More Nightmares

I had lot of nightmares as a child, which was due in part to the fact that I lived/slept in a drafty, old mansion--in a room by myself without a nightlight.  However, I was constantly coming down with some illness or another, and that definitely contributed to the rash of nightmares.  I seemed to be continuously coming down with the flu, a cold, walking pneumonia, etc.  I only attended preschool for 6 days, missed 23 days of Kindergarten, and 16 days in the 1st Grade as a result of these illnesses.  These diseases would always cause me to become feverish.  I think that these fevers helped bring on (at least in part) most of my nightmares. Luckily, my parents took me to a allergist during the summer between my 1st and 2nd Grade years.  He pricked me with a ton of needles (well, it seemed like a ton at the time), which indicated that I was allergic to most things (luckily not to peanuts or gluten).  Anyway, I started taking allergy shots that summer and (perhaps coincidentally) caught fewer illnesses after that point (even achieving perfect attendance numerous times from the 4th Grade through my Senior year in high school).

But I digress.  As I was saying, I had a ton of nightmares as a child.  I was chased by all sorts of things, including beasties, ghouls, and angry parents.  I even managed to find myself (while dreaming) in the passenger seat as a car ran off a cliff (wonder what I had been watching on T.V. that day).  Luckily, I usually woke up before I suffered any serious dream damage.  I could then look around the room (not much to see since everything was dark) and reassure myself that it was only a dream.  I then put the covers back over my head and tried to go to sleep (I figured if I put the covers over my head, then at least I wouldn't see the ghost when it jumped out of dresser drawer to get me--hah).  However, that wasn't the case on one occasion.

I was six years old and dreamed that my parents and other family members were downstairs playing whist (sort of like spades) while I was confined to my room.  My dream self recalled that my Mom had told me to stay in my room and not come downstairs.  In real life, I would have listened to that advice, as I was not a big fan of the game (to a 6 year old, that game appears to be rather boring) and preferred to spend time with my toys.  However, my dream self decided to disobey my mother.  I wanted to sneak downstairs and try to peak in on the game.  So, I left my room and walked down the steps without any problem.  However, when I hit the landing (the floor), I came face to face with the red guy with horns--yes, you guessed it--Beelzebub. 

In my dream, I could hear my family talking amongst themselves in a room not too far down the hall.  I could also see the lights from the room (the hallway I was in was rather dark).  I tried to call for help but no sounds came out of my mouth, and of course, my dream self couldn't run (though I wanted to do it--my feet wouldn't move).  The Devil said, "I am taking you to hell."  He then proceeded to walk over to me and grab me forcefully by the arm.

I woke up at that point and looked around; the room was as it should be, ie. no Devil; however, my arm was hurting where the dream Devil had grabbed me.  That represented the first of several occasions where I would feel residual effects from a dream.  I assume that my mind, while dreaming, had sent a message to my arm that it was in pain (when of course, it was not).  My arm dutifully obeyed my brain's signal even after I had awakened.  Luckily, the pain did not last too long after I woke up. 

To be continued...
  
Clip Art courtesy of Microsoft

Nightmares

We have all had all them; bad dreams that cause us to jolt up out of bed still shaking with fear.  I quickly forget about most of these nightmares--sometimes as soon as I fall back asleep.  In other instances, the dream is too irrational or fragmented to be of much worth.  After all, who would be afraid of a small frog in their waking hours?  But perhaps it is worthwhile to recount some of my most memorable nightmares; you might learn more about me from these stories than you would from an entire autobiography.  More importantly, I think that we come to understand each other when we recount stories that derive from our subconscious/semiconscious selves.  For deep down, we are all human beings--with the same instinctual ability to love, to laugh, to cry, and to feel other emotions containing elements, which are unique to our species.  I think that our nightmares, as well as our dreams, help us to understand these aspects of our humanness.

These nightmares may also serve to entertain, to humor, or even to scare people (though I doubt the latter) and there may be some value in that fact as well. :-)   At the same time, my recollection of these things may bore everyone to death (pun intended).  So, I'll test out the market.  I will posit one story/recollection.  If you like it and want to hear about the other nightmares, leave a positive comment. :-)  If no one comments, I will assume that it's not beneficial to continue...

The Ghost of the Old Sailor

I lived in an old, Victorian style mansion (5300 sq. feet or so) from the time I was born until the end of my 2nd Grade year. Now, before anyone goes ah and ooh, it's probably worth noting that the house was situated in one of the worst areas of town.  My grandfather had purchased the mansion during the Depression (he amazingly paid for it in silver dollars and silver certificates) when the neighborhood was still rather upscale.  Things had changed by the time I was born.

