A couple of years ago, when I came back to Australia after travelling through Pakistan, a strange thing happened. I would wake up in the morning and immediately realise that I wasn't on that overnight train journey across Pakistan any more. I was safe. I was warm. I was comfortable. It was all immensely cheering. And these positive thoughts endured for months. My first thought on waking was always "yay! I'm not on that Pakistani train."

Of course, now that I'm sick, I've been dreaming of all things strange and vivid. And it's alarming to discover what my subconscious can throw at me. For most of the last few hours I've been dreaming that I was back on that train, and that the ride will never finish, and I'll never get off it. In other words, I've been dreaming that I'm well and truly ... doomed.

So given a choice between this and embarrassing dreams about Flashdance I'm starting to wonder if I should pick Flashdance. At least the leg warmers have a practical use, and perhaps in time I could learn to tolerate one or two of the songs.