Relative Pressure

Yesterday while I was bulldozing through research for an upcoming Theory & Methods of History midterm in the library, I glanced over to a wall of books and lost myself momentarily in the meaningless collage of various colors, shapes and sizes. As my eyes came back into focus (having adjusted from the 10" focal length of my book to the 10' distance to said bookshelf-wall), one particular title leapt out to me. Ok, it was the only title legible from this distance, but was intriguing in its subject as well as its typeset.

"Legends and Lore: Nautical Terms and Tales."

I won't lie, I knew it was wasteful, but I set down my Foucault and mischievously retrieved the dusty cloth-bound hard copy from its resting place. It was filled with explanations of nautical terms which have come into our everyday use (Beat a dead horse, round robin, etc.) as well as those that never caught on (room to swing a cat). I learned about the variety of vessels which do (and do not) qualify as "ships" (requires 3 masts and square sails, technically) and I got a casual summary of the tales of notable pirates, shipwrecks, mutinies and all manner of gruesome adventures on the seven seas. I even learned which seas those original 7 referred to (according to this author, they are: Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, South China Sea, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Arabia Sea/Indian Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean (sic) ).

Then I came across an especially wonderful quote.

"There is no dilemma compared with that of a deep-sea diver who hears the message from the ship above - Come up at once, We're sinking!"

- Robert Cooper.

After a brief moment to think it over (and decide it has much more enigma to it than I often credit 19th century sailors with), I put the book back on the shelf and got back to work.

My dilemmas aren't all that intellectually complex or physically demanding, and while I often feel like a certain weight is bearing down upon my shoulders, I can see that this is all hollow melodrama compared with the plight of the deep-sea diver.

And I'm glad I'm not him.

Weber
:: (lame) Texpatriot