Did he really say "lame" :-) That would endear him to me. I was thinking while reading your post that maybe you do the angry-take-home because that's the only thing that will "last" for you? The connections are hard to keep or even figure out how to make in the first place but we can rewhip up anger in our kitchen at a moment's notice and that "connection" we can keep going.

Too, I was looking at your scenario as if you were telling an actual dream? "Nice shoes" as you're walking out the door and leaving, is an interesting comment in that context? Sees nothing while you are there but then as you're leaving. . . Too, they're concrete, real objects you're taking with you and you'd have the comment and the object and could keep the two connected. If it were my dream :-) I'd try to get the "Nice shoes" in as I walk through the door at the start of a session and start the discussion with them.