Monday, December 22, 2008

Bored and asleep

Well, haven't really had much inspiration to write anything. Not that much is really happening these days and after a while it can be a bit alienating just going around to random places in Tokyo and not really speaking much to anyone. But everyone has seen Lost in Translation right? So that sort of feels like a cliche. Further, I think I'm starting to get those grad student blues. You know the why am I doing this, going into huge debt and so forth, wasting my twenties (Perhaps the fact that I am a week away from being close to 30 than I am to 20 has something to do with that?). And complaining about your age on your birthday! Never done that, and such a cliche! I'm also inexplicably tired and constantly oversleeping. And the topic of sleep brings me to something.
I was reading Robertson Davies' The Manticore. I suppose most people haven't read it, so the basic idea is that the main character in the book is undergoing psychoanalysis by a Jungian in Zurich. It made me a bit interested to read more about Jung. But anyway, the doctor has him writing down all kinds of notes about himself, especially about his dreams. Normally recording dreams would seem to me to be self-indulgent and embarassing, the kind of thing I would never do. But since I feel like I am not doing or writing down that much now, maybe I should give it a shot? My basic conclusion after a few nights was that I am somehow too lazy for this. When I just wake up, the last thing I feel like doing is writing down dreams, and I write them in a way that is non-comprehensible. Actually, I find that about dreams in general. I have a great thought, ready to keep it when I first wake up, but after 5 or 10 minutes it starts to seem kind of ridiculous (combined with the vagueness of the memory) and I am just thinking "no that can't be it, what was it, what was it??" Actually, it was interesting because we had a discussion about something like this at a friend's dinner party. Basically he was talking about one of his lab mates and how this lab mate always tells everyone his dreams. An American and I were both a bit shocked that this would be usual lab conversation and giving each other looks that were like "too much personal information!" So anyway, there may be a few people that are psychologists reading this so I was wondering if you could tell me more about recording dreams, or if you, or anyone really, has ever done it. I had a friend a few years back who wanted to put them on video (I think I agreed to volunteer to do that, though immediately I was hoping that I would never have to!).

2 comments:

SITNA said...

hey, got internet connection! it is quite slow but does the job and it is a prepayed thing hahah, funny right? everything is alright here, a bit hectic. Tony left today :(

But anyway, guess what? in relation to your blog post, I am reading Jung's autobiography right now! it is called "Jung. Memories, dreams and reflections" it is fascinating, I like this guy! Anyways, good luck with recording dreams, it just takes practice to remember them.

Michael said...

Oh, interesting. Actually I kind of remember you telling me something about Jung before, now that you mention it. How's Benin? Are you in the city for now?