I had my first lucid dream! Well, depending upon your definition of the term. I've had those "dreams" where I start off really thinking about a scenario and then enter it, but I've generally been in control of everything and have never lost awareness of my outer surroundings -- so those experiences have been more akin to daydreaming or fantasizing than actual, unconscious dreaming. But this time! This time I started off unaware that I was dreaming, deduced that I was dreaming, and then attempted to do things that I couldn't do when waking. How cool is that?

Okay, details. I found myself in a comic shop, and suddenly it occurred to me that I didn't remember entering the store -- I didn't even know where it was. (How have I not noticed things like this in dreams before?!) So I went to the front of the store to look outside and saw a grimy side street that suggested to me that I was in New York City, though I was aware that I might have been in any urban environment. In any case, I certainly didn't remember coming to NYC (would I have been as suspicious had I seen an area of Laurel?), so I went to ask the clerk for directions. I specifically avoided mentioning NYC, so as not to seem crazy if I was not dreaming and was actually somewhere else.

I said, "I think I got a bit mixed up on my way here. Can you direct me to...?" I let that hang, assuming he'd mention an obvious landmark that would help me to determine my location.

"Sure!" he said. "Just go left out here, then walk left down 37th. Broadway's several blocks down, and then --"

"I'm good from there, thanks!" I chirped. "I thought I was much farther down from Times Square than that, but I guess I got turned around somewhere." The clerk smiled.

I walked back towards the back of the store, now almost certain that I was dreaming. But how to test it? I didn't want to do something that would make me seem insane -- or put me in danger, since that would probably wake me up if I was dreaming or kill me if I wasn't. I decided upon a simple test: I would pinch myself.

Pinch. No pain. Pinch harder. No pain! DREAM STATE CONFIRMED! (more...)

And now it's time for another edition of Anime Crushes Totally Crushing, since I've renamed the category in order to accommodate whatever actresses and non-animated fictional characters I decide to spotlight in the future. (I've left the slug the same for the time being, though.)

Spotlighted today: the lovely Jen Barber (Katherine Parkinson) from "The IT Crowd"! Doesn't she look so sweet? (more...)

Had Turtles Forever featured this unholy alliance, I think the outcome would have been very different! I need to retake this picture with Metal Mutants Shredder, though... that little purple fiend definitely deserves to be included in the Shredder mashup.

Probably my favorite Cenobite in terms of design. 🙂

I had a pretty satisfying dream last night! I dreamed that I'd gone out to dinner with a bunch of people -- some of whom appeared to be former high school and college classmates; I have no idea where others came from (one looked a bit like an extra from some cop drama) -- and had a generally decent time hanging out with them. What made the dream feel especially great isn't that part of it, though, but rather how I felt about it after I woke up.

See, on the rare occasions that I actually spend time with people, any enjoyment I have during the experience is usually muted by the aftermath. Sure, it might be kinda fun while it lasts, but there's almost no prolonged benefit for me. It's not as if I'm building lasting friendships with these people; I always end up spending more money than I'd like to spend (I'd like to spend nothing); and I typically don't leave with anything tangible to show for the monetary and temporal loss (though if I remember, I'll try to squeeze in a photo or something -- at least then I have a keepsake of sorts). (more...)