non-lucid

I am in a house in the country with Hayden. The house is unfamiliar territory for me but I believe it is his. He is having some sort of party because there are people everywhere drinking and smoking. I'm not much one for parties. The house is fairly uninteresting, typical of some poor college party kids, so nothing really sticks out. I step outside into the night to escape the noisy atmosphere. There are still some people around, but I take little notice in them. I go down the porch steps to gain a little distance from the house. I take a few moments to look up at the sky, and when I bring my eyes back down to earth there is a rattlesnake not 2 feet away from me, shaking his rattle like he is one pissed off dude. Of course I instantly jolt into preparedness to run, but I'm not sure if I should attempt to because he is already so close. I don't have to make that decision, though, because one of the party goers nearby shoots the snake. I should feel relieved but I don't. I look at the snake for a little longer. Hayden is nearby, laughing around with some of the others. Maybe they thought it was cool. I look down at my feet, pull my left pant leg up and see not just one but two bite marks where the fangs clearly penetrated skin. Anxiety and fear rushes over me. At least the entry is far away from my heart. That gives me more time, I think.

I walk over to Hayden and in a slightly shaky voice quickly tell him of my wound, and show the marks. The people around us look on in an interested manner, kind of like watching an argument break out in public because it's entertaining. I ignore them. Hayden sees I need medical attention but does not seem too rushed. He says something which I guess is about getting ready to leave, and walks off. I'm bothered by his lack of worry. I walk up to one of the typical party dudes who is smoking and grab is glass pipe out of his hands. There is a fresh bowl of marijuana in it, and I quickly cash it. Probably not the best idea, I think. Finally Hayden is ready to leave, but we are not leaving in a simple car. That would be too boring. The next thing I know we are sailing through the night on a motorhome. Note, we are riding ON TOP of the house on wheels like it is some sort of road boat. There are rails around the sides, and a big wooden steering wheel at the front like a ship. Hayden is steering. He licks his finger and feels for the wind, even though we are already moving. We're moving pretty fast too, but I'm not afraid of falling off. All I can think is I wish we were moving faster. We reach the nearest town, Dublin, and have to stop at a red light.

Notes: I did not see or feel the snake bite me. Maybe this is a warning that something in real life is sneaking up on me. I must say though the ride on the motorhomeship was awesome!

Missed dream signs:I did not feel the snake bite.
-We were at "Hayden's" but it was somewhere in the country I've never seen before.
-I smoked marijuana. The guy I took the pipe from was already smoking on it, but the green in the bowl was clearly unspoiled before I lit it.
-We rode on top of a motorhome and we could have just called 911 if we wanted to.
-I was very scared and doing exhilarating things that would have had my heart beating fast. I'm aware that you are supposed to stay calm and move as little as possible when poisoned.

Mom, Dad and I stop by a small grocery store on the way home from nothing. The store is more like a bar than a store, but I guess you could say it is both. There are lots of people staring at us. Dad gets into an argument with the manager because the guy is being an asshole for no reason. Some of the people laugh at us, and I have an odd sense that something bad is about to happen. We walk out of the store, but Dad turns around and marches right back in. I follow after him with a rushing sensation. I strut in, see him yelling at the manager, and I immediately scream "STAY AWAY FROM HIM" at the bar-grocery people because I think they might attack him. My dream shout is strong, filled with a cold biting wind that scares off all the DCs. I am thrown off at how loud I sound but quickly become distracted by the dream again. Dad has picked a fight with the manager and goes into a back door. Once again I follow after him. The hallway beyond the door is dark, but I can see at the end of it my dad is lying unconscious in a room. There is an office to my left where I can see a lady clerk typing away at a computer. At this point I am filled with adrenaline which further clouds my already foggy thinking. I scream at her in rage, she turns around and is suddenly the manager with a snug expression on his face. Feeling like there is nothing I can do or that it might be a trap, I run away back into bar-grocery, again the people stare and laugh at me, but I am in a hurry and run out of the store. "They have Dad!" I frantically shout to Mom. She has a sad look on her face. She directs her attention to a car next to us with 2 children inside. Apparently the manager's wife went inside and left them. I know what she is thinking, that we take the car and children as collateral until we get Dad back. I hesitate for only a moment before yelling at her to "GET IN AND DRIVE." She reluctantly gets in and I run to a nearby store to hide behind a pillar so I can watch the manager come out and see his reaction. "This had better work!" I think.

Notes:
Dad has bad road rage and cannot stand when people either do their jobs improperly or show a lack of courtesy. The day before this dream he almost made someone crash into the back of his truck on purpose because they were tailing him far too close. I share in his pain at the idiocy of most people and how bad at driving they are or their lack of care for life and living or other peoples' lives, but I realize that most of the time nothing can be done and people are just crazy. He should have been a police officer, I tell him. This dream is obviously about my fear that his rage will lead to serious consequences. And perhaps it shows that in the worst situation I would be willing to step down and do something immoral and terrible to assure the safety of my own family. I'm not sure if that's honorable or not..

Missed Dream Signs:
-The combined bar-grocery store filled with far too many people.
-My voice sounded cold, harsh and so loud that I noticed it was abnormal in the dream.
-Instead of fighting the manager I ran away.
-My strategy of kidnapping his kids was pretty over dramatic.

