August 15, 1998

I ask you, what better way to begin the two week countdown to the last weekend I have before my dear high school once again opens its doors than by rambling on about a subject one would never hear being discussed in one of our classrooms? Now, I'll admit, some days I've had in that place would cause me to start listing such subjects as English, math, science, etc., but I jest. No, I'm talking about those mysterious, kooky, not to mention interesting, things we call dreams. "Of course!" you cry. "Was there ever any doubt?"

(Reading over that last part, I have a feeling that I've been reading old, 18th century books for too long. You know you've been doing this when you start thinking, and therefore writing, like the authors. "But I jest?" I mean, come on!)

Anyway, to go on, I've always been a big fan of dreams. Especially the ones that linger in your memory for a day or two- those are just the greatest, because then you can really analyze the life out of it, until you know exactly what your subconscious was screaming at you while your body was rejuvenating itself.

Another great thing about dreams is that everyone can relate to them. The only time you can really believe that a person actually understands what you're talking about is when you're talking about dreams. To prove my point, I'll use some examples. You know how sometimes during a dream, you just 'know' things? And how about when you physically reach out for something in your dream, and you know you're doing it, and that you look stupid, but you do it anyway? Well? I'm tellin' you, it's the language of dreams.

So, to get to the basic point of all this, I've been having really weird dreams lately. Weird, as in reoccurring. Personally, I'm kind of excited about it. It's like something out a book, you know? It may sound odd, but I've always wanted to have the same dream two or three times, ever since I found out it was possible. And now I have two of them. Freaky.

The first one begins with me in my family's large mini van. Sometimes I'm sitting in the driver's seat, sometimes I'm laying in the back, but I'm always alone and the van is always moving down a large, straight road. There are cars all around me, but I'm not worried, even though I have no idea what I'm doing. Then, suddenly my friends drive up next to me, and although no one says anything, I know they're watching me. Eventually we come to a red-light, and I start to realize that I'm not in the very best situation ever. I barely come to a stop in time. No cars are coming through the intersection, so I decide to go ahead and turn right. I don't know why I do this, considering I still don't know how to control the car and I most certainly don't want to drive it. But I do, and just as I successfully complete the turn, I notice a sign that says "No turn on red." My friends call out to me from where I left them. I keep going, though. Then it's over.

The next one isn't really a dream, but more of a happening in a dream. In other words, there are different circumstances, but the same thing keeps happening. My mice get out of their cage. They're in there one second, and then I open the door or detach the top from the plastic bottom to clean the pine shavings, and the two rodents are running around on the floor. I panic, but don't scream or call anyone to help. Instead, I put my hand out, usually into darkness or behind something, and I feel a mouse in my hand. In a moment both are in the cage again. This may happen more than once during the same dream.

The meanings of these dreams continue to elude me. I can catch little things and relate them to about a million other little things, but the big picture is still just out of my reach. The fact that dreams rarely have anything to do with the people or things in them, and the objects are just symbols representing something about yourself is what trips me up. I'll get it one day, though. Like in a month or so when I'm looking for something to do besides my homework. Just wait, you'll see.