Welcome to the Dream Time

Hey there, Friends.

I had a weird dream last night. I just need to write down what I can remember of it before I forget it completely. I figured I might as well share it with all of you. Maybe you can provide some deep insight into the inner workings of my brain, or maybe you'll just feel better about yourself because your dreams aren't as strange as mine. Whatever works for you, kids. This is going to be long, and probably ramble a bit. Just warning you now in case you want to skip this and come back later, or maybe not bother with it at all. Totally up to you.

Let me start by suggesting a tune for you to listen to while you get your read on. I hadn't listened to this in quite a while, but for whatever reason it was the first song that popped into my head when trying to think of a song about dreams. Could I have chosen a different one? Yes. I'm just gonna go with my gut instinct here and share the one that popped to mind first. Feel free to ignore the suggestion if it's not your kind of jam.

Friends, you can totally ignore the fact that it's from the Romeo and Juliet soundtrack. That has nothing to do with my dream...at least I don't think it did.

Okay, moving right along to those vague details I do remember before they are gone into the ether forever.

In my dream I was looking for someone. I have no idea who I was looking for now. Guy? Girl? A friend or relative? A random person that I don't actually know? I've got nothing now that I'm awake. I only remember that it was definitely a person I was looking for, not an object, and in my dream it made perfect sense that I was the only one trying to find this person.

I don't think the person I was searching for was actually lost, either. There were all sorts of other people wandering around in my dream and none of them gave a shit or were even the slightest bit concerned that I was looking for this person. They were polite when I asked them if they had seen him/her/whoever, but that was it. It wasn't chaotic like someone had been kidnapped or a child was missing. I've had that moment of panic with my niece and nephew -- when you're in a crowd someplace and you lose sight of them for a few moments and start to freak until you realize they just wandered off a bit and are totally fine. There was none of that in my dream.

It was like the most laid-back search, Friends. I can't really explain the vibe other than to tell you what it was not. There was no sense of urgency. You know that feeling you get when you've misplaced your car keys and you have to leave so you aren't late for something? Like, your keys aren't where you always leave them, and now your wracking your brain trying to remember where else you might have put them and getting frustrated -- like the keys moved on their own just to screw with you? You get annoyed at yourself for misplacing the keys, pissed at the keys for daring to be someplace other than where they are supposed to be, and cranky because now you are going to be late for the stupidest reason ever. None of that. It wasn't even on the level of having misplaced my phone. You know what I mean, Friends. You put your phone down somewhere and don't see it immediately, so you try calling it but you have it on "silent" so now you are stuck calling repeatedly, listening for vibrations and looking for the screen to light up as you wander the house looking. 

Do you ever have something important that you put in a "safe place" for later? Maybe it's a memento with sentimental value, or important paperwork -- like car insurance -- that you might need at some point in the future but not right away, or a present that's perfect for someone but their birthday isn't for several months. I tuck those things away in a "safe place". I know I have them and they are around if and when I need them. It was kind of like that. I knew the person I was looking for was around someplace and perfectly fine. I couldn't find them at the moment, but it was okay because whomever-it-is would turn up eventually. I hope that made sense because it's the closest approximation I can give you. There was no urgency, or panic, or looming time deadline. 

Let's move on to where this was all going down in my dream. It started in a generic downtown area of a city: businesses up and down both sides of the street, cars parked along the curb, people walking around and going about their lives. I don't know where it was supposed to be, but I know it wasn't any place local. I knew there were stores and offices along the street but the names were kind of blurred out. It was a sunny day, and I'm guessing it was Spring or Summer since it seemed to be warm out. No one paid any attention to me unless I asked them if they had seen whomever it was I was looking for. Everyone was very polite. Some of them had no clue who I was talking about, others said they hadn't seen the person recently, and still others said they had to be around somewhere and to keep looking.

I didn't go into any of the businesses or stores along the street. I don't know why. I walked down the street occasionally asking people about the person. Eventually the street came to a dead end with a big stone building in front of me. In the dream I remember deciding that it meant I should go in. I recall thinking that logically the person must be in there since they hadn't been anywhere else. I don't know how that makes any sense since I hadn't bothered to go into any of the other stores or businesses, but that's how dreams work.

I walked inside the building and was greeted by a reception desk. I asked if the person I was looking for was there. The receptionist told me that she didn't think they were in at the moment, but if I wanted to take a seat by the windows she would let me know in a few minutes. I took a seat in a super-comfy black leather chair and started people watching out the window. I don't know how long I sat there waiting, but eventually the receptionist told me to take the elevator to the fifth floor and someone there could help me.

