Had a couple crazy dream things happen last night. The first was that within a minute of lying down for bedtime Denise got up to go to the bathroom. When she opened the bedroom door to come back to bed she woke me up from what seemed like a full length production of a dream! I wish I had written it down but a)I was so tired, and b)I was trippin that I had such a dream within minutes of passing out.
The other funny dream I had last night was closer to waking up this morning. I only really remember the end moments. I was playing in The Bangles as a keyboard and percussion player. When we got to the gig, the stage was jam packed with gear, I mean REALLY jam packed leaving only room to stand in one place and walk through a maze to get anywhere. The nutty part was that I was positioned in the back of the stage behind tons of gear. My 'rig' was set up in a rack sort of set up with keyboards above each other and the drums at the top; about eight feet high! I couldn't get up to them, but could just reach them with the sticks. To top it off I had no monitor or sound at all where I was, and could just barely hear enough from the front of the stage to try to follow along not really sure of what I was playing without being able to hear myself. We had no sound check, but were just sent on stage straight to playing. I could see the stage monitor sound guy well enough to give him the "what the hell is this" and " I can't hear anything" look while mouthing my thoughts to him. He was giving me the "what's your problem" and "I don't have time for you" look back.
End of dream. Woke up to my son punching me in the eye ball in his sleep (his little fist is just small enough to not catch any bone structure around my eye, and just get full eye ball contact).Now I have an ear ache in my eye. Ouch.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Fascinating
I must say, I am totally fascinated with the psychology of dreams suddenly. Psychology, right? Is that what I am fascinated by or would I put it another way? I think that's it.
Anyway, I felt compelled to fire off a quick note before I actually fall asleep, as I was doing some last minute research in bed anyway. So I'm sitting here in bed reading some email and such when my wife, who went to bed about a half hour ago and is now quite asleep, turns to me and says something. Sure that I must have mis-understood, I ask 'What's that?', to which she repeated..."Are you done with the shopping cart?"! I couldn't help but get the biggest grin and chuckle to myself while pondering my response, then replied simply 'yes'. She then appeared to be satisfied, rolled back over, and went back to what she was doing, I imagine.
Dreams are funny. I can't wait to get into mine. Goodnight:-)
Anyway, I felt compelled to fire off a quick note before I actually fall asleep, as I was doing some last minute research in bed anyway. So I'm sitting here in bed reading some email and such when my wife, who went to bed about a half hour ago and is now quite asleep, turns to me and says something. Sure that I must have mis-understood, I ask 'What's that?', to which she repeated..."Are you done with the shopping cart?"! I couldn't help but get the biggest grin and chuckle to myself while pondering my response, then replied simply 'yes'. She then appeared to be satisfied, rolled back over, and went back to what she was doing, I imagine.
Dreams are funny. I can't wait to get into mine. Goodnight:-)
Monday, August 10, 2009
From Canoes to custom basses
I'm writing the beginning of this last so I don't remember much early on. I don't know where I was, but I was there because the band had a gig. I remember it being very dark, even inside. I remember going up some stairs and there being rooms up there. The only person I remember right now was Jon Axtell. I saw him, we chatted a little and split up. There were a lot of people at this place. I was shown around by a woman at one point, I think the person who was in charge. That place seemed very real. I feel like I was there for so long but don't remember enough now. I wish I could remember more of this part because it was very interesting and detailed, clearer than normal for me. I hope it's because I am making progress remembering details. From there, my memory jumps to me having this canoe type vessel in the mountains or hills, with a Marin type feel, but I really don't know what the setting was. I was 'canoeing' down the trails. It was very exciting. I was going really fast up and down trails, through yards even when I finally ended up stuck in someones yard.
I was lost, not sure where to go or how to go. A woman came out and I was able to explain my situation to her while she listened unbelievably interested rather than angry that I was in her yard (should have been a big red flag that I was dreaming). As I explained, it seemed suddenly she was taking a bass guitar off of a stand that was in front of me on her back porch where she was standing. There was also a jazz bass still hanging on the rack. She began to play the one she took down as I was explaining my situation to her. This bass was very custom, though. It looked like carved wood and had a hinge type mechanism which she used that seemed to bend and stretch the strings to get different sounds, tones, and pitches out of it. It was quite complex but I don't know how else to describe it.
