Surreal Dreams
Robert E. Lewis
Saturday-Sunday, September 24-25, 2005
Very tired, slept fitfully (away from home trying to avoid Hurricane Rita,
staying with a friend). I had a series of weird, almost surreal dreams, but
unfortunately I can only remember clearly this one (there was one before
this, and another after):
I am helping a young woman who is frightened that her abusive husband, who
has been away somewhere, possibly prison, is about to return and hurt her.
I accompany her to her home. The home is in a single-story,
industrial-looking building of brick, steel and glass. The street the
building is on is flanked by similar buildings, but the whole place seems
itself to be indoors, with a dark roof somewhere overhead.
We reach the door to her home and a man emerges from a doorway across the
street. He seems to have a freakishly large head for his body, reminds me
of a character from a Mardi Gras parade with a giant papier maché head. He
is carrying a can of spray paint in his hand and he calls to the woman and
starts across the street toward us. I stand between them, facing the man
and push the woman through her doorway, backing in after her and closing the
door.
The man moves to the side of the house, where there is a long bank of
steel-framed windows. His whole body is giant now. He raises the can of
spray paint and starts spraying the windows -- the paint comes out and
covers the glass with intricate, multi-colored graffiti, taggers' letters
and jungle scenes, big green leaves and jaguar-pattern fur instantly coating
the windows. I am frightened, but the woman tells me the giant is just an
artist who lives across the street, a friend of hers, and the painting is
intended as a friendly gift. I've probably hurt his feelings; he is gone
now.
I step outside, intending to apologize to the artist, but he is gone. I
start across the street toward the door where he originally emerged,
assuming it's his studio, but stop when a car comes roaring up the street.
It's a low, open-roofed sportscar (like maybe a Dodge Viper), in dark blue,
and it suddenly halts in front of the woman's open door.
The driver is an evil-looking man with a leering, demonic expression,
staring straight ahead. I know at once this is the woman's husband. I step
up to the car. The man is wearing a dark blue baseball cap, but I notice
what appears to be a short tiger-striped furry tail sticking down from the
back of the cap and laying down on his neck. At first I am repulsed by
this, because it is so unnatural. Then I realize it's not real, but a hard
plastic thing somehow attached to his head under the cap, intended to
intimidate.
I tell the man to leave now; he ignores me, still staring straight ahead. I
grab him by the tiger tail and pull him out of the car, taking him by
surprise. He struggles, but I flip him out onto the pavement. He falls
back and, leaning backwards on his hands and feet, he scrambles off in a
crab-like manner around the car and through the door to the woman's home.
She comes out and walks to me, and I tell her I think he's learned his
lesson and won't bother her now.
=END OF DREAM=
Notes: I had been up a long time the previous day, very stressful couple of
days, with the hurricane threat and other things, and went to bed at about
eleven o'clock. I woke from this dream at about six a.m., drank some water
and went back to sleep for nearly another 2-1/2 hours, having at least one
more dream I found surreal, but unfortunately I didn't have time to write
them down when I first woke, and this is the only one that impressed itself
strongly on my memory.
The building the woman lived in reminds me of some artists' lofts in the
warehouse district on the northeast side of downtown Houston -- I've been
there on a tour last October, and went to the loft/studio of a friend of a
friend. No idea why the whole area seemed to be inside a larger building.
So many bizarre elements to the dream -- remembering some of it literally
gives me goosebumps even now -- the giant artist, the
graffiti-mural-in-a-spray-can, the tiger-tail from the man's head, and the
way the evil husband scurried away on his hands and feet.
The only repetition of a theme I see anywhere is the jaguar-pattern fur from
the graffiti and the tiger-pattern of the tail coming from the evil man's
head -- but I don't know what that might mean.
My consumption of mind-altering substances in the previous 24 hours
consisted of a beer early in the evening and a single glass of wine with
dinner; it must have been the fatigue that inspired the dreams.
Comments and interpretations welcome.
--
Robert
Dick Silk - The Computer Tutor
news:SgJZe.1848$wR4.3...@monger.newsread.com...
<snip>
> No idea why the whole area seemed to be inside a larger building.
because you're dealing with larger issues than just a building. If, in
fact, you're somehow tied into an evacuee, for instance, such issues are
"larger than life" for the immediate time being.
> So many bizarre elements to the dream -- remembering some of it literally
> gives me goosebumps even now -- the giant artist, the
> graffiti-mural-in-a-spray-can, the tiger-tail from the man's head, and the
> way the evil husband scurried away on his hands and feet.
Crab-like. Lotsa New Orleans references (having been snipped) such that the
Mardi Gras theme plays throughout. Either you're too close to the hurricane
situation, or you are in contact with someone who is.
> The only repetition of a theme I see anywhere is the jaguar-pattern fur
> from
> the graffiti and the tiger-pattern of the tail coming from the evil man's
> head -- but I don't know what that might mean.
What sport teams / franchises are you aware of with those mascots?
