Have you had one?
You don't know what I am on about here? Well it 's Bill Shakespeare's goings on to be more precise, but it's my blog so I get to do the explaining from my perspective.
What we have here is a short moment that passes so quickly, but that is far more intense than would be normal for its actual time in existence, or means more than you would at first think. I suppose in his case it would be the first time he saw the patrons of his fabled Globe Theatre, launching their cushions at the stage in appreciation of his works. Or perhaps twas the time he was bothered by a few bees while knocking back some sweet watermelon and trying to decide if he should have the last slice or not, the very instant that lead to his most famous line contemplating just how many bee's there were in attendance at that time.
I don't know, I was not there. If I was, I know I would have beaten him to that last slice while he was dilly dallying about 2 bee's or not 2 bees or 3 bee's or what ever.
Some moments of mine that past by in a flash but meant a whole lot ... there are plenty. I tend to take in what happens around me. Sometimes that means staring at people a little too intently which gets me into shit I must confess. The first blitzvinning instant that stands out as one that happened in slow motion - like those cool new camera's they have at the cricket that show a booger in KP's (Kevin Pietersen to those who hate cricket, yes I know you do and I don't care) nose roll out his left nostril, bounce of his ego and spring right back to the same nostril over about a 5 second time frame, but back to my slow motion encounter. It was a 5pm rush hour traffic scenario. Location: Long Street in Cape Town just outside the swimming pool intersection. I was approaching said intersection from the slight downhill on Fabrizio the 1966 legendary Vespa of mine. For this episode Fabrizio decides to shed his legend status and at the same time his back wheel. Now the slow motion part kicks in. Seemingly before I realised the Vespa I am cruising on is actually minus one wheel and dragging it's wasp like ass on the road, I noticed my back wheel come cruising past me. Not ideal. Moving swiftly into a rush hour intersection time seemed to pass really slowly for some reason and I have time to witness my own back wheel forming a sub group and going solo. Obviously it wasn't long after that I was vaulted over the handle bars and was grinding my hip and wrist as hard as I could into the road as the Vespa came sliding down towards me in a hurry. The moment was instant and seemed like an age. It has clearly left a lasting impression(s) - a moment worth ages and scars to keep that moment company over those ages.
A less traumatic incident worth ages? Lets go back to 1994 - South Africa, about to sprout the most famous rainbow - later they named the rainbow, probably the first one ever to actually be named, although the Bible zealots will probably claim their rainbow was called NoahRainbow or ArkRainbow ... too late she cried. We all know that one as just rainbow so no use trying to spice it up now.
So it was the year of the first free and fair elections as the papers so enjoy calling them. Late one night after drinking unabated in the Burbs and on the way home to the family house in Hout Bay, I knew I had to stop the car. It was not a discussion in my head, it was matter of fact. I knew I had to stop the car, jump out, climb the lamppost and pull with all my might (and there is might in my pull believe me) on the razor like rope with on hand while clinging on to the lamppost with the other. The prize for my efforts was an Election campaign poster and backing board. The large ones that are about as big as say 60 packets of Frito's (the small ones - Barbecue) or Eight Pronutro boxes. No? OK A1 size for the media punks out there. It was an ANC banner inviting all South Africans- of voting age, to put their mark behind Nelson Mandela. The inscription read simply 'MANDELA FOR PRESIDENT ' at the top and the rest was a massive ironic smiling Madiba bust (that's head neck and shoulders guys, not his man boobs) looking knowingly outward with a great sense of satisfaction never seen before and surely never to be seen again on any campaigning politicians face. I still have that poster in it's original condition as if I had plucked it freshly from that lamppost on Victoria Road in Hout Bay 14 years ago. How happy am I for that moment that I clambered drunkenly up the lamppost? Happy enough I can assure you.
post script: Any punk off the street can purchase the Madiba poster for about a hundred bucks I think. Not quite the same though I'm afraid. One has Madiba Magic ingrained in it from the very moment in history that has generations hooked. The other ... well the other is a poster you can buy at the local stationer, today, now and if you are cooking your dinner and can't make it to the shop right now, you can still buy it tomorrow ... no not quite the same thing. Replica's never are.
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