Strange and Wonderful

Dream 4/26/2018

I'm in a nearby town. I join a few strangers for pizza at a pizzeria. We sit at a table, which is, at times, inside the restaurant and, at times, outside. A presentation begins showcasing all the strange and beautiful people who have lived in this town. The unusual people start to appear. Giants, thirty feet tall, walk down the road. A man with a tree as a head stands up near where I am sitting. Most of who are talked about are giants. The master of ceremonies talks about how we need to bring more unique people to this town. 

I am in a hotel room with Robert Stack filming an episode of Unsolved Mysteries. We are told a story of a girl who is supposedly buried twenty feet below the floor of this room. The manager of the hotel is present. He suggests that we move the bed over the spot where the girl is buried, and no one will know. We rearrange the room. The bed is tiny and looks as if it was built for little people. I ask the manager if he will tell guests of the buried girl. I say that if I knew I was sleeping twenty feet above a dead body, that I couldn't stay the night here.

A woman comes into the room and begins a witchcraft-type ritual. I kindly walk out and roam the hotel. I find an area that is only for me. In the prominent place are several pools and hot tubs. One pool has a basketball goal. There is one man in a hot tub. At the end of the room is a tiny skate bowl for skateboarding. A few very small, 70's styled skateboards are provided. I try to skate but cannot. The man from the hot tub tries to skate as well. He gives up. I lose my skateboard under the bowl, or maybe a curtain just feet away. I give up and leave. 

We hear rumors that there is an area just for girls in the hotel. We distract the employees while several of us guys sneak inside. The lights are dimmed. There is a maze in the middle of the room. On the walls are flat-screen TVs with all of our names and a description of who we are. I find a screen that says Laverty, and it describes me as Cain from the Bible. But then I realize that it's a different Laverty. A screen a few screens away says, Keith Laverty. It describes me, but I cannot understand it. A girl next to me explains that I am the kind of guy who when rejected by a girl, becomes self-conscious. I tell her that I've never been turned down by a girl because I've never asked a girl out. 

Most people leave the room. I linger behind. I find a book rack with two books that I wrote. My pen name on the books is Gooder Ralphio. The last name is different on both publications. I read the synopsis of one book to a girl standing nearby. It's about a man who flies an airplane which is missing a fin. I tell the girl that the man who wrote this book was born in Louisiana and grew up in Los Angeles. He became wealthy from writing these books and drove expensive cars. Dream ends.

I wake up

Fart Bottles

Dream 10/11/2017

I'm attending an internship in Texas called The Honor Academy. The director tells us that we have to get jobs. My friend informs me that there is an opening for an architects assistant. It's a job that everyone is going to want. The interns sit on the floor as the director speaks. He describes several jobs options that we can get, most notably, one that involves assisting in clearing mysterious wood chips that have appeared on Lakeland Avenue. Everyone wants this job.

The meeting ends. Those interested in the mysterious wood chip job, need to follow the director of that job. We walk through winding hallways with obstacles. Those who finish the obstacle course will be considered for the job. Many follow, few arrive. I stand at the end of the course with one other follower, my friend Sam. The director tells us that he will now choose. He tells me to go sit in a small open room next to the hallway. "The person that will be working with me is..." the director walks toward me and then quickly turns around, "...Sam!" What a bummer. I give Sam an unenthusiastic slow clap. Why would the director trick me like that? This is a major letdown. I feel sick in my stomach. All my life, I've never gotten the coveted prize. This is no exception.

The director walks with me. He tells me it was a hard decision but my resume was too good for the job. "What?" I interrupt, "my resume isn't good. I'm a college dropout who has mainly worked in fast food."

I walk to the lunchroom where a hundred interns are eating. I sit down at a busy table. The others ask what happened. I tell them that it came down to two of us and Sam was chosen. I walk out of the lunchroom for a second. On the way, I pass Wayne Knight carrying a pizza. I am a big fan of Seinfeld so I try to think of a line from the show to impress Wayne with. "Farkus!" I say. Wayne gives me a smile. Wait. In Seinfeld, Waynes name was Newman not Farkus. I try to think of something else to say. Ah! I will say "That is one magic loogie." He will love this line. Standing in the hallway outside of the cafeteria, I hear the voice of a boy say, "that is one magic loogie." What the heck. He stole my line.

I return to my table. Sam is now sitting here as well. Sam goes on talking about "Fart bottles." The table has become quiet. I turn to Sam and say, "what the hell are you talking about?" People look at me with disgust but Sam is the one talking about Fart bottles. I look at my wallet and find that my debit card and gift cards have been torn in two. I only have a few dollars. I will need to send for more money from my parents. Dream ends.

I wake up.

Security #2

Dream 9/5/2017

I am a part of the security team for one of the presidents speeches. John McCain is head of security. He's dyed his hair dark brown. It looks awkward. An Asian man tries to get past security with a silenced pistol. My friend, Tim, tries to wrestle the gun away from him but falls backward. I jump in and wrestle the man. We eventually get the gun away from him and take him away.

I am wearing dress pants and no shirt. Tim needed a shirt and jacket to wear so I let him borrow mine. I walk outside. I stroll the city streets looking for a store that can sell me a T-shirt. I know there is a mall nearby but I don't know how to get there. I look at the different stores as I pass them. Pizza shops, arcades, toy stores, pizza shops. There are a lot of pizza restaurants in this city.

I see my friend, Derek, walking toward me. I walk with him. He needs to get to the police station to do research on the Asian man with the silenced pistol. We hop in his car and drive. I look up at the Salesforce Tower in downtown Indianapolis. "You know what freaks me out?" I ask Derek. "Being on the top floor of that building. Derek shivers as if he can't stand the thought. "I hate heights," he tells me. I continue, "I went up there once, by myself, and that was the moment that I knew I was afraid of heights." Derek jumps in, "I couldn't go up there by myself."

We make it to the police station. We enter the place. The main room has several tables spread out, like a lunchroom. Dozens of police are sitting at the tables while others are walking around. The place is busy. Derek finds a computer, he sits down and begins researching. I hover over Derek's shoulder, my eyes pacing the computer screen. Just then, I look back and see the Asian man from the presidents speech. How did he get free? He pulls a gun. I once again try to wrestle the gun away from the man. Dream ends.

I wake up

Gatti's

Dream 2/5/2016     

     My mom and I are walking down a street when she sees a hang out spot that she remembers from when she was a teenager. The place is called "Gatti's." The sign is scrambled with letters, a person could hardly make out the name. We walk inside. 

     The place is crowded with people hungry for pizza. Not an empty table in sight. We walk through the restaurant. My mom remembers what it was like to be young. We walk down a set of stairs to the basement. 

     We come upon a gymnasium full of people. Everyone is cheering in the stands. A man walks onto a stage and waves to the crowd. The cheers rise even more. The man tells jokes. My mom and I walk over to the stage to get a better view.

     When the man is done, we leave. Outside we run into a familiar face. I tell them that they have to try Gatti's. Dream ends.

I wake up