The house and staircases were made of hardwood, which seemed to always creek and groan.  Combine this noise with the house's size, the antique furniture in my room, and the fact that the residence was always drafty, and you can imagine how scary it would be for a child of four or five (or even of six and seven).  Every night the same ritual occurred.  My parents would force me to turn off the lights in my room, and I would become scared.  I would sometimes lay in my bed with the covers over my head until I fell asleep.  At other times, I would try to sneak into my parents' room, but that didn't work out all that well.  The creaking of a floorboard would usually give me away.  Heck, my parents should have bought me a nightlight--but noooo... ;-)

Anyway, this first nightmare, like most dreams, contains some contradictory elements.  Alas, that is the case with most of my dreams.  My subconscious mind just can't get all the details right (wrong time period, etc.).  This is the earliest nightmare that I can still remember; it occurred when I was around 5 years old.

I dreamed that I worked for a newspaper and had entered an old, two story house with a female reporter in tow to interview the widow of a famous pirate.  I can no longer recall the face of the female reporter [I was only 5 at the time] nor the interior of the house with any clarity.  The elderly woman had white hair and a large frame.  I had the impression that she was describing the life of her late husband, the pirate, but few details remain (if my mind had ever bothered to create those narrative elements), though my dream mind did see a (recreated) flashback as she was speaking of her husband's dying moments in a hospital, no less (haha--see, the 5 year old dream mind wasn't that sophisticated yet).  And of course, her deceased hubby had a peg leg [what else did you expect ;-)].  At the end of her story, she told us that her husband still haunts the house, blah blah, and lo and behold, we hear footsteps upstairs.  The footsteps kept getting closer as the ghost started to walk down the upstairs hall and down the stairs.  My dreamself was rooted in place by fear...And that is when I sat straight up in bed.

Unluckily for me, my conscious mind rarely takes over fully immediately upon waking up.  Usually, I can see everything around me clearly but some dream elements remain.  In this case, I could just make out the dim outlines of my cedar closet and kiddie rocking chair (red velvet covered rocking chair) via the faint moonlight coming in from the cracks in the window shade.  I also espied the peg-legged pirate standing next to my rocking chair.  He started walking towards my bed and only disappeared when he reached the foot of my bed (about five steps).  As you can imagine, I immediately got out of bed and started to sneak into my parents' room. 

This nightmare has something in common with all of the ones that stick in my memory.  It has some component that links it to my waking world.  In this case, some of the dream elements didn't immediately disappear when I opened my eyes.  With the Thanksgiving Day nightmare (see my "11 Things" post), I received a stuffed clown that resembled the characters in that bad dream.

The next nightmare is unique (for me) in that it didn't have any imagery attached; it is the only dream of any sort that was... (to be continued?).

Clip Art courtesy of Microsoft (and Istockphoto).

11 Things about Me

Ok, Sujana tagged me in one of her blog posts.  You can find her post here: http://dreamingindecember.blogspot.com/2012/02/tagged-im-exhausted-after-finishing.html.

According to the rules, I am supposed to posit 11 random things about myself; answer the 11 questions that Sujana posed at the end of her post; and at the same time tag 11 other bloggers and ask them to answer 11 different questions (which I have created).  The official rules are below.

Rule#1: Put the rules on your blog.

Rule#2: Every person tagged should tell 11 things about themselves, answer the 11 questions asked by the one that tagged you, tag 11 other people and ask them 11 different questions.

Rule#3: Let the people whom you tagged know you've done so.

Rule#4: Don't tag anyone who's been tagged before.

Rule#5: Really do tag 11 others, don't go all ''if you want to take this tag''

Ok, well, considering the fact that a) I currently only have 30-37 followers and b) most of you have already been tagged at one point or another. I will edit rule # 5 a bit. ;-)

Revised Rule #5: If you want to be tagged (and have not already been tagged), put a note in the comments section stating "Tag me :-), " I will then edit my blog post to include you among the tagged.  When I receive the first "Tag me :-)" comment, I will create 11 questions for you and all future tagged individuals.  I will also include your name/pseudonym and link to your blog in the body of this post.

Hmm, now that I have bent the rule a bit to better suit me (hah aha), I can move on to the next step...so, without further ado, here are 11 random things about me.  I have even added in some totally random color schemes to add some authenticity. :-)

Random Things About Me (or that I did/do)

Randomness #1: I eat one square of dark chocolate per day.  Studies have shown that eating one square per day can help an individual maintain his her cardiovascular health, and blah, blah, blah...Anyway, lots of people love dark chocolate; however, I am not all that fond of the taste (especially 90+% dark).

Randomness #2: When I was a very young child, I had a dream (on Thanksgiving night to boot) that I was being chased by people who had lost half their bodies (so chased by people without anything more than a head and chest area).  Lo and behold, without knowing anything about my dream, my nanny (yes, I was very young) handmade a doll/toy for me of a clown that had only half a body (no stomach, legs, etc.)...She presented this to me at Christmas as a gift.  Ayeek.

Randomness #3: When I was a young child (but not "very young" so about the 4th/5th grade), I received an indoor basketball set.  The ball was a sponge about 4 inches in diameter and the net hung on my closet door.  Well, I created a game in which I would control the ball by bouncing it up in the air with my hand.  I would use this technique to bounce the ball into the basket.  If the ball dropped on the ground, my team lost.  Of course,  I usually represented both teams, so I lost/won either way ;-). 

Randomness #4: Writing a blog entry which lists random things that I do/have done.

