Tag: daydreaming

Waiting

I had yesterday off as a paid holiday. I only get a handful of paid holidays all year, so it was nice to just sit around, and not feel bad about not making money. But it wasn’t a real holiday, at least not in the sense I would like it to be. One of the chief complaints I had about being in school was that downtime was just a period of waiting. You could do some stuff on the side, and even get some interesting stuff achieved, but soon enough you’d have to get back to doing school work and focusing on studies. This kept my mind from seeking larger projects, and kept me thinking and living in the very near future.

Work isn’t quite the same, likely because there is actually less downtime. I don’t have as much time that could otherwise be spent thinking about things I would rather be doing than work. There isn’t the massive summer break which will end. But yesterday just served as a reminder to me of what I’m working towards. I want to be able to get up, and be able to pursue nearly anything, whether it takes 5 minutes or 5 months. Just as school used to loom over my free time, so does work. I want to be free of that, even for a short time.

In between school and work, I was no closer, since the thought of making money to reach both immediate and distant goals was ever present. The last time I felt close to free of things was when we traveled last summer. Though we still had deadlines to meet, and places to be, the time in between festivals was an incredibly free time. Not perfect, but not bad. I think I’ll get there. But in the meantime, I’m not sure I want many more paid vacations.

Full Plate

Stunningly busy as of late. I’m stunned. Long days dealing with waste oil, then nights at my computer designing websites. I don’t feel like a webdesigner, since I still have a fairly light load, but I’m finding myself always having something to do. I’m looking forward to that tapering off. I’m confident it will. The apartment is only getting nicer, and it’s great having cool people in it.

I think I’ve settled on the direction in which I’ll be moving forward. I’m going to convert the bus into a full-time livable rig, making Anne Marie my new home. Once I move in, it should be three to four years until I’m ready to retire, or at least give up full time work for good. I see no reason I wouldn’t be able to move in by next spring. I’m sure I’ll find a reason, but I don’t see one yet. It seems I’m actually on track with my five-year-plan, which is surprising.

The other option was building a tiny trailered house, and I think that wouldn’t be the best option for me. There is more space in a bus, it looks a lot cooler, and I have most of the stuff I need already. Buying a trailer and a truck to tow it, and getting a foot less width were all deal breakers. I love the aesthetic of tiny trailered houses, and I’d love to help build one some day, but I don’t think I’ll build one for myself. I keep looking at these pictures and dreaming about what my bus will look like in twelve months. It’s nice to be daydreaming again.

Life is pretty good right now.

Free Thought

I love the fact that I have Applied Daydreaming on my resume. In it I describe the club as “an on campus organization that encouraged setting time aside for unstructured thought.” It’s something I don’t do often anymore, though I really should, and want to (much like reading, I suppose). I drove to my parent’s house and back for dinner tonight, to see my sister off to Italy, where she’ll be studying abroad for the semester. On the way back, I found myself wrapped up in thoughts like I used to be while at the daydreaming club. Kind of an odd occurrence, since on the way there I was tired and bored, to the point where I was fighting to keep my eyelids from getting heavy. The next few posts are me trying to capture what I thought about, but they’ll be woefully incomplete, and probably half-baked, but that’s ok.

Applied Daydreaming for Jesus

Last Monday’s Applied Daydreaming session was amusing. Both Dan and I went, and 3 other people came. None of them had been before, so I briefly explained it, and we started daydreaming. Afterwards, we started to talk about what we daydreamed about and other things, and they had really unexpected remarks. One of the guys talked about how the music disturbed him (it was a set from chillits, mostly synthesizer drones), and how he wasn’t really able to daydream. He didn’t really like the idea of it because it seemed so selfish and empty, as opposed to the hour he spent in the morning praying.

The girl had journaled a bit about daydreaming and other things, and she mentioned that she was also a Christian, but I got the sense that she couldn’t daydream much either. We started into a philosophical conversation about daydreaming, religion, and some Eastern philosophies. The third guy seemed pretty convinced that I was looking for something, and asked me if I did drugs. He told us he used to do drugs until he found Jesus, and then told us about his two near death experiences, but didn’t really tell us how they related to anything. Eventually we got as far as we could, and went our separate ways. Dan and I are not religious, and while I’m glad they’re happy, it seems like they’re taking it a bit too far when they cannot enjoy daydreaming. Maybe that’s just me.

Applied Daydreaming Update

So, some updates. The first meeting of the club was really cool. There were 8 people all in all, and I didn’t know any of them. I’m pretty happy that so many people found out about it by chance, and came. I went with the audiobook of Moby Dick, and it was really boring. Though, it was boring to the point that I didn’t enjoy it. Next week, no one came, which amused me to no end. I went with Chillits over the audiobook. In fact, I’ve gone with Chillits every week since. Though it is still very, very small group, I’m hoping it can still grow. I probably need a better time for it.

One week, I got an email from a girl who wanted to write an article about the club for her journalism class. That was the second week of the club, and I was alone when she showed up. I’m not sure what she thought of me by the end of the interview, but her article was probably funny. This week, I’ve been contacted by someone who writes for the paper, and they’ll be by the club on Monday. That should be amusing too. At least I won’t be the only one there.

Conclusion: Schedule the club at a good time, and make the environment relaxed – not boring.

Applied Daydreaming Syllabus

Applied Daydreaming
Instructor: Som Juan
0 Credits – Fall 2008
Meets M/W/F – Time/Place: TBD

Prerequisites
Childhood.

Part I: Course Description and Requirements
You are expected to bring a piece of paper and writing utensil to every class. It is up to you whether you use them or not, but you are expected to bring them.
Each class will feature selected readings from Wuthering Heights, Moby Dick, The Joy Luck Club, and other works conducive to daydreaming. Class will be dismissed 15-20 minutes before the scheduled time to allow people a chance to share what they thought about.

Part II: Class Participation
Strictly forbidden. There will be no questions allowed during class, and any other distractions that would disrupt other students are highly discouraged.
If, however, you wish to practice public speaking, or otherwise help out with the class, talk to the instructor after class. It can be arranged for you to read from the text during one or more of the class sessions.

Part III: Course Objectives
The aim of this course is to help students rediscover daydreaming by exposing them to situations where daydreaming is unavoidable. This is not a course discussing the merits, styles, or philosophy of daydreaming.

Part IV: Grading Policy
Grades are based entirely on attendance. There will be no test or quizzes, and all homework is optional. At the end of the semester, the student will grade their own performance based on the quality and quantity of their class sessions.