Meryl Streep and Michelle Obama

I've been dreaming plenty lately, but I've been lax recording them--what with preparing to move to Europe.

Last night I dreamed that Meryl Streep was pretty much God.  She was controlling what happened to various students at the school as if they were characters in a film.  Everyone yielded to her control, even her husband--which may have been Alec Baldwin.  I was a teacher in said school and when I was teaching one day I found that I had some repeat students in my class--some of whom were not such big fans of me.  In the dream I ran into my former principal, who apparently worked under Meryl Streep.

She was a bit of a tyrant and everyone seemed to fear her--including the Obama family.  I remember walking through a grocery store, and Michelle Obama was pushing a cart with a grimacing face.  The president was about 30 yards ahead going towards produce with a fairly full cart.  The girls were streaming behind them both.

Circuses, Carnivals, Churches

Last night I found myself at Marilyn and Gary's.  There house was quite a bit different than it is in real life.  There was some town festival or something going on, and many people from my church were somewhere in the house.  Apparently Dannette had a family member pass away and she was reclining on a giant bed in the living room very dejected.  Beth was in there with her and she wasn't doing well either.  I asked if I could help her at all, and she asked for some stew.

I think the circus was being played on tv.

Teaching

Last night's dream landed me in a school--quite fitting as my old high school starts classes today.  Only in my dream I was Will Schuester--it's not the first time I have been him in a dream (only a female version).  I was in his/my office, with everything locked up and a student requested entry.  I unlocked the room and let them in, only to have the requests multiply.  At one point a student sat outside the office and had a foot-high stack of textbooks in front of her.  She was fussy about carrying around the books.  I wondered whether to offer to put them in the office--then I questioned whether it would be more of a life lesson to her if I let her ask me first and understand that you must ask to have your requests filled by-and-large and people won't always predict them.

The dream swirled around the school with lessons and interactions--which are all a blur at this point.

Coffeehouses on the Honor System

Last night I dreamed that I was in some cross between central Iowa and northwestern Illinois.  I was living in some rural area.  I went for a walk down a gravel road and found myself at a very homey country house.  I walked in because it was a coffee house.  However, no one was in and the coffeehouse was based on the honor system.  There was a kitchen as cluttered and homey as any I'd ever seen.   I could make myself some coffee and then just leave cash there.

Time passed and I found myself at the coffeehouse again.  This time I also brought two kinds of veggie burgers and was boiling them in a glass casserole dish.  Apparently others had used it and there were other mysterious things floating in it.  It wasn't gross in the dream--but right now I'm about to wretch at the thought of it.  I also noticed there to be many dirty dishes in the sink.  Apparently the owner would come by every once in a while, collect money, and do the dishes.

When I went into the living room Derek N. was there.  Apparently someone in his family had become the owner of the coffeehouse.

A Da Vinci Art Lesson of Epic Proportion

Last night had me in an Indiana-Jones esque cave.  I was suspended with another person above something like lava or acid.  Across from us was another pair suspended, and in between us was a the Mona Lisa.  It was the height of an action-film quandary.  Apparently all of us and the painting would be released at the same time to do battle over the painting before it or us were lost below.  Though I perceived the liquid to be caustic--somehow there was more concern that the painting would be sunk in the liquid than consumed.  As it was dropped, the painting shifted into Da Vinci's self-portrait and then into Botticelli's Birth of Venus.  There was a narrative going on about Da Vinci's life while these paintings shifted, and I wondered that they were suddenly showing a painting obviously done by Botticelli.  I then remembered that Da Vinci was influenced by Botticelli and had seen this painting.  I don't know (in real life) if this is true or not, though the timing makes it very possible.

Before I knew it I was out of the cave and outside.  I was sitting with my family and we were suddenly watching either an Indiana Jones film or The Lion King.  During the end credits, they showed a choir doing a gospel-version of Joy to the World.  It was the same rendition that my church sometimes sings at Christmas.  I was trying to get my father's attention to have him notice this particular arrangement of music.

