The repetitious appearance of a dog or dogs in the Proteus chapter is intriguing.  Stephen is afraid of dogs ["A point, live dog, grew into sight running across the sweep of sand.  Lord, is he going to attack me?  Respect his liberty" (45).] but they keep appearing.  There is the live dog and the dead carcass on the Strand that Stephen sees, the dog that Molly wants to pass the time (in Calypso), and, of course, Garryowen.  In Proteus, the dog is a symbol of change ["Their dog ambled about a bank of dwindling sand, trotting, sniffing on all sides.  Looking for something lost in a past life" (46).] and, as we see in a mirror, dog becomes god.  Maybe Stephen's fear of dogs isn't so much a fear of the animal but a fear of what a dog can do or become.  Stephen's fear of the dog's attack foreshadows the vicious persual of Bloom by the citizen's dog, Garryowen but could also be a reference to Ovid's tale of Actaeon.  Actaeon insults Diana by gazing upon her naked as she bathes (another act of voyeurism) so she turns him into a stag to be ripped to shreds by his own dogs.  In this light, Stephen may be afraid of being torn apart by his god, seeing as he has renounced his faith and refused to kneel at his mother's deathbed.  Dog devient god or dog becoming god is also something that is seen in poetry.  Edward Taylor's The Souls Groan to Christ for Succor reflects this idea nicely.  I know he is thy Cur, therefore I bee Perplexed lest I from thy Pasture stray. He bayghs and barks so veh'mently at mee. Come rate this Cur, Lord, breake his teeth I pray. Remember me I humbly pray thee first. Then halter up this Cur that is so Curst.

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I have a poster above my bed of the creation on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.  It is a giant picture of a rather angry looking God creating light and darkness.  Only once did I dream of something realting to this biblical scene.  I dreamt that God was calling the apocalypse down on our heads.  His grey hair and beard were flowing as he calmly bowled in the heavens.  Each strike was another plague or disaster for mankind.  And then Saint Peter picked up the Heaven intercom and announced that Detroit Rock City was next on the playlist.  An excited look crossed God's face and he slipped out of his bowling shoes and started to mosh to KISS.  Each time the mighty, fearsome diety jumped or ran into something, a multitude of people were crushed.  I woke up soon after with my alarm blaring Detroit Rock City.....slightly frightened.

Another attempt at Stream of Consciousness:  an attempt, a try, an essai, getting into Bloom'shead but I keep hearing Ben's voice, Big benaben is Bloom?  Bloom is Ben?  ordinary fellow Bloom but foreign a flower blooms a carnation sitting on my desk where my computer used to be, the one that's missing, gone; the one I miss; the one I gone going out of town next weekend away, away from school but not running away, not from a Blaze or a boylan blaze, no statues here but Rodin's Penseur on the last page thinking, why is he thinking, he's made of stone and can stones think great thoughts like Stephen?  A shout on the street is God but what does that mean to me, to Bloom a flower who never meets Martha or does he?  violets, mmmm Violet  I don't know, haven't finished because it's long and but like readingmakes me think like this which could be bad.  Interrupted.  Abrupt interruption, ah, nothing like a donut apple to make the morning breakfast most importan meal but dinner is better except in the Schwag then dinner is worse.  Mmm....got milk?  I do but milk should be cold, very cold, like ice except with milk and not water.  Would they freeze white or clear cubes of milk handy when it's not cold enough.  Everything coming home, everyone coming home, wanting to go home where my thoughts escaping sing it Simon, your gnarly hands rock the neck of your guitar, Senorita with a necklace of tears....Molly?  Spanish guitar Gibralter pluck her strings and she'll sing, eh Blazes?  Ineluctable modality of the visual my favorite Proteus a dog big dogs little dogs go dog go good book, still have it, thanks mom.