Radios

Here I am! In work, pottering away doing plenty of nothing, and bugger all after that. I just thought I'd give out about the radio for a while. It's half four in the morning and I can't think of anything better to do, well I could work, but no one ever wants to do that.

So anyway, tomorrow I'm getting a new radio for Christmas. It's not really for Christmas because I bought it for myself about 6 months ago and I've only gotten around to installing it now. Great timing eh? The reason behind this is that between everything I've would up buggering up the original radio completely and it's only now that I suddenly realise just how crap Irish radio is.

Americans are the most popular people to think of when it comes to various kinds of media, but in general I think Americans are useless at almost everything that doesn't involve grease and large metal exploding things. The french however are a hell of a lot better when it comes to media, a certain level of sarcasm in almost everything that gives their cinema, TV and radio a little bit of pretentiousness that you don't really mind. Anyway I digress, or digest as my grandmother would say.

It was only when my radio died that I realised just how pleasant it is to drive about the place with only your thoughts to entertain you. It's strange what winds up happening especially on long drives. I was driving to my parents house last Friday and there was so much traffic I thought I'd go insane, but instead I thought I'd relax and enjoy the ride, it was the best idea as the rest involved frustration and moving that I really wasn't bothered doing. So I sat there, inching along the motorway, looking at the signs saying 120kmph and then looking at my speed gauge and seeing the needle just brush past 20. When your moving 6 feet every 5 minutes you begin to think to yourself and it can scare the crap out of you.

I was sitting in the car and my thought process when as follows

Right, I'm stuck in traffic. May as well enjoy it...
*switches on radio and nothing happens*
Damn, I forgot there was no radio...
I wonder what my girlfriend is up to. I'll call her, oh wait! No signal. This is just perfect...
♫Doo dee doo doo ♫
Maybe I can write a song while I'm here
♫I once knew a piano from Brussels♫... no no no, that's a load of crap!

5 minutes later

♫WOO! Did you ever wake up with those bullfrogs on your mind!♫ (A song by Rory Gallagher)

At this point I had forgotten that I was in the car, I was going hell for leather on the air guitar and everything. Trudging along the motorway at a snails pace but having my own mini-Woodstock in my head, and loving it! As I was going along people were looking at me and giving me strange looks, but I didn't care... I'll be honest, I thought they recognised me and so I'd wave at them. That was probably a little conceited of me but who cares... Before I knew it I had gotten home and had that feeling you can only get when you're walking off the stage after doing a great gig. I felt alive!

At this point it hit me, I wasn't listening to the radio. I was alone with my thoughts, uninterrupted by adds and annoying DJ's harping on about this, that and the other. It was exhilarating! So I'm telling you right now, next time you're stuck in traffic:

Relax
Take a deep breath
You're going nowhere fast
Switch off the radio and let your mind run about the place!
You'll have more fun if you just switch off from reality for a while...