Deja Vu...Fast Forward Rewind..

Off Topic
1

Okay. This is going to be an odd post, but I’m genuinely curious to hear what others might make of it.

Last week I went to the dentist…got some X-rays taken for some future work I need done. As I sat in the front of the office after the X-rays, nose deep in a magazine, the dentist was at the reception desk and asked me …‘Are you allergic to any medications’. To which I looked up from my mag and answered ‘No. Not that I know of.’

This is when it got weird. About 20 seconds later, the dentist asked me the same question, ‘are you allergic to any medications?’… to which I again looked up from my magazine and replied with the exact same… ‘No. Not that I know of.’

After I answered for what I thought was the second time in 20 seconds and watched the dentist write up the prescription, it started to really make me ponder why he had asked me the same question like that. Or why in fact I had answered just the exact same, instead of saying ‘like i said, not that i know of’ or some other variation of answer you might if you were oddly asked the same question in such quick succession.

Upon leaving, I made a future appointment…and I awkwardly asked why he had asked me about the antibiotics twice. He looked puzzlingly at the receptionist and back at me for a few seconds before he said ‘I didn’t’. At this point I mutter something lame along the lines of ‘oh okay’ and just proceed out the door.

I get to my car, and I sit for about 10 minutes trying to figure out what the hell just happened and plagued by questions. Did I somehow daydream that he asked me that the first time? Standard as the question may be, I really had no idea what the course of action was to be at that point. Not to mention that everything was the exact repeat of how it was to play out.

Now, I have had actual dreams in the past that somehow indicated what was to come in future. However, they are totally irrelevant and not helpful or significant in any way. Example being…

Once I dreamed I was reading the book “IT” by Stephen King and eating peanuts. It was right before I woke up…and upon waking I ran to the shop to get a few things for the day. While at the shop and standing in line, I overheard the couple behind me discussing Stephen King. The man in front of me I noticed was buying nothing but a single bag of peanuts. I was instantly reminded of my dream, and for a second things seemed surreal.

Now the dream incident I could pretty much sweep aside as coincidence of some sort, and the fact it was based in dream allowed me to do that with no problem. However, this experience at the dentist, I was fully awake, there were no drugs involved either just for the record. It wasn’t deja vu in the sense of just feeling like you’ve done it before, it was instant replay.

I guess I just want to know if anybody has had these kind of experiences. It really makes me think about time… and about things that I really have no grasp of. No, I haven’t been watching the Matrix or Donnie Darko on loop while dropping acid. I just can’t help but wonder about time’s secrets.

2

I’ve definitly experienced moments like this and can say that most people I know have too, can’t really explain it without sounding weird though.

Edit: Whoops, I read it too fast and thought you bought the peanuts :stuck_out_tongue:

4

I’ve had one very weird “knowing” experience, which I’m not inclined to post about because it would require too much back story and because none of you know me well enough for it to be proof of anything.

It seems to me that most of the people I know well have at least one pretty weird story to tell. My friends tend to be solid people, in my opinion, so I believe their stories (which are generally just small odd occurrences, but the odd part is really odd). So, I believe weird things happen.

Going back to your dentist story, I wonder if it might have been the second asking that was a daydream. Rather than a premonition, a flashback to the asking.

5

I’m going to let you people in on a secret. I can see the future, but unfortunately my powers are limited to television re-runs. I’m not joking.

What happens is, I’ll be walking, or driving, or doing some other activity that lets the mind roam, and I’ll remember a random scene or bit of dialogue, and I’ll think, “oh yeah, that was the episode where Benson dreamed that he and that secretary were the last two people on earth, and they had kids.”

And of course, I haven’t seen an episode of Benson in decades, and I don’t even know if it’s on TV, but two days after my “shining” incident, I’ll be at someone’s house, and they’ll be flipping the through the channels, and what do you know, Benson will be on TV Land, or Bravo, and it’ll be that exact episode.

It happens frequently with shows that are in syndication, like The Simpsons, and Family Guy, and I’ll think, damn they haven’t showed that episode in a long time, and then it will be on. But sometimes it happens with shows that I haven’t watched in years, like Star Trek the Next Generation, or Golden Girls, or The Cosby Show.

