Antiques Roadshow!

See, I've been watching the swedish version of the Antiques Roadshow (Antikrundan) for quite awhile now.

Now and then, people bring in paintings that turn out to be made by Picasso, and are worth umpteen hundred thousands.

That got me thinking, what if I were to suddenly find myself in posession of a genuine Picasso?

Well, I think I'd sell it. Honestly, I couldn't really appreciate such a painting. I'm no expert on paintings, and they don't really appeal that much to me. Quite frankly, the money would be much more useful than the painting ever could.

A fine bottle of whisky, that I can appreciate. An exceptional electric guitar, very much so. But a painting? Nope

Also, the problem is that having quite an average home, looking pretty average in all regards would look ridiculous with a genuine Picasso on a wall somewhere. It'd be the tackiest, most tasteless display of wealth, very "The Great Gatsby", no matter how queer or oblique that reference is.

So, I'd sell it to someone who can really appreciate it, and I'd get the money which I can most certainly appreciate!

Lucid Dreaming...again!

See, I'm trying my best at sharpening my skills at this, but, even though I'm getting better at it, there are still a few things that stand in my way.

Firstly, achieving a lucid state while dreaming is difficult. It's not even close to something I can do with any reliability. It's more of a random treat that randomly pops up.

Essentially, the brain is wired to trick itself while dreaming, to prevent the person from realizing how weird everything is. Thusly, in order to achieve lucidity, you have to trick the brain back. You have to somehow push it into registering that something is going on that can't go on unless it's a dream. My favourite one is covering my mouth and nose with my hand, so I shouldn't be able to breathe. If I can still breathe, I'm dreaming, and I can realize it. Of course, this doesn't always work, as the brain is quick to come up with explanations, like that I'm not covering my mouth and nose well enough, but at times it does the trick alright.

Secondly, I have only ever managed completely lucid dreaming once. By that I mean that I was fully aware of that I was dreaming. What I have achieved at other times is being lucid in the second layer of dreaming. For those who've watched Inception, you'll understand. I can be lucid, but I'm actually just dreaming inside the dream.

Thirdly, it's rather hard to decide what to do. Lucid dreaming is the purest freedom one could possibly have. You can conjure any item or person, move to any location, do whatever you want. Also, perhaps most importantly, you can do anything without repercussions or any moral considerations, as none of it is real. So, what do you do? You can satisfy any desire, experience any thrill, and you know that all of it will be gone once you wake up.

What do I do when that happens? That's my little secret. But, suffice it to say, only your imagination sets the boundaries for what can happen. You are completely and utterly free to do whatever you want, and able to do it.

Maybe you should read up on lucid dreaming, and attempt it yourself. It'll take lots of practice, but it's possible. There are even people who have interviewed characters in their own dreams, to figure out things about their own psyche.

Guilty pleasures!

I'm sure we all have them, but I'm the only one stupid enough to actually list them.

I'd just like to preface it with that I'm not actually ashamed of the things listed here. I'm actually quite proud of them, as they are evidence of unique a unique blend of characteristics. That said, I know that I'm not supposed to like these things, as if I give a shit.

I'll just list them in no particular order. Oh, and it's all music.

¤ Barry Manilow. I find that he's got a wonderful singing voice, is a really good pianist and a great entertainer. Mandy is a really good song, and some of his covers of other people's songs I enjoy just as much as the original, or, as in the case of Unchained Melody, more, as I feel he's made the very best version of the song. This is doubly a guilty pleasure because one of my favourite songs by him is "Can't Smile Without You", which is what could be considered "Dansband" in Sweden.

¤ Westlife. Now, now, don't beat me down over it just yet. There's a lot of shit to be had here, but they have a number of great songs, my big favourite of which is "Flying Without Wings". Sure, they are a bunch of pretty-boys making sweet-as-sugar songs, but there are quite some good ones in there.

¤ "Jag Tycker Om När Du Tar På Mig" by Per Gessle. I can't hide it, I love that song. It's silly, corny and some other adjectives ending with -y, but I love it. The whole feel of the song is just so ridiculously romantic, and those words happen to be the best description you'll find of my approach to love.

¤ Michael Bolton. Pretty much the same reason as the one above; his songs are corny as all hell, but that's fine, because they are so bloody romantic!

¤ The Osmonds...nah, just kidding, I'm not THAT stupid!