I wandered over to the elevator, which was there waiting, and took it to the fifth floor. The door opened and I walked out onto sand. I was at the beach, I think along the ocean. I walked away from the elevator a bit, turned around and saw that the elevator was gone. This didn't phase me in the slightest. I assumed it meant the person I was looking for was around there. There were a few people walking along the dunes, others jogging along the water's edge. I walked down toward the water and headed to the right. It was definitely later in the day -- not quite sunset, but late afternoon or early evening. I don't know where the beach was supposed to be, but wherever it was the weather was warm. There was a guy jogging along the water in shorts, no shirt, with this earbuds in and wearing sunglasses. Black shorts with white stripes down the side. I didn't recognize him and didn't talk to him so I don't know why that detail stuck in my head. I ambled along the edge of the water, thinking how nice the warm breeze felt on my skin, looking for seashells and meandering my way down the beach. 

I saw an older couple walking toward me up the beach with their little dog. I stopped to pet the dog and asked the couple if they had seen the person I was looking for. They were very nice and told me they hadn't seen the person recently, but I should be sure to check out the beautiful grotto a bit further down the beach. They said it would make the whole trip worthwhile even if I didn't find the person I was looking for in this location. I thanked them and decided that I was going to head for the grotto and check it out. Maybe I'd find the person on the way there.

I kept walking, and eventually the beach curved and there was a rocky outcrop in my path. I remember being a bit confused that I hadn't noticed  that the beach came to an end earlier on - like this had sort of just appeared out of nowhere. I decided that I must have walked further than I thought and been too absorbed in enjoying the beauty around me to have noticed it. I figured that the grotto the couple had told me about must be on the other side of the rocks and proceeded to climb over them. 

The grotto was on the other side, kind of in its own secluded little inlet. I remember thinking that the couple had been right -- it was beautiful and totally worth the walk to get there. The stones were all shades of a sandy brownish color, some darker and some lighter.  There were some shaped like arches and some like separate spikes of piled up stones. I remember wishing I had my phone with me so I could take a picture of it. I wandered around for a bit exploring, touching the stones and feeling how warm they were from the heat of the sun on them all day. Eventually I realized there was a tall but shallow cave up on the beach. It seemed to line up and have a perfect view out over the water looking through one of the stone archways. Since it was getting even later in the day and I was really hot from walking so much in the sun, I decided to check out the cave. I sat myself down in the mouth of the cave and decided that I'd just rest for a bit, maybe stay long enough to watch the sunset over the ocean through the arch because it would be a pretty spectacular sight. I closed my eyes for a bit, just listening to the waves crash on the beach, feeling the last rays of the sun warm on my face, and enjoying the breeze.

I wasn't kidding when I said there was no sense of urgency in my search for this person, Friends. I seemed to have no problem deciding that I would just chill for a while on the beach.

Again, I'm not sure how long it was in dream-time that I was sitting in the cave. When I opened my eyes again it was much later and I had missed the sunset completely. It was twilight now, and I realized I could hear what sounded like running water and not waves on the beach.  

I walked out of the cave wondering how I was going to manage to climb back over the rocks in the dark only to discover that I was no longer at the beach. I left the cave and was now in a forest alongside a babbling brook. There was a dirt path that ran from the cave and along the edge of the brook. And there were fireflies everywhere. Tons of them! Even though it was getting dark I could see well enough to know that it was a very green, lush forest. It was peaceful and serene, almost like something from a movie as it seemed a little too perfect. There was no sense of danger, like a wild animal lurking nearby or anything. It was like someone's version of a forest idyll...which I guess would make it mine, since it was my dream.

I hung around watching the fireflies for a bit, and then I started walking down the dirt path. I didn't know where I was headed, but clearly the person I was searching for wasn't around. Hopefully I would bump into someone along the path, or find a clue about where I should be heading.

I walked on for a bit, the path seeming to get wider and more heavily traveled. I still hadn't come across anyone else but I wasn't worried about it. It didn't seem to be getting any darker out -- it was still the same purpley-blue-black of twilight, and everything had kind of an ethereal greenish glow from the light of the fireflies reflecting off of the brook and the leaves of all of the vegetation. I had time before I had to worry about finding a place to sleep for the night.

