tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post8569302167985836687..comments2024-03-27T16:48:21.039-05:00Comments on Wuthering <br>Expectations: Oh, how the snow refreshes one’s soul - Fridtjof Nansen explores the ArcticAmateur Reader (Tom)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-79374900542738369012014-10-03T16:35:26.701-05:002014-10-03T16:35:26.701-05:00I'm going to write an entire piece later this ...I'm going to write an entire piece later this evening about how I don't read books about mountaineering. But how I <i>should</i> read them.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-21172978427170575272014-10-03T16:26:48.798-05:002014-10-03T16:26:48.798-05:00Have you read any of Eric Shipton's books? I t...Have you read any of Eric Shipton's books? I think you might like them.scott g.f.baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05726743149139510832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-58427768183715200972014-10-03T14:30:31.781-05:002014-10-03T14:30:31.781-05:00The movie? I have a confession: I do not go to mov...The movie? I have a confession: I do not go to movies, and I rarely -- if ever -- watch movies on TV or DVD. And as for movies based on good novels, I avoid them with even more of an aversion. Yeah, I know, I'm some sort of an oddity. So be it.R.T.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13220814349193561823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-30529360710406802422014-10-03T14:03:55.274-05:002014-10-03T14:03:55.274-05:00I should say, in case a real Patrick O'Brian f...I should say, in case a real Patrick O'Brian fan wanders by, that I mean the movie, not the books, which I have not read although I'll bet I'd enjoy them.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-61758672086961734832014-10-03T11:23:42.088-05:002014-10-03T11:23:42.088-05:00If you are saying the XO was testing me, that neve...If you are saying the XO was testing me, that never occurred to me, so I failed. Perhaps that explains my Navy career trajectory. I shall have to try Master and Commander, but perhaps it will make me homesick for the open sea. (Homesick? No, I hated sea duty. Hated it!)R.T.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13220814349193561823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-32336979737711307102014-10-03T09:18:16.519-05:002014-10-03T09:18:16.519-05:00Almost like it was a test of some sort.
I enjoyed...Almost like it was a test of some sort.<br /><br />I enjoyed all of the dinner scenes in <i>Master and Commander</i>, the English officers having a formal dinner with silver service and wine pairings.<br /><br />I guess I enjoyed pretty much all of the scenes in <i>Master and Commander</i>.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-43658501932245552932014-10-03T08:51:33.850-05:002014-10-03T08:51:33.850-05:00Booze was NOT allowed on ships. However, here is a...Booze was NOT allowed on ships. However, here is an anecdote that probably signifies nothing. There was an occasion one evening when I -- the new ensign on board the USS KITTY HAWK -- was summoned to the executive officer's office. He wanted to discuss some legal issues (i.e., I was the assistant legal officer), and he poured himself a glass of wine during our meeting. He did not offer me any. I was in no position to question the apparent violation of Navy policy. After all, he was the big cheese, and I was merely a small dollop of Velveeta. I still wonder, though, about his peculiar exemption from the rules under which everyone had to live. Should I have reported the exemption to the captain? No. I was a mere ensign (i.e., there is hardly anyone less significant on a ship), and I hoped to have a career of some duration. The XO, however, did rather have the appearance of a Viking. Perhaps there was some connection and exemption that I was not permitted to understand. R.T.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13220814349193561823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-42407502027198352562014-10-03T08:44:11.993-05:002014-10-03T08:44:11.993-05:00In contemporary accounts of the trip, the crew of ...In contemporary accounts of the trip, the crew of the <i>Fram</i> are often called "Vikings." They were tough stuff. Although they were allowed booze on special occasions, which I think the U.S. Navy did not.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-32446405282768796202014-10-03T08:33:00.922-05:002014-10-03T08:33:00.922-05:00When I was a sailor -- 25 years in the Navy -- I w...When I was a sailor -- 25 years in the Navy -- I would often complain about the living conditions on the ships. I should have read Nansen for a better perspective. Compared to him and his comrades, I was clearly a feeble, lightweight, spoiled complainer. Seriously, I cannot imagine living and surviving in the conditions those fellows faced. People were obviously made of tougher stuff.R.T.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13220814349193561823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-42773956230395017992014-10-03T08:21:29.742-05:002014-10-03T08:21:29.742-05:00I know - it must have been the single most importa...I know - it must have been the single most important change in the expedition of exploration. Scurvy had devastated most earlier attempts at polar voyages. But Nansen had packed along a five year supply of vitamin C.<br /><br />Their great luck was that, with all of the heavy equipment, firearms, explosives, and polar bears, there was never even a serious injury. The doctor routinely complained, ironically, I suppose, of having nothing to do. He spent more time doctoring the dogs.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-35773153151607483092014-10-03T06:08:01.002-05:002014-10-03T06:08:01.002-05:00What, no scurvy? That's preposterous! You can&...What, no scurvy? That's preposterous! You can't be a real sailor without having bits of your gums and teeth fall off from rotting.LMRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08538873868140070018noreply@blogger.com