September 2008
Dreams
17 09 08 10:23
I don’t have dreams very often, but last night I had two odd ones. Not sure if it’s a good idea to post my dreams on the internet, but since I sometimes think of this blog as my journal, albeit too public to really process deeply, I’m going to take the wild risk even if some psychiatrist gleans embarrassingly personal information about me from them!
The first one was with my boss. She wanted me to explain to her under what conditions I do work for people outside my department, as though I had been making bad decisions about what projects and with whom I should work. I justified my activity as best I could while trying to get some kind of oxygen tank working despite the fact that it’s rubberized gaskets had aged and become brittle. What was most difficult about the dream was that she seemed not to approve, and to make things worse, I was completely unable to get the tank working.
Then I woke for a bit and after falling asleep I had a second dream: I was at a public stoning. Some people were apathetically stoning someone. I’m not sure what the person being stoned had done, but I had the impression it was something normal and unremarkable. It wasn’t really much of a crime: more like it was something that broke minor, irrationally derived social mores than a crime that harmed anyone. I tried hard to intervene on the so-called ‘criminal’s’ behalf but they would not stop stoning him until he was dead.
Strange dreams to have on a vacation, eh?
I don’t know if this is related, but I spent several hours on the beach yesterday alternating between swims and finally diving in to a Ray Kurzweil book, ‘The Singularity is Near.’ In the course of defining complexity, Kurzweil uses a thought provoking Einstein quote: “make everything as simple as possible, but no simpler.” Einstein probably said this in reference to achieving simpler scientific theories, but I wish we would apply it to religion and politics as well. If we simplified religion, it would eliminate scriptural literalism, which requires the oddest irrational mental calisthenics to uphold in a person’s mind.
If we applied it to politics, it might eliminate the current manifestation of the Republican party, which relies on over-simplifying, to the point of dumbing down and downright misrepresenting fiscal, environmental, and social issues to elect candidates. In fact, it seems to me that Republicans now accept a paradigm where issues are completely important, but cult of personality is all important. This approach is too simple to be responsible. Palin as president in the case of McCain’s passing, for example, is a laughable scenario. She seems like someone you could find in any family gathering, but little more. Check out Wikipedia’s article on Palin, which briefly outlines her career. It’s really quite amusing!
Anyway, I’m wandering off track. All I wanted to say was this: I wish as a culture we could agree to make things as simple as possible, but no simpler.
The first one was with my boss. She wanted me to explain to her under what conditions I do work for people outside my department, as though I had been making bad decisions about what projects and with whom I should work. I justified my activity as best I could while trying to get some kind of oxygen tank working despite the fact that it’s rubberized gaskets had aged and become brittle. What was most difficult about the dream was that she seemed not to approve, and to make things worse, I was completely unable to get the tank working.
Then I woke for a bit and after falling asleep I had a second dream: I was at a public stoning. Some people were apathetically stoning someone. I’m not sure what the person being stoned had done, but I had the impression it was something normal and unremarkable. It wasn’t really much of a crime: more like it was something that broke minor, irrationally derived social mores than a crime that harmed anyone. I tried hard to intervene on the so-called ‘criminal’s’ behalf but they would not stop stoning him until he was dead.
Strange dreams to have on a vacation, eh?
I don’t know if this is related, but I spent several hours on the beach yesterday alternating between swims and finally diving in to a Ray Kurzweil book, ‘The Singularity is Near.’ In the course of defining complexity, Kurzweil uses a thought provoking Einstein quote: “make everything as simple as possible, but no simpler.” Einstein probably said this in reference to achieving simpler scientific theories, but I wish we would apply it to religion and politics as well. If we simplified religion, it would eliminate scriptural literalism, which requires the oddest irrational mental calisthenics to uphold in a person’s mind.
If we applied it to politics, it might eliminate the current manifestation of the Republican party, which relies on over-simplifying, to the point of dumbing down and downright misrepresenting fiscal, environmental, and social issues to elect candidates. In fact, it seems to me that Republicans now accept a paradigm where issues are completely important, but cult of personality is all important. This approach is too simple to be responsible. Palin as president in the case of McCain’s passing, for example, is a laughable scenario. She seems like someone you could find in any family gathering, but little more. Check out Wikipedia’s article on Palin, which briefly outlines her career. It’s really quite amusing!
Anyway, I’m wandering off track. All I wanted to say was this: I wish as a culture we could agree to make things as simple as possible, but no simpler.
Grateful Journal
17 09 08 10:22
David’s safe return from heart surgery in Honolulu
Hawaii
09 09 08 08:29
I see from my last entry that it has been a couple months since I have updated everyone on my activities. My apologies!
In the last two months I have:
• Taught ‘Music Technology’ to mostly middle school age folks composing musique concrete pieces using iPod Recording Kits at the second annual Summer Music Camp at the College of Santa Fe in Santa Fe, NM (July 13 - 19).
• Visiting Steven and Marla one more time before they left for Singapore while in Santa Fe.
• Spending a little time with Steve, my ex, and coming to terms with some of our feelings.
• Watched more cactus bloom, hosted bats on our front porch (our house is a bat cave, apparently!), and discovered a rattlesnake, a tarantula, and an owl living in our yard.
• Travelled to Phoenix twice, once to see Melissa Etheridge and again for Dave Matthews Band.
• Proposed to Carl, who accepted! I’m engaged!
• Travelled to Hawaii, where I am right now, enjoying a 2+ week vacation.
There is probably a story behind every one of these, but I’m not going to go into details on any of them for now. Just to document that they have occurred. Besides, it will give us something to talk about next time we’re together.
For now, I’ll say that Hawaii is great fun. Thus far we have been staying in Honolulu on the island of Oahu. We leave later this morning for Kauai. Pictures say a thousand words, so I am posting a photo album here. Enjoy.
More later.
In the last two months I have:
• Taught ‘Music Technology’ to mostly middle school age folks composing musique concrete pieces using iPod Recording Kits at the second annual Summer Music Camp at the College of Santa Fe in Santa Fe, NM (July 13 - 19).
• Visiting Steven and Marla one more time before they left for Singapore while in Santa Fe.
• Spending a little time with Steve, my ex, and coming to terms with some of our feelings.
• Watched more cactus bloom, hosted bats on our front porch (our house is a bat cave, apparently!), and discovered a rattlesnake, a tarantula, and an owl living in our yard.
• Travelled to Phoenix twice, once to see Melissa Etheridge and again for Dave Matthews Band.
• Proposed to Carl, who accepted! I’m engaged!
• Travelled to Hawaii, where I am right now, enjoying a 2+ week vacation.
There is probably a story behind every one of these, but I’m not going to go into details on any of them for now. Just to document that they have occurred. Besides, it will give us something to talk about next time we’re together.
For now, I’ll say that Hawaii is great fun. Thus far we have been staying in Honolulu on the island of Oahu. We leave later this morning for Kauai. Pictures say a thousand words, so I am posting a photo album here. Enjoy.
More later.