elanya

I had two dreams, or dream bts last night, with a common theme. I'm goignnto relate the basics here, but they were both very detailed, and had more dialogue.

The First reminded me of Sin City, the story with Bruce Willis. The protagonist basically looked like that character, but I think he was a criminal. They'd been involved with something shifty, but I don't remember the details. I think he was actually doing something illegal, though, as opposed to just framed for something. However, he was caught in a trap that was organized by a sort of evil cop, and one of his lackeys. After he was arrested, the evil cop made him an offer in a long monologue-ish soliloquy, about how he was really in charge of things, and had this wonderful scheme, how the lackey he was using (an evil but beautiful woman, who was a criminal herself, and also wearing a lot of tight leather and stiletto heeled boots, I'll note) was part of it. It basically involved some weird psyological conditioning, but I'm not sure if the cop said as much, or if my guy just knew from the cop's infamy. They had beaten the protagonist guy pretty bad, so at first he was just sort of 'fuck you, I'd rather die!' knowing full well that hey would let him just die if he refused them. Then, after he had a chance to think about it, and realized that if he just died, that they would 'win', and he would never have a chance for revenge. So, he changed his mind, and decided that he had to at least live so that he could have that chance. So he got them talking about it, more, but he was really all defiant in his mind. He hoped that once he got insuide the justice system, they would give him enough leway, in order to bring him into their program, that he could break it open and destroy them.

In the second dream, the protagonists were a couple who were fairly young, and the girl's younger brother. The exact circumstances of what was going on changed as the dreams did, but it is the end part that is important. I'll leave out the bizare native American Sailor Moon look alike contest caravan bit, because I'm not sure wtf that was all about, or how/if it was relevant o_O The important point was that the girl's family was royal, and the boy's was not. They intended to marry anyway, because they were in love. I think her parents were dead, as well, and their kingdom was being ruled by a priest-regent-y type. The little brother, who was somewhere between the ages of 8-13, hated them with an evil passion. He wanted to kill them, because he knew that if his sister married, her husband would become king, and he didn't thnk this guy was worthy. The couple were... Okay, I think the dream started out as something else and *became* this one, so I'll just tell the story and not the actual dream. This is a bit dissorganized, but bear with me.
The couple were either returning from somewhere, or out for a walk. They were following a path through the woods where, during some recent war, some bunch of rubies had been lost (shades of ASOIAF, anyone?), and over the years there had been a lot of people who'd tried to find them, but none had. I think it was along a dried-up stream bed. In any case, the brother was following and trying to kill them. There were some bike chase stuff, as they tried to escape, and my perspective kept changing from the kid to the boy. Eventually, the boy caught the brother and threw him over the side of a steep hill, to give them enough time to get to their destination. He knew that he might have killed him, but realized that it was his only option at the time, even though he hadn't wanted to do it. The couple reached a little chapel where they were married, just in time, in a ceremony that involved tying together these coloured rope bracelets. Once the boy was married to the princess, he automatically started acting like he was born to be a good ruler. When the brother came in, broken and battered from his fall, but still intent on murder, the new preince seized him, and gently considered mercy, because the kid was now his nephew. He decided that he would send the kid into exile with some rather severe monks, to give him a chance to grow up and mellow out some, but in a place where he wouldn't be a threat to the new prince and his wife. But he also told the kid that if he tried to kill them again, he would have him executed, because there is only so much you can forgive, and because he didn't ant to have to be on the lookout alll the time for assassins and etc. He left the kid in the hands of the ex-regent/priest, because he had to go somewhere. He didn't get very far, though, because he heard that a procession of priests had come to collect the regent. He rode back to their castle and saw the priest, dressed like al the others, rejoining their ranks. The ex-regent apologized, but said that according to his vows, he had to go when they came for him. The prince asked where the kid was, and was told that he'd been left in the care of, well, someone less careful. So, he ran back into the castle. The next scene didn't play out for me, but he found the kid with a knife, spying on his sister. I woke up, but he was trying to decide what to do with the kid, since he'd told him that continuing to be an evil murderous creature would get him killed, but at the same time, he hadn't been watched properly and hadn't been sent away to have his chance to really reform. But it was clear that the kid was really really full of hatred...

