William Rohner > Recent Status Updates

Six men sailing for South Georgia and rescue:

"Their legs from the knees down were chafed and raw . . . . And all of them were afflicted with salt water boils on their wrists, ankles, and buttocks. But had someone unexpectedly come upon this bizarre scene, undoubtedly the most striking thing would have been the attitude of the men . . . relaxed, even faintly jovial—almost as if they were on an outing of some sort."

"In cold weather they were also greatly troubled with their eyes watering. The tears ran down a man's nose and formed an icicle on the end, which sooner or later had to be broken off. And no matter how carefully it was done, a little patch of skin invariably came off with it, leaving a chronically unhealed sore on the end of his nose."

Ouch!

"In cold weather they were also greatly troubled with their eyes watering. The tears ran down a man's nose and formed an icicle on the end, which sooner or later had to be broken off. And no matter how carefully it was done, a little patch of skin invariably came off with it, leaving a chronically unhealed sore on the end of his nose."

Ouch!

"The official lights-out...was at 8:30 P.M. A good many men turned in earlier, after removing their trousers and jerseys and possibly putting on a pair of dry socks. Nobody ever took off his underwear."

Gross! Living in tents on ice floes after abandoning ship near Antarctica involves giving up creature comforts to a crazy degree. These guys seem not only to bear it but enjoy it!

What a fun book to read in July!

What a joy it is to again read something I enjoy!

Less than 100 pages to go!!

The faster I read this thing, the sooner it's over!

"Incontestable that nothing is more uplifting in all of life than righteous anger."

“In all the world there is no desolation more complete than the polar night. It is a return to the Ice Age—no warmth, no life, no movement. Only those who have experienced it can fully appreciate what it means to be without the sun day after day and week after week. Few men unaccustomed to it can fight off its effects altogether, and it has driven some men mad.”

I read the first seventeen pages while on vacation and then left this book on the plane flying home. This may be my unconscious offering an early review.

"He refilled my glass to its previous level and set the bottle down. The alcohol said: So a man of ninety is forgetful, has some gaps, moments of confusion. So a ten-year-old has growing pains. Apple Stores will open by nine."

"And the behaviour of the cat was somewhat peculiar. It was soon noticed that when there was work to be done the cat could never be found. She would vanish for hours on end, and then reappear at meal-times, or in the evening after work was over, as though nothing had happened. But she always made such excellent excuses, and purred so affectionately, that it was impossible not to believe in her good intentions."

"...to most mortals there is a stupidity which is unendurable and a stupidity which is altogether acceptable –– else, indeed, what would become of social bonds?"