running.

When I arrived at my parents house, I realized I still had a store of energy within me, and I was quite hyper as I went about the house doing chores.

As I was folding my clothes, I found an old practice jersey from high school basketball and put it on.  After doing so, Matt and my other brother Mike walked in.  I asked Matt how his run was, and he said it was great.  I told him I wished I could have joined him.

We then walked into the kitchen where my mother had left a great feast cooking unattended.  We panicked and began flipping, turning, and churning all the food we saw (fettuccine alfredo, spaghetti, toast, eggs, turkey, potatoes, and pumpkin pie).  It was very messy, and the floor was quickly covered in all kinds of goodies.

Our chaos was soon interrupted by a weird baby that crawled into the room.  There was something amiss about this child, and we didn't know what to do with it.  Matt, Mike, and I took it into my bedroom (which was painted blue with blue carpet like it once was) and began to bottle feed him.

Suddenly, the baby began to grow at a rapid speed.  Before long he was taller than I (I keep wanting to call him 'it' because babies are 'its' to me), and I began to grow afraid.  He then embraced me tightly and painfully as he burst out with a deep and sinister laugh.

I turned and looked into the mirror as this happened, and I saw mysel turn into Paul Simon.  The oversized infant finally released me, and I ran into the basement.  He followed me clumsily, yet rapidly.

I found a young teenage girl there tied to a chair.  As I stood there, too dumbfounded to help her, the baby grabbed me and forced me out of the basement, locking himself in there with the girl.

I ran out of the house and tried to find some authority.  I was unable, so I went back to the house, grabbed an axe, and cut down the basement door.

I ran downstairs and found the girl in terrible shape.  She was swollen and was missing limbs and had severe scratches all over her body.  She looked at me and howled the most dreadful howl I've ever heard.  Then the baby appeared out of the darkness with a match.  He proceeded to light himself one fire.

Because the basement had been soaked in gasoline (I could smell it), the flames spread throughout the house in a matter of seconds.  I ran upstairs and out the door to safety.


For some reason, though the dream didn't shift or change setting, I completely disregarded everything that had previously happened (I was still in the likeness of Paul Simon, by the way).


I walked over to my car and drove to a shipyard/waterpark that was on the outskirts of a port city.  There was a large fire tower there and, because I had many fond memories of fire towers, I walked up to the top.

When I made it, I found a large line there.  After a bit of investigation, I saw that a man was auctioning off a bunch of Super Nintendo games.  I finally, after a few minutes, made it to the front of the line and was able to ask the man where the games and the counsel originated.  He informed me that they were salvaged from a very recent house fire.

After asking him the location of the house, I discovered that these games had come from my recently demolished home.  I told him this, and he apologized profusely for selling what was mine, so he introduced me to his video game collection and told me to take any game that I used to own.

I went through and found the following games: Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong Country 3, Earth Worm Jim 2, Supet Mario Bros., Super Mario Kart, Top Gear 2, Aladin, The Lion King, Batman and Robin (which I had borrowed from Jeff Kreider for years), and Zelda (the Gameboy game with the Super Nintendo adapter borrowed from my neighbor Nathan Ferch),.


Then I awoke.

Dream #470 (August 28, 2012)

A dream.

I was in a gray land made completely of rocks and stones, with only a bit of moss growing here and there.  I had just arrived there with my brothers (Matt and Mike), Brittany (Matt's wife), Boomer (Matt and Brittany's dog), and The Vespers (a folk band made up of Bruno, Taylor, Callie, and Phoebe).

We set up our sleeping arrangements inside of an abandoned cabin we discovered.  Mike and I slept on the floor in a tiny room, Matt and Brittany had their own bed and room, and the vespers had a room with two separate tents in which they put up two tents (one for the guys and one for the girls).  While Bruno, Taylor, Callie, and Phoebe were finishing putting up the tent, the rest of us went outside and walked around a bit on the rocks.

Matt, Brittany, and Mike decided to make a fire and cook up some scrambled eggs while I ran about the rocks with Boomer.  She was running about so fast, and I had a difficult time keeping up on the rough terrain.  As I tried too hard, I slipped on a rock and badly damaged my ankle.  I was, at this point, pretty far from everybody else, so I had to limp all the way back to the fire.

On my way, I ran into a snake who laid in my way.  We stared at each other for several minutes before the snake finally gave me permission to pass.

By the time I finally made it back to the camp, the sky was dark and filled with stars.  Callie had emerged from the cabin and joined my kin in the eating of eggs drenched in Louisiana hot sauce.  I tried to ask her about how things were going for The Vespers, but she looked at my ankle, then took her plate of eggs and returned to the cabin without even making eye contact with me.