Eventually I came to a fork in the road, and there was an old wooden signpost with arrows pointing in each direction. How cliche of me. The brook and the more heavily traveled path curved off to the right and I could hear voices off in the distance. Maybe a town of some sort was over there? The path to the left was much narrower, more like a footpath. I don't think there was anything written on the arrows like a destination point or distance, or it was too faded to read. I decided to go to the left because the person I was searching for values their privacy and wouldn't want people in the town to know they were around unless they wanted to be seen. 

What the hell. That makes no sense whatsoever thinking about it now. How in the world was I ever supposed to find someone who didn't like to be seen unless they wanted to be? 

Back to the dream...

I headed down the trail to the left. I had magically acquired a lantern on a chain at some point as my firefly friends had gone along the brook in the other direction. So now I'm walking along carrying one of these:

The lantern gave off plenty of light to be able to navigate the trail, and there were little glowing purple flowers around the base of some of the trees.

I walked on for a while before the trail eventually opened up into a giant meadow. The grass was very tall - almost up to my waist - and was swaying gently in the breeze. It was surrounded on all sides by the forest, but there were several openings in the trees around the edges which I knew had to be more trails heading in different directions. I was glad I had on my hoodie because it was a bit chilly now. Yeah. At some point I had acquired a hoodie, and I also noted that my lantern was now gone. When it had disappeared I wasn't sure, but I didn't need it as there were so many stars in the sky lighting up the meadow. I don't know if it was a full moon or not as I didn't see the moon in the sky at all. 

I looked around, trying to figure out which trail I was supposed to take next. There was a shape out in the distance, off to the right toward the other side of the meadow. I couldn't tell if it was a person or a statue, but I needed to find out what it was. I headed over, wading my way through the tall grass.

It was a statue of a person. It was grey, or at least it appeared grey in the night. It was old and weathered so the features were indistinct. It was definitely a person with short hair, or the hair had been weathered enough that it blended into the rest of the statue. It was standing there, one hand hanging loose down by its side, the other pointed up and out as if in the direction of something over the tree line, and the head was tilted back as if it was looking up toward the sky. 

I circled around it a few times, trying to figure out if I was supposed to be noticing something above  the tree line. I couldn't see anything and was debating whether I should attempt to climb up and stand on the pedestal with the statue when I saw something white in one of the hands. It was a crumpled piece of paper that had been stuck into the space to rest in the hand. When I unfolded the paper it turned out to be a note. It said, "You're on the right track. Remember -- you never know who is watching or the influence you may have on others." I knew it was from the person I was searching for, and without looking around any further I decided to head off in the direction that the statue was pointing. There appeared to be a break in the trees there, so there must be a trail.

And then I woke up, Friends. That's all there is to it. I wish I could give you a better ending, some sort of resolution after reading all of that. I wish I could give myself some resolution. I didn't find the person I was looking for but seemed perfectly content to keep going.

I tried looking at some dream interpretation websites, but I didn't get much that was very helpful. A lot of it was about searching for lost or missing things or objects in your dreams. I wasn't looking for a thing, I was looking for a person. Also, they weren't actually missing.  They just weren't where I was looking, but it wasn't that I had lost them or he/she had been taken away.

One very popular theory is that it is anxiety manifesting about something in your life. I can't stress enough how laid back and peaceful this entire thing was. There was no anxiety, or panic, or worry involved at all. I don't think it applies in this scenario. 

Another popular interpretation is that it means you are missing that "special someone" in your life because they are away and you haven't seen them in a while, or you regret a recent breakup. I have a couple of reasons why I don't think this applies: 

1. I am very single. I don't have a "special someone" to be missing, nor do I have a recent breakup to be hung up on.
2. I should hope that -- whether it was an ex-boyfriend or a family member or friend -- I would remember who the hell I was dreaming about if it was really that important to me.

The third most common answer was that you are searching for the person because you idolize them and wish you could incorporate certain aspects you admire about them into your own life. That might well be true. I have no idea why I wanted to find this person. Also, it's hard to figure out what characteristics I might appreciate when I don't know who the mystery person was.

I didn't really get any helpful information is the point of all that.

This is what I'm taking away from it all:

--I need to stop eating bananas any time remotely near when I am going to bed. I know that kind of came out of nowhere, Friends. It's true though. Maybe it's just me, but if I eat a banana a couple of hours before going to bed I tend to end up with some strange dreams. I had a banana around 9 pm last night, went to bed a little after midnight, and wound up with this mess.

