... whack on the Prodigy full blast.

Dance around the room with no clothes on, and pretend you've taken some e. Visualise all the people you'd like to get revenge on and allow your imagination full license.

Then, either do the things you vowed to do in your hypnotic state, or just collapse into a chair and wake up the usual reasonable you.

I think I'm gonna do my revenge - it's been coming a long time ...


Jane

I love several things to "wake me up" (certain things shall remain censored ...

1. Hot, long baths and showers.

My best ideas usually come from the times I spend in a shower or bath. Maybe because I let me mind relax and let go completely. Bath-wise, I love candles and scents. Sometimes, incense. Others, bath oils. This is soooo refreshing and soothing. I tend to let my mind wander, and I often get "aha!" moments.

2. Playing music with my band.

We have band practice every week with my band, www.jadedway.com. But the interesting thing is, when I get to "beat those drums," I also get to beat out a lot of the frustations and stressors. Great stuff. (I also tend to completely let go and let the music/rythm take over. Very trance-like, too.)

3. The monthly retreat.

My fiancee, Sylvie, and I, celebrate our mensiversary each and every month. We rent a hotel room for the weekend here in town, get away from the children/clients/computers. We tend to make a night out of it, too, where we go out on the town to a nice restaurant on the French Quebec side (French of Italian cuisine), spend a night having candlelit conversations or dancing the night away (hey, don't forget Sylvie is a pro bellydancer, but shhhh!), and going back to the hotel for a nice massage or movie.

A great way to get away "from it all" for a couple of days.

Great idea for a thread, Jane! Here are my top 3 mood-elevators...

Driving With Tunes. I love driving in my car. I plug my iPod into the sound system, roll the windows down, and cruise the back roads here in Washington State. We have some of the most inspiring landscapes here...and they always go well with a dose of Pink Floyd, Smashmouth, or maybe even Mozart.

Walk the Dog(s). We have three dogs. A Pug, and Boston Terrier, and a Lhasa Apso-ish mutt. They are all high-strung and basically untrainable, and we love them dearly. Walking them out in the country never fails to lift my spirits.

Bookstore Therapy. I'm almost reluctant to admit this one, because it seems a litte too akin to "shopping". But...I love bookstores. Big ones. Little ones. Yes, I even love the chain stores. Especially the chain stores, because I can get a big cup of Starbuck's, and immerse myself in the smell of coffee and new books. I take a notepad, a pen, and my ipod. It's cheaper than Prozac, less detrimental than alcohol, and works like a charm (for me, anyway).

Oh god - you're all so nice, and I was trying to create a DARK thread!

It's even darker now that my "neighbours" have had a rather nasty go at me regarding my music. I guess I'll just have to get them back with my superior writing skills and wit!

Jane

How can you start a "dark thread" when you radiate all that light?

I think that most copywriters who do have "writing skills" and "wit" are often because they do let go from time to time... they do "battle their demons" in certain ways that's different for every person.

If you look at all the major artists, writers, "gurus" or even scientists and brilliant people in different industries, from yesteryear or present, they all have "distractions" that help to re-energize their mental batteries.

As long as they are safe... but then again, the level of risk may be the very thrill that can provide the rush required to achieve this. Take Corey Rudl, for example. Corey loved cars. He loved speed. And that didn't fair well for him.

Here's a sidenote:

One of the things I often dream about is to be a superhero. I love superheroes, and I used to be a comic book fanatic. Especially in my younger days, when I was agoraphobic and abused by my father. I used to visualize being tough and strong enough to... well... fight back.

Above all, I used to visualize being Superman (can't wait for the Superman Returns movie with Brendan Routh to come out! Woot!) and visualize flying over hills and buildings and in the sky...

... And I still do from time to time, even though I'm 38.

I also have a deep fear of heights (I fell from a tall tree when I was a kid, which contributed to the beginnings of my arthritis in my lower back), so dreaming of flying and not falling was, well, a way to conquer my fears.

I remember waking up in the morning feeling totally refreshed. It's an amazing feeling, really.

My vents are simple and sometimes I get a little carried away and not get accomplished what I have planned for the day.

Listening to Metal music real loud

Going to a concert although fairly rare

Playing a video game

Having a smoke

Reading about marketing and brainstorming ideas for new things and ways to do things. Damn idea avalances. They are another reason why nothing gets done in a timley manner.

My wife and kids but I dont know if they would count as they can also be a contributing factor for why I dont get done what I have planned for the day.

Personally think this had the potential to be a dark thread though. Nice try.

It's not dark enough until someone mentions Cradle of Filth.

There you have it

Damn I am loving this place more and more. Cradle kicks some serious a**. Seen them a few times. They put on a killer show. So who all in here listens to metal? Would be killer to meet up with some of you and go to a concert. Usally go to Ozzfest every year. I live in MI by the way.

Funny you should mention that. I seem to get some of my best ideas when I take a long shower or bath (and I highly recommend the jet streams in your bath!).

I almost always emerge with a synergistic idea or two. In fact, my biggest problem is that I have too many ideas and not enough time to implement them all...something I can't really outsource.

As for the band thing, I enter another world there. It doesn't work for me, because marketing ceases to exist when I'm playing. But before and after, I'm always thinking about it. In fact, it's funny because when I'm playing, the only thing that exists for me at the moment is the music. But as soon as I take a break, the business stuff all comes back to me. I may need to stop that, but it pays off. In fact, some of my bandmates make fun of me when I arrive for practice with a pad and pen, and then proceed to jot down brainstorming ideas during a break that has nothing to do with music. Oh well!

John