You are feeling sleepy

Have work laptop, so blogging on the train. The reason for me taking the work laptop home is that I've been to an Ordnance Survey conference for the last couple of days up in the Midlands. Good event it was too and it was good to see how other councils, plus the emergence services are using geographic data.

However, what I will remember most from this conference and what most people will remember me for(!!) is what happened in the evening after the Gala Dinner. The post dinner entertainment was a hypnotist. I always been a bit sceptical of these sort of acts and to satisfy my own curiosity and to what it was like to be involved in such an act, I was one of 6 to volunteer to be put under the spell. I closed my eyes and it started.

I milked a lovely cow for all I was worth. I rode that horse and won the race. My victory dance was quite a sight apparently. Then I used my shoe as a mobile phone. I got a laugh and a small round of applause for using a shoe lace as an aerial. And that was it, I think. I know I didn't take off any clothes before you ask, apart from the shoe. Apparently I was the star of the show and the reaction I got off stage and the next morning from everyone was fantastic. All wanted to congratulate me. They all wanted to know how it felt. There was at least one person who recorded some of it on his mobile phone. I'll post it on here if I get a copy of it.

So how did it feel. Well the best way I can describe it is that it felt like I was in a dream. I knew where I was. I knew what I was doing. My inhabitations would have still stopped me doing anything dangerous or obscene. But when the hypnotist made a suggestion, you thought, yeah that silly but I'll do it. When I got back to my seat it did take me a couple of minutes to get ‘back to normal', but then I was fine.

Now I hadn't texted or phone Sue all day, mainly because there was no phone signal in the hotel at all. So about midnight I went outside. To the side of the hotel, they have a lake in their grounds with reeds, ducks etc Plus a small seating area. Whilst sat there I received a couple of texts and a voicemail message from Sue that she had sent that day. I sent her a text knowing that if she wasn't awake she'll get it in the morning. I did wait around for a few minutes to see if I would get a response. The hotel was quite hot and stuffy so it was great to sit out in the fresh cool air. It was lovely.

I was soon joined by Roger, one of my bosses. We had a quick chat about the hypnotise and a bit of a laugh. I did ask him when he came out.. Did he see me outside? Did he just fancy a walk in the fresh air or what? He said that one of his ex-work colleagues and someone we met earlier that day had seen me go outside and towards the lake. She went to him worried that something was wrong and I was suffering from being hypnotised that evening, I assured him that I was OK and I promised him that I wouldn't jump into the lake.