Sharing the Wheel
I am in a car with Arik and his girlfriend. It is a strange car, there is no technical "back seat" although I am sitting behind them. Another strange thing about the car is that the steering wheel is in the middle of the car, and both Arik and his girlfriend are driving us through Stephenville. I scribbled in my bedside DJ that "they both really suck at driving this thing" but then again I suppose they are doing quite well considering they are sharing the steering wheel, gas and break pedals. Arik mentions something about coming to stay at my house, but I do not want him to so I dodge the question. Oddly enough, we are driving through town in search of hair growth products for Arik, even though he is young and still has a full head of hair. We drive by my old apartment on campus and I see Derek. He asks me something about money, which I find a little annoying.

Notes: The first thing that comes to mind after re-reading my DJ entry is the metaphorical interpretation of the dream. Arik's girlfriend is a new addition in real life, and the car obviously represents them as an item. I hold doubts about their likelihood of succeeding as a couple, but my dream shows me they are doing quite well at keeping things in balance all considering. Arik is the type who worries about what I consider to be unimportant things: having the newest gaming console, having the best special addition whatever, being the first to find something, knowing the most information about a band, etc. The fact that he has a full head of hair and that he is already looking for hair growth products in my dream shows what I think about his tastes. I'm not saying it's really bad or anything, obviously I care about him if I'm dreaming about him like this, but I like to think I have a very different, more practical approach. Or maybe my dream is trying to warn me not to wander into his way of thinking. The majority of people in this modern age are quite spoiled. We have many things we really have no use for when you look at the big picture. What is the point of having the newest special edition video game when it will quickly become outdated, and when 10 years down the road you will most likely realize it was largely a waste of time and money? That's just my opinion though. The end part with Derek (my brother) bothering me about money is obvious and really needs no explanation, although it should be noted that Derek is well off and I am pretty much still a bum at this point.

Missed dream signs:
---The crazy design of the car. It surprised me even in my dream!
---Their driving was a little reckless and I would have been more worried in real life.
---The hair growth products for Arik's full head of hair.
---Stopping by my old college apartment, which is precisely just that: old; not my current residence.

I am walking through what is my dream's representation of my home town, Dublin, with my good friend Hayden. We are approaching one end of the football field. There is an abnormal amount of police officers walking up and down the street; I count around 20 in just a few seconds. I am aware that Hayden is carrying a joint in his pocket, so I whisper in his ear that he should eat it if we encounter trouble. I am now also aware of my newly purchased combat knife hanging from my belt, and for some reason I take it out of its sheath and walk down the street with it plainly visible in my hand. I think "I'd better put this away, one of these cops is going to stop and question us," but none of the cops even glance at me. Odd. At this point we have walked the distance of the football field and are about to leave it behind, when we come across a group of the thuggish looking type. I am instantly aware that these grungy looking men are the type that want to start trouble. They make a threatening remark at us, but instead of walking away in fear I strut up to them, pulling my shirt up slightly to reveal the large combat knife at my belt. The size of my knife doesn't seem to bother them. One of the thugs (I will call him Baldy) laughs and pulls out a small pocket knife while walking towards me. I realize I am about to have to make my move, but I freeze up and my hand never goes for the knife. Luckily, right before Baldy gets to me a very young girl cop appears (I estimate age 18-20) and points her gun at him. I am a little startled at seeing this too-young cop, but quickly warn her to "keep it pointed at him!" She looks a little shaky, but keeps the gun steadily aimed at Baldy, and he backs off.


Missed dream signs:
---The combat knife spoken of is owned by me in real life, I recently purchased it for self defense and it is military grade. However, in my dream I was wearing it on my left side when in real life I always wear it on my right.
---My hometown is fairly accurately portrayed, but the 20 or so cops in such a small area should have set off the alarms. The town in real life only has 2 or 3 cops on duty at a time.
---The girl cop was around my age (19) and obviously far too young to be a real cop. During the dream something in my mind flickered in recognition of this fact, but the thought was quickly swept away by the current of realistic feeling action.
---None of the cops even glanced at me when I was waving around my huge knife, something I recognized as very strange within the dream.

It is a slow beginning, but a beginning none the less.

I awake from a dream at 6:10 am, turn over and close my eyes. (I am disappointed in myself at forgetting this previous dream) I instantly jump back into the dream. I am now sitting in my car in an empty lot filled with trees and one windy dirt road that leads back to the main highway. I am not sure if I am preoccupied thinking over what just happened in the previous dream, or if I am on my phone, but I realize I ought to get going. I start the car and as I hear the engine turn I suddenly become alerted to a Mexican man with long hair trying to force his way into the back left passenger door. The view changes from first person to third, I am still in the driver's seat but my "dream angle" has changed to the backseat. Multiple things happen at once now, I think I hear the door begin to open while at the same time the car is beginning to take off, and I remember turning left and right sharply in an attempt to shake off the man, much as I would in a video game carjacking like GTA. The car is going forward now, but I can't tell if it is normal time or if time has slowed. The shaking possibly slowed the man but the door is open and he is almost inside, my view has changed back and forth from third person to first, but at the moment it is in third again. Faintly I remember I have a handgun in the seat next to me. I feel an overwhelming sense of fear and dread as I dive for the weapon, and awake.