Randomness #5: The last time I was in Las Vegas, I walked the entire strip (and past the traditional strip sections) just to do it.  Of course, I am not sure what I gained by this action.   Actually, I tend to do a lot of walking when I am in Vegas.  I bet I walk 5-7 miles a day while there.

Randomness #6: Speaking of Vegas, how much more random can I be than when placing a bet on black or red on a computer simulated roulette table.

Randomness #7: As a child (see a theme?), I sometimes made a decision by flipping a coin.

Randomness #8: I have to wash some of my clothes today.

Randomness #9: When I was a youth (7th grade), I once caught a touchdown pass in P.E. class because it bounced off of someone else's shoulder.

Randomness #10: I just recently finished writing my first original article/post for Yahoo Voices (not sure how random that one is):  http://voices.yahoo.com/egg-cracking-contests-candy-childhood-easter-10968564.html  I also edited and posted the piece on my aunt and Facebook: http://voices.yahoo.com/why-deceased-aunt-might-liked-facebook-10955656.html

Randomness #11:  As a child, my room as a perpetual "mess."  

 1) What's your favorite place?
  
Las Vegas (physical location) my mind (metaphysical location)

2) If you had to marry a celebrity, who would it be?

Jokingly, I'm not really picky...Any female celebrity that would agree to give me 1/2 of her wealth   once the inevitable divorce occurs.  Actually, maybe Brittany Spears or Kim Kardashian--then I won't have to wait all that long to collect.  Seriously, I don't know if I would marry any celebrity.  Of course, I don't know much about them as actual people, so who knows...

3) Do you want a twin?


Hmm, given that any "twin" would be a cloned version of myself, probably not.  Though I don't know...perhaps a "mini-me" would be kind of cool...having to raise that twin, not so cool.

4) How long is your oldest friendship?

I would have to say the ones with my family--since I've known my Dad and sisters the longest. ;-)

5) What's your greatest achievement?

Being born within the last few decades.  Just think what life would have been like for me as some hunter gatherer type living, in say, 5000 B.C.  I would have been hungry often, sick even more often, and likely dead by now--killed by disease, a rival tribe, an unfortunate hunting accident, or some other calamity.  At the same time, I wouldn't be able to sample a variety of foods, including dark chocolate (haha), pizza, ice cream, etc.  Additionally, I wouldn't be able to play any fun games--well, pin the tell on the cave bear might be fun for a bit--until the bear ate me.

6) If you could only talk to one person for the rest of your life, who would it be?

Myself...I have the greatest of conversations with that person. ;-)

7) Socks and sandles- yes or no?

Socks yes, sandals no.

8) Choose your power: Mind reading or invisibility?

Invisibility of course...do you really want to know what someone else is thinking?

9) What's your method of transportation?

It depends on the situation.

10) Favorite book?

I really don't have one.

11) Facebook, twitter or neither? Why?

Neither, they are passe.  I yearn for something new.


Wow, that appears to be a long post.  I wonder if anyone will read it all.  Well, as the old saying goes, "We'll see."


 All clip art courtesy of Microsoft Office.

Some Things Never Change....

While recuperating from my cold, I had the opportunity to begin reading Twentieth-Century America: Politics and Power in the United States 1900-2000 by M. J. Heale.  When I bought the book, I noticed that the author is a British historian, so I was hoping that his views on American history might differ from those posited by most U.S. historians.  I haven't read enough of the book to be able to answer that query.  What really interested me, at least early in my reading, was this passage from page 10 of the book.

It seemed to many that the tensions that threatened the peace of American society stemmed in no small degree from the malfunctioning of the political system.  Government no longer reflected the will of the whole community; special interests...had insinuated themselves at strategic junctures...generally warping public policies.  Party political machines too had intruded between the citizenry and the government, illicitly perpetuating their own power and promoting the interests of their particular clients...The idea of purifying politics by restoring power to 'the people'...

If one did not know which era the passage referred to, he or she might think Heale was discussing key problems confronting today's society instead of the sociopolitical environment in the the U.S. circa 1900-1917.  Eerily, other issues, including the power of the courts, unlimited corporate donations to politicians, and voter apathy also figure prominently in this period.  Granted, many of the specific problems facing the U.S. in that period, such as bossism, differ from the conundrums current Americans have to deal with.  However, it appears that the meta-concerns are synonymous.  The same thing probably holds true in other countries as well.

My takeaway from my reading is simple.  Many of the underlying issues that divide Americans are not new.  Rather, they go back decades if not centuries.  However, many of us, including myself, tend to forget this fact due to our short lives and even shorter memories.  With this in mind, it might behoove us to peruse through a history book before we try to devise solutions to our problems or to craft compromises on divisive issues.  Perhaps, via our reading, we will be able to identify some approaches that did work or alternatively some schemes that failed (and will fail again if applied to today's situation).

My review of the book brought home for me the meaning of an old cliche, "The past often repeats itself."

Photo courtesy of Barnes & Noble website:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/twentieth-century-america-m-j-heale/1006245698?ean=9780340614075