Spouses Like Us
SUBTITLE:
On Dreams Realized - Part 1
SUB-SUB TITLE:
If At First You Don't Succeed,
Try It On Your Spouse
One of the commonly-recognized side effects of raising an infant is that it makes you (and, see below, your spouse) sleep deprived. One of the commonly-recognized side effects of sleep deprivation is that it can make you (and, see below, your spouse) a bit mentally duller, and thus a bit more vulnerable to conversational traps. Even if you (and, take my word for it, your spouse) are otherwise pretty sharp.
Well, over the weekend, sleep deprivation produced by infant-raising conspired to allow me to realize a dream I've had since I first saw Spies Like Us back in 1985. I played the part of Austin Millbarge (referred to hereinafter as "Villain"), and my wife suffered graciously in this scene as Emmett Fitz-Hume (referred to hereinafter as "Victim").
The pertinent exchange follows (the setting is - family gathered in the kitchen, breakfast being prepared):
- Victim: What is that black thing out by the lawn chair?
- Villain: I don't know. It looks like a dickfer.
- Victim: A dickfer? [pause] What's a "dickfer"?
- Villain: To pee with. [laughing, laughing, laughing]
Ah, the utter and complete joy of it all. Good times.
CONCLUSION:
I tried to get somebody (anybody!) to say "what's a dickfer?" for twenty years. And it finally happened. It was well worth the wait. This event was my Heinz ketchup for this decade, at least.
P.S.
Please enjoy this sound clip of the original with my compliments. Also, as a side note, in googling for the links in this blog, I noticed that there are a number of different spellings of the key word out there. The IMDB spells it "dickfor" and the .wav file linked in this paragraph spells it "dicfor". Well, neither of those are correct. I have spelled it correctly, based on my recollection of the source material. I read the novel version of Spies Like Us. Today, it is unclear to me how or why. But I did. And I remember that the word is spelled - in print, in the book version of the movie - "dickfer." If somebody has the movie and wants to watch that scene with the close-captioning on, I would consider input as to how "dickfer" is spelled in the movie's captioning important.
P.S.S.
It's true, you know. Pee is the new coffee.
posted by garrett @ 7:33 PM
2 Comments:
All right, you guys ain't working as a team. I'm gonna have to shut down the studio. The only way I'll reopen the studio is if you go up to the Bronx, and get me some breast milk from a Cambodian immigrant.
When we are born our brains are like empty computers waiting to be fed information. As we grow our peers act as our programmers, they supply us with the knowledge which we channel through the conscious mind into the subconscious (our hard drive). The subconscious mind is the biggest hard drive ever developed - it stores everything we come in contact with and by no means is all of this information of a positive nature.
All that we have heard, touched, smelt, tasted and seen are stored in the recesses of our minds. The subconscious mind holds on to this information until we need to recall it. For example when you were young your curiosity lead you to investigate your surroundings. When you approached a substance that was dangerous, such as fire, your parents or guardians would most likely have rebuked or scolded you if you ventured too near the flame. Perhaps you may even recall an incident when you were physically burned. Your subconscious mind then began to relate scolding (or pain) with the intense heat of the fire and would therefore feed the feelings of the scolding incident back to you whenever you got too close to fire again, thus acting as an early warning system.
This is the mechanism used by our brains to learn. It is also the same method employed by the mind in every situation. The subconscious mind has a tendency to emulate what it sees - it tends to replicate its environment. This is why so many people find themselves in similar relationships and situations that they saw their parents in while they were growing up. Most people also hold very strongly or similar views of their parents.
Think of a time when you gave yourself praise. What words did you use? Do you use the same words that your parents or peers used when they were praising you? The same is applicable when you scold yourself.
Watch your internal dialogue. Look at it closely. It takes diligence to change the way you think. When you notice yourself thinking a negative chose to think the opposite. This way you neutralise the negative thought. Now the think the positive thought again! You have just reversed the negative thinking in that moment and remember you only have this moment. No other time exists!
Daydream about what might be. Imagine things they way you wish them to be. If you catch yourself thinking "this is just a daydream - a fantasy" then stop! Think the opposite. It is not a daydream it is your reality. Now think it again.
By doing this simple procedure you will begin to retrain your subconscious mind to think positively and you will ultimately begin to consciously create a life that dreams are made of! self hypnosis
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