So my internet connection is still here. I am dazed but happy. I have no idea when it's going to die on me, so I'll try not to think about it.

I've just been home with my parents for a few days (I'm off work on holiday this week). It was nice. I did nothing. Although I did end up walking through this beautiful meadow. The meadow was too overgrown to sit in, but it was beautiful. The sun was shinning, the breeze was blowing, and you couldn't hear anything apart from the chirping of a multitude of crickets. It's hard to find anywhere more peaceful. I was captivated. I could have stayed there all afternoon, but sadly we were just passing through.

The pictures don't do it justice. You had to be there. But suffice to say, my imagination ran away with me for a little while.

The other thing I did at home was read. A lot. I finished reading the book, Counting Sheep by Paul Martin, which I think I've mentioned here before. I liked it so much when I read part of it at Theresa's house, that I had to buy my own copy. It's absolutely fascinating. I couldn't put it down; and for a non-fiction book, that's saying something. I would recommend that everyone reads this book. It will change your life. I feel like it's changed mine.
The book is all about the science and psychology of sleep. It's main argument is that no-one gets enough sleep anymore, and that the world would be a much nicer place if they did. Think about it. Do you feel like you've gotten enough sleep when your alarm is ringing in your ear in the morning? Chances are you don't. Do you feel tired all the time? Chances are you do. Sleep deprivation is common, and it makes people unhappy. But society is a funny thing, as is peer pressure. In today's society sleeping is something that people don't care about. It is a common view that you are lazy if you sleep in late, but it's also a common view that you're boring if you go to bed early. People who can get by on little sleep are admired for how much they can fit into their day. Considering how health conscious people are nowadays, it's surprising that sleep is held in such low esteem. Sure, eating healthily and doing exercise is good, but sleeping is important for your health too. Perhaps even more important. A person can go for longer without food than they can without sleep.
Well I've had it with peer pressure. This book has made me realise what we all know: sleeping feels good. I enjoy sleep. I enjoy dreams. And I'm not going to feel guilty for doing something that I enjoy. You know, I think I've felt guilty every time I've taken a nap in the past 18 years. Every time. Well not any more! From now on I am going to sleep as much as I want, and I'm not going to feel guilty about it!

So...dreaming. The parts of the book about dreaming are the most interesting to me. It's fascinating. And it's surprising when you realise how active your brain is while you're dreaming. Sleep is not downtime; rather, it's another state of being (for lack of a better phrase). Everything you dream seems like nonsense, but it is as equally a valid part of your mind as your waking self. It's quite scary to think about. Especially because we hardly remember any of it. I'm sure it's only because we remember being awake more that we use only our waking self to define who we are. I think I might be talking nonsense, but just think about it; we don't just switch off when we sleep; it's a large part of our lives, and therefore a large part of who we are.

So I've really been paying attention to my sleep over the past few days (not having to go to work helps). I've kind of decided that I shouldn't be scared of the idea of having a lucid dream, and maybe I should try to have one. I almost did have one, but I didn't because I'm rubbish. I dreamt that I was checking for dream signs so if I could tell if I was dreaming or not. The theory is that you realise that you're dreaming because things like books and mirrors and clocks don't work so well in a dream, and once you realise you're dreaming: Congratulations! You're in a lucid dream! So I dreamt that I was looking at a plant and in a mirror. My reflection was in the mirror, and I could make out the separate leaves on the plant, but everything was much more fuzzy than in real life. However, the dream me concluded that I just wasn't wearing my glasses, and therefore what I was seeing was just a product of myopia and not a dream, and that I must be awake. So my dream didn't become lucid and it continued on it's merry way. How can I be so rubbish? I can't even tell the difference between real and not real? How disappointing.
I've also been dreaming about watching animations of CLAMP manga. In both dreams I had, the animation quality was amazing, and both times Kamui was in the animation. In the second dream I noted how the animation was much better than Tsubasa Chronicle. In conclusion: I obviously have high expectations for Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations.

So before I go now and sleep. I shall leave you with a quote with a beautiful metaphor that was given in Counting Sheep. It was taken from Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë:

I've dreamt in my life dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas; they've gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the colour of my mind.