> My consumption of mind-altering substances in the previous 24 hours
> consisted of a beer early in the evening and a single glass of wine with
> dinner; it must have been the fatigue that inspired the dreams.
or too much porn before bedtime :-)
> Comments and interpretations welcome.
are you sure about that? :-)
Robert E. Lewis
"Dick Silk - The Computer Tutor" <dick...@antispam.gov> wrote in message
news:4337c273$1...@newspeer2.tds.net...
> "Robert E. Lewis" <rle...@brazosport.cc.tx.us> wrote in message
> news:SgJZe.1848$wR4.3...@monger.newsread.com...
> <snip>
> > No idea why the whole area seemed to be inside a larger building.
>
> because you're dealing with larger issues than just a building. If, in
> fact, you're somehow tied into an evacuee, for instance, such issues are
> "larger than life" for the immediate time being.
Oh yeah -- I *am* an evacuee (or was -- came back home the day after the
dream). I live right on the Texas coast and had to leave.
> > So many bizarre elements to the dream -- remembering some of it
literally
> > gives me goosebumps even now -- the giant artist, the
> > graffiti-mural-in-a-spray-can, the tiger-tail from the man's head, and
the
> > way the evil husband scurried away on his hands and feet.
>
> Crab-like. Lotsa New Orleans references (having been snipped) such that
the
> Mardi Gras theme plays throughout. Either you're too close to the
hurricane
> situation, or you are in contact with someone who is.
Interesting. Went to New Orleans about three weeks before Katrina hit.
Hurricane Rita was bearing down on nearby (to me) Galveston until the day
before the storm -- it's not as well know as New Orleans', but Galveston
does have a big Mardi Gras celebration every year (I've been to that one,
not to the New Orleans celebration).
"Crab-like" -- I've been spending the morning cleaning out my garage,
flooded by the tides of Hurricane Rita. Lots of small land crabs (and a few
very small blue crabs, in puddles) scurrying around the garage, amid the
debris. I've seen the occasional land crab in there during previous storm
clean-ups, but never anything close to what I've encountered this morning.
> > The only repetition of a theme I see anywhere is the jaguar-pattern fur
> > from
> > the graffiti and the tiger-pattern of the tail coming from the evil
man's
> > head -- but I don't know what that might mean.
>
> What sport teams / franchises are you aware of with those mascots?
None I follow closely. The tiger tail, now I think of it, evokes thoughts of
Exxon and their "Tiger in your tank" slogan -- I never buy gas at
Exxon/Mobil, but of course in this area, gas shortages because of the
hurricane have been a huge issue (not personally -- I had a nearly full
tank, but my host did spend some time looking for gas in Houston the day
before the dream, and I called him on my drive home when I found a place
selling gas).
> > My consumption of mind-altering substances in the previous 24 hours
> > consisted of a beer early in the evening and a single glass of wine with
> > dinner; it must have been the fatigue that inspired the dreams.
>
> or too much porn before bedtime :-)
Alas and alack, there was a lack of lassses -- no porn for a while. :-/
> > Comments and interpretations welcome.
>
> are you sure about that? :-)
Oh, sure. Even when another person's interpretation doesn't really feel
right (as with the sports team mascot question), thinking about *why* it
doesn't feel right often gives me insights and different perspectives I
wouldn't have just contemplating my dream on my own.
So, thanks!
--
Robert
Dick Silk - The Computer Tutor
>
> "Dick Silk - The Computer Tutor" <dick...@antispam.gov> wrote in message
> news:4337c273$1...@newspeer2.tds.net...
>> "Robert E. Lewis" <rle...@brazosport.cc.tx.us> wrote in message
>> news:SgJZe.1848$wR4.3...@monger.newsread.com...
>> <snip>
>> > No idea why the whole area seemed to be inside a larger building.
>>
>> because you're dealing with larger issues than just a building. If, in
>> fact, you're somehow tied into an evacuee, for instance, such issues are
>> "larger than life" for the immediate time being.
>
> Oh yeah -- I *am* an evacuee (or was -- came back home the day after the
> dream). I live right on the Texas coast and had to leave.
=======ok. Good luck to ya!=======
>> > So many bizarre elements to the dream -- remembering some of it
> literally
>> > gives me goosebumps even now -- the giant artist, the
>> > graffiti-mural-in-a-spray-can, the tiger-tail from the man's head, and
> the
>> > way the evil husband scurried away on his hands and feet.
>>
>> Crab-like. Lotsa New Orleans references (having been snipped) such that
> the
>> Mardi Gras theme plays throughout. Either you're too close to the
> hurricane
>> situation, or you are in contact with someone who is.
=======guess that was another direct hit, eh?=======
> "Crab-like" -- I've been spending the morning cleaning out my garage,
> flooded by the tides of Hurricane Rita. Lots of small land crabs (and a
> few
> very small blue crabs, in puddles) scurrying around the garage, amid the
> debris. I've seen the occasional land crab in there during previous storm
> clean-ups, but never anything close to what I've encountered this morning.
that was definitely the crab reference in your dream.
>> > The only repetition of a theme I see anywhere is the jaguar-pattern fur
>> > from
>> > the graffiti and the tiger-pattern of the tail coming from the evil
> man's
>> > head -- but I don't know what that might mean.