--I really hope there was a point to all this and it wasn't some banana-induced vision quest to give myself a pep talk via a note in the hand of a statue. And while we're on the subject of the note, that shit is a little creepy now that I think about it. You never know who is watching you? How the hell was my dream-self total cool with that and didn't even look around to see if anyone was watching?

--I really would like to know who the person was that I was trying to find. Is this supposed to be a deep moment, like "The person you are trying to find is yourself"? Is it some kind of message that I need to check in with a friend or family member because they miss me, or are going through a rough patch and could use a friend? I would love to do so, if only I knew who it was. Honestly, with my luck it wouldn't surprise me if I find an interpretation claiming it was a message from my soulmate or something, and I just screwed it all up and remain clueless because I cannot remember who he was.

Let me know if you have thoughts on the matter, Friends. At least let me know about the banana thing even if you don't want to weigh in on the rest of it. If you actually read this whole rambling, convoluted mess then give yourself a virtual hug from me. Thanks for reading my babbling and wasting precious minutes of your life on my nonsense. I really appreciate it. 💗

**I'm sorry if this is a hot mess, or gets a little confused at points. I did read it over several times to try to make it somewhat coherent. There was a good 10 hour gap between when I started writing this all down this morning and when I finished it tonight. The first half was written when it was all still fresh in my mind immediately after waking up, and the second half was based off hurriedly scribbled notes I made before going to work. A lot of it kind of faded from my mind over the course of the work day. Maybe tonight my dream will pick up right where it left off. Who knows? I am out of bananas though, so I doubt it will happen.**

Will This Make Up For Being Away So Long?

Hey, Friends.

I'm a horrible, horrible person.  I just realized that it's been well over a month since I last posted anything here.  If anyone still bothers to check in here -- I'm so sorry.  I have lots of excuses for why I've been away so long.

-- Work has been super crazy, and I was just exhausted most days.  I don't want to write things here that will bore you all to tears, so for lack of anything amusing and/or interesting to say I just opted to stay silent.

-- It was my birthday back on May 16th, so I was busy being social.

-- My Grandpa passed away a couple days later.  (That would be the valid excuse I mentioned.) Compound that with everything going on in the news and the world feeling like it was going to hell in a hand basket most of the time?  I was not feeling the urge to write.

-- Then it was suddenly already Memorial Day and my Mom's birthday.....

And now here we are.  It's already June and it feels like the time went by so fast.

How can I make up for my absence, Friends?  I mean...I assume you might have missed me...maybe just a little bit.  I'm going to pretend that you did.  Odds are greater that you had so much going on in your own lives that you didn't even notice. That's cool.  I can't say shit about it since I wasn't around either.

So let's make up for lost time by climbing inside my psyche and trying to interpret my latest weird dream.  For those of you that have been reading here a while, you might remember some of my other messed up dreams:  like this one involving licorice, or the the one about a picnic on a mountain top, or the one about avocados and making guacamole.

I'm not expecting you to go back and read all of those -- you know, unless you really have nothing better to do, or you are just incredibly bored, or finish this whole thing and find yourself weirdly intrigued by whatever my crazy dreams reveal and want to go further down the rabbit hole.  That being said, I'm pretty sure Avocado Dream Guy made a reappearance in this last dream, so that might be helpful if only for reference.

Okay, enough dawdling.

For our new Friends here who haven't had the chance to read any of the previous entries, a little background:

• I rarely remember my dreams after waking up.  I'm sure I have them, but I couldn't tell you anything about them.
• When I do remember anything it's usually just small pieces, or a feeling. We aren't ever going to have a lot of material to work with is my point, kids.
• I rely on Google for my dream interpretation.  They pretty much already own my soul, so any added weirdness in my search history based on a dream is just a drop in the bucket at this point.

On to the dream:

I was riding in a car with a guy.  The guy was driving and I was in the passenger seat.  I have no idea where we were or if we even had a destination in mind.  Once again, I could not see the face of the guy, but in the dream it didn't matter because I knew who he was.  He was taller than me, dark hair. I'm pretty sure it was Avocado Dream Guy -- it was definitely a similar vibe.  The interior of the car was black, and it was super comfy.  The only thing that could be seen from any of the windows was bright blue sky and puffy white clouds. There was no road visible, nor any other traffic.  I know we weren't in a plane because it was clearly the interior of a car, and he was driving it. We were just driving along and talking.  I can't even recall what we were talking about -- not one single thing.  I do remember feeling relaxed and happy during our conversation, but  I also had this kind of nervous, giddy, butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling.  It was a strange combination. How to explain?  It was like he was someone incredibly important, or with a really hectic schedule, and it just seemed unbelievable that he would choose to spend that much time and focus that much attention just on me.  It was odd.  It wasn't surprising, since we already knew each other and were friends, but somehow still kind of amazing that I was getting that much of his time to myself.