I’ve tried to come up with a way to use my powers for good, or at least to make a little money, but that’s pretty much impossible. Because if we were talking about a show, I can’t say, “that episode where Blanche had a date with Burt Reynolds is coming on.” The visions have to come to me, not the other way around.

6

I’ve had a few deja vu experiences. Sometimes it’s just creepy.

I was at a blue man group show. Pretty small venue, so there was no real balconies, etc. Anyway, at one point during the show they pull these huge tissue paper things out and the audience pulls them over their heads down towards the stage.

At that point, I was freaked the fuck out. I had essentially dreamed the same thing, or thought that I had been in the exact same situation before.

Strange stuff.

7

[quote]Uncle Gabby wrote:
I’m going to let you people in on a secret. I can see the future, but unfortunately my powers are limited to television re-runs. I’m not joking.

What happens is, I’ll be walking, or driving, or doing some other activity that lets the mind roam, and I’ll remember a random scene or bit of dialogue, and I’ll think, “oh yeah, that was the episode where Benson dreamed that he and that secretary were the last two people on earth, and they had kids.”

And of course, I haven’t seen an episode of Benson in decades, and I don’t even know if it’s on TV, but two days after my “shining” incident, I’ll be at someone’s house, and they’ll be flipping the through the channels, and what do you know, Benson will be on TV Land, or Bravo, and it’ll be that exact episode.

It happens frequently with shows that are in syndication, like The Simpsons, and Family Guy, and I’ll think, damn they haven’t showed that episode in a long time, and then it will be on. But sometimes it happens with shows that I haven’t watched in years, like Star Trek the Next Generation, or Golden Girls, or The Cosby Show.

I’ve tried to come up with a way to use my powers for good, or at least to make a little money, but that’s pretty much impossible. Because if we were talking about a show, I can’t say, “that episode where Blanche had a date with Burt Reynolds is coming on.” The visions have to come to me, not the other way around.[/quote]

Hey, could you let me know when The Cosby Show episode where Cliff explains the cost of living to Theo using Monopoly money is coming on? Because I’d like to record it to use for life skills classes.

Actually, maybe it’s on youtube.

Edit: it is!

8

[quote]Uncle Gabby wrote:
I’m going to let you people in on a secret. I can see the future, but unfortunately my powers are limited to television re-runs. I’m not joking.

What happens is, I’ll be walking, or driving, or doing some other activity that lets the mind roam, and I’ll remember a random scene or bit of dialogue, and I’ll think, “oh yeah, that was the episode where Benson dreamed that he and that secretary were the last two people on earth, and they had kids.”

And of course, I haven’t seen an episode of Benson in decades, and I don’t even know if it’s on TV, but two days after my “shining” incident, I’ll be at someone’s house, and they’ll be flipping the through the channels, and what do you know, Benson will be on TV Land, or Bravo, and it’ll be that exact episode.

It happens frequently with shows that are in syndication, like The Simpsons, and Family Guy, and I’ll think, damn they haven’t showed that episode in a long time, and then it will be on. But sometimes it happens with shows that I haven’t watched in years, like Star Trek the Next Generation, or Golden Girls, or The Cosby Show.

I’ve tried to come up with a way to use my powers for good, or at least to make a little money, but that’s pretty much impossible. Because if we were talking about a show, I can’t say, “that episode where Blanche had a date with Burt Reynolds is coming on.” The visions have to come to me, not the other way around.[/quote]

WOAH! That same thing happens to me with episodes of the Simpsons, I never thought much of it until now. It usually happens anywhere from 3-7 times a week.

9

I once had a dream, and I ended up meeting someone from it a few days later.

wierd as fuck.

10

Ive dreamed that I checked the thermostat and it was 83 degrees and when I woke up I checked and it was :stuck_out_tongue:

11

[quote]EmilyQ wrote:
Uncle Gabby wrote:
I’m going to let you people in on a secret. I can see the future, but unfortunately my powers are limited to television re-runs. I’m not joking.

What happens is, I’ll be walking, or driving, or doing some other activity that lets the mind roam, and I’ll remember a random scene or bit of dialogue, and I’ll think, “oh yeah, that was the episode where Benson dreamed that he and that secretary were the last two people on earth, and they had kids.”

