Working for H2O

Check out my post-apocolyptic series, Working for H2O, narrated by Weird Darkness host Darren Marlar.
Working for H2O

Dream Within a Dream

Not that long ago, I noticed something about my choice in music. Not the style or the artists but the titles. The most repeated word on my iPod: DREAM.

I have been fascinated with dreams for as long as I can remember. I remember being a small child and having an idea for an invention that could record your dreams and then play them on a TV screen like a movie. Perhaps if I had the mind of an engineer, I may have pursued this invention. I was blessed with the mind of a writer. No, I have not invented a machine that can download your dreams onto a jump drive but I can do something else. I can take an idea that came, seemingly, out of nowhere farther than my brain and I can turn it into a journey for the reader. I can not show readers live footage of the characters in my head, or my dreamworld activities (this might a be a good thing!) I, can, however, illustrate for the reader the ideas in my head and, with any luck, transfer the written transcript of the images in my head to someone else's head with the hopes that you might see what I saw and so much more. 

I am currently writing a novel about a young girl who receives an elf figure as a gift from her recently deceased mother. For a period of time, the girl plays with the elf in her dreams. When she wakes, she has trouble discerning if it was actually a dream or at all or perhaps something more. I will admit that writing the dream sequence is a favorite activity even it it does not bear a lot of literary weight. As I see it, we all dream. Many of us remember at least some of our dreams. Others remember them clearly and are even affected by them. If even knew where to start, I would compile a list of all of the books, movies, songs, countless pieces of art and inventions they were the product of a dream. Not a fantasy or a hope but a good old-fashioned dream, created by the chemistry in our brains, our souls, our thoughts, and our memories of this life and those long past. 

I cannot make an exhaustive list at this time of all things dreamy but I will include several dream related titles that mean something to me. Maybe they will mean something to someone else or inspire someone to have a new experience. 

Dream on. 

Just a Dream by the Alternate Routes: https://youtu.be/YU5V5DvowvA?list=PLwTEyIT73LSM4gRn2tATus9w_QbAsdPps

What Dreams May Come http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120889/

Bad Dreams (Movie- 1988) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094701/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Bad Dreams- Fringe Season 1, Ep 17) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1380404/?ref_=fn_al_tt_8

and my review of the episode (written several years ago...) https://www.facebook.com/notes/sarah-faith/review-of-bad-dreams-fringe-season-1-episode-17/75479617423

Dream a Little Dream of Me- Supernatural, Season 3, Ep http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1032130/

(I wrote a review for this in 2009 but alas it has been lost to the interwebs)

A Dream by Edgar Allan Poe http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174152

Waking Dream by Natalie Walker- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO23DvuHHXU

Long time, No...Anything

Let's start with a little back story. 2011 was a hell of a year. What's that? It was a hell of a year for you, too? I was pretty sure I wasn't the only one. In fact, 2011 was one of the most challenging, most manic years of my life. I can't help but notice how long it has been since I have made a post here. But I have several things to share now so let's get started. 

I have a job that requires me to be on call after hours/weekends a good deal of the time. This means that I sleep with the phone next to my head. After a particularly busy night (with work related calls) I fell asleep. Around 12:15 I got a call but didn't answer it. Didn't recognize the number and was sure I must have been dreaming anyway. A moment later I heard the signal that I had a voice-mail. I tried to wake my brain up enough to make sense of it but couldn't. I convinced myself that it was a wrong number or worse a prank call, and went back to sleep. A few minutes later I heard my phone beep a couple of times and CERTAIN that I was dreaming this time. I remember having images and even dialogue in my mind of picking up the phone and having all of these thoughts and opinions about the message I had received, etc. 

Of course, this was all a dream. Or was it? I awoke very early only to find that I had missed two text messages from a man whom I thought had completely vanished from my life. I could have punched myself in the mouth for not having checked that message then and there. I replied, didn't get an answer so I went back to bed. 

The next morning at work, I was going over the evening's events with my boss when suddenly I gasped. I remember the "prank call" from the night before. I played the message for her and Uh Oh, it was not a prank call. She knew exactly who it was and it was important. Unfortunately for our mystery caller, I had no idea who he was because he didn't tell me his name. And...I still haven't received a reply from my invisible would be suitor. Crushing. 

Last night I awoke suddenly from a dream about a friend of mine-- a friend with whom I have had discussions about dreams. (He had a really fascinating one to tell me recently but I won't share it here because it isn't my story to tell.) I opened my eyes with a vivid image of my dog "Doc" in my head. October of 2010, I had to euthanize Doc due to a major health issue. But I saw his face, his droopy sad beagle basset face, the same face from the photo I keep on the fridge. Then I saw his face at the moment of his death, that moment when he looked at me with a sense of relief--he was thanking me for ending his pain. I cannot tell you why I dreamed that last night but I can tell you that the emotions attached to that moment were still powerful enough to draw tears. 

Over the last few months I have been up to my hairline in personal battles. I mean, I am practically the star of my own Lifetime movie about a woman who overcomes...all kinds of crap--minus the cheesy dialogue. I must have a really crappy agent though because I haven't earned a nickel for the rights to my own exhausting story yet. 

But something happened today, I took giant step forward. So even though my life is full of challenges I'd rather not have, there is hope; things are finally looking up. I still miss you, Doc. If "he" never responds to me, then I will always wonder. But amidst this stage in my life that is fraught with bad luck, raw deals and freak accidents, my life has taken me on an unexpected journey. I have found a new life outside of my old one. Yeah, sometimes it's really, really difficult but it's also my blessing.

