OK, so not really but I have been wanting to post about my reading (because I've been doing that pretty heavily this last month) and I just started Shackleton's The Heart of the Antartic. Towards the beginning, he provides brief biographies of his crew members. It is then that I realize Earnest Shackleton, leader of the voyage to the Antartic in 1907 was 33. He has, among the 15 of the shore crew, two that are 21, and several others in their twenties. I never really thouhgt about their ages and, while presuming they weren't too old, I never really thought about it. One of the crewmembers dropped out of Bristol University College to tag along to Antartica. Can you imagine his parents reaction (at least nowadays)? Our son dropped out of college to go wandering around a frozen wasteland.

All I can say is that I am so jealous. I love explorers. I have yet to figure out how exactly to be one myself but it is what I desperately want. The idea of seeking out someplace new is thrilling. At the same time, the whole idea is quite terrifying and the fact that I haven't actually done any probably shows I really haven't tried to hard to fulfill this "life amibition." Also, to this point, he's described the work of outfitting the expedition and again I am impresed at the fact that they do this but that they do it with such basics. Reindeer fur sleeping bags, leather shoes, and some canvas jackets are adequate supplies (not to mention tons of beef and soup).

So far, that's all I've read but I am intrigued. After all, how many people can get to with in 100 miles of the South Pole and have the presence of mind to say we can't make it the last little bit and get back in time. That takes some restraint and self-control.

In contrast, I live in San Francisco and have been to Yosemite once, Muir Woods once, Point Reyes once, and that's about it. I miss BenBen (and seeing as how he's about to get married, we probably will never do anything quite as crazy again) and the chance to galavant acros the world. Oh, the pipe dreams we had and the faith I had that we wold be able to live them. Now he's getting married and in the legal profession and I'm avoiding grad school rather diligently. It's times like these that make me wish I could get off my butt and figure out how to travel the world -- and do something useful at the same time.

Enough about me, I better try and act on this spirit while it is present.

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