Spain or Italy?

Unfortunately, the details of last night's dream were lost in my attempt to identify where it was located.  It seemed like Italy, but I had an overwhelming sense that it took place in Spain.  I think this was because Audra was there with me.

Colorado Engagements

Last night had me on a road trip to Colorado with Heather W.  We went out to see her family.  Colorado looked more like lush green foothills in Switzerland.  There were two trees in her yard which were connected by a rope.  On the rope where miniature houses.  Below was a stream or river.  I climbed across the rope, and by the time I got to the opposite side, it was decided that I would marry Heather's younger brother who was actually older than her.

At some point her family came home, including her three "younger" brothers and her sister.  Her mother had cooked up all sorts of delicious treats, including a surprise pot pie that Heather and her sister were supposed to take home with them.  It was "surprise" because no one knew what was in it.  The entire time at her family's place was spent outside in the lush greenery, throwing around balls, running, and swimming.  There was a treehouse or something like out in the water, which we had to swing or swim to.

The next thing I knew I was with Cassie S. in a car trying to get to a particular eating establishment.  I tried to tell her it was by the "Grove Cafe"--which is in Iowa, I think I meant the Aster Cafe--and she disagreed with me.  Finally we found wherever we were going, but we had to meander through endless twists and turns of that partition tape/ribbon stuff they use at movie theaters.  We were still waiting to get somewhere when I awoke.

Target Stairs

I think this dream took place during a nap today, but even now it's hard to place it.  I was inside a Target, trying to make my way around, but all the aisles were arranged in non sequitur way.  I would be looking for a particular aisle and somehow find myself at the dollar spot.  This particular target had very high ceilings and the whole of the shopping area was a skinny rectangle shape.  There was then a wall along the long side of the rectangle that went up to the ceiling.  It was painted with bright colors in an abstract way.  There was a long stairway that would take a person nearly to the ceiling, where there were some doors for offices or something mysterious.  My companion(s) and I kept discussing this stairway and were arguing about whether we ought to or would have to go up it.  I woke up shortly after we began mounting the stairs.

Time Travel

Last night's dream landed me back in my freshman year of college.  I was aware, however, that I was somehow back in time, reliving an experience.  I was in the dorm of Matthew S--who did not go to my college.  We were chatting as he was screwing together his bunk bed.  His roommate was asleep on the bed below as he put it together.  I was wondering about all the noise of people settling in that I was hearing even though it was early morning and many were sleeping.  At one point Matthew stepped out to do something, and I pretended to sleep on his floor so his roommate wouldn't be completely surprised if he saw me (why sleeping would help is beyond me).  Before I knew it I was looking at Matthew's facebook pictures and found some of me wearing a bright red dress.  Apparently my old RA Betsy had taken the pictures or my roommates had taken the pictures in our room.

Before I knew it I was transported to a wedding.  While walking toward the wedding I saw a crowd of people--sitting in folding chairs--around a trampoline.  Claudia--Matt and Lynette's baby--was crawling on the trampoline.  I saw her and realized it had been a while since I had seen her, so I went and oohed and awed over her.  I looked at the surrounding adults and realized I knew not a one.  Then one woman began speaking with me and asked me if I knew who Barbara Kruger was (she's an artist).  I nodded and the woman pointed out some individual with the last name "Horner" and apparently that person was Barbara Kruger's sister.  I stored this knowledge away and continued on towards the wedding.

We were suddenly in a hotel headed to a ballroom.  I had lost my group of friends, so even though I entered in early enough to have my choice of seats, I was insecure in which would be preferable to my friends.  I tried to remember (since I was apparently reliving the past), where we had sat before at the wedding.

At some point in my dream  was also at a very regal looking campus library.  There were some other people--middle age adults--looking around and admiring the views of the particular floors.  Then I was back in a class.  Luke was the professor and he kept time very ill.  The bell rang while he was yet talking.  We talked about him writing passes, and he did on plastic baggies filled with something--food, maybe?  However, I had another class with him, so the pass seemed a bit nonsensical.

