30 Comments
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guero's avatar

In college I worked at a pool hall. I cleaned, prepped the tables, clocked in the customers, clocked them out and collected their money when they left. Aside from the pinball machines it was an okay job. Out in the real world as a computer programmer, whenever things got really stressful, I would dream I was in the pool hall. It was a madhouse with all the tables full, and I could not remember clocking anyone in, so I had no way to know how much to charge them when they finished. Plus, all those tables needed prepping!! As a recurring dream it was a pretty good indicator for when work was taking over my life. Haven't had it once since retiring.

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Stephen Beals's avatar

Any place that’s packed with people causes my brain to leak out the memories as I sleep.

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Barbara Shaidnagle's avatar

When I first began work as an autopsy secretary I had a dream about body parts on a conveyor belt. Just that once out of 35 years.

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Stephen Beals's avatar

Your work dream just beat out all of my work dreams.

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Frank Ashe's avatar

I'm retired and I dream about all the different jobs I've had, and some I haven't. My subconscious hasn't retired apparently.

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nora noneofyourdamnbusines's avatar

I almost never remember a dream, but on the rare occasion when I do, if it’s work related it’s definitely time to give notice.

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Richard's avatar

I stopped reading comics after Doonesbury and Bloom County ended, but now i find myself slowly being drawn back by your articles. Thank you. Cartoons communicate in a way that nothing else to does.

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Stephen Beals's avatar

Wow, thank you for putting me in such esteemed company. I can say that between the three of us, we have two Pulitzer Prizes. Really, though, very appreciated.

I believe new Sunday Doonesbury comics are still being made. Fewer print newspapers dare to run them out of fear of publishing anything with an ounce of bite or wit, but they are being made.

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Ana's avatar

I was a business data analyst for 35 years. Very frequent work dreams. My faves were the ones in which I carried on the piffling dramas, loves, and despairs of my existence within the 2-D framework of Excel spreadsheets. Metaphorically and literally hopping between cells, rows, and columns as if it were a perfectly normal thing to do. I love me some Excel.

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Stephen Beals's avatar

That reminds me of being a graphic artist. Rearranging objects on a screen all day produced Tetris-like dreams.

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Darrin Lee Hutton's avatar

we're both retired, me longer than hubs so i have gotten rid of mine, but poor hubby is still getting the occasional icky work dream. i think it's cuz he had a 50 year restaurant career as opposed to my 40 year banking/corporate offices string of jobs. restaurant people will eff you up bad. 🤪

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Stephen Beals's avatar

I'm in awe of people who work in restaurants. That's a tough job.

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Sue Campbell's avatar

I'm retired and I still dream I am working at a school, different grades, different situations, at least once a week

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Tell Me a Mystery's avatar

I feel for you, but applaud your experiences since they result in these entertaining, hilarious stories/comics. 👏👏👏👏👏

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GradDadBodBlog's avatar

I worked food service, and apparently I woke my wife up with "Sir! SIR!" one night. 😴We get a kick out of it now, especially when we hear someone using their "service voice"

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Stephen Beals's avatar

Ah, the Service Voice. It is our other personality.

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DAVID's avatar

I’m not a subscriber, just love your cartoons. Just what I need at the beginning of another day sure to be made stressful by trump. Gaaaa! Make the nightmare stop!

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Houdini Trooper's avatar

When I was in highschool in the 60's I worked as a bag boy for a chain grocery store. There were times I had a dream of this mountain of grocery's on the conveyor belt and I was bagging as fast as I could. The mountain of grocery's just kept getting bigger and bigger there was no end in sight. Then I would wake up exhausted and then have to go to work!

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Stephen Beals's avatar

I had that at a printer, only it was packing books that were coming down conveyor belts that I was putting into boxes.

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scott m's avatar

Grammar Nazi alert: Grocery's? Try groceries.

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Elizabeth's avatar

Your work as a copywriter or English teacher is haunting this comment section. I see these errors all the time and I restrain myself with great difficulty

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scott m's avatar

I am powerless over myself.

My great peeve is the illiterate use of the word that as a substitute for who or whom. Maybe some people are a that. I am not.

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Nunya Bidnez's avatar

I hear the phone ringing in my dreams.

I hear the doorbell in my dreams.

I teach people how to fax in my dreams.

I explain how envelopes work in my dreams.

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Stephen Beals's avatar

Teaching people how to fax is technically a nightmare.

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Arkone Lightwave's avatar

The worst work dreams are the ones where all your past and current jobs get thrown in the Dream Blender and you're suddenly doing pharmacy tech work in a military call center.

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Stephen Beals's avatar

Fear the Dream Blender.

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scott m's avatar

English language tip of the day: Chickens lay eggs. People lie down.

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Stephen Beals's avatar

I could claim ignorance, but that would be lying. Laying?

It's fixed, thank you!

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scott m's avatar

I can’t help myself. You’re welcome.

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Robert Cripps's avatar

When I was self-employed, I had dreams about work all the time. Now I'm not, I don't.

But wait, I'm still self-employed. Did I just dream that I worked for someone else?

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