Antimalarial Dreams

One of the side effects of the anti malarial drugs is weird dreams. Others are psychosis, diarrhea etc. Sounds fun, right?

I have mostly suffered from the weird dream side effect. I typically have weird dreams, but these are more vivid and seem more real while I am dreaming. I wake up confused, but happy they are not real. Here are some of the best ones so far:

-          My first malaria dream was that I had received personal revelation to marry another man besides Austin. Not just any man, someone who was 70 years old. He was creepy too. I hadn’t really thought it through yet, but I sent out an email to family and the ward choir detailing my decision and reasons for my decision. I was still going to be married to Austin, I would just also be married to this creepy old guy. We will all live in a high rise apartment building, where church services are also held. So me and creepy old guy go to ward choir practice. My freshman roommate Celleigh is there and is trying to convince me that it is a bad idea to marry this old guy. I feel so helpless and embarrassed because I announced this to the world before even thinking it through myself. I am walking hand in hand with said creepy old guy, and decide that I have to tell him that I am not going to marry him. Then I woke up.

-          A frustrating malaria dream I had was that I was swim team captain and we were at conference, but it was a new conference in California. In real life, I was not on the team when that switch was made; all of our conference championships were in Oklahoma City. Anyway, we were staying in these extended stay rooms that were all spread out in this eucalyptus forest. Everyone was staying up late and doing stupid things and being irresponsible. When it came time for the first day of competition, all of the relays, both men and women were DQ’d because at least one person had jumped early off the start- not just a little early, but like a 12.5 or 25 before the previous swimmer came to the wall. I was so angry at them for not paying attention that we called a giant team meeting after that night and I chewed everybody out. Then I woke up.

-          Next night, I had a dream that there was a marathon running race in Atascadero. I was a little nervous because I hadn’t trained the way I wanted to for it. It was being run by high school teachers and coaches and I think proceeds benefited the cross country team. Swimming friends Leilani and Kim were running it with me, and we were all wearing goggles (not quite required for running, I know, but it makes it more fun!). As the race starts, I realize that the course is a series of 200 meter loops, and it is convoluted and very confusing, and there are people standing around that are supposed to be telling us where to go next, but they are just socializing. Then we get to playground equipment at Heilmann Park in Atascadero. There is an impossibly steep slide that we are supposed to climb up as part of the race. Many runners are dropping out because they can’t make it up the slide. I make it up, thinking that we run somewhere from the top of the slide. Not so! They tell me to come back down and keep going. At that point, I get a little angry because they had me climb the slide for no reason, and I still don’t know where to go! I keep asking them, “What about my time?!?!?” They keep telling me that it doesn’t matter. But to me, it matters! Then, the coaches get tired of overseeing the race and say that they have to leave to go to a high school sports awards banquet. I never finish because I have no idea where to go. Then I woke up. 

I'm sure at some point there will be a antimalarial dreams part II. I keep wondering if some of Landon's sleeping issues have been caused by the malaria meds making him have weird dreams too. I guess this trip we won't know!