Next I knew I was visiting my sister Faith.  Yet when I entered her house, it looked completely different, and I realized it was an exact replica of a place in which she used to live.  I spent a while at the door gaping at the whole thing.

Honors Program Disappointment

My dream began inside someone's home.  The honors program was going to host a get-together.  We were all supposed to have been doing independent projects/research of our own choosing.  Emily S. was making some sort of drawing or art piece out of paper.  She left her place for a while, and I resumed working on it.  I cut the background off the picture (it was brown paper with black crayon or pencil or something) and began creating something to go in its place.  I cut out a string of elephants in white paper and inserted them where the background had been before re-taping on the background behind them.  All this took place over the course of an hour.  Apparently this was the preparation time for the get together and soon the presentations would begin.  It was at this point that I realized that I had not done such a project, and I tried to rack my brain for project ideas.  The presentations began, though I still didn't have a plan.  I realized at some point that this was a two day conference and that I could present the next day.  This was a relief and I planned on getting up early in order to put together the said presentation.  I, however, did not get up early, and I went to the conference again with nothing to show for myself.  I had an overwhelming feeling within me, an awareness of the disappointment I would earn from Dr. Black, and it almost crushed me.  At one point I sought out Emily and entreated her forgiveness for having messed with her project though she had not solicited my help.

Foggy Teaching

The past couple nights, I've woken with only obscure memories of my dreams.  I know that the night before last I dreamed that I was the director of New Directions (yes, from the television show Glee).   This morning I woke up with the sensation that I'd been at an elementary school.  I guess the dreams weren't too different from life--one day of teaching blending into another . . .

Charity-Sized Nightmare

Last night, I had one of the worst dreams ever.

It began with me passing through town.  I was in S.C., Iowa, going through a neighborhood and stopped at some friends' place to hang out.  I found the house, and while going there drove past the home of more friends--where I was going to crash that night.  I went to the first mentioned place and saw some old friends/aquaintances from high school (Derek, Renee. . . .).  I went in and spent some time in the living room and kitchen--watching people play video games, and helping people move around their furniture.  Apparently someone was moving out or they wanted more room in their basement.

At some point I left because I was going to stay the night at the person's place down the street.  Instead of driving, I went to walk the couple of blocks to the other person's place.  At some point, the two houses and their residents became merged into one.  Before I knew it I was in the downtown area near a Casey's.  I ran into a couple of people from the house I was just at.  They said that I had overshot the house I was going to and wondered how had I walked passed it.  I was in a daze.  When I went over, I saw a firetruck, and my mind was lost in a whir of confusion.  Then my mind had a flashback, and I saw myself a few minutes before--looking like a male, with a gas can in hand.  Somehow I had intentionally set fire to this house.  I had poured gasoline through parts of it (apparently) and their video game came to life.   The spacecraft they were flying through the basement ignited the fire.  People were badly hurt.  I couldn't believe what had happened.

A new dream started.  I was at the group home I work at.  I worked a morning shift and then left.  Apparently I had to stop back in to check on some things.  When I went to leave, I asked one of the other staff if she wanted me to help load one of the residents into the wheelchair van.  Savannah said it would be helpful, so I took one of the resident's to the van.  I put on her wheelchair breaks, but did little else.  I didn't strap her wheelchair down or put on here chest strap, etc.  I thought about this when I got into my car, but I figured Savannah would sort it out.  When Savannah did finally get outside, I saw the wheelchair van rolling out of the driveway and down the street.  It had a significant amount of momentum and was turning left and right--going up driveways and rolling back out.  My first exclamation was, "I thought I had put on the emergency break!"  We had no idea how to reign in the out-of-control vehicle.  I went to call 911--and at first fumbled and fumbled over the numbers while dialing.  When I finally got numbers cranked out, I had to listen to an automated recording.  When I woke up from the dream, I still hadn't spoken to the operator, and I realized that I would probably be fired from my job and there would be some legal ramifications.

