Had an interesting morning the other day…..

Let’s see, as my recollection of the dream begins, I was back in Los Angeles.  I checked my answering machine messages, and there was one from a friend of mine, basically saying “Hey, since you’re back in town, want to get together for some sushi?”.  At this point I realized that my family (including some extended family) was gathered at my parents house, and we were going to have a big family dinner - of sushi, in fact - so clearly going out with my friend was impossible.  I decided to call her back to inform her of this fact, and suggest possibly hanging out after dinner instead. 

  At this point, I need to break to let you know that, to the best of my recollection, I have _never_ been able to speak on the telephone in a dream.  Seriously, every time I try, I find that the conversation (both parts) get very muddied.  I will then struggle to understand what the voice on the other end is saying, and to make myself understood.  At this point, I will wake up, and find myself mumbling whatever it was I was trying to say in the dream (usually with my right hand pressed against the side of my face, as though holding a receiver).

  So, I make the phone call, and as always, I wake up.  I notice that I’m actually holding my cell phone next to my head (I sleep with the phone at the edge of my bed, as it is my only timepiece).  I’m slightly disoriented, which is natural when I wake from a vivid dream.  Looking around, however, I’m still unable to get my bearings.  After a moment, I realize that I’m not in Los Angeles, I’m still in British Columbia; I am _not_ in my own vehicle, though.  I’m in some unfamiliar mid-sized sedan.  Can’t remember how I happened to go to bed in some strange car.  What I do know is that I should get my stuff together and get out of here and back to my RV before anyone starts asking me questions I can’t answer.

  As I slip out of the vehicle, I wake up, and realize that it was still a dream.

  Whenever I have dreams like this, I try to go over them in my head immediately so I can remember them in as much detail as possible. 

  The next day, I told some friends about the dream, in as much detail as I was able to recall.  I was really curious if anyone had any ideas what could have caused it, if anyone had and similar experiences, etc.  I figured it was likely that I’d had a long day driving the day before, then when I stopped I basically had two large beef hot-dogs and a beer and went straight to bed.

   I was so wrapped up in trying to figure out the causes of the dreams, it didn’t even occur to me that the friends with whom I was discussing it were in Los Angeles, and that I’d fallen asleep again while trying to remember the dream.

  Sometimes it just doesn’t pay to wake up.

  Sometimes you can’t tell if it does or doesn’t.