I’ve figured it out. I’ve discovered what dreams are. They are mashups. Mashups of things that have happened to you during the day, things you’ve thought about, worried about, rejoiced about recently. Dreams are mashups of all of that and of things you read and see and taste and touch and hear.
What do you think about that Herr Freud? No sex involved.
Remember Doug? My multi-talented hair stylist/colorist & friend? He’s back to songwriting and has a fun and timely song ready for the world (and the upcoming elections).
Here are the lyrics:
It was logical to use red and blue
No one could foresee the damage it would do
Now we stand divided by a load of crap
And that terrible red state/blue state mapWhen it started I cannot say
But I will never forget November Y2K
When we stared at that damn thing every day
‘Till we began to see ourselves that wayAnd the media, whether left or right
Likes to keep it simple, paint in black and white
And the red state/blue state paradigm
Reinforced their dumb-ass storylineShape Up! Grow Up! Wise Up! Rise Up!
Wake Up! Grow Up! Wise Up! Rise Up!Everywhere I go I have always found
The greatest folks and much common ground
In this promised land there is room for all
But I fear divided we will fallAnd the problem now, from what I can see
Isn’t with the views of group A or B
But the ever growing tendency
To see the other guy as the enemyShape Up! Grow Up! Wise Up! Rise Up!
Wake Up! Grow Up! Wise Up! Rise Up!Riding shotgun with Mom and Dad
On the way to Grandma’s, they got so mad
Which road to take, they could not agree
But there was never a doubt that they both loved meSo when Glen Beck’s off his meds again
In a war of words with Keith Olberman
Over who’s the true American
Can we admit that it’s way out of handShape Up! Grow Up! Wise Up! Rise Up!
Wake Up! Grow Up! Wise Up! Rise Up!And maybe next time use yellow and green-
Music and lyrics by Doug Miller © 2010
mp3 and lyrics posted with permission
Several months ago, over coffee, a friend and I were talking about addictions and she suggested that a relative of hers (who might have a drinking problem) who watched several films a day was simply substituting films for alcohol. That the alcohol and films were being used to avoid life. After thinking about what she said, not that I necessarily agreed with her, I wondered if anything anyone did, other than breathe could be considered an addiction. What about reading? Reading for pleasure takes you out of your everyday life. What about crafts? What about reading and commenting on blogs? What about writing a blog or a journal?*
My mother used to complain that I read too much. That I should get out and hang out with friends instead of reading constantly. Was I avoiding friends/life by reading? Was I addicted to reading? Was I a wordaholic? Did my reading interfere with the rest of my life? Maybe.
In 1995 we got our first new computer and I bought the game Myst. My kids were young and I’d just gone back to teaching. I remember one day during spring break playing Myst the entire day. Was I avoiding life that day? Was I neglecting my kids? Was I a mystaholic?
Then there was the year I discovered Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. I read many of her books that summer. I remember thinking: at least I’m setting a good example for the kids — reading in front of them.
I guess what I’m trying to say is this — I know I have a predisposition for addiction — it is in my genes. Maybe my friend is right. Maybe I, like her relative, use films, television, books, wine, and the computer to escape from real life. It’s pretty sad though, if that is true. I’ve got a damned good life. Why would I need to escape?**
*I know that an answer is balance and moderation. Read, but read in moderation. Watch films, but watch in moderation. Et cetera.
**I think I know this answer too — it is not life I’m trying to escape, but my reaction to it. My ever-present feelings of insecurity and low self-esteem.
Clutch Cargo Lips 