And then I woke up.  My first thought was, "It was nice to see him again."  WTF?!  That's why I think it was Avocado Dream Guy, because how can it be nice to see someone again when I don't know who the hell he is in the first place?

Are you ready to try and sort out this mess of a dream?  Fantastic.

Let's start with Mr. Blurry Face.  For those of you who still haven't bothered to click the link above and read about that dream, let me copy and paste the relevant info for you.

"Alrighty.  So maybe Mr. Blurry Face With the Dark Hair has some answers.  Let's Google that shit.

Unsurprisingly, the most popular answer is that it is someone I don't know.  Second most popular is that it really is someone I know, and I should not trust him.  My subconscious is trying to tell me I am being deceived.  Heartwarming."

I tried looking up dreams about cars, but apparently the color and or the type of car could make a difference.  I don't have either of those pieces of information.  All I know about the car is that the interior was black.  I'm not going to waste time looking up the importance of the color black.  Black happens to be one of my favorite colors, and the interior of my own car is a dark grayish-black.  I'm just going to chalk it up to familiarity.

The fact that I was the passenger got a ton of results...some of which were not so happy, and many of which were completely inapplicable.  

-- There were no other passengers, so we're going to ignore all of those results.  In fact, I don't even recall if there were seats in the back.  

-- It was definitely a car, so ignoring everything about trains, planes, etc.

-- We didn't crash, or speed wildly out of control.  Cross those off the list.

I'll spare you the rest of the weeding process.  Here are the points that seemed to come up time and again. Anything quoted in blue is the wisdom I obtained from a dream interpretation website.

"1. Leaving control, direction and drive to others, to relin­quish power (note mode of transportation). 2. Success is on the way (depending on mode of transportation). 3. Domestic dis­agreements."

Well, that's an incredible amount of options.  Also, nowhere did that website give a list of transportation options. Although another entry on the same page said it could mean I am dissatisfied. Apparently with life in general as no other details were given.  <-- This should be in black.  Blogger is being a pain in the ass and no matter how many times I correct this it keeps reverting to blue.

"To dream that someone else is driving you represents your dependence on the driver. You are not in control of your life and following the goals of others instead of your own."

That might make sense if I knew who the driver was.  I don't know how I can be dependent on Mr. Blurry Face when I don't know who the hell he is. And a big no to the second part. Nobody sets my goals in life but me.  

" If you dream that you are a passenger in a mode of transportation (car, train, boat, airplane), this indicates a feeling of ineffectiveness at reaching your goals. You feel that you need someone else to take you to your goals, because you cannot accomplish them yourself. It also signifies a loss of control of your life, as someone else is in charge of the ultimate destination of the vehicle."

Not exactly happy and uplifting stuff here, Friends.  I feel the need to declare here that I'm pretty damn happy with my life.  I'm not in the middle of an existential crisis. Promise.  I'm pretty sure my life is not spiraling wildly out of control.

"Positive changes are afoot if…

• You found that you liked being the passenger."

I did!  I had a really enjoyable time being the passenger. This wasn't a bad dream by any stretch of the imagination, and it didn't leave me feeling all tense and worried about my life being an utter disaster. This was the only result I found that had a good interpretation of being a passenger.

Maybe the clouds and blue sky have some answers.

-- Fleecy clouds apparently mean joy, delight, and pleasure.

-- Sunny or white clouds symbolize serenity and positive thinking

-- Bright, fluffy clouds apparently indicate aspirations that can be attained.  They imply happiness and success in romance.

I'm out of possible ideas to look up a this point.  I've also dealt with more pop-up ads than I thought possible while looking up all of these websites, which is why I'm not linking to them.  No one needs to deal with that aggravation.

So what did we learn today, Friends?

1) Mr. Blurry Face is back, and I still don't know who the hell he is.  

2) I'm apparently totally cool with someone else being charge and driving to whatever goal there is.

3) I promise I'm not depressed, I'm not agonizing over some goal I cannot reach, and I don't believe the world is crumbling around me.

