Drinking beer from a shoe

Hello lovelies. To begin where I recently ended a night. As the title of this post suggests I was kicked out of a pub for drinking beer out of a shoe. I can confirm to you that it is just as awesome as it sounds. I learnt a few things from this adventure. Firstly, the beer quality is not diminished if you drink it fast enough however, the smell is a little bit off putting. Number two the staff of the local establishments in my pseudo home town of Canberra do not have a sense of humour about such things (this is a generalisation from only a small sample group, further research is required). Number three and perhaps most important is that doing stupid things is not only fun but also educational.

Granted, I probably knew that last lesson already but a refresher course every once in a while doesn't hurt. I have done a lot of stupid shit in my lifetime. From passing out in all sorts of weird and unusual places, stealing things that are completely useless to me (if you lost a few pot plants from your front garden a few years ago that was probably me) and driving far too fast on dirt roads in a front wheel drive car. Just to name a few, without incriminating myself too much but all of these things add up to the collective pool of wisdom contained in my brain.

I often say to people when trying to describe a mania that in my case it is just like passing out. Believe me when I tell you that I have had a lot of experience at both. You kill enough brain cells so that all you can remember are flashes of the night before and you piece the rest together through eye whiteness accounts and whatever evidence you have collected along the way. With my manias this feeling of memory loss covers weeks at a time. As an example I vaguely remember during one mania saying '5-5-5-5-5'. Apparently, it is all I said for three days. Every question I was asked even simple ones like: 'what is your name?' I would reply: '5-5-5-5-5'. I remember vividly staring at some graffiti that said 'the end is nigh' for 6 hours but if you asked me why I did so, I couldn't tell you if I wanted to.

I find these stories about mania hilarious, as should you. A sense of humour about such things is vital to my well being. It is like that one stoner you know and all the ridiculous things he or she says when high; generally about melting in to couches and slaying dragons with marshmallows. I tend to collect these stories, not only from myself but from others as well and perhaps you will hear some more further down the line.

For now though after that short detour, back to doing stupid shit. One of my favourite quotes at the moment comes from the song 'Satelite' by one of my favourite bands, Rise Against:

"You can't feel the heat until you hold your hand over the flame
 You have to cross the line just to remember where it lays

 You won't know your worth now, son, until you take a hit

And you won't find the beat until you lose yourself in it" 

It is by doing stupid things that we work out where our limits are. From my father I have developed two guiding principles to any sort of moment like this in my life. Number one, was it fun? For what is life if not something to be enjoyed. Number two, did you learn something from it? Because if we don't learn from our experiences then what is the point of existing. On drinking beer from a shoe, obviously it was fun and yes, in a strange way I am smarter for doing it.

I have learnt far too often in my 21 years that life is fragile, opportunities only present themselves once and if you get kicked out of a pub you probably deserved it. It is a cliche but there's no point being in the moment if you're not going to live in it. I'll think about the past when I'm old and as to the future well, that's just a little bit too boring for me. I figure as long as I have a roof over my head, some half decent scotch and a bit of food to eat then I am doing okay.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some beer to drink and a variety of shoes to drink it from. I will let you know the best combination if you want to try it for yourself. The sandal should be interesting.

Stay Awesome.