Dream Journal - 08/12/04

I was watching an episode of Friends on TV. I don't recall the particulars of the episode (it may have been a memory of an actual episode, since I'm a fan, or it may have been made up entirely). At some point, Chandler (Matthew Perry), who is my favorite character on the show, gets a closeup and is looking at the screen and talking.

But his voice isn't coming out of his mouth - it's a dubbed voice, and whatever he's talking about has been re-dubbed to mention several locations in my town where I live. I got the idea that it had been done all over, so whereever people were watching, "Chandler" was talking about their town.

If that wasn't weird enough...

I dreamed I was robbing a house. I had gotten stuck in the house when the owners returned, so I sneaked in a door - turns out there were stairs leading down. I went down the stairs into an apartment below, fully furnished.

I messed around a little down there for a while, waiting for the owners to leave so I could escape when the door opened and someone started coming down the stairs.

Next thing I know, I'm dressed as a clown.

Yes. A clown.

And I'm leaning against the refrigerator in the kitchen, trying to appear as if I'm a mannequin or a dummy and belong in the room. I stand perfectly still while the owner (a male, same age as myself, but I don't recognize him) wanders about the downstairs. Eventually he comes over and looks at me (hey, doesn't everyone have a clown in their apartment?) And he realizes who I am. Curiously, he's not angry and we joke about it.

Soon after, my (real life) wife and a coworker of mine (female) come down the stairs into the apartment. I freeze again, and the three of them chat for a few moments. It appears my wife and co-worker are preparing to go somewhere, for they're gathering their purses together, etc. My wife comes over to me, studies me intently (I'm still trying to appear frozen) and pokes me on top of the head. She smiles slyly for a moment, walks away and starts to looks back.

I'm now writing in a checkbook (???) and suddenly stop again, freezing. She walks back over and says something to me that reveals she knows it's me. I relax, laughing, and in that flood of relief and emotion I wake up.