Just then, Gracie woke me up because she had had a scary dream. This was when I realized that I had been dreaming. But before writing this down and while I was comforting her, it occurred to me that this is my daughter who wakes up from her dreams (on command I might add...intentionally) quite often remembering every detail.
I listened more intently as she described her dream and began asking her questions about how she 'handled' things. She told me how if things get too scary she just wakes up. More interestingly, if someone is about to say something you don't want them to say (and I did get the impression she meant anyone, not just her) she just mouths the words she wants said instead and it changes what is said in her dream. Amazing! I was so intrigued and was not only enjoying talking with her about her dreams, she was enjoying that I was so interested and engaging in conversation, looking for her advice and examples of how she handled things.
I couldn't wait to write all this down! I waited until she felt comfortable and was ready to go back to bed and quickly started jotting all this down. I could feel the memory slipping away as I wrote so I started at the end and worked backwards. Quickly my hand started to hurt from writing so I opened up my computer and finished typing. It's still early. I hope there is much to come...
I was lost, not sure where to go or how to go. A woman came out and I was able to explain my situation to her while she listened unbelievably interested rather than angry that I was in her yard (should have been a big red flag that I was dreaming). As I explained, it seemed suddenly she was taking a bass guitar off of a stand that was in front of me on her back porch where she was standing. There was also a jazz bass still hanging on the rack. She began to play the one she took down as I was explaining my situation to her. This bass was very custom, though. It looked like carved wood and had a hinge type mechanism which she used that seemed to bend and stretch the strings to get different sounds, tones, and pitches out of it. It was quite complex but I don't know how else to describe it.
Just then, Gracie woke me up because she had had a scary dream. This was when I realized that I had been dreaming. But before writing this down and while I was comforting her, it occurred to me that this is my daughter who wakes up from her dreams (on command I might add...intentionally) quite often remembering every detail.
I listened more intently as she described her dream and began asking her questions about how she 'handled' things. She told me how if things get too scary she just wakes up. More interestingly, if someone is about to say something you don't want them to say (and I did get the impression she meant anyone, not just her) she just mouths the words she wants said instead and it changes what is said in her dream. Amazing! I was so intrigued and was not only enjoying talking with her about her dreams, she was enjoying that I was so interested and engaging in conversation, looking for her advice and examples of how she handled things.
I couldn't wait to write all this down! I waited until she felt comfortable and was ready to go back to bed and quickly started jotting all this down. I could feel the memory slipping away as I wrote so I started at the end and worked backwards. Quickly my hand started to hurt from writing so I opened up my computer and finished typing. It's still early. I hope there is much to come...
Friday, August 7, 2009
Exhausted
I feel like last night I had huge dreams, yet I completely lost my focus. I mention not that I went to bed around 2am, not that I'm not used to that, but it leaves me a bit exhausted and I still have to get up early.
What do I mean by losing my focus? I don't remember hardly any of it. I do somehow remember that I did in fact dream a lot, but in the course of dreaming I don't believe the idea of being aware or recording details ever occurred to me. It was not until I'd woke up this morning and was just laying there in exhaustion and a little pain and it hit me. WHAM! Crap, I forgot to record! Quick, remember...remember...remember...
There was a medium-large body of water. It seemed natural but was so still and I think square that it may not have been. You could see the other side from where I remember being. There was also a short wall on one side where near the end of my dream Lili and I were crossing on a small ledge on the side of the wall.
I remember this dream being long and detailed, but don't remember of the detail. Bummer.
What do I mean by losing my focus? I don't remember hardly any of it. I do somehow remember that I did in fact dream a lot, but in the course of dreaming I don't believe the idea of being aware or recording details ever occurred to me. It was not until I'd woke up this morning and was just laying there in exhaustion and a little pain and it hit me. WHAM! Crap, I forgot to record! Quick, remember...remember...remember...
