You Thought Your Dreams Were Weird?

It's strange how often my dreams are comedy sketches.

You know those TV drug commercials for Allegra, Celebrex, and so on? Last night, I dreamt I was watching TV and a commercial came on for a new prescription nasal spray to relieve the burning sensation you get in your nose when you burp after drinking carbonated beverages.

The commercial showed a woman sitting at her computer at home with a can of Coke on her desk. She discreetly tucked in her chin for a moment, then winced and grabbed her nose. She took a few whiffs of her nasal spray, smiled, and resumed her work. The commercial continued, showing people confidently drinking pop while a splashy logo floated by and an announcer read disclaimers.

When I described this dream to my wife, she laughed hysterically in spite of her gender's natural aversion to humor relating to bodily noises. She asked me, "Did you laugh in the dream, or wake up laughing?" I said no, I took it completely seriously in the dream, and as I recall, I gave it the kind of thoughtful "Huh," you give when acknowledging a good idea.

Now when I think about it, this could have been a great commercial on Saturday Night Live. The medicine could be named "Gastril" or "Neutranase." Or maybe it was more than that. It could be a million-dollar inspiration, a subconscious spark of genius. Maybe I should submit the idea to Pfizer.

Maybe I'll have a Coke and think it over.