The Life of Brian

In the words of the great Oscar Wilde "Reality is an illusion brought on by a lack of alcohol!" I am happy to report that by and large I managed to avoid this unnecessary illusion over the weekend!

I have come to the conclusion that my natural state is that of an alcoholic. I am seldom more happy than when pulling about myself the warm and comforting blanket of intoxication. Unfortunately, due to circumstances it is not a blanket that gets sufficient airing, which I guess possibly accentuates the a whole experience.

But what is the experience? Well, I've narrowed it down to two salient moments.

The first happens fairly early on. After the just a few servings of the elixir the first metamorphosis occurs. It manifests itself in a number of different ways but the most common is when I turn my head in a crowded place like a pub. As my eyes traverse the room there appears to be a disconnect between the physical and mental. This gives the sensation of moving in slow motion. At the same time my "background filters" seem to switch off and the colours, sounds and smells of the environment come flooding in. There is an intense vitality as my senses are assaulted, and the apparent slow motion allows each sensation to be individually experienced.

It is a bit like classical music (no really, a bear with me). When you listen to classical music on a CD it can be pleasant, but listening to it live as an entirely different matter. You suddenly become aware of the complexity of the orchestra. How the music moves seamlessly, but distinctly between the different sections and draws life from each individual musician and their instrument. From the oboe and French horn to the kettle drums and first violinist you can almost hear each individual and how they contribute to the whole. (Listening to classical music while on drugs takes this to another level -- but perhaps that's for another time!?)

So a couple of drinks and the orchestra starts up. The blonde laughing inanely in the corner, the barfly sighing into his pint, the young lovers lost in each other's eyes and oblivious to their surroundings, the single guys trying to "out peacock" each other and the waitress -- the conductor -- gliding between them, intimately involved in keeping each section appropriately lubricated, and yet separated by the abyss that divides the sober from the pissed.

And in the middle of all of this -- me and my group. Somehow both participants and observers to this Opus.

The simultaneous experience of the immediate and extended environment is like stepping out of the black and white cinema of existence and into the IMAX auditorium of life! That alone has to be worth the entrance fee hey?

to be continued...........

posted by bosh @ 2:10 pm