There was a medium-large body of water. It seemed natural but was so still and I think square that it may not have been. You could see the other side from where I remember being. There was also a short wall on one side where near the end of my dream Lili and I were crossing on a small ledge on the side of the wall.
I remember this dream being long and detailed, but don't remember of the detail. Bummer.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Baby steps & patience
I managed to wake up after a dream last night and record some details. I also was somewhat aware a several other dreams I did not wake up to record nor do I remember any of the details other than having them. You win some you lose some.
I was with someone (I think Denise) looking at sites, like a cross between building sites and camp sites, where you could build a small cabin like structure about the size of a pup tent. The 'cabins' are about big enough to sit up in. I remember sitting in one with my head tilted and my neck hurting because the ceiling was too low (I eventually woke up with my neck hurting). I eventually found a model with a loft bed making the ceiling a bit higher, but still not high enough to stand in. Someone asked if there was power and I was surprised to find two wall outlets.
Some others who were there were John Breglia, Tim DeGaugh, Laura Secour, and several others who I don't remember, also looking at cabins. For some reason Tim and Laura were looking for a cabin together.
Unfortunately I was unaware I was dreaming until I suddenly woke up, but did manage to grab some paper at that moment and write some notes on what I could recall.
That's all for now. Can't wait til the next dream!
I was with someone (I think Denise) looking at sites, like a cross between building sites and camp sites, where you could build a small cabin like structure about the size of a pup tent. The 'cabins' are about big enough to sit up in. I remember sitting in one with my head tilted and my neck hurting because the ceiling was too low (I eventually woke up with my neck hurting). I eventually found a model with a loft bed making the ceiling a bit higher, but still not high enough to stand in. Someone asked if there was power and I was surprised to find two wall outlets.
Some others who were there were John Breglia, Tim DeGaugh, Laura Secour, and several others who I don't remember, also looking at cabins. For some reason Tim and Laura were looking for a cabin together.
Unfortunately I was unaware I was dreaming until I suddenly woke up, but did manage to grab some paper at that moment and write some notes on what I could recall.
That's all for now. Can't wait til the next dream!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
First Night
I blew it. The first thing you're supposed to do is wake up during or immediately after your dreams and write down the things you can remember, to build a list of consistencies, things you can use to recognize and recall your dreams. Instead I already tried to take action and control my actions, or at least be really aware of myself. In my first dream I'm not sure if I was aware, but I normally don't remember my dreams at all, so I think I was somewhat aware enough to remember what I did. In the second dream that I remember, once I did realize I was dreaming and was aware of it, I tried to let it roll and keep going. Didn't work. However, I did wake up because it was now morning and am typing this.
Dream 1:
I was with someone, don't know who, but I'm sure someone was with me. We were in a car, I think delivering something to a house where I happened to know one of the people who live there. When someone else answered the door I asked if 'Michele', the person I know was there. She said there was no such person there. I finished my business and started to walk away, but once the door shut I turned back to listen through the door. I heard the person I was talking to telling Michele I was asking about her.
The next thing I remember is going in the house looking for her and trying to figure out what was going on there. I looked around a bit I'm sure but don't quite remember much.
The one clearly strange thing here was a door off of the living room, that when I opened and looked in was like the size of a closet but was empty with no floor. It was like a large laundry shoot, just dropping and curving slightly. When I reached my head in far enough and low enough I could see past the curve, and saw that the drop was extremely far for a track house in the city, maybe 50ft! Very strange yet I don't remember if this tipped me off, but I do know I didn't do wake up or take action. I did peak back in the door another time but I think I was either scared of falling in and being caught or just being caught from behind. I looked around a bit more.
That's about all I remember of that one.
Dream 2:
I later had a dream that may have been in the same house. I'm not sure, but the room I remember seemed to be like one of the rooms in the first dream yet I don't remember it being related. This time there was a girl there I recognized who used to babysit for us, but I don't remember her name. I'm not sure what was happening there, but I got the impression it was something Illegal like growing pot or soliciting sex. About this time I was aware I was dreaming and things started to fade. I tried to relax but it didn't seem to help. When things got really blury, almost gone, I tried to spin. I'm not sure if I understand that tactic, but in my dream I physically tried to spin around. I think I was doing it, but it all seemed to be fading away anyway.
