Last night I dreamed that I was using a Model XXX that seemed to have a faster-running motor than normal. I was curious about that, so I took off the front cover while the machine was still running to see if it was running at a higher pitch because the hose was clogged. (Why didn't I just remove the hose from the front cover? Because it was a dream!)

When I pulled off the cover, to my amazement the motor stopped. "What tha--?" I looked into the bag chamber. I saw two little slider switches in the innermost edge of the chrome rim that the cover attaches to. Each switch was inset into an oval aluminum plate about 3/4" long.

Engraved into one switch was "Auto Shut-off" with an arrow pointing toward the right. The switch was oriented toward the right, e.g., the automatic shut-off feature was engaged. I pushed the switch to the left and, sure enough, the motor started up!

The aluminum plate for the other switch was marked "LX-XXX" with an arrow pointing to the left for "LX" and an arrow pointing to the right for "XXX." And, yes, the switch was pointed toward the "XXX" side. The lettering on both plates was black and the arrows were red.

I thought to myself, "Well I'll be a monkey's uncle! So Electrolux came up with the automatic motor shut-off with the LX =and= the late-model XXX!" But then it occurred to me this was not the late-model XXX done in blue, but the 1949 version in gray. So then I figured the switch must have been an after-market add-on. Even still, I was just floored to see this feature as I had had no idea it had ever been devised for the XXX.
 
The dream was so vivid that I have a clear mental picture of what the switches looked like, and here they are! I created these in Photoshop from bits and pieces of various switches and switch plates I found by Googling.

I like those switches, I must say, but I'm curious about the "XXX-LX" switch. What function would it perform, I wonder? Would it cause the front cover and bag of the XXX to come shooting off like the LX ejection function?

I've had similar dreams of familiar vacuums with odd features, or the "perfect" version of a familiar vacuum.

While not one to dismiss the significance of Freudian drean analysis, I can account for the general topic of the subject dream -- an Electrolux motor sounding faster than it should -- with a fairly mundane explanation.

I decided to use one of my Model Es for my most recent floor care extravaganza. One that contains a donor motor from a late Model F. That motor is more powerful and runs at a higher rate of speed than the E motor (which is the same motor as the late XXX, LX and early E-A).

When using the machine for an extended period of time for the first time the other night, I kept feeling a bit perturbed at the sound of the motor, and I did actually remove the hose to see if it was clogged! It was fine; it runs faster simply because, well, it runs faster. ! then went to bed with thoughts of fast-running Model Es in my head, and voila -- said dream.

I will also say, the dreams that I remember are always very vivid and clear -- I dream in high-definition technicolor and digital surround-sound. I frequently have lucid dreams, e.g., dreams in which I know I am dreaming, and even, occasionally, dreams within dreams, e.g., I am dreaming that I am asleep and dreaming. Waking from these types of dreams is occasionally a bit unsettling as my sleepy mind tries to sort out the various levels of reality.

Sometimes my dreams make sense and sometimes they don't. I rarely have nightmares per se, but do occasionally have dreams that are troubling or disturbing in some way. Usually when I've eaten something like chili nachos late in the evening.

I had a dream the other night where I was a passenger on an airplane. The flight attendant was making an announcement about the plane being delayed. She said, "The reason for our delay today, ladies and gentlemen, is--"

I interrupted her and called out, "--our incompetent maintenance crew."

The moment I said that, I got a tickly feeling in my stomach, fearful that I was going to get into trouble for making a scene on the airplane. Another example of dreams reflecting reality if you've read news stories about airline passengers making idle comments and finding themselves being pulled aside for interrogation by TSA.

And speaking of nachos, a good recipe for them will follow forthwith!