4)  I find it odd that this is the first dream I can remember in a long time, and the really weird part is that it didn't involve food in some way.

In conclusion, my interpretation of all of this mess is really pretty simple:

I am very, very single.  Like I shouldn't be that freaking thrilled that Mr. Blurry Face wanted to pay attention to me in my own damn dream.  (And I find it kind of frustrating that I still don't know who the hell he is, is I'm being totally honest.)

So does this make up for ignoring you for so long, Friends?  I'm really sorry.  You'll forgive me though, right?  

Avocados? Really?

Hey, Friends.

Did you ever find yourself ripped out of what seemed to be a very nice dream by the obnoxious beeping of your alarm clock?  That's how I started my day yesterday.  Now, before your minds go straight to the gutter, it wasn't that type of nice dream.  It was more that I woke up feeling relaxed and as if all was right in my little corner of the world, and just a tiny bit pissed off with my alarm for waking me up.

I'm sure you don't recall, but as we previously covered in my weird licorice dream, I don't normally remember anything about my dreams, so when I do it is super exciting to me.  Buckle in, kids, while we take a little wander through my dream.  It'll be like a group project where we all interpret the strange realms of my sleeping brain.  What -- that doesn't sound like a fun time to you?  Feel free to go find your own fun in a place that is elsewhere.

Okay, Friends:  to be fair, I only remember the tiniest smidgen of the dream from right before the alarm went off.  We don't have a whole lot of material to work with, is my point.  Although, oddly, it does involve food once again.

Begin dream sequence....if this was a movie, there would be special effects here.....

I was in a kitchen -- a very nice kitchen which clearly was not my own.  There was a big, white island in the middle of the kitchen.  Think of the way kitchens look on HGTV  if you need a mental image.  I was standing at the island with a guy that, in my dream, I apparently was friends with although I couldn't see his face.  His face was all blurry, like when they try to disguise someone's identity on a tv show.  I could tell he had dark hair, and was taller than me. We were both wearing black v-neck t-shirts, and I could see up as far as his neck before the blurriness started.  Made perfect sense to have matching outfits in the dream.

What were we doing at the kitchen island?  Cutting up avocados to make guacamole, and giving each other a hard time about doing it the wrong way.  That quickly turned into a friendly disagreement about who had the best -- and therefore correct -- way to make guacamole.  These weren't serious arguments.  We were joking around and teasing each other.  The very last thing I remember before my alarm went off was thinking he was about to playfully smoosh avocado on the end of my nose for some comment I had made about his guacamole-making skills, or lack thereof.

Fade back to reality as dream sequence ends....

Yeah.  I told you I didn't remember very much about it.

My first thought, after being slightly pissed off at my alarm clock, was that I was still in a pretty good mood.  I was highly amused by the antics I could remember from my dream.  As I dragged myself from bed and started to assemble the all-important coffee, I decided I would have to Google some things when I was a little more with it.  Even to my pre-coffee brain that seemed like an odd dream to have because:

1) I have never actually been in a kitchen that looked like the one in my dream. I should maybe not watch HGTV right before going to bed.

2) Avocados?  Guacamole?  Where the hell was I pulling such random choices from?  I love avocados, don't get me wrong, but I've literally made guacamole maybe twice in my life. I had to use a recipe both times.  I normally buy that shit at the store.  I was also unaware that I had opinions on guacamole and how best to process an avocado.

3) I'm cooking in my dreams.  I'm not a terribly good cook when I'm awake.  Oh, I love to bake, but cooking actual meals is not my strong point.

Before I had a chance to Google anything, I was chatting to a friend about my weird avocado-guacamole dream.  She had some thoughts, but not a great deal of insight to offer.  We'll cover those first.

--Maybe I was just really craving avocados, or have some sort of vitamin deficiency that my body wants me to fill.  Maybe, but that's not a fun answer.

--Who was the guy?  You should find him!  I don't know, and it would be terribly hard to find someone whose face was blurred out.  If you can figure out how to do that Friends, let me know!

--I should Google the significance of black, since we were both wearing it in the dream.  It was probably a bad omen, like something horrible is going to happen in a kitchen.  No.  Just, no.  I happen to love the color black, which she knows.  (Followed closely by green, for those interested.)  It's elegant, simple, and a tad mysterious.  It's also incredibly practical as black matches everything.  A large portion of my wardrobe consists of black clothing.  In fact, I'm pretty sure that the shirt I was wearing in my dream was the same one that I had worn to work on Thursday.  Sorry Friends.I'm just going with the fact that I love the color black, not doing research on it.