And of course, I haven’t seen an episode of Benson in decades, and I don’t even know if it’s on TV, but two days after my “shining” incident, I’ll be at someone’s house, and they’ll be flipping the through the channels, and what do you know, Benson will be on TV Land, or Bravo, and it’ll be that exact episode.

It happens frequently with shows that are in syndication, like The Simpsons, and Family Guy, and I’ll think, damn they haven’t showed that episode in a long time, and then it will be on. But sometimes it happens with shows that I haven’t watched in years, like Star Trek the Next Generation, or Golden Girls, or The Cosby Show.

I’ve tried to come up with a way to use my powers for good, or at least to make a little money, but that’s pretty much impossible. Because if we were talking about a show, I can’t say, “that episode where Blanche had a date with Burt Reynolds is coming on.” The visions have to come to me, not the other way around.

Hey, could you let me know when The Cosby Show episode where Cliff explains the cost of living to Theo using Monopoly money is coming on? Because I’d like to record it to use for life skills classes.

Actually, maybe it’s on youtube.

Edit: it is![/quote]

GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE, I WAS JUST THINKING OF THAT EPISODE!!!

The one were Cliff makes Theo pay rent, and buy a mattress?

LOL!!!

12

Looks like the Dentist was just fucking with you. (Think SuperTroopers, actually on Comedy Central right now) Move along Meow.

13

[quote]Molotov_Coktease wrote:
Okay. This is going to be an odd post, but I’m genuinely curious to hear what others might make of it.

Last week I went to the dentist…got some X-rays taken for some future work I need done. As I sat in the front of the office after the X-rays, nose deep in a magazine, the dentist was at the reception desk and asked me …‘Are you allergic to any medications’. To which I looked up from my mag and answered ‘No. Not that I know of.’

This is when it got weird. About 20 seconds later, the dentist asked me the same question, ‘are you allergic to any medications?’… to which I again looked up from my magazine and replied with the exact same… ‘No. Not that I know of.’

After I answered for what I thought was the second time in 20 seconds and watched the dentist write up the prescription, it started to really make me ponder why he had asked me the same question like that.

Or why in fact I had answered just the exact same, instead of saying ‘like i said, not that i know of’ or some other variation of answer you might if you were oddly asked the same question in such quick succession.
[/quote]
I’ll sometimes do the same thing the dentist did if when I take a day off from ADD drugs.

I hate to ruin this for you, but probabilistically it’s almost a certainty that you will experience these deja vu like coincidiences. A person goes through a multitude of different topics in their dreams, conversations, TV watching, etc in any given period of time.

Coincidences are as a general principle much more likely to occur over a large number of trials than a lack of coincidences. Since our minds only spot the coincidences and ignore the non-coincidences we look at this small collection of stand out events and think something amazing has happened rather than realizing that something happening like this is entirely to be expected.

14

Do you remember the pages, or paragraphs, or photos in the magazine you were looking at each time? Were you reading the same thing or something different just before he asked the question(s)?

15

[quote]etaco wrote:
Molotov_Coktease wrote:
Okay. This is going to be an odd post, but I’m genuinely curious to hear what others might make of it.

Last week I went to the dentist…got some X-rays taken for some future work I need done. As I sat in the front of the office after the X-rays, nose deep in a magazine, the dentist was at the reception desk and asked me …‘Are you allergic to any medications’. To which I looked up from my mag and answered ‘No. Not that I know of.’

This is when it got weird. About 20 seconds later, the dentist asked me the same question, ‘are you allergic to any medications?’… to which I again looked up from my magazine and replied with the exact same… ‘No. Not that I know of.’

After I answered for what I thought was the second time in 20 seconds and watched the dentist write up the prescription, it started to really make me ponder why he had asked me the same question like that.

Or why in fact I had answered just the exact same, instead of saying ‘like i said, not that i know of’ or some other variation of answer you might if you were oddly asked the same question in such quick succession.

I’ll sometimes do the same thing the dentist did if when I take a day off from ADD drugs.

