A Curious Girl: Madman. My Hero.

Wow. Did anyone else watch David Blaine get into the box? For those of you who didn't...

David Blaine, an awesome illusionist and endurance artist, is going to be shut in a plexi-glass box above London with no food and no human contact for 44 days (due to get out on October 19th). Completely insane, without a doubt, but utterly amazing all the same. I would doubt the guy, but he'll have to try pretty hard to fake an emaciated form at the end, besides, before he's stood on a pillar for 32 hours (I think) with people surrounding him all the time... and if he's daft enough to do that, it doesn't surprise me that he's daft enough to do this :) He didn't come across as polished and rehearsed to me - in fact, if anything he sounded awkward, despite the fact that he's done the most mind-boggling illusions which must take some acting. The only thing which cast a shadow of a doubt in me was them talking to the World's Most Dishonest Man, one Uri Gellar (Spoon-bending. Pah!), very briefly on ITV news. I would have been more comforted if he'd said, "this is all rubbish, he's making it up..."

Despite the WMDM assuring us that David Blaine is actually doing it, I do believe that he is. And despite making me think that this man is completely bonkers, I am inspired. Sure, he might be doing it for the money or the fame, but there are much easier things that can be done for money and fame. He's dicing with death in an incredibly painful fashion. He's not too afraid to do that.

Whereas me? In truth, I'm sometimes too afraid to walk down the street...

The thing is, I often glory in tackling minor fears. Probably why I, with a fear of heights, find high rollercoasters so thrilling. It's little moments like that that remind you that you're alive.

I was fascinated when he said that he used his magic to help take people out of their mundane thought patterns... how often have I wished that for myself... when questioned why he was doing the feat, he said that he wanted to take himself out of his own mundane thought patterns. I was struck by this humble response. He doesn't have mundane thought patterns, surely? His magic tricks are much more impressive than Uri Gellar's, yet he didn't claim to be psychic... strangely though, I found myself questioning whether he might actually be psychic watching the tricks! So I confess I was pretty wowed. I chatted to Ian about him on msn. He seemed quite miffed that David Blaine is doing something that requires no talent whatsoever. True. Almost anyone could perform this feat. With the right publicity, they would be famous. But... would they? People get so scared. I could not do it - I am too frightened of death. And yet he takes some sort of spirituality out of the extreme deprivation (a similar stunt, being buried alive for seven days, gave him a belief in God. I noted that Nicky Campbell, the presenter, seemed very skeptical when he said that!). And I guess, I must confess, no matter how daft the dream is, I admire him immensely for living out his dream.

Random word for today: pugnacious

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