The Unconscious Subconscious nonsense...

I don't put much credence into what dreams are about. I don't believe in any secret meanings or hidden clues that reveal supressed memories, hatred towards parents, or super-charged homosexuality. Sure, you might have dreams that remind you of some fear you have (I'm constantly having ones where I've lost my glasses and somebody needs help), but those aren't repressed or hidden feelings your subconscious suddenly released. You knew that stuff already. People are extremely gifted at finding patterns, and meaning as a result, from random piles of verbal or numeric nonsense. Dreams are just a gumbo of whatever thoughts you had rattling around in your brain during the day. Nothing more.

Last night, I dreamed that I was receiving job counselling in a deep underground mountain fortress. The setting looked exactly like Superman's Fortress of Solitude, except deeper, much bigger, and made of natural rock formations instead of ice. I was led into the deepest chasm by a nice chap wearing black pants, a white collared button-up t-shirt and a black tie. He was cleanshaven and shorter than his colleague, who I met only briefly. He had a nametag but I don't remember what it said. He sat me down at a picnic table and told me to "help myself" to whatever food I wanted while he checked out my application. He walked off towards a trailer, like the kind you see at construction sites, that was about fifty yards away. The only "food" was a glass jar of water, a tub of whey protein, glutamine, creatine, and a shaker cup. I started mixing up the ingredients when I noticed two other people sitting at the table. A tall skinny girl and a short fat girl. They stared at me while I mixed, saying nothing. I asked them "what they were in for." The skinny girl said she was recovering from an eating disorder and had a heroin addiction. The fat girl said she was depressed and had tried to commit suicide. They asked me why I was here. I told them it was because I couldn't find I job that fit with my degree and relative lack of experience. They nodded understandingly. I asked how long they'd been here. They both looked at me, confused.

"We don't remember."
"Well, how long did they say it would take."
"They didn't. Did they tell you?"
"No, actually, I guess not. I'll ask when he comes back."
"When who comes back?"
"That guy who led me over here? The one with the tie?"

They didn't say anything, just stared. I went back to my shaker cup, put the lid on, and shook up the drink. I took off the lid, let it sit for a while and watched the foam dissipate. When I looked up, the girls had gone and the fellow with the tie was back. He was holding a clipboard and was smiling pleasantly.

"I think we can help you. Are you ready to begin?"
"No. Let me finish my shake."
"Take your time. I'll be waiting."

He kept standing there, smiling. I felt angry, hostile all of a sudden. I looked down at my shake. The foam was gone. I looked at the shake, then looked back at him. He saw my hostility but it did not affect his mood.

"No rush."