I hope everyone is doing well! It's been a bit intense this past week. On top of the normal things, I was also pet sitting for my aunt's friends, and one of their dogs is getting up there in age (and she's been super stubborn about taking her medications, turning it into 30-minute+ struggles multiple times a day). She's a sweet dog and all, but it's just so draining because she keeps spitting out the food with the medication, turning her face completely away to ignore it, and walks off. Apparently, she's been doing that to her owners, too, which kind of makes me feel better (but it's still a frustrating toll and taxing drain of energy). Otherwise, it was a pretty chill week of babysitting/tutoring, art, writing, and hanging out with Tsuki. Art and hanging out with Tsuki definitely helped keep me afloat this week.
My dream recall was kind of fuzzy when I woke up Monday morning, but a lot happened in the dream. The first part of the dream seemed to focus on these two angelic beings. Time seemed to have stopped, and only them and this single human lady where there. The pair seemed to be brothers. The one brother seemed super close and attached to the human. They seemed to be working on figuring out why time had stopped. The human seemed fine at first, but her mental well-being seemed to decline as it continued. The angel was worri6about her and started asking if she was unhappy. She explained that she wasn't unhappy but that she wasn't happy either before launching into this whole list of things people do for happiness that could no longer be done without the passage of time. The angel guy got alarmingly worried about her. The other brother appeared, freezing the human. The first brother froze in shock, realization, and denial/horror. The other brother explained that he had kept that sole human around so that his brother would be able to learn and reach this understanding. The brother was devastated because "his human" was being taken away from him. Then there was something about some kind of second big bang to restart the universe. I think Zeus and Hera left the brothers in charge this time around.
The next part of my dream involved some volcanic mountain. There was some kind of research center built there, but it honestly seemed like a rather questionable decision. Some strange phenomenon was occurring, too. Not sure if it was supposed to be some sort of curse, strange ailment, or what, but people were unexpectedly and unexplainably getting turned into these "statues" that looked sort of like magma. Said statues were of the creature/animal/Pokémon beings, and tge people were still sentient and aware despite not being able to move. I think people were researching how it occurred, why it occurred, and how to fix it. The volcano started oozing lava, yet the researchers/inhabitants didn't realize it. It was filling up the area slowly. Pretty sure I was part of a small group that noticed and that wanted to get the others to evacuate. Some people had obvious resistance and reluctance because they didn't want to leave their petrified loved ones behind. We ended up trying to slow the lava flow down in order to give people the chance to escape. Might have involved ice type Pokémon, but Sailor Moon showed up to help for some reason. There was a transition in the dream, but that part got really muddled. There was something about tall grass, hiding/trying to sneak up on a group, maybe like reconnaissance or something. It seemed otherworldly. That's all I could remember.
I was completely exhausted when I woke up Tuesday morning; it was so challenging to find the energy and strength to get out of bed. My dream recall was pretty hazy, although a lot happened. The only thing I could really remember from my dream was something about Odette and Derek from the Swan Princess being at a beach. They weren't together. Odette was minding her own business, chilling and enjoying the scenery as she strolled along the beach. It must have been like a parallel universe to the movie's story because they seemed to be on like a modern-day, private school trip (but from different schools maybe). She was just being herself and doing her own thing when Derek came up and was making all of these assumptions and getting kind of pushy, basically trying to get her to come join him (something about them being an obvious match because of their status or whatever). Odette wasn't impressed and decided to keep doing her own thing, which shocked the heck out of Derek. Things got really hazy, and the only other thing I could remember from the dream was being at my grandparents' house with my siblings and that my sister was trying to assemble a Pokémon card deck for whatever reason.
It was a struggle waking up Wednesday morning; things felt rather heavy and lethargic. Dream recall was pretty fuzzy. There was something about struggling to "keep up" with societal norms and getting burnt out from always trying so hard, but everything else was a blur. I was still extremely sleepy when I woke up Thursday morning. My dream recall was kind of hazy, but it seemed like a large part of my dream sort of involved pirates. Not sure if the pair infiltrated the group of pirates to get information or just needed to get across the sea. The group of pirates were rather unusual and seemed to potentially be space pirates, as aliens/galactic beings were amongst their ranks. The girl from the pair seemed to have some kind of secret; there was some kind of little booklet/grimoire with secret, coded info from long ago/another culture or society (maybe she was part alien?). More happened, but the last thing I could remember was going into some city and meeting up with Corliss, April, and Iris for a meal at some restaurant.