That's about when I woke up for the day. Slightly disappointed that I didn't remember to wake up and journal, or have some control in the dreams. Then I realized I've already succeeded to some extent in even remembering some of my dreams, and that in at least one I did become aware. Probably a good start. Funny, in that I normally dread sleep as a hugely unproductive block of time (roughly one third of your life!), and now I'm looking forward to it.
Dream 1:
I was with someone, don't know who, but I'm sure someone was with me. We were in a car, I think delivering something to a house where I happened to know one of the people who live there. When someone else answered the door I asked if 'Michele', the person I know was there. She said there was no such person there. I finished my business and started to walk away, but once the door shut I turned back to listen through the door. I heard the person I was talking to telling Michele I was asking about her.
The next thing I remember is going in the house looking for her and trying to figure out what was going on there. I looked around a bit I'm sure but don't quite remember much.
The one clearly strange thing here was a door off of the living room, that when I opened and looked in was like the size of a closet but was empty with no floor. It was like a large laundry shoot, just dropping and curving slightly. When I reached my head in far enough and low enough I could see past the curve, and saw that the drop was extremely far for a track house in the city, maybe 50ft! Very strange yet I don't remember if this tipped me off, but I do know I didn't do wake up or take action. I did peak back in the door another time but I think I was either scared of falling in and being caught or just being caught from behind. I looked around a bit more.
That's about all I remember of that one.
Dream 2:
I later had a dream that may have been in the same house. I'm not sure, but the room I remember seemed to be like one of the rooms in the first dream yet I don't remember it being related. This time there was a girl there I recognized who used to babysit for us, but I don't remember her name. I'm not sure what was happening there, but I got the impression it was something Illegal like growing pot or soliciting sex. About this time I was aware I was dreaming and things started to fade. I tried to relax but it didn't seem to help. When things got really blury, almost gone, I tried to spin. I'm not sure if I understand that tactic, but in my dream I physically tried to spin around. I think I was doing it, but it all seemed to be fading away anyway.
That's about when I woke up for the day. Slightly disappointed that I didn't remember to wake up and journal, or have some control in the dreams. Then I realized I've already succeeded to some extent in even remembering some of my dreams, and that in at least one I did become aware. Probably a good start. Funny, in that I normally dread sleep as a hugely unproductive block of time (roughly one third of your life!), and now I'm looking forward to it.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Dream Journaling: An experiment in sleep & dreaming
I've only just this evening discovered actual studies on lucid dreaming; recalling, being self aware, and controlling one's dreams. And I've not only found studies, but forums and instruction on developing your own abilities in lucid dreaming.
I was immediately intrigued as I've been experimenting with sleep for a couple months now, more along the lines of polyphasic sleep; sleeping in very short sleep cycles, several times throughout the day, resulting in less total hours slept in a day. The idea being to maximize awake time in order to gain more productive hours in any given day. It's worked fine so far but while I seem to have energy and alertness for more hours per day, I have seemed to lose motivation to be productive for so many hours, despite having work to be done. I think it's more personal than a result of the experiment, but who knows. I'll try it again someday, but for now I'm bored with polyphasic sleep cycles.
Thus, this experiment has come at a good time and the idea is fresh and exciting to me. So today I am going to read up on the topic and begin experimenting with my own dreams. Here we go...
I was immediately intrigued as I've been experimenting with sleep for a couple months now, more along the lines of polyphasic sleep; sleeping in very short sleep cycles, several times throughout the day, resulting in less total hours slept in a day. The idea being to maximize awake time in order to gain more productive hours in any given day. It's worked fine so far but while I seem to have energy and alertness for more hours per day, I have seemed to lose motivation to be productive for so many hours, despite having work to be done. I think it's more personal than a result of the experiment, but who knows. I'll try it again someday, but for now I'm bored with polyphasic sleep cycles.
Thus, this experiment has come at a good time and the idea is fresh and exciting to me. So today I am going to read up on the topic and begin experimenting with my own dreams. Here we go...
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