Last night - in my dreams - I set myself on fire. I wasn't very effective. I ended up with something akin to a light sunburn. If this in itself isn't bizarre, I used an unschucked ear of corn as my torch. What in the world does that mean?

I think we all have fun pondering the meanings of our dreams. I particularly enjoy random food cameos - like the ear of corn in last night's nocturnal wanderings. Years ago, when I was taking iron pills, I had a lot of vivid dreams, one that included a bag of potato chips in a minor supporting role. I kept a copy of the email I sent my friend, Martha, the morning after. Read closely, this will be an interesting peek into my psyche.

so i'm taking these iron pills and having crazy dreams every night. last night, it was this ... i'm walking home from work, which happens to be in the direction of my parent's house so i'm headed down 15th past josey. i'm wearing shorts, t-shirt, tennis shoes, and carrying my purse, susan's purse, and a super size bag of salt and vinegar potato chips. every one is very friendly to me and comments on my large bag of chips. i round the corner headed to milledgeville road and start seeing all these coins in the road. i'm picking them up and encouraging other people to do the same. when i stand up, i'm in germany. same clothes - no purses, no chips. every ten steps or so i stop in a bathroom to pee. each place has a cabinet full of giveaways. the first, protractors and compasses. the second, tiny little levels. and so on. the last place i stop, i find my sister and mother there. the giveaways are pencils. i'm rooting through the drawer and pick these two - a red columbia college pencil that's promoting their new medical school and a white one with an olive-shaped eraser. and i remember thinking - oh, martha will like these. especially the olive since it looks like the lightpost behind china garden. bev, in the background, is complaining - i don't use public bathrooms. i respond, these german bathrooms are way more clean than our bathrooms at home. she pees. we leave the bathroom and stop at a house where three women in moo-moos are returning from a beach vacation. one stops to uproot a dead shrub and i say to my mom - hey, she's like you. can't even get into the house without starting her yard work. the women come in followed by hordes of other people. and i'm walking around the room shaking everyone's hand saying, "ich bein die tochter von Renate." translation - i'm Renate's daughter. i say it over and over and over. then this woman asks me to drive all the people someplace in a bus. and i wake up.

Maybe in another post I'll share my dream about being chased by my family's cookie jar.