I've never been so happy to wake up.  Often my nightmares include people being disappointed in me, but rarely do my nightmares include me performing such negligent or malicious actions as to utterly deserve both such scorn and such legal penalization.

Female Fight Club

Last night's dream began with me driving to my childhood home in Iowa.  The home was simultaneously the group home that I worked for.  I went in for the 7 AM to 3 PM shift and continuously checked my watch to make sure my timing was okay.  While I approached the house, I saw a lot of cars parked there and saw that one of my cars was parked parallel along the curb, whereas all the other cars were parked perpendicular.  I thought I ought to repark it, but there was a green astrostar van that prevented me from being able to move the car at all.  Nearby  a police car was pulled over and a policeman was questioning someone.  Because of this, i was extra careful with my driving.  When I parked, I went to see whether there wasn't anything to be done about the Grand Am.

The police officer approached me, and before I knew it we were talking inside of my or his car.  He was a handsome police officer, and I was a little taken aback when he asked me out for that evening.  I agreed to it, and he told me where to meet him.  I went into work, and most of my time was spent at a sink, defrosting red meat.  That evening, I drove to meet him (the city I drove through looked like Minneapolis) and it was an old-fashioned movie theatre.  Somehow throughout it all I realized that before each feature there was a fight between two women.  It was sort of an underground fight club.  I arrived and saw him speaking with an Englishwoman--the three of us were all quite tall.  I told him that I'd thought about it and decided I ought to go home.  The other two agreed and, with her urging me to find a longer tshirt to wear, I departed.

Somehow, I ended up at the same location the next night, and found myself in the company of Ryan V. and some other female.  It was understood that I was actually going to fight in the fight club deal that night.  We waited outside, and I looked up at an old multi-story building. There were ragged banners outside displaying the films.  Once inside, I was brought to a stage and there were three females to a group.  Mine included Brittany M.  However, it was not a fight that occurred.  Some music played, and the three of us did an interpretive dance of a fight, with other groups of dancers also performing on the stage till it was quite crowded.  Apparently my performance was convincing, because at one point, Brittany thought I had actually died.

Much of the rest of the dream is fuzzy, but I do remember running into Jimmy at some point.

Parties and Classrooms

Last night's dream had me in something like a Gilmore Girls episode.  Or perhaps I should just say it contained the cast of Gilmore Girls.  I was at some mansion in the dream, presumably Logan Huntzberger's or Tristan's.  Their was a large group of people in the dream, and the house was vacated.  Something was being done in a garage full of fancy cars.  And Mr. Huntzberger had come to chastise the party as a whole.  I was doing my best to regulate the goings on, particularly restoring the garage to order.  For some odd reason the Mustang (maybe it was a Charger, but I'm not good with cars) was parked first and at the back of the garage.  Miscellaneous bikes and whatnot were being moved around to allow space next to the Mustang, but it was hastily done.  Dean maneuvered a rather clunky van towards the garage and spared the bikes only to hit the Mustang.  In my mind I knew that this was going to lead to some interesting plot developments.

Then before I knew it I was back at my old high school attempting to teach--with little success.  I had students working in different paces in two different groups.  Either the work was too easy or they were putting little thought into it, and the teaching was going horribly.  I was working in a classroom near Tammy D. F. slash I was also just using her classroom.  She observed my teaching and I was ashamed.  Having the extra set of eyes, however, did lead me to lead some lessons a little coherently.  I may have been making a bit of progress before the scene changed again.

Apparently I was back in the Czech Republic, in a group of people.  We had been singing or something, and at one point we began naming all the superior qualities of one Vitek.  I have only met one Vitek in the Czech, but the "Vitek" there (presumably the same one) was a bit shorter, and looked more American--to his detriment.  He was modest amid the praise and obviously a bit unsure of how to respond.  That is about the time I woke up.

I think this assortment of dreams may have to do with my continued reading of Mansfield Park as well as my upcoming departure for the Czech Republic to teach English.