Snakes and Angels, Surreal dream bits

I’m asleep in my bed in my current room. There are centipedes walking on the ceiling above me. I keep my eye on them because they make me nervous. I spot a really large centipede (it almost looks like a snake) walking along the ceiling. It’s made of glass and nearly invisible. I don’t understand how it can cling to the ceiling and not fall. I’m afraid it’s going to fall and land on me. As i watch it walking down the ceiling towards the door, it falls and lands on the foot of my bed. I sit straight up to shoo it off the covers and realize i’m only dreaming. (At this point in the remembering i’m not sure if i was really awake or still asleep and dreaming inside a dream but i’m pretty sure i did sit straight up for real.) Once i realize i was only dreaming the centipede fell on me i lay back down and go back to sleep. I hear Strawberry Fields and don’t want to wake up yet but realize that i’m only dreaming i’m hearing Strawberry Fields and dreaming about waking up and the centipede was a dream because my bed isn’t against that wall and i begin to think about different ways my bedroom has been arranged trying to remember if i ever had my bed on that wall. I can see my old stereo on the stand, and i realize i only dreamed i sat up in real life because my split mind knows that my bed isn’t against the wall and when i sat up i was aware of the wall by my right side. I begin to wonder if i’m really in my current room or (because of that particular stereo) if this is my Manassas bedroom.

I’m playing a game (chutes and ladders?) but i’m also the moving piece in the game so i “see” from two perspectives. In this game are many different size snakes, and i am also a snake. The object is to pass through the hazard of larger snakes to enter the maze which will bring you to the next level. There is a very large snake in front of me and i go right in to its giant gaping mouth even though i realize this is not a good move. As soon as i realize it’s not a good i turn around and come back out and realize that the giant snake is a dead end, but it’s not malicious. Awake i know this game is Leela, the game of Life. Watch out for the snakes. They represent setbacks.

Then Strawberry Fields really comes and i really wake up and hit the snooze the first time. In between snoozes i dream that Mike and i are ?in the yard/on the lawn. We’re going to the car and while he’s standing still, i’m flying in lazy circles around him. He is amazed that i can fly and i say “I told you i could fly!”

Then Strawberry Fields comes again and i hit snooze again. I had another dream but all i remember from this one is a lady in a white gauzy gown. She’s telling me something. She seems to glow from a source of light that comes from inside her. She might be an angel or a goddess. I feel very peaceful. Last Strawberry Fields. Time to get up for real.

TGIF

Going to dinner tonight i saw one of those scion 'square' cars in orange and it reminded me of another dream from last night.

I'm driving my new car. It's a tiny little compact car but what's so cool about it is the color. It's a pinkish peach color with a shine so deep that looking at it is like gazing into the clear water of a calm lake but instead of blue reflection of the sky, it's like a reflection of a sunset. I'm not as thrilled with the fact that i have a new car as i am by the uniqueness of its appearance.

Waiting and Time

It’s night. I’m standing outside a ?theatre. It’s raining and there are people with umbrellas walking past me in either direction. Some of them go into the theatre. The tires of the cars passing make a hissing sound on the wet road. I don’t have an umbrella and i’m beginning to get uncomfortably wet so i follow some people as they go into the theatre. As soon as we pass through the double glass doors we begin to descend down a staircase. The stairs go up and down and there are areas of just straight long hallways. It’s well lit and reminds me of a hospital corridor sort of. Everybody else is with somebody (couples) but i’m by myself and i’m curious to see what’s going on in the theatre. Finally we get to an ornate oak door with brass trimmings. It’s very rich looking. As the crowd and i enter the room i can see that it’s a concert hall but it’s divided into two rooms. The front room is cozy. There're maybe one hundred seats. The rows of theatre seats are laid out at a diagonal and in the corner is a grand piano. Tom Waits is playing! Other people are going into the room beyond the first room. That part is a big cafeteria-looking type of room with metal chairs lined up. I don’t want to go there. The seating in the front room consists of several rows of connected chairs. The chairs are made of wood and the seat, back and arm rests are padded and covered in red velvet. There are only a few other people in this room and i sit down directly in front of the piano. The only thing separating me from Tom Waits is a red velvet covered rope. I have to leave this dream for some reason and i go out the oak door back onto the rainy street.

I’m back in my bed and i can hear the sound of an old fashioned alarm clock being wound. I’m not sure if i’m asleep or awake really. I see a hazy white area in the dark of my room coming from the door towards me. At first i think it’s Audree but then i realize it’s a mostly formless girl ghost. I see the clock that it’s “holding” even though there are no arms or hands. The clock is gold colored, white faced with black roman numerals on the dial. There are two bells on top of the clock and the clapper thing in between them. I can’t see what time it is and i’m struggling to wake up, trying to speak and ask the ghost what she wants but the ghost reaches my bed and i’m unable to wake up. The alarm goes off and the bells begin to ring.

I’m back on the sidewalk in the rain, entering the glass doors. This time the stairs aren’t so long and i just walk down to the oak door and go in. Tom Waits is still playing the piano. This time i take a seat to the right of him, right next to him. I can feel the warmth of his arm against my left arm. His hand looks strange. His pinkie finger on his right hand looks partially cut off. But it’s much too thick to be a finger, and even amputated as it is, it’s still longer than a normal finger [Duh. Penis. Very subtle sleeping mind].

Now i’m in a bedroom (supposed to be “my” bedroom but i don’t recognize it) with Tom Waits. He’s a doctor. I never knew he was a doctor. We’re talking about the medication i’m on for my brain and he suggests a little change – the same drug just taken in different amounts. He suggests i take 40mg and 10mg alternating. I’m not sure and ask if he would call Dr. Reid but Tom Waits doesn’t want to call. I ask him if i can take the 40mg pill and the 10mg pill then (rather than the multiples of 20mg pills i really take) and he says i can. He writes me the prescription but even as i take it i think that i won’t fill it without talking with Dr. Reid first. "Dr. Wait" gives me a receipt for the “visit” and another prescription for physical therapy and leaves. I look at the receipt. It’s the kind you use to file for insurance reimbursement and the charge is $50.00 but where the doctor’s name goes it’s scratched out and where my name is, it’s all smeared. I realize that insurance won’t accept this and wonder if i should try to call Tom Waits back to fix it. I see there's also a prescription for physical therapy but i don’t remember talking about physical therapy or what it's for but think that it might be a good idea and i wake up.

Obviously a push from an inner consciousness to get going before time runs out. Tom "wait" and clocks. Nice. The ghost part was odd. Sleep paralysis maybe? I can’t tell if i was awake or asleep when that part happened. Wishing i didn't have to take my drugs?

Chiggers

The dream takes place in my Manassas house but i don’t know it at first. I’m on the telephone with Angie asking her if she’s coming to the party on 6/26. As i’m talking to her over the phone, i can also see her. She’s in her old house next to mine. First she’s in the kitchen then she walks through the living room and out the front door into a garage. She’s sweeping and cleaning. I ask her what she’s doing that for and she tells me that there’s some kind of infestation she’s trying to get rid of. She describes the nuisance as little red bugs and i say “chiggers.” She doesn’t know. I describe how chiggers are little red dots and get under your skin and itch like crazy and how once when Audree and i were little kids, we sat in a bunch of chiggers and Audree was covered with the red spots. Angie is still cleaning while i’m talking and seems out of sorts. Somehow i know she lives with a man (scout master) and some boys (scouts) and ask where they are and why they’re not cleaning the garage. She grouses about how they don’t do anything around the house. I tell her that the one of the boy scouts should do the work “because isn’t there an Exterminator Badge they could earn?” She’s very out of sorts and i can’t seem to bring her out of her cloud. She goes back into the living room and continues cleaning. I get the feeling that she’s fixing up the house so it can be sold and ask her directly if she’s moving. She sort of indicates “no” but really evades the question. While i’m talking to Angie on the telephone, three young girls are in the kitchen (i’m in the dining room on the other side of the counter) and they’re being very noisy so that i can’t hear the words Angie is saying even though i’m listening as hard as i can. I ask Angie again if she will come to the party on the 26th and she says “I don’t know. Debbie’s getting married but she hasn’t set the date” so i suggest she keep the date in mind but don’t tell Debbie because then Debbie will make her wedding be on that date so Angie can’t come to the party. The dream shifts and i’m in the downstairs now. I’m sick and trying to climb the stairs. I’m crawling up, pulling myself up. When i finally get to the top of the staircase, mom is there doing something in the kitchen. She tells me i need to go see a doctor and i lash out with “I can’t afford for them to look for ALL of my problems” and immediately feel bad for being mean to her. I explain that i’m having a stroke or an aneurysm and i’m going to die. I cry and hug her. She hugs me back.

I’m in a town i go to sometimes in dreams. It’s a quaint old town. I’m driving in an old pickup truck (70’s model) and Scott is in another even older pickup truck (50’s model) following me. We come to a stop light in the town and Scott leans out the window and tells me he needs money so i tell him to follow me because i know where the bank is. I drive up a residential street and Scott follows. I pull my truck up into a narrow lane that leads up into an old Victorian type house. It’s a tight fit and i’m careful to stay on track and hoping Scott is careful too. There’s a metal track similar to the kind in a car wash so you can’t really get “off” track but can veer enough to run into the wall. I can see he’s being careful so i pull up to the ATM. I withdraw $700.00 but as i’m getting the money i realize i already have $500.00 in my wallet. I get the $700.00 anyways and pull forward so Scott can get to the ATM. There are people milling around in “the bank” and i’m worried that they might try to steal my money. Dream shift, while Scott is in his truck getting his money, i’m out of my truck and milling in a crowd of people. We’re now in the mall i go to sometimes in dreams. As Scott puts his money away (now out of his truck too) some young men in football uniforms are walking in my direction. One of them makes eye contact with me and greets me. I realize i know him and we embrace. I say loudly “You look completely different with clothes on” and get embarrassed because i don’t mean it the way it sounds and other people around me have overheard. We laugh and talk a little bit and i notice he’s much smaller then his teammates. Those guys are obviously football players – tall and HUGE. They continue walking away. Scott approaches me and i tell him i just saw ?? and wake up.

First dream. Disturbing feeling. Angie looked derelict and homeless even though she was in her home. Other than the garage, her house looked the same as i remember. Poor but clean. Debbie, Angie’s older sister, wasn’t the sort that would purposely try to ruin Angie’s plans i don’t think, but in real life Debbie died of colon cancer a few years back. The chiggers were all over that garage and i could see the little red dots swarming over stuff. Stroke/aneurysm and mom. The entire dream makes me feel like something bad is going to happen. I’m sure it has to do with the upcoming trip. I need to start thinking about my trip next month, get my car serviced, make a reservation, decide if i want to take a few days to revisit some old stomping grounds.

Second dream. The narrow way into the house-bank in the truck reminds me of a roller coaster or Disney ride. The boy in the mall that i knew… i think it was the waiter who works at Ruckus. Very white blond hair and pale skin. I don’t really get any feeling from the dream but i do like going to that town. Usually i equate it with Pacifica but i think this time it represented Manassas. I always did love those great old houses in old town. Do i dare try to go into Manassas? Probably not.

Show times

Dream fragments from last night.

I’m going somewhere to meet somebody. As i walk up a long, wide corridor i realize i’m cold and forgot to wear the jacket to the suit i’m wearing. The suit is made of light blue brushed denim. The jacket that goes with the skirt is the same material but also has silver studs on it. [this is like a pantsuit i had when i was in middle school – very seventies style that made me feel like i was Sgt. Pepper or a character in the yellow submarine movie. Large roundish lapels with a semi-military cut] I realize i don’t remember where the jacket is but just then Tee approaches me in the corridor and tells me i should follow her back to her office because i left my jacket there. I wonder at that because it’s been years since i’d seen her but as i think about it more i realize that it really has been years since i’d worn that suit. We get to her office. Outside of her office are school desks lined up in rows. Four across and six or seven deep. I know some of the people sitting at the desks as systems co-workers from a long time ago. Tee shows me a large cardboard box and tells me i’ll find my jacket in there. The box is full of articles of clothing, like some kind of lost and found box. I remove several items before i find my jacket. I pull out the jacket wondering it i’ll be able to wear it still or will it too wrinkled to wear. Then i wonder if it’ll even fit me after so long. I put it on and it seems just fine.

I’m walking along a sidewalk with Scott. We’re going to a shopping mall (not my usual shopping mall though) to have dinner and see a movie. We reach the bottom of a long escalator and ascend. As we’re going up i realize i’m chilly and wonder how i could’ve forgotten my jacket (leftover bit from the previous suit dream). When we’re about half way up to the top i see a couple on the other escalator descending. I mention to Scott that ? and ? are just leaving. [i think it was Scott and i descending on the other side too]. He doesn’t seem interested. We get to the top of the escalator and there’s the movie theatre window. I want to buy tickets for the next showing of Harry Potter but the times aren’t listed. As i say something to the woman ticket seller about not being able to see the times, Scott says something sharp to me about waiting or being patient. I realize the ticket window is just now being opened and the woman is getting things set up. The times appear on the electronic board in front of me and i see that the first time (3:25) has already passed. I start to buy tickets for the 4:40 show but realize it’s already started (the current time on my watch is 6:30) so i asked Scott if the 7:30 show would be okay. He says yes and that we could get something to eat before hand. We leave the ticket box and walk across a bridge like structure into the mall. The first restaurant looks like a good place but when we step inside it’s really a casino and there are lots of people at round tables. It’s dark. Each table has a candle in the center and the light makes the faces of all the gamblers visible although every thing else is in shadow. I think the cards are Tarot but can’t really see what they’re playing. I don’t want to stay so Scott and i go into a cafeteria style restaurant next door. I don’t really like cafeteria style and wished it was a sit-down restaurant but i know we need to eat so we take our place in line.

