July 1, 2013

A Dream of Maddox

Last night I had my favourite recurring nightmare. Not that one would think there is such thing as a favourite nightmare, but clearly my subconscious does, because she keeps hauling the damn thing out.

Now, if my subconscious was slightly more creative I would dream of zombie apocalypses, or being in the supermarket wearing only nipple tassels, or finding myself standing before an audience who speaks only Klingon.

But she's not. She's boring and prosaic and utterly predictable. And so, I dream of failing university.

The nightmare has many variations. In last night's scenario, I had just found out that I had an English exam in two hours. It was a verbal exam, in which the examiner would question me about a great work of literature. Every student was allocated a different masterpiece, and mine, I discovered, was  'The Maddox'.

In my dream, I had never heard of 'The Maddox'. In my waking life, haven't either. (I mean, I know The Maddox to be The Son of The Brad and The Angelina, but as far as I know he is Boy and not Book. Perhaps my subconscious is more creative than I thought? )

Not That Maddox
I realised in a panic that I wouldn't have time to read the book before the exam, and so I Googled it. I couldn't find crib notes to the book, but I did find reference to 'The Maddox' as a film starring Johnny Depp and the characters from South Park. This didn't help me terribly, but I decided to watch the film anyway.

Then I remembered I hadn't actually gone to class for a year and that I'd fail no matter what and so I decided that there was no point.

Then I woke up and there was a cat on my head.

What is your recurring nightmare?

21 comments:

  1. LOL I have that dream!! Except never in such detail. I only find out that I have an exam and then realise that I never went to class. Sometimes I also realise that I'm not wearing all of my clothes. Anxiety much? ;) I still prefer those to the recurrent nightmare of being on the beach when a tsunami is coming and the dry sand won't let me climb away, but no one else seems to mind about the ginormous waves!

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  2. sKerry I think The Maddox is a book about running out of Nutella and the consequences on one's feelings of well being, so clearly that is an authentic nightmare. On a serious note, I do find if an animal is sleeping on my head that I tend to have those "hot nightmares" where you are too hot and your body is trying to tell you you're too hot, so it throw up a really gnarly one. That is all, Wx

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  3. Oh, I don't know where that 's' came from Kerry...it remains a mystery!

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  4. Very strange Kerri! I don't have recurring dreams, I wish I did, Especially if it involved some hot, hunky male dude!

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  5. When I lived in Brighton, England, I joined an amateur theatre group (well, they were retired or aspiring professionals, I was the rank amateur). I used to dream that I was on stage and had not rehearsed my lines. As panic set in, the actor opposite would whisper, "Just improvise!", and so I would, rambling on incoherently, with little or no reference to the plot, until I awoke, sweating and short of breath, and realised it was only a dream.


    Before my last role, I was wracked night after night by these dreams. And the stupid thing was, I had no lines in the play, mine was a mime part only! It was then that I realised it was time to retire from the stage ;)

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  6. I actually prefer the tsunami dreams! Failing uni is the WORST!!!!!! x

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  7. Really? So I should throw Penelope out of my bed?
    But... but... Wendy she's SO CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  8. I occasionally have them too. But not as much as the stupid uni ones.

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  9. LOL. Robert, that's HILARIOUS. Sorry!

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  10. I don't have nightmares, but if I dream I'm going somewhere, I never EVER, get to my destintion. For all the dream experts out there, wtf is THAT all about ?

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  11. Destination is what I meant, of course, Even my typing is crap...*facepalm*

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  12. School exams that I didn't study for, and trying to figure out how to break up with my (ex for 15 years) boyfriend because I don't want to spend the rest of my life with him. Sometimes I wake up and have to check that my husband is the right person!

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  13. I just wish my HILLARIOUS stories were made up & not real & about me! 😉

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  14. Mine is similar to yours only it is Constitutional Law or Grade 12 Maths. I wake in a sweat. Chronic fear of failure I'm told. Not that this helps.

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  15. I have recurring dreams about public toilets. Which typically have doors that do not work, or do not exist. I am usually in some state of undress, if in fact, dressed at all. And yes, I am seeing a therapist!

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  16. I have a couple of recurring dreams, or dream places...now I'll have one tonight cos I've thought about it :S They're both about houses, one usually ends up a nightmare, it's an old house we've inherited and the upstairs is creepy and haunted...sigh, might stay up for a bit longer...

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  17. Oh yes, I dream this, also going back into a classroom to teach when I have been out of touch with the day to day curriculum for so long (In my life BC -before children - I was a primary teacher). But my CONSTANT reoccurring dream is that of a tsunami. I wake just before the wave hits, but I know I am unable to secure all four children to safety (not enough arms).....the fear usually stays with me for days. I have never been to Indonesia, but the extreme details I can see in my dream make me wonder....ugh.....I know it is a classic anxiety 'overwhelming' dream, but it only increases my 'waking anxiety' not relieving it!

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  18. I have "teacher" dreams where I go into my classroom and none of the kids will listen to me.

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  19. My recurring nightmare is about my ex-boyfriend and we are married and I keep saying to everyone that it is wrong and he is not my husband but no-one believes me and I always wake up in a sweat and frantic to make sure that I am married to the right guy!

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  20. My organs also invade my dream life especially that naughty and highly imaginative bladder. The places I have attempted to go give me the heebies (sorry re the Dr's office floor but I am pretty confident it was just a dream). Eventually I wake myself up and say, "alright, here's the deal - I'll do a wee if you stop this weirdness in my dreams".

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  21. I also have a recurring dream about failing university. I dream that just before graduation I discover that i have totally forgotten to do one of my final assessments because i didn't write it in my diary. if I don't hand it in tomorrow morning i will fail. I wake up in a panic and then realise i have actually already graduated and it was back in 1992. Far out!

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