Maybe it really was something as simple as me craving avocado, or wanting to make guacamole.  I don't know.  I decided to hit up Google anyway since it seemed pretty random.  I decided to start with the part I thought would be more likely to have a result -- that I was cooking in my dream.

Cooking, as it turns out, is a pretty good thing to dream about.  I checked a few different places to compare the answers. (Why yes, I am kind of a nerd!)  To try and keep it brief, it can symbolize creativity.  It can also mean new opportunities, security, or wanting to make people happy.  Works for me!  If you've had a dream about cooking yourself, or are just really interested in this, this page pretty much covers it all.

Now, moving on to the avocado part of it.  This is where it gets a little interesting, Friends.

I honestly kind of expected Google to give me results that politely told me that I was being stupid and wasting my time. I clicked on the first link expecting to see a page that said something like, "Seeing an avocado in your dream symbolizes nothing.  It's a fucking avocado.  Go buy one at the store and get over it."

Yeah.  That's not even remotely what I got.  Apparently avocados can mean a lot or things.  Who knew?

"To see or eat an avocado in your dream symbolizes lust, sexuality, fertility, potential, and continuity of life. Alternatively, an avocado symbolizes richness and indulgence."

From this page, right here.

"Avocado is one of the essential ingredients for a healthier skin. Thus, sometimes these dreams give us signs about our health conditions. For instance, to see a fresh thick avocado in dream means that you will enjoy good health. Fruits, especially avocado also relate our sexual desires. Avocados are also a source of energy and thus to see a fresh avocado in dream is a sign of positive energy. A ripened avocado in leaves is also a very good sign. It indicates prosperity and good luck. Feel happy about this dream as there is some good news around. "

From: this age, although I did fix some spacing issues.

WTF.  So, apparently I want to jump Mr. Blurry Face With the Dark Hair.  And here I didn't think it was that kind of a dream.  Moving right along...

The next website just generally confused the hell out of me.  Apparently the avocados could mean that: I felt great, felt secure, no worries, lots of people that support me, and I'm not jealous.  However, it could also mean that I'm abusing all of the people who support and love me, that I have enemies who I am being too nice to and will use that fact against me, and that I am jealous and want to destroy people.  I'm not even going to link to it because it was a hot mess.

This last one might be my favorite because it is short, sweet, and to the point.

"Relates to harmony and peace."

From: this page.

I weeded out a lot of flotsam there, Friends.  Total shit websites that try to hijack your browser, or have a shit-ton of pop-up ads.  Then there was the totally inapplicable meanings like, "A proposal is on the way!" Yeah.  Seeing as I'm single I don't think that is terribly likely. I think my favorite bit of silliness was that it could symbolize the 1970s because avocado was a popular color during that time period.

Alrighty.  So maybe Mr. Blurry Face With the Dark Hair has some answers.  Let's Google that shit.

Unsurprisingly, the most popular answer is that it is someone I don't know.  Second most popular is that it really is someone I know, and I should not trust him.  My subconscious is trying to tell me I am being deceived.  Heartwarming.

What have we learned today, Friends?  Beyond the fact that I have odd dreams, I mean.

1) Avocados are way more sexually charged than I ever gave them credit for.

2) I think I'm going to be relaxed, really creative, and lucky?  I'm trying to combine the cooking and avocados on that one.

3) Someone I know could be trying to deceive me, oh happy day.

For what it's worth, I take none of this seriously.  Everyone can interpret things the way they want.

Personally, I'm going to choose the good vibes and hope it means that I am going to meet Mr. Blurry Face With the Dark Hair, who apparently also likes the color black.  We are going to make sexually-charged guacamole, and it will be awesome!

Licorice Dreams

Normally I don't really remember anything about what I dream during the night.  I just don't.  I have no idea what that says about me -- I'm sure I do have dreams, I just have no clue what they are once I am awake.

If my alarm goes off in the morning and wakes me up (I'm usually up before the alarm), I sometimes remember a bit of them. It really all depends on how much the alarm startled me.  Usually it is something kind of "meh", like a giant spider was chasing me.  That doesn't surprise me.  I f%*king hate spiders.  They creep me out.  It may also mean that I have read Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter one too many times, both of which include gigantic spiders which are the fuel for nightmares.