I was super tempted to stay in bed and go back to sleep Friday morning; it was definitely a struggle to get out of bed. I just felt so sleepy, but dream recall was a complete haze. While it felt like a lot happened, I had no idea what actually transpired. I was so grateful to sleep in Saturday morning; it was so nice to rest and relax, but I was still feeling pretty sleepy. A lot happened in the dream, but recalling specific details from the dream. There was something about going to the local children's museum to hang up art/creative projects. I ended up exploring the museum for a bit, and the building seemed to transition into a version of my elementary school (although it wasn't quite right). There were these weird stairs that seemed to get smaller and tighter as it reached the top, which had some kind of slide. Not sure why it was like that. Then there was some weird energies and like a battle broke out. There was some kind of pink phoenix that helped evacuate people from the skirmish. The phoenix grew in size, too, and seemed almost fluffy. More happened, but I couldn't remember what else transpired.
I got to sleep in again this morning, and it was quite nice being able to rest and relax compared to having all these responsibilities I have to get up and complete. A lot seemed to happen in my dream, but from what I could remember it only took place at a school. The school seemed to be the preschool I used to work with, but the teacher I was working with in the class was my co-teacher from student teaching. I remember her writing a list of activities we would be doing on the dry erase board in three columns (not sure why). The kids were watching some video to start I think, and one of the girls from the preschool's Toucan class raised her hand, urging me to come over, and asked me when it would be over (I think she was bored with it). There was some kind of art/crafts project the class was working on. I remember carving this giant Styrofoam block. There were some kind of flower design and mountain design based off the letter 'M' I think. More happened, but I couldn't remember any other specific details.
The boys had a fairly chill week, although they had Tuesday off from school due to voting. The older brother was excited to receive a Pokémon BOOster pack from his doctor--it contained a holographic Houndoom, which he was super excited about. It led to a conversation about dark type Pokémon and how in Japan it's called the "evil type." The younger brother had a band performance (pretty sure their mom said that his marching band seasons was winding down and that they're about ready to switch to the performance season). The younger brother was complaining about receiving an absurd amount of homework, and I can't say that I miss it. That's not to say that I'm opposed to learning--quite the contrary. The thing is, I have trouble finding motivation for things that others are forcing me to learn when it's not my choice. If I want to learn something, I go deep and have trouble stopping and switching tasks. I'm sure the boys are excited for the upcoming Thanksgiving break later this month.
Tsuki was her typical goofy, adorable self this week. She enjoyed plenty of cat naps, rest, and relaxation this week due to the colder weather. Tsuki was extra snuggly this week, eager to cuddle against the cold. She also decided to hang out with me while I worked on some diamond art. There was plenty of opportunities to snooze the day away and enjoy some birdwatching. She also decided to claim the mattress my sister got and left out on the porch, feeling on top of the world. Tsuki enjoyed a super chill week (even if she was bummed out that I was gone a lot for pet sitting).
Artwork for the week included more diamond art:
I created new content for Creativity Chronicles and YouTube shorts this week! Feel free to check out the newest articles and shorts!
New Creativity Chronicles' articles included:
New Luck's List articles:
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Please take the time to give yourself some TLC, especially with the hectic holiday season right around the corner. I ended up doing a lot more rest and relaxing this past weekend in attempt to recharge my batteries for this week. I don't think I would manage to survive otherwise. Be gentle with yourself and give yourself more credit--you're doing the best you can. There's no need to criticize yourself so harshly and push yourself to the point that you break. Be kind to yourself. Make room for self-care. If you don't enjoy the journey of life, what's the point of it anyways? Have a wonderful rest of your weekend!
Food for thought for the week: