Wednesday, September 12, 2007

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream?

My dreams suck.

Really, really suck.

I'm not talking like "creepy" or "nightmare" or "why did I eat all that pizza ten minutes before I went to sleep" suck. I mean mundane suck. Here's an example of a normal person dream:

"So I was driving my new Maserati down the block, right, past my old high school, and things are pretty sweet. Like all my friends are there asking for a ride, and I'd give it to them, right, but then I see some shadow. And I look up and see this massive alien flying saucer! Well, I'm thinking, holy crap, there's aliens here, but that's not even the freaky part. I see the little ramp thing from the bottom of the flying saucer open, and guess who I see? My old Latin teacher! And just as I'm about to walk up and talk to him, that's when I wake up."

And now, here's a dream that I might have had in its place:

"For whatever reason, I was in the Publix in Centerville, and I was, uh, buying groceries. I was with my friend Brian, I think. Then nothing happened for a while. Then Brian wasn't there anymore. Okay, then, um, I'm not grocery shopping anymore, but I'm at my house, playing Mario Kart."

Here's an example of a recent dream I actually had: I was at my desk, checking my email. I get an email from Gina, my grad student, telling me when I should be in the lab.

Pretty exciting, right? Oh yeah, all of that actually happened and does at least once or twice a week. The only thing remotely out of the ordinary about it was that it wasn't my current desk, it was my old one from last year. If you fancy yourself a dream interpreter, suck on that one for a while.

A slightly more interesting one: Brittain was serving corn dogs for lunch. And guess what was for lunch that day?


Currently listening: Room Noises, Eisley

4 comments:

Samantha said...

Dream Dictionary says this about desks:
"To see or sit at your desk in your dream, suggests that you are evaluating and weighing your problems. It is indicative of self-exploration and discovery. If you are at someone else's desk, then it symbolizes a lack of confidence in your own abilities."

Annnnnd....
"To dream of grocery or convenience store, suggests that you are emotionally and mentally strained. Alternatively, you may be brainstorming for new ideas or looking for the various choices out there for you."
I think I know what "various choices" you're looking for....all having to do with your secret plan, eh?

Matt Pavlovich said...

See, we know that's crap, because I always have complete confidence in all my abilities. Good try though.

I Want My 115 Minutes Back said...

Interesting topic.

The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind. (Freud).

Either that, or the fact that dreams are random neurons firing across your Occipital Lobes when you sleep.

Because the the correct science of dreams isn't as nearly as fun as parlor-game, pop goes the psychology, I'll weigh in.

Unlike the Dream Dictionary, which is about as authoritative as say, the democrat party is on Capitalism, my professional creds include being a trained neurorehab professional. As such, I know the inner workings of all things brain -- including dreams.

Your Publix adventures are obviously a shielded reference to eating.

Because sitting at your desk and getting email from you grad student and corn dogs at Brittain (not a bad name for a band) actually happened, they weren't dreams at all but schisms in the frail time-space continuum.

Curious though that 2/3 of your dream sample were about food.

I routinely have dreams about a certain 'Teravious' spending great gobs of my money at restaurants with names like Maggianos and Splash.


10w40

Unknown said...

If it makes you feel any better, I don't even remember my dreams. At least you know what you were dreaming about!