In both dreams, the people were offered a chance to join the groups they had been trying to oppose, and rejected the offer. In one, the person was in the right, because he was in opposition to evil, but in the second dream, the kid himself was evil. It seemed really significant when I woke up this morning. Also, they were pretty cool dreams.

Now I have to go read more of the France book, although I got through a bunch of it yesterday.

I've been reading a lot lately, and I've been finding that it is really *really* tiring. I went to bed yesterday at midnight, after reading since 8. i didn't wake up until 9:40 or so. I've been reading all mornign, more or less, too. Well, I'll say since 11 or so. I've already had to take one half hour nap, and I'm still really *really* tied.

It is partly that the book is just really dense, material wise. It is a very comprehensive synthesis of French history for pretty much the whole of the long eighteenth century. but this is a little much. And i've just realized why... I think I need new glasses. Straining my eyes to read without glasses tires me, in this same way, but I have been using them. but when I let my eyes relax (I don't always realize when I am straining them), I can't make out the words. And at this point, they're so messed up that I can barely read the keys on my keyboard, and the text on my screennis also pretty fuzzy. For the record, I am far-sighted.

Well, I don't know what I should do. Should I try and make an eye appointmentr somewhere? I have relatively new frames, and my lenses have never been too expensive. But I'm not sure if any of that is covered my my insurance. I guess I'll need to look into that. And in the men time, try to read i small doses. And tell myself I *don't* need another nap -_-

I can't think of anything interesting to title this post, so it gets nothing.

I have read about 150 pages of the France Book today, and there are about 200 left to go. This is fairly encouraging. I just had a thought about goign to see Dr. Terjanian about it, but I doubt she will be around tomorrow. Ahh well. It is only ten here, so I am wondering if I should plug on with my reading, and get as much done as possible, or whether I should take a *real* break, and watch a movie or something. Since I can do that. I could watch some Invader Zim (It is the only think I have that is episodic, and thus short), and then read some more, but I'm not sure if I'm in the mood.

the problem with focusing so much on the french Book is twofold. One, it is bad on my eyes. two: I haven't been getting anything done on my thesis, because I'm dedicating all my time to reading And that's fair: I do have to do my course work, afterall. I should have made *more* time for reading earlier, really. But I haven;t achieved anything thesis wise since I finished with that one paper. I'm trying to decide what would really suit me best to do next: should I tidy up the other papers, or should I start working on the giant huge outline of doom that Dr. Ewen wants me to do? he is one of those people who is convinced that outlines are The Way To Do Things. I am aware of their utility, but I often find the struture they offer too confining. Still, it would give me something to do, to help me know if I am on the right track. On the other hand, I am wary of turning my thesis into somethign that is, in the end, not *my* project, if I follow every whikim of my director. I am probably being over-cautious at this point, especially as I haven't even met with my committee as a whole yet. an outline would be helpful, I'm sure: I just hate doing them. I tend to work like my sister in some respects. Often the ideas I am trying to express formulate best as I am trying to express them... as I am doing the actual writing, they develop and go off in ways that, when I sit down to do an outline, I can't always forsee. On the other hand, I think it could be a useful tool for *communication*, if nothing else. I find that academics often hear what they want to, not what you actually say to them :p

So, maybe I will watch a little of something, and crack open word to start on that. Bleah.

Is there anyone out there who might be interested in going to a concert with me, in Asheville? :p Maybe? someone? ;_; It is only 14$, I'd help pay for gas and room if necesry...

It is The Decemberists! On Sept. 29...

Edit: Lets make this into a more generally music related post.

First off, I am wondering if anyone out there mught be interested in exchanging mixed CDs? I have a slew of stuff that I can play with, if you ant to do themes, or if you are curious about any of the stuff I listen to, or if you want to sample anything I've got, or if there is something I have that you *know* you want... whatever. Anyone?

Second, I am wondering if anyone knows of decent free software for recording voice tracks?

Thanks :)