>>
>> What sport teams / franchises are you aware of with those mascots?
>
> None I follow closely. The tiger tail, now I think of it, evokes thoughts
> of
> Exxon and their "Tiger in your tank" slogan -- I never buy gas at
> Exxon/Mobil, but of course in this area, gas shortages because of the
> hurricane have been a huge issue (not personally -- I had a nearly full
> tank, but my host did spend some time looking for gas in Houston the day
> before the dream, and I called him on my drive home when I found a place
> selling gas).
"Mascot" was what I was after. I think you've nailed it with the Exxon
tiger in the tank, and the evil man represents all those fuckers in the oil
biz who are raping us with every drop...
>> > My consumption of mind-altering substances in the previous 24 hours
>> > consisted of a beer early in the evening and a single glass of wine
>> > with
>> > dinner; it must have been the fatigue that inspired the dreams.
>>
>> or too much porn before bedtime :-)
>
> Alas and alack, there was a lack of lassses -- no porn for a while. :-/
Go visit a shelter, and find a friendly face to share your home with :-)
cust_support
counter-clockwise. That would correspond to the way the evil-looking
man in the car moves.
"He falls back and, leaning backwards on his hands and feet, he
scrambles off in a crab-like manner around the car and through the door
to the woman's home."
imagery remain. Why shouldn't we extrapolate from this crystal-clear
example the general rule that dreams are imaginative elaborations on
real-life experiences?
Robert E. Lewis
I previously wrote in message
news:SgJZe.1848$wR4.3...@monger.newsread.com...
> Surreal Dreams
>
> Saturday-Sunday, September 24-25, 2005
>
> Very tired, slept fitfully (away from home trying to avoid Hurricane Rita,
> staying with a friend). I had a series of weird, almost surreal dreams,
but
> unfortunately I can only remember clearly this one (there was one before
> this, and another after):
>
> I am helping a young woman who is frightened that her abusive husband, who
> has been away somewhere, possibly prison, is about to return and hurt her.
> The man moves to the side of the house, where there is a long bank of
> steel-framed windows. His whole body is giant now. He raises the can of
> spray paint and starts spraying the windows -- the paint comes out and
> covers the glass with intricate, multi-colored graffiti, taggers' letters
> and jungle scenes, big green leaves and jaguar-pattern fur instantly
coating
> the windows...
<snip>
> ... The man is wearing a dark blue baseball cap, but I notice
> what appears to be a short tiger-striped furry tail sticking down from the
> back of the cap and laying down on his neck. At first I am repulsed by
> this, because it is so unnatural. Then I realize it's not real, but a
hard
> plastic thing somehow attached to his head under the cap, intended to
> intimidate.
<snip>
> The only repetition of a theme I see anywhere is the jaguar-pattern fur
from
> the graffiti and the tiger-pattern of the tail coming from the evil man's
> head -- but I don't know what that might mean.
I don't know if this is related to the dream at all, but...
I went to visit my mother today in a nursing home, where she is in grave
condition. I remembered as I was visiting her that after surgery when she
first went into the hospital several months ago, she hallucinated for a
couple of days. And what she saw in her hallucinations was cats. All sorts
of cats hanging around the Intensive Care Unit, including both domestic cats
and big wild cats -- like tigers (and perhaps jaguars -- I don't remember
her mentioning jaguars).
My mother had, obviously, also been much on my mind in the time before the
dream' possibly a recollection of her imaginary cats worked its way into my
hallucinogenic dream in the form of cat-like imagery.
(Mom was, btw, entirely aware that she was hallucinating while in the ICU,
and found it fascinating and amusing, seeing cats draped over the electronic
medical monitoring equipment, prowling between the beds. She wasn't
frightened by the big cats.)
--
Robert
Marco McClean
> ...I went to visit my mother today in a nursing home, where she is in grave
> condition. I remembered as I was visiting her that after surgery when she
> first went into the hospital several months ago, she hallucinated for a
> couple of days. And what she saw in her hallucinations was cats. All sorts
> of cats hanging around the Intensive Care Unit...
There's a website you might get a kick out of: http://www.catsinsinks.com
It's an endless slideshow of photographs people have taken of their cat(s)
in the sink. I sent the link to my friend Elly who keeps cats and she said,
"It's lovely, it's kitty porn."
Robert E. Lewis
"Marco McClean" <me...@mcn.org> wrote in message
news:43395503...@mcn.org...
> "Robert E. Lewis" wrote:
>
<snip of Mom's hallucinatory cats>
> There's a website you might get a kick out of:
http://www.catsinsinks.com
> It's an endless slideshow of photographs people have taken of their
cat(s)
> in the sink. I sent the link to my friend Elly who keeps cats and she
said,
> "It's lovely, it's kitty porn."
Thanks! I could add a photo or two to that website, though one of my cats
just misses the sink -- she likes to sit in the dish drainer rack.
--
Robert
Dick Silk - The Computer Tutor
I think that would qualify :-) the site is hilarious :-)