On a personal note...

I have been having a reoccurring dream (I know, good news, at least it means I’ve been sleeping) that is most unsettling, and it’s of a rather personal matter. For about ten days straight now I have this dream that occurs in different settings, mostly occurring with travel in different parts of the world, where I, um, ahem, well, I crap my pants. In the dream I’ll be at a party, or in a meeting. At the party, or around the table there are always at least a few men in dishdash. I’ll notice something is amiss, excuse myself from the table or the crowded room and to my horror discover that I have filled my pants. The rest of the dream I am consulting with my mother or my sister, who magically appear on the scene, on how to graciously get out of this situation. Often, escape out an upper story, back window is the most attractive option. Sometimes this involves jumping onto rocks several stories below where I wake up from my dream unable to wake up from the fall. Horatio Caine is first on the scene. I am smashed onto the rocks with a disgusting load of you-know-what for the poor scene processors to clean up.

Before the jump there is much scurrying around, trying to figure out what to do with the soiled pants, how to clean myself up, how to deal with the obvious signs of my misbehavior. In all the dreams there is just no good solution. Obviously this is a manifestation of my living in a cultural situation where I am fearful of making a big social misstep. This coupled with the stomach problems I’ve had since I’ve arrived. Also probably influenced by the CSI Miami reruns which I watch for fodder as there are only three non-news stations that are non-Arabic to watch, one seeded with the CSI reruns quite frequently. I have been in several situations where I am at a meeting or in a car with business associates where I am one sneeze or speed bump away from actually fulfilling my nightmare. What I wake up mostly with is a deep, deep sorrow knowing that neither my mother or my sister is immediately available to help me through such hell.

I am so tired of this dream. How do you stop a nightmare? I think I’d prefer my more typical not sleeping at all routine to this crap. Pun intended.