Now, I have had actual dreams in the past that somehow indicated what was to come in future. However, they are totally irrelevant and not helpful or significant in any way. Example being…

Once I dreamed I was reading the book “IT” by Stephen King and eating peanuts. It was right before I woke up…and upon waking I ran to the shop to get a few things for the day. While at the shop and standing in line, I overheard the couple behind me discussing Stephen King.

The man in front of me I noticed was buying nothing but a single bag of peanuts. I was instantly reminded of my dream, and for a second things seemed surreal.

Now the dream incident I could pretty much sweep aside as coincidence of some sort, and the fact it was based in dream allowed me to do that with no problem.

However, this experience at the dentist, I was fully awake, there were no drugs involved either just for the record. It wasn’t deja vu in the sense of just feeling like you’ve done it before, it was instant replay.

I guess I just want to know if anybody has had these kind of experiences. It really makes me think about time… and about things that I really have no grasp of. No, I haven’t been watching the Matrix or Donnie Darko on loop while dropping acid. I just can’t help but wonder about time’s secrets.

I hate to ruin this for you, but probabilistically it’s almost a certainty that you will experience these deja vu like coincidiences. A person goes through a multitude of different topics in their dreams, conversations, TV watching, etc in any given period of time.

Coincidences are as a general principle much more likely to occur over a large number of trials than a lack of coincidences. Since our minds only spot the coincidences and ignore the non-coincidences we look at this small collection of stand out events and think something amazing has happened rather than realizing that something happening like this is entirely to be expected.[/quote]

Wow etaco. You totally ruined this for me. Thanks alot Scully.

Not really.

I consider other possibilities, like the dentist being somewhat senile and forgetting what he just said a few seconds before. I also consider if that is the fact I should probably switch dentists because he might be a little on the retarded side. But honestly, I do not sincerely believe he really asked twice.

And no matter if I expect the unexpected…it is always still pretty unexpected.

16

[quote]sluicy wrote:
Do you remember the pages, or paragraphs, or photos in the magazine you were looking at each time? Were you reading the same thing or something different just before he asked the question(s)?[/quote]

That would be quite helpful wouldn’t it. But no, I don’t recall the exact pages or paragraphs… I could’ve turned a page in that 20 second gap or not. I just don’t know, and I didn’t think I would need to know for later observation.

I dare me to make less sense!

17

[quote]Molotov_Coktease wrote:

I consider other possibilities, like the dentist being somewhat senile and forgetting what he just said a few seconds before. I also consider if that is the fact I should probably switch dentists because he might be a little on the retarded side.[/quote]

All you really need from a dentist is a steady hand. It’s not like he could easily leave surgical tools in you without either of you noticing.

Did he put you on anything? Did you put you on anything? Is there a history of mental illness in your family? Just askin’.

Naturally.

18

[quote]etaco wrote:
Molotov_Coktease wrote:

I consider other possibilities, like the dentist being somewhat senile and forgetting what he just said a few seconds before.

I also consider if that is the fact I should probably switch dentists because he might be a little on the retarded side. But honestly, I do not sincerely believe he really asked twice.

Did he put you on anything? Did you put you on anything? Is there a history of mental illness in your family? Just askin’.

And no matter if I expect the unexpected…it is always still pretty unexpected.

Naturally.[/quote]

Oh yeah. I forgot to mention me and the doc took some shrooms to take the edge off the X-rays.

No. I was not on anything, but is it okay if I wish I was? Yes, everybody in my family is fucking crazy. Just not clinically.

19

[quote]etaco wrote:
Molotov_Coktease wrote:

All you really need from a dentist is a steady hand. It’s not like he could easily leave surgical tools in you without either of you noticing.

[/quote]

Forgot to address this cute tidbit.

I don’t care if you have such a steady hand you won six trophies in card house building (which seems like a better Olympic event than speedwalking if you ask me)…it doesn’t mean I’m going to let you drill my teeth.

20

[quote]dk44 wrote:
Looks like the Dentist was just fucking with you. (Think SuperTroopers, actually on Comedy Central right now) Move along Meow. [/quote]

You know, that would be okay. Except, I think I’m the only one on the planet that thinks supertroopers sucked balls.