29 May 2007

The Pleasure Principle vs The Reality Principle

It is ridiculous:

how much enjoyment I get out of sitting in a 'bar/restaurant"
by myself
with a glass of red wine
when it is raining and dark outside
while my child is at The Party of The Year
(for a whole hour and forty-five minutes)
when I can scribble and watch and read and Nada
is on my mind.

I am alone
I am utterly content
I am entertained
I am in a social sphere that I don't have to interact with.

The only words I say in that entire ninety-five minutes are:

- I'd like a glass of wine thanks
- shiraz
- cheers
and later, when an oblivious, self-absorbed suit doesn't adjust his body to allow me to exit
I touch his elbow and mumble, oddly and yet tellingly,
- sorry

(This is funny because much of my time spent in my corner was marvelling at those voices that can split through five scattered conversations, bar music, staffing requests and traffic noise in such places as this: the most notoriously noisy, slate floored establishment in town. Performers spend hours developing this skill and this suit who had such a voice, who I apologised to, this pompous opinionated shit, is probably an accountant. But I shall acquiesce and think, actually, it is a very unfortunate thing, because quite possibly his words are everyday humble words yet, via sheer projection, they appear as the full volume of arrogance.)

Anyway, I cannot adequately describe the bliss of that hour and a half.
And quite honestly, I think only a mother would understand.




1 comment:

Mrs Smith said...

Oh Gillian.

I want that hour and forty five minutes.

I love that hour and forty five minutes, even with the pompous accountant.

I love your blog.