Diving was wonderful. First dive, the strap on my 24 year old mask broke, and I had to make a 45 ft ascent from the bottom without. No panic. No worries. Nice 'n easy. Exhale all the way; follow your slowest bubble up. Borrowed a mask from the boat; great dive. Dove two great wrecks, the RMS Rhone and the Chikuzen. Saw two loggerhead turtles mating off Ginger Island, BVI. Not sure whether I should submit a report to National Geographic or something. Naturalists don't really understand when and where these guys mate—though I could be mistaken. We were all cheering for there to be more loggerheads. There's nothing quite like seeing your teenagers under 80 feet of seawater playing around with a giant sting ray (10+ feet) or chasing after toothy, grinning barracuda.
On my return I found this article about the 15 most overrated contemporary American authors. Here's the list: William T. Vollmann, Amy Tan, John Ashberry, Mary Oliver, Helen Vendler, Antonya Nelson, Jorie Graham, Jonathan Safran Foer, Jhumpa Lahiri, Junot Diaz, Louise Gluck, Michael Cunningham, Billy Collins, and Michiko Kakutani.
I've come up with an idea for a new serial post. Some of you may recall my series entitled "Thyraphobia" which could have been subtitled 'Fear as Metaphor.' The new series will be titled "Fear of Metaphor." Subtitle is not 'Why I Am Not a Poet,' but could be. Look for it come fall.
Here in the ATL, public schools started back on Monday. College kids start reporting this week and next. How messed up is that? (Course, they get midterms done before Christmas and get out before Memorial Day.)
I feel like playing DJ. Enjoy.
[I know it's a cover, but Mouse authorized it.]
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New Sun Kil Moon out a month ago, some new songs streamed here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.myspace.com/sunkilmoon
Love pretty much everything Kozelek has done (the AC/DC cover album even had some giggles and moments).
That list: as Landru said at my place, it's proof HuffPo doesn't just suck re: quack medicine.
Glad the vacation was excellent.
Sorry I missed the discussion at your place; just shows to go you I'm not a perfect reader.
ReplyDeleteI like a lot of Red House Painters, too. I'll have to check out the AC/DC thing. Sound like a hoot.
I do agree with HuffPo w/r/t Diaz, as I indicated here long ago. Unfortunately, that's about all I know from that list (except for Michiko).
Thanks for the good words.
"...follow your slowest bubble up."
ReplyDeleteI'll remember that.
I've never done it, so I'm curious-- what's the particular attraction in diving wrecks?
Good question, FM. Often they're like oases of life on barren seabeds; nutrients and smaller fish are drawn to them en masse. That brings bigger fish, etc. Coral gardens bloom all over them as nature reclaims and breaks them down. The wrecks we dove teemed with huge schools of unusual varieties of tropical fish and plant and coral life.
ReplyDeleteShort answer: they are features. They're fun and sometimes challenging to explore. A mast on its side. A 20 ft propeller blade. A giant boiler. A hole in the side you can swim through. A shiny porthole. etc.