Today I finished reading “The River of Doubt” about Theodore Roosevelt’s nightmare expedition in the Amazon. It reminded me of one of the things I really don’t miss about dry land – mosquitoes. I am sure they must serve some useful purpose in the overall scheme of things, but blowed if I know what it is. I spent a couple of weeks in the Amazon during my travels around Peru in 2003 and was relieved to get out. Mosquitoes love me. The feeling is not mutual.

Anyway, this got me thinking of what else I don’t miss about being on dry land.

1. Traffic jams: when are we going to realize that it would be faster to travel around city centres by public transport or bicycle? Many of the world’s great cities are now absolutely blighted by traffic congestion, with exhaust fumes corroding historic buildings and asphyxiating pedestrians.

2. Advertising: especially advertisements that show fast foods in gruesome closeup – gloopy cheese stretching from slices of pizza, meatballs that look like body parts, and slices of tomato bouncing into salads as if dropped from a great height. Are tomatoes meant to bounce? Really?

3. Airport security: laptop, coat, belt, shoes. Can I keep the rest on, please? Oh no, I forgot the toothpaste was in there. It’s not lethal, honestly. Please don’t throw it….. oh, sigh.

4. Spending money. Spending so much of this year at sea has saved me a fortune – well, apart from the fortune it cost me to get out here in the first place, and the other fortune I’m paying to the satellite phone company for the pleasure of posting my blog. But it seems a loooong time since I handled cash.

5. Worrying about what to wear, and whether I have it in this suitcase, and whether I can still fit into it.

As to what I do miss about land – well, it would be a long list, a very long list. But best not to think about it. I’ll be back on terra firma soon enough, and will appreciate all its pleasures anew. At least until I have to get on a plane….

Other Stuff:

Wet and wild today. The wind has been roaring in my ears all day, not to mention all night. It gets a bit crazy-making after a while. I’d like to turn it off, just for an hour or so, to appreciate the quiet. According to the forecast, another lull is in sight….

Thanks for the great comments on last Philosophy Friday’s blog. Really, really good stuff. I’ll pick up on as many of those as I can this coming Friday.

Texino – sorry to hear you’re not well. But it sounds not bad at all, being tucked up snug in bed with your Mac while a storm rages outside. Almost as I am now, except that my bed is probably not as comfy as yours! Hope you’re doing better soon.

John H – euuuwww! Bad joke!

Roger Finch – I see loads of birds, actually. Every day the storm petrels entertain me with their aerobatics. Today they have been whizzing around at breakneck speeds on the high winds. But no finches (haha!).

Quote for the day (thanks to Jay for sending this one): “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.” (Martin Luther King)

Sponsored Miles: Gail Brownell, Mary Kadzielski – thank you.
56 miles since yesterday morning – WOW.

12 Comments

  • Its difficult to understand how tiring the wind is unless your out in it all day. Working on the old (25 year old) wind turbines with their external ladders and work platforms exposes you to the wind all day since they put these things where it’s windy for some reason. You don’t realize what it’s doing to you until climbing into the work truck at the end of the day. of course the truck wasn’t being tossed on the ocean.
    6. Rugby.

  • Sorry about that (not!), here is an old but good one:

    On the ship to shore radio:

    SHIP: “Please divert your course 15 degrees to the north to avoid a collision.”

    SHORE: “Recommend that you divert YOUR course 15 degrees to the south to avoid a collision.”

    SHIP: “This is the Captain of a U.S. Navy ship. I say again divert YOUR course.”

    SHORE: “No, I say again you divert YOUR course.”

    SHIP: “This is the aircraft carrier Enterprise, we are a large warship of the U.S. Navy. Divert your course NOW!”

    SHORE: “This is a lighthouse. Your call.”

    Glad you are enjoying life without mosquitoes or TV ads. Luckily there are no mosquitoes here and I do not watch TV, so two down!

    I took 1005 flights in five years, airport security is different at every airport, I did lose my toothpaste once and a bottle of cologne as well, but for the most part they are doing well. Some started to remember me and that made it fun. We could tease each other.

    Money – I spend on gas to get around to volunteer and food is simple. Clothes – shorts and T-shirt. Life is good!

  • Arrrr Mosquitoes!  I once was walking uphill in the mountains on a hot day at about 8,000 feet with a 65 pound pack on my back and a cloud of mosquitoes around me, no net and no fun.  It makes all the other beautiful sunny days in meadows with wild flowers that much more special.
    Was using the Dogpile search engine this morning and found more Indian Ocean weather information.

    http://en.allmetsat.com/images/nrlmry_indian_southern_ir.php

    Been listening to your current and archived podcasts lately.  Lots of good stuff.  Thank you.  Have you seen any rainbows lately?

    Row row row and may all  of our lives be devoid of rows (arguments).       All the best Roz and Rita     Stephen

  • Comment from Sandra Vaughn:  A good mosquito quote to add to this one:  “If you think you’re too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito.”  (not sure about the original person to credit for it…it’s a good one to match Roz’s message).

  • Storm petrels are such amazing little birds. was part of a petrel survey on Skokolm once.
    a lovely time. fair winds and currents and waves and…….well, everything!. David church

  • men are always misguided. its because women are not in power. i don’t like mosquitoes either. or lots of cars. but i do like walking!

  • The town of Davis is known for it’s bike community (the town revolves around bikes) it is absolutely beautiful and complete with an arboretum bike path into town. And the mosquito problem is almost nil because the Davis/Sacramento Causeway hosts one of the largest bat colonies in the world. They fly out every evening in ribbons, millions strong. Great ride there and back into town for delta breeze celebrations! Come back to Northern California! Stay a while! One of us could show you the San Francisco Wiggle. If you get into town soon enough we might be able to get you to the Biolumenescent Blooms in Tomales, or the Monarch Butterfly migrations in Santa Cruz/Monterey or the Salmon Runs in Lake Tahoe! 

    All of this is freely available as a thank-you for supporting Roz at the below website. Feel free to share the info with your friends.

    Row Roz Row!

    Cheers!
    ~Jay

    http://www.outside-365.blogspot.com

  • ” A Burning passion coupled with absolute detachment is the key ot all success.” 
    Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

    This is you.

  • You are so funny!  How about Earthquakes? We had a small one here in Washington, DC that disoriented everyone so much everyone was allowed to go home early.  People in Califonia are laughing at us. 

    But serious fun. Everything you metioned, cars burning oil, fear that drives the illusion of security that makes us try to be beautiful on the outside rather than from the inside and the fetish of money — all things we would be better off without, yes so hard to imagine letting go of it until we wil be forced to. 

    All except for those irritating but otherwise innocent mosquitos.

    Sending Reiki and keeping candles lit for you, Roz.

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