Sunday, September 16, 2007

Dreams Pt. 1

I was discussing the significance of dreams with my good friend Pasha a while back... also the flawed logic in some of those formulaic dream interpretation books which give somewhat archetypal definitions to various objects and characters in dreams, the limitations of this thinking being human individuality and the fact that not all objects and characters have the same significance or implied meaning for all people. Id Est, a wheelbarrow appearing in a dream might be a symbol of oppression and distress because one has to use it every day for back-breaking labor, while another person might be a recreational gardener and regard it as a useful tool for a pleasant, relaxing hobby. This also relates to an e-mail exchange I've been having with my sister lately, discussing the progression of themes within my own dreams over the years, what these experiences have taught me and how they relate to my current life struggles. I've not been one to assign much meaning to dreams until lately. There is a weird dichotomy of mysticism and literalism coming forth in my life. Surprisingly, they seem to get along well.

A few years ago my dreams frequently involved fearfully running away from something that terrified me, always with that hobbled feeling like you are trying to run through deep mud or have an anchor tied to your waist. I don't recall precisely what kind of creature my pursuer was, but in one of the dreams I turned around and faced it, telling it that I was sick of running, that I accepted whatever it was that it was going to do to me and I reached out to embrace it. Then it disappeared, I woke up, and haven't had any more dreams like that. Then the general theme changed to searching, always searching for something, usually an unknown but sometimes a well-defined goal, person, or object. I don't recall what the ultimate goal was throughout this series of dreams, but I remember finding it and the general theme changed again. Now I find myself having unusual abilities and/or perspectives in these dreams. It usually involves flying, breathing underwater, reading minds, or something completely unhuman. Sometimes I'm scared and apprehensive, other times it thrills me.

Ever since I can remember, I've had unusually random dreams interspersed among the ones that I can make sense of. There is a difference in these now too. Instead of being a bit disturbed by these dreams and resisting them, now I just enjoy the silliness and flow with it. I think that having worked with Alzheimer's patients as well as folks who are developmentally handicapped or mentally ill has helped to change this perspective over the years. The dreams and real life are the same in this case. I learned a while ago that instead of resisting the madness around you, trying to change it all at once, walk through the middle of it: changing, helping, and tweaking things wherever you can.... if possible helping to prop up those who have been knocked down by it, remembering to keep a firm footing so that it does not lash out and pull you down again.

I had a particularly vivid dream lately which gave me a lot to think about, as well as bringing a further measure of peace in my life. I have already described it to my sister because it bears a lesson that has meaning for both of us and I may or may not share it here at some point in the future. I am not certain of how my dreams relate to real life, but they have drawn a lot of very close parallels in recent years. I question if the underlying significance of these dreams is mirroring my reality, or if I am subconsciously patterning my life after what I take away from these dreams. Do one's life and dreams feed off of each other in equal measure? Is it fair to even make such an evaluation because the parameters within these two worlds are so different? I am no psychologist and definitely not an expert in dream interpretation. Maybe this is just another example of me getting distracted and over-analyzing something that should just be put away for now.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Canine Humiliation

Alternative title for this post: "Methods For Promoting Homicidal/Suicidal Tendencies In Your Dog"


Today I snapped a pic of my friend J's adorable Kelpie/Australian Cattle Dog 'Piglet' modeling one of the Halloween doggie costumes that were dug out of storage to put up for sale again at the store. Yes, people actually buy these things. I kid you not, she actually had a human-like look of disgust and embarrassment when this outfit was being put on her. But dang isn't she cute!

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Torrid Writing Confessions

1. I; often; use; too; many; semicolons; and; often; in; the; wrong; places!

2. I am having a long-running love affair (with narrative, parenthetical commentary [but don't tell anyone {it's a bit of an embarassment.}])

3. There is a tendency to use long run-on sentences which often lose their point in obscurity just by the finite sheer unnecessary details and adjectives that they contain as well as the lack of proper punctuation which causes the sentence to read like it was written by a fourth grader with ADHD who is exceedingly high on energy drinks and hasn't taken his ADHD meds for several days and is very excited about a new discovery or point that he has to make and he is rattling on and on and on and on looking for attention that is not forthcoming from his audience who is presently disinterested and making small-talk above the din of his blatherings but he doesn't realize this so he just won't shut up!!!

4. I like lists and the colons preceding them:
a. categories
a1. and organizing them*
*so that they can be broken down.

b. descriptives

c. clarifications*
*with excessive footnotes

d. general absract nitpicking and clarification of minor details*
*which don't have any real bearing on the main points within the writing, often detracting from it.

5. Sesquipedalian: "given to or characterized by the use of long words." Anyone using this word in their writing or everyday speech may also be accurately portraying it's definition.
id est: I have a definitively herculean predilection toward the utilization of prodigious proliferations of a plethora of thesaurically exhaustive, erudite (and occasionally alliterative) written discourse.

6. I like to take liberties (I sometimes am arrogant enough to call it poetic license) by making up words which sound like they should be in the English dictionary, but aren't (notice the word "thesaurically" in the above sentence.)

7. My English teacher in high school was wonderful and I aced two years of college-level English. So I hate to admit that I've forgotten a good portion of what she has taught me. I wouldn't be able to diagram a simple sentence these days.

8. Even though they're considered improper English in many circles, I can't bring myself to stop using contractions in writin' n' every day speech.

9. I often edit proofread my compositions writings many multiple times before publishing posting or sending them in the form of a letter, e-mail transmission or essay. I went back and modified edited this post 2 three four five times before I was satisfied with it.