I stood there for a moment, then hobbled up the rocks and followed her into the cabin.  I was very hungry, but I ignored the pangs.  When I entered, I found Bruno playing guitar, Taylor a-jinglin' his tambourine, and Phoebe singing incoherent, yet beautiful lyrics.  Callie had just walked into The Vespers' room and closed the door behind her.  I tried to converse with the band, but they were too deep into their music to notice that I had even entered the room.  I looked around the room for an instrument, but none could be found.  I grew frustrated, so I limped back outside where Matt, Brittany, and Mike were chanting around the fire.  I walked over to them and attempted to join in, but again I felt that my presence was not recognized.  I then decided it was time for me to head out.  Was I dead or something?

I walked for miles into the darkness, over boulders, rocks, and stones.

I, eventually, awoke, thanks to a blessed incoming text message from my friend Shawn.

Dream #469 (August 27, 2012)

I regularly have basketball dreams as a result of high school basketball at O-D, which ended over 5 years ago.

I was the water boy for the O-D high school basketball team.  Somehow the team, which was terrible and filled with short and un-athletic guys, was playing in the state championship, and for some reason the state championship was being held in the tiny gym of a Christian school.  The gym was dimly lit by some eerie red lights.

I was getting very frustrated with the team, for they were performing terribly.  Nathan Ferch (a former teammate of mine and my former neighbor) was the coach (he's currently the J.V. coach), and he was stamping his feet and clenching his fists.  He wore a tuxedo, which was drenched with sweat.

At half-time, we all went into the locker room (which was lit in a similar way) where Nathan scolded the team for not playing to their full potential (though they didn't appear that they had much potential).  He proceeded to go through a number of various plays on a whiteboard, and finally we again returned to the court full of energy.

The second half started out looking as bad as the first.  Finally, the crowd was so frustrated that they told Nathan and I to jump into the game.

I tore off the janitor outfit that I was wearing, and Nathan tore off his tux, revealing classic O-D jerseys beneath.  We were like giants among our opponents, and we began to destroy them.

Then I awoke.

Dream #468 (August 13, 2012) - Poop, Monsters, and Civil War

I apologize for the drought of dream posts.  I have been far too busy; busier than a body should be.


The opening dream, the prelude I guess, was an extremely realistic dream.  When I awoke, I thought for sure it was real and was quite concerned.

I, in the dream, was sleeping in the bedroom next to my bedroom at my grandpa's house (which, in real life, is where my brother was sleeping).  I received a call from Danae Gruber (the secretary at Remedy) telling me that I had to get up and go to work.

After I rudely hung up the phone, I began to crawl out of bed.  Suddenly, I was overtaken by a powerful internal force.  I dropped a deuce in my drawers.

I was wearing an old pair of boxers that I used to own, with the face of the Grinch on one of the legs, and I could feel the mush begin to seep down my thigh.  I rushed into the bathroom.  For some reason the toilet seat was much higher than usual - so high I had to use a stool to give me a boost as I climbed up.

I began to examine my boxers and noticed a brown mist rising from my lower half.  It was awful.  I was so depressed that I just went back to sleep.


Then I entered a different dream.


I was directing ten buses, each loaded with teens, to find parking.  Then all the young-un's  got out and began playing games with each other.  Without warning, five enormous beings emerged from a nearby thick and began beating and eating the students.

People were screaming and running frantically about as I stood and looked on hopelessly.  I attempted to slay the beasts (they looked like giant people in a way, but some had horns, others had tails, and many were strangely colored), but I was far too weak.

Then, I was struck by a brilliant idea.  Could I befriend the beasts?  I ran into a nearby cabin and brought out some baking materials.  I waived the monsters over to myself and got their attention.  Then I began to bake cookies and had them help me through the process.  They loved this, and when the cookies were ready to be put into the oven, we were all great pals.

The leader of the beasts approached me and thanked me for making them realize their absurdity.  The beasts then vowed to watch over the teens until their last days.

I jumped ahead in time and was with the beasts and the teens in a large shopping mall.  As they walked about (some of the beasts could fly and were carrying a few teens each), I worried that someday the beasts would again snap and become violent.


Then I switched to yet another dream.


I was running down a trail in the middle of a thick woods.  I was wearing a tattered brown uniform.

After about a half mile of running, I ran into a small group of Union soldiers who were tearing down their camp.  When they saw me, they frantically ran around and found their muskets and began to fire at me.

I immediately took off in the opposite direction.

A long while later, I ran into a clearing where I found a group of Confederate soldiers.  When they saw me, they also began to fire at me.  I ran again in the other direction.

About halfway back to the Union camp, I dove into a hole in the ground behind a tree and waited there.  A couple minutes later, I heard heavy fire and shouting.  I poked my head out from behind the tree and witnessed the Union and the Confederate soldiers slaughtering each other.


Then I awoke.

