Dream #474 (October 1, 2012)

This was pretty insane.


I first dreamt that I was in a secret basement (that only existed in my dream) in Koontz Lake Missionary Church late in the night.  I was with a bunch of gangsters, and we were playing poker.

After a few hands, we walked up to the sanctuary and I played guitar and harmonica while the rest of them used various parts of their bodies to create a rhythm section.  We were really rockin' out, and as we did so, the stained glass behind us began to put on a sort of light show with the various colors of glass making up the image of a cross.


Then I awoke, only to fall back asleep.


In the next dream, I was in a jungle, wearing an old-school safari outfit, with a few other explorers.  I had been instructed to explore this wild territory by my grandpa, who had given me a map of the area.

I followed the map through a thick jungle until it led to a great wooden fortress that sat atop a waterfall.  My team and I climbed up the series of wooden ladders that lead to the top level of the fortress.  Then we crossed a rope bridge to a walkway that crossed over the river to a special hut.

Inside this hut was a great blue diamond.  I looked at it and decided not to take it, for it didn't feel right. I ordered the team to turn around and leave.

As we walked away, we heard a shriek and turned around to see that one of our company had grabbed the blue diamond.  Furthermore, a great black bear, towering twenty feet tall, had grabbed him and began shredding him to pieces, tossing the bits of the man into the river.  It was a hideous sight, and it struck the rest of us with a terrible fear.

The rest of the crew sprinted off toward the rope bridge, but two other great black bears leapt out of the river and grabbed them, shredding them to pieces like the other fella.  I was surrounded by these creatures, all of which were now looking at me.

I tried to stay calm.  I glanced behind me and noticed a short wall on the bridge that I could leap over into the water.  I began creeping in that direction, but as I got there, one bear jumped toward me and flung me in the air with his powerful paw, tearing at my flesh as he did so.

I knew his other paw was coming from the other side of me to tear at me again, so I positioned my feet just right and kicked off of his paw as he swung at me, which pushed me over the wall of the bridge and into the the river.

It was deep enough that I could swim below the surface.  I held my breath for a great amount of time, not daring to emerge my head even for a moment.

When I finally had to take a breath, I poked my head out just as my body tumbled over the edge of the waterfall.

As I fell, I saw one of the ladders that I had climbed to get to the top of the fortress and managed to grab ahold of it before falling the hundreds of feet to the river below me.

I hung on the ladder for a moment, catching my breath.


Then I appeared at the top of the fortress, but was wearing my usual clothing.  The place appeared to be some sort of tourist attraction, and was gaudily decorated all about.  I walked up the asphalt road to a group of souvenir shops and restaurants and saw an orange van that belonged to RemedyLIVE (where I worked in Fort Wayne).  I entered the van and saw Geoff Cocanower, Adam Pflugshaupt (a friend from high school), and a couple other people.  They were having a long jump competition inside the van.

I was up first and did a straight jump from the board (without running up to it) and jumped 13 feet.  Then Geoff jumped 16' and another guy jumped 17.5', both with running starts.  It was my turn next, but Adam, who was running the event, told me to wait for a minute while he did ran a quick errand.  He left the van while I stretched out my legs.

I waited there for several minutes, but nobody came back.  Finally, I left the van and wandered down the asphalt road until I found Asa Ennis (an old friend of mine).  He ran up to me and asked me if I could drive another Remedy van up to the top of the fortress so that the rest of the visitors could load up into the van, for an evacuation of the property was taking place.

I jumped in the van and headed up.  After I started, I realized that the side door was still open.  I tried to brake hard so I could jump out and close it, but the brakes didn't work.  The van continued to accelerate without my consent, all the way up to the top.  I was speeding toward a flimsy gate that weakly attempted to prevent people from driving over the cliff that sat on the other side.  I quickly grabbed the emergency brake and halted the car right before crashing into the fence.  I got out of the van as people about me were applauding me.

Then I looked over and saw a great tower of water heading towards us.


Then I awoke.

Dream #473 (September 30, 2012)

I wish that I were back to blogging my dreams regularly, but I just don't have the time these days.  Perhaps I will in November.


I began this dream as an extra hand on a feature film shooting in Virginia Beach.  After setting up a bunch of Arri lights with 1/4 blue gels and soft diffusions in a large and fancy house, I went into a side room and relaxed with a couple other production assistants while the scene was being shot.

I sat across from a chick I knew from high school (in my dream only) and asked how things were going.  Shortly after I had a seat, a gorgeous girl sat down next to me and asked a philosophical question about the value of film on this world.

Her beauty made me very nervous, and I grew very quite (something that often occurs when I'm nervous).  After the chick across from me began saying some things about film that I disagreed with, I finally spoke up.  Surprisingly, I didn't defend the art form as it is today.  Rather, I questioned if it did more harm than good to our society.  Does a good film, that causes people to ask important questions, stick with people long enough to have a lasting effect?  That is a discussion for a later time.

Anyway, I began having a deep discussion with the beautiful girl next to me, and I somehow felt comfortable.

Next thing I knew, I was out in a dark green yard at midnight walking with this gal, talking about life.  We sat down on a swing and looked into each other's eyes.

Suddenly, a great creature ran past us.  I thought it was a large dog at first, but after passing us, it abruptly came to a stop and turned to face us.  It was a mountain lion, much bigger than any mountain lion in real life.  It opened its great mouth and ran right at my lady friend.  I pulled her to me with little hope of survival.

Then, from behind us, a great lion, even bigger than the mountain lion, jumped over the swing and attacked the mountain lion.

The two of us watched the battle ensue for a while, then realized how much danger we were in and managed to sneak back into the house.

When we entered, we found ourselves in a great gymnasium.  It must have had a 100-foot ceiling (I know that is absolutely huge, but that is what I dreamt).  There the old friend from high school met us and asked us how we were doing.

Then I found myself in Koontz Lake Missionary Church wearing a nice suit.  I knew then that I was marrying the woman, and that she was already with child (though I honestly didn't know how that could have happened since certain actions were not within my dream memory).  I knew my dad was a bit suspicious, since the wedding happened so quickly.  I didn't want him to be disappointed in me, for I had done so well staying pure, and I had been an example for others up until that point.  But it was all destroyed.

I walked out of the secretary's office and headed for the front of the sanctuary as Casey (one of my piano teachers when I was a child) played the piano beautifully.

At that point, I wished that I was dreaming, but I wasn't.  I couldn't have been.  It was all real, and my world was all coming apart.  Why couldn't such a horrible feeling be in a dream?

Then the sanctuary began to warp around me.  As it blurred and re-focused, I celebrated, for I knew I was in a dream world.

Suddenly, I reappeared in the gym, in 'real' life, and I was with the young women of whom I had grown quite fond.

We began to talk about Sadie, my family's old dog that had passed away several years ago.


Then I awoke.

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.