The Oddest Experience
Well...not actually "the oddest," but pretty odd anyway. I've been re-reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (actually the whole series) in honor of the upcoming movie. This is perhaps one of my favorite books, mostly because my eldest sister "let me in on the secret" when I was about 10 or 11...she and I didn't have much in common at the time, considering she's 6 years older than me. Not much of a difference when you're both in your 30's, but when one of you is 10 and the other is 16, there's not a lot of room for common interests.
Anyway, one day, I heard her laughing in her room, so I knocked and asked what was so funny - probably in the tone of a smart-alecky little brother. She showed me the book she was reading and said it was the funniest thing she'd ever read. I asked if I could borrow it after she was done, to which she agreed. Mostly, I asked to read the book because I wanted to be in on the secret, but also because I wanted to be closer to my sister - I looked up to her then like any 10 year old looks up to older siblings.
I remember reading the book, and laughing at a particular section. If you're not familiar with the storyline, here's the intro: Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect are friends on Earth, only Ford is not human, he is an alien who has been stranded on Earth for 15 years while doing research for the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Ford lets Arthur in on the secret because the Earth is about to be demolished by the Vogons to make way for a hyperspace bypass. Ford and Arthur hitch a ride on the Vogon's ship as they blow up the Earth. The Vogons capture the stowaways, and being unfriendly chaps, they decide to blow them out of the airlock into space. There's lots more funny happenings, but this brings us to the scene which I vividly remember reading when I was younger.
As I don't have the book directly in front of me, I can't quote this scene, so I will simply paraphrase. As they are waiting in the airlock to be ejected into space, they are not so calmly discussing their options, most of the better of which involve being on the opposite side of the airlock door. They have no chance of survival after 30 seconds in space, so they, obviously see certain death in their immediate future. At this point, Arthur is exasperated, considering he has been saved from the destruction of the Earth only to die 30 minutes later, and Ford is pretty much thinking the same thing. You can imagine the conversation that takes place...only...at one point during the conversation, Ford says something like "We'll die, unless this button does something...," to which, Arthur asks incredulously, "What button?" as he frantically looks around. Ford responds, "There's no button, I was just messing with you."
Of course, Douglas Adams delivery is much better than mine, so this is a bit funnier in the book. All told, the kind of line that will draw a chuckle if you're in a silly mood. As I was reading this section again, though, I didn't laugh. Instead, I remembered vividly how I had laughed at that "button" line 20 years ago. At the time, it was the funniest thing I had ever read...I distinctly remember being in my bedroom, reading this book, and nearly falling out of my bed laughing. I was, quite literally, nearly rolling on the floor laughing. As this line didn't make me even snicker during my current reading, it got me thinking about how I was 20 years ago...it's an extremely odd catalyst for reflective thought, but any stimuli that works, right...
I've changed in innumerable ways since that day and in most of these changes I am extremely proud. I would like to have that experience again though...utter release and satisfaction...my eyes were opened that day 20 years ago, and having them opened a little bit further just isn't the same thing.
Well...not actually "the oddest," but pretty odd anyway. I've been re-reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (actually the whole series) in honor of the upcoming movie. This is perhaps one of my favorite books, mostly because my eldest sister "let me in on the secret" when I was about 10 or 11...she and I didn't have much in common at the time, considering she's 6 years older than me. Not much of a difference when you're both in your 30's, but when one of you is 10 and the other is 16, there's not a lot of room for common interests.
Anyway, one day, I heard her laughing in her room, so I knocked and asked what was so funny - probably in the tone of a smart-alecky little brother. She showed me the book she was reading and said it was the funniest thing she'd ever read. I asked if I could borrow it after she was done, to which she agreed. Mostly, I asked to read the book because I wanted to be in on the secret, but also because I wanted to be closer to my sister - I looked up to her then like any 10 year old looks up to older siblings.
I remember reading the book, and laughing at a particular section. If you're not familiar with the storyline, here's the intro: Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect are friends on Earth, only Ford is not human, he is an alien who has been stranded on Earth for 15 years while doing research for the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Ford lets Arthur in on the secret because the Earth is about to be demolished by the Vogons to make way for a hyperspace bypass. Ford and Arthur hitch a ride on the Vogon's ship as they blow up the Earth. The Vogons capture the stowaways, and being unfriendly chaps, they decide to blow them out of the airlock into space. There's lots more funny happenings, but this brings us to the scene which I vividly remember reading when I was younger.
As I don't have the book directly in front of me, I can't quote this scene, so I will simply paraphrase. As they are waiting in the airlock to be ejected into space, they are not so calmly discussing their options, most of the better of which involve being on the opposite side of the airlock door. They have no chance of survival after 30 seconds in space, so they, obviously see certain death in their immediate future. At this point, Arthur is exasperated, considering he has been saved from the destruction of the Earth only to die 30 minutes later, and Ford is pretty much thinking the same thing. You can imagine the conversation that takes place...only...at one point during the conversation, Ford says something like "We'll die, unless this button does something...," to which, Arthur asks incredulously, "What button?" as he frantically looks around. Ford responds, "There's no button, I was just messing with you."
Of course, Douglas Adams delivery is much better than mine, so this is a bit funnier in the book. All told, the kind of line that will draw a chuckle if you're in a silly mood. As I was reading this section again, though, I didn't laugh. Instead, I remembered vividly how I had laughed at that "button" line 20 years ago. At the time, it was the funniest thing I had ever read...I distinctly remember being in my bedroom, reading this book, and nearly falling out of my bed laughing. I was, quite literally, nearly rolling on the floor laughing. As this line didn't make me even snicker during my current reading, it got me thinking about how I was 20 years ago...it's an extremely odd catalyst for reflective thought, but any stimuli that works, right...
I've changed in innumerable ways since that day and in most of these changes I am extremely proud. I would like to have that experience again though...utter release and satisfaction...my eyes were opened that day 20 years ago, and having them opened a little bit further just isn't the same thing.
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