The Gurly Life

Some follow-up thoughts about the weird dream

Per my previous post, I had a strange dream last night that involved superheros fighting recklessly and possibly destroying buildings while I try to stuff my cats in carriers to save them. I think perhaps it is an easy explanation: my mom and I were discussing earthquake preparedness last night. My biggest fear is not being at my place when the big one hits and not being able to take care of my cats. So I think the mindless superheroes fighting were a personification of the unpredictable natural forces that every now and then explode into earthquakes and wreak havoc.

But what a convoluted way to get there!

Weird dreams

This morning I woke up at 4:30 from a dream that gave me anxiety. Some might say that dreams that cause anxiety are nightmares*, but in light of how stupid this dream was, I cannot dignify it with such a moniker.

As with most dreams, not all the details are clear. I taking part in some sort of group outing, and my group was wondering around a building or complex of buildings that was at once a rather squalid looking office building, sort of institutional, 70's school house building, and also weirdly and only partially constructed. For example, at one point I was walking down a staircase that wound its way down in a square pattern, except the stairs and handrail had not been installed so we were shimmying down a steep incline. I decided it would actually be safer to climb down the railings that surrounded the staircase, which we did fairly easily. Lots of stairs everywhere, but they didn't seem to have much significance other than as an architectural feature. The anxiety was not associated with the stairs, is my point.

Our group ended up sitting down with some movie executives and having a discussion about a Superman film. The discussion turned to using the real Superman rather than the actor hired to play him. This, however, did not suit the actor. There was no scene or exposition in my dream to indicate this, I just somehow knew it. The actor refused to give up his superpowers, which apparently had been conferred upon him to play the title role.

He then proceeded to get into a fight with Superman, over a woman, of all things. Not sure which woman, she was not a protagonist in my dream in any way. The fight between the Supers was quite frightening, and we all expected them to start detroying buildings and taking out mere mortals as collateral damage. The building we were in was almost on the water's edge, either a bay of some sort or a lake, but I want to say bay because I don't like lakes and I had no anxiety about the water. The fight was going on offshore, in and out of the water. Then, suddenly, they disappeared.

All the people eventually started coming out of buildings and setting up camp chairs on the water's edge, waiting for the return of the fighting Supers. It became night, and the vigil continued with lights all along the water's edge, and then day again.

All of a sudden, people started leaving. I asked why, and the answer was that they were nervous about the Supers' return and their combined wrath. I was able to secure a ride out of town, but asked the person to wait for me while I got my cats. Always with the damn cats!

I managed to put one cat in the carrier, and as I was about to grab Maliboo I got this overwhelming feeling of dread, like I was running out of time, and that as I was locking the carrier with Cricket in it, the Supers would slam into my building and Maliboo would take off and hide and I would not be able to find her in time to get out safely and drive off with my ride.

At that moment, I woke up. The feeling of dread lasted for a half hour or so, mixed with annoyance at the lameness of the dream.

* Those "some" include Merriam-Webster Unabridged, which defines nightmare thus:

Main Entry: ¹night·mare    Pronunciation Guide
Pronunciation: ntma(a)]()r, -me], ]
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from ¹night + mare (spirit)
1 : an evil spirit formerly thought to oppress people during sleep: as a : INCUBUS b : SUCCUBUS c : a hag sometimes believed to be accompanied by nine attendant spirits <the nightmare, with her whole ninefold, seems to make it the scene of her gambols -- Washington Irving>
2 : a frightening dream accompanied by a sense of oppression or suffocation that usually awakens the sleeper
3 a : something producing a feeling of burden, agitation, anxiety, or terror : a source of trouble or worry <the worst nightmares were the bridges high above rushing torrents -- Dillon Ripley> <the nightmare of the surgeon dealing with battle wounds is infection -- C.L.Boltz> b : APPREHENSION, WORRY <the life of a hotel man here is precarious and full of nightmares -- Sam Schneider>
4 : an experience, situation, or work of imagination having the monstrous character of a nightmare <their existence would be one living nightmare of hideous watchfulness and dread -- Blue Book> <signs that we dwellers in the modern nightmare love one another -- F.A.Swinnerton> <an enormous imitation palace ... a nightmare of pretentiousness -- John Hersey>

They're in your head!

Was Dean's take on it.

The last couple of nights I have had marketed dreams, for lack of a better term. On Sunday night, I dreamed that I had gotten a new Blackberry and I was all excited. Last night, I had a new iPhone, and again, oh so fun. I have no plans to upgrade my current cellular telephony. Now that I think about it, I have recurring dreams about phones and phone numbers, text messages, voicemail messages, trying to reach someone and missing them or them trying to reach me and I miss their call and only get their message.

So it seems that I'm wired even in my sleep. I would not be shocked to discover circuitry in my head. After all, resistance is futile. (Though I sincerely doubt it, I would be far more efficient and clever if that were the case.)

Elizabeth Gilbert: A new way to think about creativity

"Eat, Pray, Love" Author Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Watch the Top 10 TEDTalks here.

OMG I'm doing it!

I have found several online creative writing publications (I loves the intertubes!) and will be submitting writing samples for possible publication. I do not anticipate getting anything published any time soon, I understand this is a process, but if I don't start, nothing will ever be published anyway. The good news is I don't have a whole lot at stake (other than maybe a little bit of ego, and who cares about that), so it's a win-win situation.

One website accepts written submissions with illustrations/photos, so I might even be able to submit something like a blog post in format. Anyway, more of this later.

Edited to add: thanks Deirdre (professional writer and editor) for offering to give me notes. I miss you since you moved back to D.C.

I'm going to be a published author

Ok, well, technically, I already am because I have this blog and I have written some articles for our irregularly issued firm newsletter. I also have some articles from our law school paper, too. Anyway. I thought it might be fun to submit something to a small publication of some sort. Of course, right now I don't know what I'd be submitting to whom, it's all kinda vague, but I'm going to do some research and see what I come up with. Suggestions are, of course, welcome.

Yet another odd dream

By now I've lost most of the details of this dream, but here's what I do remember. I was living somewhere (not where I'm living now). A nice house, lots of wood. The director of Pirates of the Carribean was walking through the house with his wife because they were considering renting it for the summer. I don't have a clue who the director of Pirates is in real life, or if it's even a man, or if he's married. But in my dream, he was.

As the director is walking through the house, he walks in on me about to take a shower, and sees me naked. In the dream this is not weird or awkward, it just is.

Then later I'm sitting around outside on the patio with the director and the producer. By the way, in the dream, this summer they are shooting installments two and three of the movie. I know, they've already come out. Whatever. I ask them if I can bring Willow to the set one day while they're shooting something fun and action-y as a birthday present for her. They say yes.

At this point I think Maliboo Kitty jumped on my bladder, and it was time to get up.