Thread: rcarter's workbook

And this was Week 4, my friends. Just a quick review of the week's events before we move on to the next episode.
The biggest news is that all the daytime practice begins to seep into my dreams. This week I had one moment of actual critical reflection (something that was unheard of before in my dreams) and at least two pseudo-lucid experiences, possibly more, that all ended after a few seconds with the dream collapsing on itself and me having a false awakening. Still, progress. I've never been a particularly fast learner.
In other news:
I had a particularly vivid dream on Saturday and made my first official DJ entry here, check it out!
WBTB isn't doing my body a whole lot of good. Maybe I'll need to adjust the alarm a bit (or train natural awakening more), but for the moment I just want to sleep.
Next week, I want to concentrate on getting some high quality sleep (mostly just going to bed early every day without exception, possibly no WBTB next weekend, we'll see) as well as a bit more daytime practice to increase awareness and recall. For prospective memory, I'll do LaBerge's tasks (you know, the ones where you pick four different points of the day each day at which you have to remember doing a RC), and for recall I'll review the day's events each evening before going to sleep.
As usual, I'll update this post over the next seven days with short descriptions of my nightly experiences, as well as a list of the prospective memory challenges, which ones I did and which ones I missed.

Monday, November 2
Went to sleep at 8:30pm and slept till the alarm woke me at 5:00am. My dreams were very nonsensical and confusing, just like the night before.
Number of dreams: 2, barely
Time spent sleeping: 8 hours 30 minutes
Dream signs: An old classmate.

Do a reality check when...
...you write something for the first time that day. Check.
...you drink something for the first time that day. Nope.
...you hear someone say your name the first time that day. Nope.
...you feel pain for the first time that day. Nope.
Well, that was a fucking embarassment.

This morning was very foggy and dark. On the way to work, the light of a streetlamp shining through the leaves of a tree looked like "godrays". It looked so magnificent and so much like a videogame that I had to do several reality checks, just to be sure.

Tuesday, November 3
Went to sleep at 9:30pm and woke up naturally at 3:30. I really wanted to write something down, but I was so incredibly tired I couldn't muster the discipline. Went back to sleep and slept till the alarm woke me at 5:00am. My dreams were a bit less confusing, but still as nonsensical. My dead cat nibbled my upper lip trying to kiss me (the sensation was quite life-like), then we went to a gallery with 19th century paintings, he turned into a snake and got business advice from the gallery's clerk and part-time fraudster, a tree man called Silvan.
Number of dreams: 2
Time spent sleeping: 7 hours 30 minutes
Dream signs: My childhood home, my dead cat, my mother, an old acquaintance.

Do a reality check when...
...you hear music for the first time that day. Check.
...you hear laughter for the first time that day. Check.
...you put something in the garbage the first time that day. Check.
...you see a traffic light the first time that day. Check.
Now that's more like it.

Wedsnesday, November 4
Went to sleep at 9:00pm and slept till the alarm woke me at 5:00am. This night some fat guy who was my landlord tried to beat me up with a baseball bat (really felt the bat as I tried to shield my body with my arms, and use only the fleshy part so it wouldn't break my bones), so I gave him a face full of pepper spray and broke his arms and legs with his stupid bat.
Number of dreams: 2
Time spent sleeping: 8 hours
Dream signs: acquaintances

Do a reality check when...
...you see a vegetable for the first time that day. Nope.
...you see a red car for the first time that day. Check.
...you turn a device on the first time that day. Check.
...you handle money the first time that day. Didn't handle any money today.

Thursday, November 5
Went to sleep at 9:00pm. Woke up from the alarm at 5:00am after being begged by three siblings trapped in a fast food restaurant's menu at the Mexican border to take them with me.
Number of dreams: 2
Time spent sleeping: 8 hours
Dream signs: acquaintances, friends

Do a reality check when...
...you read something for the first time that day. Nope.
...you check the time for the first time that day. Check.
...you notice yourself daydreaming the first time that day. Check.
...you hear the telephone ringing the first time that day. Check.

Friday, November 6
Went to sleep at 9:30pm. Woke up from the alarm at 5:00am remembering a weird Egyptian-like country and instructing my mom to wear a Burqa so she wouldn't enrage the local bigots.
Number of dreams: 1
Time spent sleeping: 7 hours 30 minutes
Dream signs: my mom

Do a reality check when...
...you open a door for the first time that day. Nope.
...you see a bird for the first time that day. Check.
...you use the toilet after noon. Check.
...you see the stars the first time that day. No stars to see here. Please move along, sir.

Saturday, November 7
Went to sleep at 11:00pm, woke up naturally at 7:00am and went back to sleep for another hour or so and woke up with a sweet, carefree absence of recall (except for the image of a ninja chopping off the hand of some local bigwig). Now I feel well-rested for the first time in a week. Seriously, fuck work.
Number of dreams: nada
Time spent sleeping: 9 hours
Dream signs: squat