Media Overload

 

One thing about living on land that's both time-consuming and sometimes overwhelming … access to too much media. When we're aboard Nine of Cups, we're quite insulated from many world happenings and even local occurrences sometimes. We rarely give a thought to politics or which famous people have died. Out of sight, out of mind. Ignorance is bliss ... and all those other overused cliches apply.

So here we are 20 minutes from Boston, USA and we're absolutely overloaded with news. On the boat we have limited internet. We pay by the byte and we're cheap … no time is wasted surfing or following a thread somewhere … or nowhere. Here we have unlimited internet and, oh my, do we ever use it. It's almost embarrassing how much time we spend on our computers here, instead of performing boat chores or walking to the grocery for tonight's dinner or doing something more productive when we are on the boat.

Oh sure, on the boat we like to know if we're at war with any country we might be visiting and it's good to know about major world catastrophes, especially if they're nearby like earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis. We can usually figure out hurricanes/cyclones on our own as long as we download the weather daily. But do we really need so much other information clogging and cluttering our aging brains? Not that we retain much of it, mind you.

We haven't had a television for more than 14 years. At the moment, however, we have cable which offers a mere 300+ channels. Rarely do we find something worth watching although Bea likes to watch the evening news followed by Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy and, yup, I'm right there on the couch beside her trying to solve puzzles and ask Jeopardy questions. This I find is a colossal time-waster. I could have my nose stuck in a good book or be writing a blog post or doing a myriad of productive things, but instead ...

We do like watching movies and watch lots of them on the boat on our laptop computers. We snuggle up on the saloon settee, pop some popcorn and watch movies uninterrupted to our hearts' content. It's easy to avoid watching commercials for feminine hygiene products, car insurance and the latest in probiotic yoghurts and how good they are for our digestive tracts. Here, we're inundated with advertising every few minutes… the newest drug releases (nothing recreational) and their requisite side effects and cautions, more feminine hygiene products and the latest in new car releases … not to mention political mud-smearing from time to time.

Now we find ourselves watching weather reports and paying attention to the heat index and the rain forecast, but worrying less about storms and winds. We read the Boston Globe daily and get caught up in the vagaries of the stock market, who's being tried for what crime, what President Obama eats for breakfast (4-6 eggs, potatoes and wheat toast … yikes) and what political blunder the local representative just made. Oh and there's usually some world news, too.

We're not used to having current magazines available (although John on Active Transport usually sends the New Yorker to me for Kindle viewing). Even the doctors' offices have current magazines, believe it or not, and we've visited plenty of doctors and dentists during our time back here in States. Time, Newsweek, People, Good Housekeeping, Golf Digest (ick), You and Arthritis … we read them all. They're there and we read them.

The positive side about too much media? If nothing else, I always have plenty of ideas for blog posts (or rants).

Superheroes...Shazam!

"And if I go crazy then will you still call me Superman?

If I'm alive and well, will you be there holding my hand?

I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might

Kryptonite"

Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down

Superheroes, as we know them, have been around for decades and they intrigue me. You've gotta think that all those ancient myths and legends like Ulysses, Beowulf, Perseus and King Arthur were definitely superheroes in their day. Actually, I learned that the term Super Heroes is a trademark co-owned by DC and Marvel comics. Wikipedia, as usual, offered a tremendous amount of Superhero info.

Superman first appeared in 1938, his reputation spurred on by the popularity of comic books at the time. We've seen Superman movies ...Superman, Superman Returns, Superman 2 – 15 (or so it seems). Man of Steel just opened recently at the local movie theaters. It got me to thinking about the criteria for a superhero in the first place. Here's what I came up with...

1. Superhuman or extraordinary power, but not necessarily human, e.g. Superman is an ET although I think he was a naturalized citizen. And, I guess, not necessarily superhuman, e.g. Batman has enough money to fabricate what he needs to be achieve almost superhuman powers.

2. Saves the world and fights bad guys in spare time. There always seems to be an arch-villain or two and he/she/they are pretty famous, too, and can match powers with the superhero.

3. Cool costume – I like this part the best …. though doubt if I could look as good in leotards or spandex as Wonder Woman.

4. Secret identity – For some reason, they feel the need to hide their identity and if they wear their nifty costumes, even the people closest to them can't figure out who they are. Shame on you, Lois Lane. You were pretty unobservant for a reporter!

What brought all this to mind, by the way, is that I saw a Superman cape in Wal-Mart the other day and I was sorely tempted to buy it … and so I did. I've always wished that I could fly or be super strong or maybe cling to the sides of buildings or beat up bad guys. So far, my wishes have not come true. So, for a mere $6.97, here was my chance. I grasped that bright red cape with a big yellow “S” in my hands and dreamed about flying.

I called my sister, Lin, to come over and try it out with me. She's much more athletic than I am. She did a few pre-flying exercises on the living room floor and headed out to the front yard wearing the new cape. It was then I saw the warning label:

Really? Well, heck, why buy it?

Basketworks

 

After stating recently that I prefer small souvenirs, here is my admission that I'm still subject to the lure of buying distinctive baskets every once in awhile AND when I buy them, I seldom actually use them. They're too beautiful. Whew … glad to get that off my chest!

The thing is, good quality baskets are unique and usually representative of a substantial piece of a woman's individual work and time. I like to buy baskets directly from their makers because I think I benefit from the good vibes that come with them and the weaver gets to keep all the profits from her labors.

We've purchased baskets from the Wounaan in Panama and the Embera in the Darien Jungle. We've watched women use natural dyes to color the reeds they're using and weave intricate patterns in baskets with weaves so tight and fine, the baskets could actually hold water.

Basket weavers use whatever reeds or grasses are available in their area. Palms and reeds are used in the Carib and Panama. In Peru, it was totora reeds. In the South Pacific, they utilize pandanus palm fronds ripped into thin strips and then dried. Though some weavers make baskets and woven goods for sale to tourists, more simple ones are used locally for carrying produce to and from market.

One Caribbean weaver told us that she “collects reeds for baskets only at the dark side of the moon and at low tide, otherwise they'll be bug-infested.” We asked where she'd heard that and she said, “That's something everybody knows!”. Interestingly enough, when I consulted the Old Farmer's Almanac, it stated “From full Moon through the last quarter, or the dark of the Moon, is the best time for killing weeds, thinning, pruning, mowing, cutting timber, and planting below-ground crops.” I guess cutting reeds and grasses for baskets fall into that category. More interesting is that this “old wives' tale” is known by weavers everywhere we've visited. Must be some truth to it.

We received two beautiful covered pandanus baskets from Brenda on Pitcairn Island as parting gifts, made by her mum, Mag Christian, the oldest person on Pitcairn. Talk about rare treasure!

Sometimes, you just can't resist having something beautiful and non-functional on board. Okay … okay ... and we've bought some carvings, too. Not many, but a few. Man, it's good to get all this out in the open.