Handsome Stranger

The last couple of weeks I have been experiencing some health issues- too serious to be called minor but not serious enough to be called major. And in this time, when I have managed to sleep at all, I have had some wild dreams. I am certain these dreams are the results of whacked out body chemistry, stress and heightened emotional states.


This morning as I waited at the school bus stop, or rather, propped myself up trying not to die, my lovely neighbor approached me and promptly went into action. She got my daughter onto the bus for me and offered help, support and advice. Needless to say she was the freshest face in my mind as I went back to sleep not long after that (and barfing for the 5th time this morning.) So, it's no surprise that I had a dream about her. 


In my dream, she had asked me to come house-sit for her. I can't remember the reason she said she'd be away but it was only for a short time so I thought it was odd that she even needed a house-sitter. But, I owed her big time for all of her help and gladly accepted the job. As I made my way around the house putting away odds and ends and just keeping myself busy, I looked at the clock and noticed it was getting really late and I hadn't heard from her or her husband. I sat down at the kitchen table to have a snack and use the laptop. That's when 2 young men broke into the house. One was large and scary but oddly attractive. He went straight into the kitchen as if he had a specific destination in there. The other one was quite pretty- young, tall, tan with brown hair and brown eyes in a red sports jersey. He smiled brightly and told me not to be scared but I had to leave. They were in the middle of some kind criminal transaction and they needed me to please wait outside. Then he picked me up and carried me outside and deposited me on the front stoop like a child who'd wandered into the wrong place. Instead of calling the police or even returning the house, I walked to a neighbor’s house. There I found my friend. I couldn't understand what she was doing there when I was at her house- which was currently being ceased and possibly robbed! I woke up more confused than ever. 


The lesson: Honestly---I think this is fear and insecurity but in an odd disguise. Someone breaking into the house that wasn't even mine was quite scary but the fact that I found the man to be so physically attractive, strong and polite seemed to take the edge off of my fear. That translates into: even though something really scary is happening with my health right now, relief and support are coming from the most unexpected places. And the people and things who might seem to want to harm me really are really just looking out for me.

Don't Call It a Comeback

I have been absent for some time. Oops!

It's time I got back to this, isn't it?

I recently returned to work and immediately fell behind on everything. Don't even get me started on laundry!

However, I have once again begun to have vivid dreams which need to be shared here. 

Starting tomorrow, hopefully, we will get back into the routine. 

Today, however, the biggest issue on my mind is how the school managed to lose my child yesterday. We found her 3 hours later at a neighbor's house. But the system failed miserably and therefore endangered my child. This cannot stand. Not knowing where your child is is a living nightmare. 

Again, for the zero to three followers I might have here, sorry for the 2 month hiatus but we are once again open for business here on my blog. I very much need a place to catalog my thoughts and ramblings so that some order can be brought to them. 

In or Out, Up or Down

4/28/10

In my dream I was in an office building and my dog Ruby was with me. She was playing with a little boy. Then it was later and we were walking by an open elevator when Ruby spotted that little boy and ran inside the elevator. I yelled for her to come back. Suddenly the elevator started to move while the doors were still open. Ruby got scared and jumped out. Then as the elevator was lowering, doors still open, Ruby ran back and jumped onto the top of the car’s lowering device. I screamed for her to come back, for someone to stop the elevator. I saw the fire alarm lever but hesitated to use it. I distinctly remember feeling frustrated, helpless and indecisive. After several seconds I broke the glass and pulled the lever but nothing happened. 

I turned and went into the nearest office. The lady at the desk was doing something with a tray of cheese, dip and crackers. I yelled that I needed her to please call security, etc. She looked at me—irritated and said I needed to just hang on a second. By this point I had grown terribly frightened and flustered. I knocked the cheese tray off of her desk. As I grabbed for her phone I heard screams come from behind me. I knew that Ruby was dead. I ran back to the elevator, and the people there were all splattered with blood and blood was dripping into the elevator from above. 

Then, for some reason, I see the mortician’s office and a body on the table being examined. He and his assistant are discussing what happened to Ruby. Then I see the little boy who had been playing with Ruby walking around outside. The whole scene felt very weird. 

Before this nightmarish scene, I dreamed I was sending people in and out of doors to face some trauma from their pasts. This is of course from watching “Being Erica”. I noticed that, again, a certain person was present in my dream but I don’t know specifically why that person was there. Just remember seeing a distinctly identifying article of clothing as this person was walking (with obvious trepidation) through a door. Then, for some reason, I had to go through  a door—either to fetch someone or to face my own fear, etc. And whatever I saw there upset me so very much that it woke me up. 

Lesson: Even when the players or plots of a dream are built upon the day’s stimuli, the message will most likely be something from deep within ourselves.

Up, up and away!

Early this afternoon in the car with my daughter and husband the subject of airplanes and helicopters came up and I suddenly remembered what I’d dreamed last night. For some reason I was preparing to go on my first helicopter ride. I was pretty excited although I don’t remember the reason for the ride, I do remember the pilot was a little annoyed with my enthusiasm, as if it wasn’t merited. But when I got inside the helicopter it wasn’t a helicopter at all but a posh, private jet. However, instead of being excited I was disappointed that I had been gypped out of my helicopter ride. 

Lesson: Even in dreamland we can find some way to be disappointed with our circumstances.