This morning I woke up feeling nice and relaxed, remembered a bit of my dream, and it made no sense.  It was odd.  It wasn't terrifying, or erotic (get your minds of the gutter, friends), or even a freaky dream where you are convinced your teeth are falling out or something and you absolutely cannot proceed with the day until you check a mirror.  It was odd because it seemed more like something a kid would dream about.

Are you curious now?  I'm going to assume you are if you are still reading at this point.

I was at a street fair or festival of some sort, and I was at a table filled with all these different bowls of licorice.  There was black, red, shoestring, pull-apart: any kind I have ever seen, and probably some that don't exist except in the Willy Wonka-ness of my imagination.  There was a guy working at the table, but he didn't seem to be selling the licorice.  I never actually saw his face in the dream, just his hands.  He kept offering me different bowls of licorice to try, and then would ask me what I thought of it.  Every single one was amazing, like the pinnacle of licorice perfection.  I couldn't choose a favorite.  The hands just kept offering me different bowls, and even though I don't remember seeing the guy's face in the dream I knew he was smiling and happy.

And then I woke up, all happy and relaxed and comfy in my bed.

I will admit that I do love licorice.  Black licorice is my favorite, with a good cherry flavor being a very close second.  That being said, I have not had licorice in quite a while -- it's not like I ate a bunch yesterday and therefore dreamed about it all night.

Why in the world would I be dreaming about licorice?  I don't even recall ever dreaming about food, with one notable exception the summer I worked at McDonalds, but that was really more of a nightmare in which I dreamed I had worked an entire shift only to wake up and realize I actually had to go to work.  But I digress.

Licorice is a pretty random thing to dream about.  I figured there had to be more to it than just "I love  licorice!  Yay!"

So I Googled it.  I love Google.  Some might say a little too much.  They already know all of the sordid secrets of my search history, and could probably own my soul if they ever decided to use that information for evil.  Throwing a search for "dream of licorice" into the mix is a drop in the bucket at this point.

The results were actually pretty interesting.

Top result:

"To see or eat licorice in your dream suggests that you are enjoying a little sweetness in your life. You are in a relaxed state of mind. Alternatively, the dream may be a metaphor for someone who is genuinely sweet and kind-hearted."

That sounds pretty good!  Does that mean I am sweet and kind-hearted, or the dude who was offering me the licorice (and whom I couldn't see) is the nice one?

Next result:

"To dream of red licorice candy represents pleasure you get from toying or experimenting with something. 

To dream of black licorice candy represents enjoyment being awful or terrible to other people you are toying with. Pleasure derived from playing or experiment with something you get no personal benefit from. 

Example: A girl dreamed of having a jar of red licorice sitting on a shelf. In waking life she had just lost her virginity and was feeling good expecting to experiment with other kinds of sex."

WTF?  Hold the phone -- how did this go from happy and nice to potentially being a horrible person that screws with people for no reason?  I dreamed of all kinds of licorice, so what the hell does that mean?  

Third time is the charm:

"Licorice in a dream represents nostalgia and a connection to your childhood. You may desire a little indulgence in the sweeter things of life. Take time to enjoy the little things which give you joy. Embrace pleasant memories."

Okay, so we are back in happy land again.  The childhood thing makes sense.  I like this one better than the previous result.

Just to be fair, let's even it out and look at the fourth result:

"To see or eat licorice (of any color) in your dream symbolizes the joys and special treats in life.

It may also represent indulgence, sensuality and/or forbidden pleasure."

Well, that didn't clarify anything.

I'm not looking at any other results.  If you are just dying of curiosity, you can continue reading on your own. Click me to see more results!

So what have we learned today, friends?  Not much.  Apparently I am relaxed, I enjoy the sweet things in life, should embrace what gives me joy, and/or may want to screw with people for my own personal enjoyment.  Also, licorice appears to be way more sensual than I ever thought.

It may also mean that I just really want to eat some licorice and should go buy some.  I might just do that, but it will remain a mystery to you.  Now that you are privy to the deep, dark secrets of licorice dream interpretation I'll leave it to your imagination as to which color I might go for.

**Almost forgot: Follow up on my door situation, which I realize none of you probably care about, but I'm going to tell you more about anyway.

The door did not, in fact, split in half or splinter to pieces.  Temporary fix is in place, consisting of painter's tape over the cracks to try to keep out the cold air without damaging the wood.

Keeping it classy.

I went with a contrasting blue color, as that was the only option I had on hand.  It gives it that nice "just got mauled by a large dog" ambiance, don't you think?