It has often been hypothesized that the fluttering of a butterfly's wings in the pacific can cause a hurricane over the Atlantic, this theory was very beautifully demonstrated last night.
About two weeks ago I popped over to number 7 Cautley Ave to see Rags on a Saturday afternoon. We chatted in-between him working and I sat there on the sofa trying to amuse myself. I picked up his ipod and put the rather cool looking black Schenhieser headphones on. I found a mess'eh d'n'b track and lightly pressed play. I was amazed at the sound quality and total sound insulation that they offered. I tried a second and a third track and was utterly taken with the new dimension that they offered. I thought nothing more of it and left thinking to myself - I must get a pair of those headphones.
I arrived with about 2.5 hours to spare at LHR terminal 4, checked in and promptly made my way to the Dixons and searched for the 'wall of sound'. I couldn't find the ones I wanted to left and went to have some dinner. After, and on my way to the gate, I popped in HMV, not sure why but I must have been subconsciously still unhappy with the aural stimulation. And there they were, the little black headphones made by Schenhiezer, I grabbed them, paid and glanced up at my gate. The queue was massive so I sat back and got ready for the wall of sound.
Bliss, bass and the 4th dimension.
At last I had found it, total isolation. The impression of having four ears and being sat on a bass bin is really quite disarming, those headphones rocked. I listened to a few of the darkest, most industrial d'n'b tunes and waited for the queue to slowly pass through the gate. I was travelling business and waited for the Fast Track to calm down. With one person left I rocked up and presented my boarding card..........I didn't hear it but the machine made a bleep or a booop or something because the lady looked up and said something. I took out one ear piece and this is what I heard.
'Sorry sir this is the BA110 to Bangkok'. The Dubai flight is at gate 11, no worries I said and walked down to the next gate. Imagine my total isolation when I rocked up to the gate only to find that the gate was closed! I had just missed the flight. 'Sorry sir we made several announcements over the tannoy'. What?!!! 'Did you not hear them?'. Er no, my heart sank, I felt the rush through the chest via the neck upto and finally lost in the area behind the nose. I was so utterly immersed in trying to get back to the blissful wall of sound on Rags sofa that I had missed a work flight to Dubai. Error.
I imagined the embarrassment with the clients I had set up meetings with, the piiss take in the office. I slumped down in front of the desk and asked if there was anything they could do. They asked for my ticket and made some calls, I started the curse the headphones and just waited. And waited, one nice and friendly BA employee emerged from the tunnel leading down to the aircraft and said rather annoyingly, 'no way mate, you've missed it'. Bollocks, bollocks, nuts and twats. That was it.....
That was it until I heard on his walkie talkie, 'let me check if his bags are off'..........I waited…….by this time I had put my ipod away for good, zipped up in the inside pocket of my manbag.
'No, no its okay, they're still on!'. WooHoo!!!! I grabbed my boarding card and pegged it down the tunnel to the plane. I slowed myself down and composed myself as I approached the door and walked in. The airhostess knew my name and very politely showed me to my seat. I collapsed into it, tried not too look to panicked and just sat there. How lucky was that I kept saying to myself, all that for one thing.
Total Isolation.
Rags thanks for being the butterfly wings that almost made my trip to Dubai a hurricane. Amazing! Of course I am not suggesting for one minute that its your fault, its just very interesting what one afternoon on a sofa can do.
So here's what Dubai looks like if you're wondering.
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