Dream Journal: "Internal Strife and a Captive Hunter"

Around midday, I was walking the streets of San Francisco, carrying my camera and looking down from the top of Laguna Street, over the steep hills and down to the Bay. I strolled down to the piers and Ghirardelli Square, making my way to where the sea lions gathered. There was a crowd watching up close, but very few blocking my view from afar, so I zoomed in my camera to get a better look and take some pictures. For some strange reason, there were big waves crashing where the sea lions were gathered on the docks; they were a dark, stormy grey-green color and about 6 feet above the platforms where the sea lions were gathered. The animals seemed largely unaffected, and the waves weren't causing any turbulence in the water just a little closer to the city. Just below the pier where I was standing, the water was fairly calm when I looked down and saw an enormous shark cutting through the water. It raced along the edge of the pier for a moment before breaching fully out of the water, flipping backward as it did. The shark then leapt once more in corkscrewing motion that only partially cleared the water. There was a brief impression of panic by the onlookers before the scene faded out.

I later followed part of a group over to a small pool with occasional metal railings around it, more akin to a large hot tub than anything else. As we approached, the person leading the group mentioned something about having a plan to deal with someone else who in some way opposed him. He introduced us to his new acquisition, the shark from earlier, penned up in the small pool and swimming somewhat frantic laps. Another group joined us, seemingly made up of members of some larger group to which both belonged, and the leader of those already there circumspectly arranged for members of it to fall into the pool. One girl fell in and the shark swam aggressively closer, but didn't attack immediately because she was on a small step. She didn't seem to be trying very hard to get out, so I ran over, ducked under the railing next to her and grabbed her under the arms to lift her up and out of the water. She finally seemed to realize what was going on and, after the initial tug, got herself out of the pool.

Frustrated at being foiled, the conniving leader started a fight between the two factions. Both sides pulled out water balloons and began throwing them at one another across the tank, trying not to fall in while throwing or avoiding. Knowing the balloons wouldn't likely pop otherwise, I was biting small holes in the tops to help them break on impact, but they kept exploding in midair, launching clusters of water droplets. I was beginning to grow frustrated, having thrown three balloons in a row that failed to reach their targets, but woke up before anything notable came of the fight.


--I have absolutely no idea what any of this might mean, other than I think politics are too often a load of dirty tricks to hurt the other candidates and maybe some kind of feeling of being restricted by my life at work. I'm tired of having to go to bed really early all the time and not having much to do after work. As always, if you've got any suggestions for meanings, feel free to let them fly in the comments.