Duck In The Face
As I’ve mentioned, I’m reading William Gibson’s new book, Pattern Recognition. It’s different from his other novels, being set in the present instead of the future, and I’m really enjoying it.
The main character in the book has few odd quirks. One of my favorites involves the use of a strange mantra; whenever she encounters something disturbing she says “he took a duck in the face at two hundred and fifty knots.” It’s a phrase she heard someone say once with regard to an aviation mishap, and the words magically soothe her for some inexplicable reason.
It’s fucking brilliant. I wish I had a mantra like that. Something to help me cope with lifes little nasties.
Blown fuse?
Duck in the face
Humilliated in airport security check?
Duck in the face
Gruesome traffic accident, computer breaks, parking ticket?
More ducks, more faces, all intersecting at speeds of exactly two hundred and fifty knots.
Brilliant. The only hard part is coming up with the right magic words. I don’t think it’s a one-size-fits-all deal; you gotta have your own unique magic mantra. Suggestions?
January 12th, 2004
When I rode in a charity bike tour last year, the first day was pouring rain and quite cold for a day in early June. It was a very hilly ride and quite miserable.
I knew I couldn’t ride the whole route in that weather, but I refused to give in until I had at least 30 of the day’s 75 miles done. So I found another rider who was doing a slow, but pretty steady, pace up the hills and just kept a few meters behind him. That helped me to keep moving steadily without having to pay much attention. Then, to occupy my mind, to give it something to do besides think of how miserable I was, I thought up a nonsense phrase to repeat.
I came up with, “The hill is my friend; the hill will set me free.” It sounded vaguely like something you’d hear in a war movie, chanted over and over by a brainwashed hostage who was finally set free.
I chanted the first part as I inhaled, the second as I exhaled.
It worked. I still whisper that phrase to myself sometimes when I have to do something I don’t want to do, but have to anyway.
March 27th, 2004
googled that mantra and came across your blog…
i’m reading Pattern Recognition too…love it…
my life’s been going through so much upheaval lately i’ve been needing something like Cayce’s mantra to keep my panic in check…haven’t found it yet, but when i do i’ll let you know.
May 26th, 2004
“And so it goes……” from Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse Five
December 29th, 2005
Milo – your mantra reminds me very much of what John Creasey tells Lupita in “Man on Fire” to get her over her problem getting away from the starting block in her swimming race – “The gun is your friend – the gun sets you free!” (She’s afraid of the sound of the starter’s pistol & it makes her flinch, delaying her start).
I had a similar thing going on when I was cycling in France and then later from one end of the UK to the other – as I was cycling up these rather big hills (e.g. the Col Pierre Pertuis in Switzerland) I couldn’t get out of my head the song “Space” by New Model Army
July 13th, 2009
Yes, excellent mantra. Spook Country is very nice as well