I loved that suit! I thought i was very hip when i wore it. Circa 1972 i guess.

Muhammad Ali's ring

Scott and i are in ?Egypt in a covered bazaar. It’s very dry and sandy. There is a wide aisle from doorway to doorway and tables placed along the aisle. The tables have their short ends to the aisle making like little rooms between tables. Each room between tables has a sort of white canvas canopy overhead to keep the sun off (as if this were an open-air bazaar). The tables are covered in white linen, on top of which is placed all kinds of ?artifacts from the tombs of Kings. It’s almost like a movie set… Scott and i approach one of the tables. Just the end that’s on the aisle. There’s a girl dressed in white – sort of an I Dream of Jeannie type of get up in white cotton. Her skin looks dark against the white. There is a selection of jewelry on the table. Scott picks up a ring and puts it on. It’s beautiful. Hammered copper or gold band with an inlaid bar of carved red carnelian. It looks very old. Then he picks up another ring and says “This was Muhammad Ali’s ring” and hands it to me, indicating that it’s mine, that he’s buying it for me. I examine the ring and it’s like a chunk of steel that has been bent into a ring shape. The edges where the circle comes together are rough and it’s dull and not pretty at all. I put it on but i don’t like it because it's thick and doesn't feel right on my finger. I’m disappointed in the ring, but i know Scott thinks i would love it because it belonged to Muhammad Ali so i try not to show it. The girl also sells Scott a copper bracelet, which he gives to me. When i put it on i see that i’m wearing the gold and carnelian ring and see that Scott has kept the ugly ring and i’m happy because i really like the way the carnelian looks against the gold even though it's a man's ring and only fits on my thumb.

We’ve left the bazaar and are in a house or apartment. It’s got two rooms. The front room is a sitting room and the back room has a huge ?television on the back wall with a couch in front of it. There are a couple of large computers processors behind the couch on tables on either end. There’s something on the television about new technology and it occurs to me that while i was in the bazaar i picked up one of those new flash drives off of the table. I take it out of my pocket and look at it. It is a sort of flattish egg shape with cobolt blue metal covering and a bluish glow. I wave it in front of an area of yellow light that is apparently where the information is stored in a processor. All the data that was in the yellow light is automatically copied to my flash drive. I’m amazed at how fast the download is. A second. A blink of the eye. This new technology is amazing. I wave the drive in front of an orb of green light within the same processor and get all of that information. Then i go over to the other processor and wave the drive in front of the colored globes of lights coming from that one. It has a yellow glow, blue glow and a green glow. All information is immediately copied to the flash drive. Now i take the flash drive with all the information i’ve collected and plug it in to the USB port on the television. Only it's not a USB port, it's more like an indentation and the flash "egg" fits nicely within like it's held by magnetic energy. Wild and beautiful colors appear on the television screen. It’s like a kaleidoscope of oily colors, oozing and merging. Psychedelic swirl. A man from the sitting room comes in as i’m watching it and asks me what i did. I show him the new technology and how it can pick up information just by being waved over a source and he’s as excited and impressed about it as i am.

That’s all i remember. Muhammad Ali's ring. New technology.... not sure what the message is yet.

Forgotten prescriptions

I don’t remember the point of the dream, but it seemed like a re-run of a dream i’ve had before. The lodge where i’m staying which is really just part of the mall i go to sometimes in dreams, the rustic gift shop place. A many-laned divided highway that i somehow must cross… The doctor’s office part is the main part i remember. I went back to the office because my glasses should be ready by now since it’s been years since i placed the order. The office seems both familiar and unfamiliar. When i see the doctor i remember him. He’s much older now but he remembers me also, and remembers i have two pairs of glasses waiting for me. He asks if i’m sure i wouldn’t just like a contact for my left eye since that's the one that is the one that gives me trouble. I put the contact in and it works great! I can see close up with my left eye and far away with my right eye. I'm happy about the result. The doctor and i leave the office together and walk along a short hall to a glass door that leads to the outside. The wooden steps are steep and i’m paying close attention to where i place my feet because i’m afraid of falling. When we get to the bottom of the stairs, we’re in a parking lot. The doctor walks to a black convertible sporty car and gets in. He drives off, leaving me on my own. I can’t remember how i got to the office (walk or drive) and decide to walk around to the other side and see if anything looks familiar. Once i’m back around i see the grounds in front of the lodge and mall. The grass leading to the entrance is very lush and soft and i think about lying down in it for a while but realize i’ll be late ?for work? if i don’t hurry up.

There was more but i just can’t remember. Something the girl that worked in the eye doctors' office said to me. Seeking something or somebody?