Dream #467 (July 9, 2012)

This got crazy by the end.


I dreamt that I was at the Forecastle Music Festival shooting video of the main stage concerts there.  Wilco was playing to start it off, and I was running all about trying to get interesting angles, and having great fun all the while.

After the concert was over, there was a bit of a break before My Morning Jacket was to take the stage, which gave me time to charge my batteries and build a sweet set in an underground studio.

I had a bunch of 8-12-year-old kids working for me, and they carried a bunch of plywood, paint, tools, LED lights, and 2x4's down into the studio.  We carried these things through a labyrinth of preschool classrooms before reaching our destination.  Then I began to direct them as they constructed a set of beautiful warm colors.  I then spent some time lighting it well, then emerged from the depths back to the main stage as MMJ began to play.

After their set was over, it was time to leave.  Apparently the set that was just built had to be torn down and packed up.  I gave those instructions to the kids, and they followed them thoroughly.

After loading everything into an enormous van, I drove it back to the great dormitory where we all lived.

The kids unloaded everything as I carried all the camera equipment back to my room, which I shared with a spy.  I was talking with this man, who was wearing a tuxedo, as I began to unpack.  He was in a the bedroom while I was in the living room.  Suddenly, our door flew open and a man with an afro and an assault rifle slowly walked into the room.  He cocked his head as he looked at me.

I informed the man that he had the wrong room and that I was the only one in there, but as I said so, my roommate emerged from concealment and, after an awkward pause, was shot at.  He dove back into the room as I fell to my knees.

My roommate was killed.  The man with the fro walked up to me and shot at my head.  He missed but I acted as if he had not, and he, somehow, believed me and left the room.

I quickly got up and tried to tend to my friend, but he was already dead.  I immediately began packing my things for I was now on the hit list as well, for I knew everything my spy roommate knew.

I stealthily tiptoed through the halls of the dorm, carrying a couple duffle bags with some essential travel items inside, along with a camera.

As I was about to exit, I ran into my first grade teacher, Mrs. Cole.  She looked at me as if she knew what was going on, then allowed me to rob her of the money she was carrying.  This took place in front of her first grade class, and they looked at me in terror.

Then I heard a noise behind me and saw a couple of the kids that had helped me build the set earlier in the dream.  They told me that they did not want me to flee alone, and that they would join me in my struggle.

Then, together, we entered into my van, and I drove off quickly.


Then I awoke.

Dream #466 (July 1, 2012) - The Wedding

Only in my dreams have I been married.

The setup was interesting.

I was running late.  I sprinted down the locker-clad hallway (while wearing a tuxedo) until I reached the classroom in which a wedding was supposed to transpire.  I opened the door to the narrowest possible opening through which I could slide.

My attempt at being inconspicuous was futile, for everyone in the room, contrary to what I had expected, was standing around the bride, who was crying.

Curiosity led me to walk, without hesitation, up to the bride-to-be.  I asked her what was bothering her, and she, through tears and occasional sobs, explained to me the story behind her sorrow.

Apparently there never was a fiance in this affair.  She had planned this wedding hoping that the groom would simply show up and marry her.  (Though it sounds foolish in the mindset of reality, in the dream I completely understood).  She stood at the altar and waited, but nobody came.

I knew what I had to do.

Immediately I knelt down before her and asked to be that groom fro whom she had waited.

She showed her agreement with a hug and a kiss on the forehead.  We were immediately wedded by the priest, who had been standing beside us all the while.  Her parents thanked me, and wished us well as we left that place.

While I walked with this woman, who had become my wife, I began to regret my decision.  My whole life had changed with absolutely no transition.  Was I ready for this marriage?  Would I even grow to love the woman with whom I had united?  I knew so little about her.  Furthermore, I was troubled by the absence of my family; none of my relatives or friends had attended the wedding, and not one of them had the chance to meet the bride and bless the relationship.

I asked out-loud if I had made a mistake.  She turned to me and comforted me by describing the benefits of having a partner through life.

After walking quite a distance, we entered a great mansion.  The interior of this magnificent structure was dressed only with scarlet furniture, draperies, and decor.

We entered a great bedroom and I discovered that several of my wedded (or soon to be wedded) friends were there.  I was glad, for I felt that I could connect with them on a higher level because of my newly acquired marital status.

After talking with my friends for several minutes, my wife led me off into our sect of the bedroom (divided from the rest of the room by long, red curtains hanging from the ceiling).  She smiled at me and told me that she was looking forward to our life together.

As I relaxed in the bed I closed my eyes and wondered if this was right.  Surely I could not get a divorce, for I had no solid reason for it, but, at the same time, I wasn't sure that I wanted to be married at all, no matter how great was the woman lying beside.  An argument took place in my head within the dream.

Then I awoke.  I never learned the woman's name.