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IN THIS ISSUE: NATIONAL CURMUDGEON DAY
THOUGHT: Although some complaints inspire solutions, most complaints fuel frustration or anger and don't contribute to wellness.
SOUL TRAVEL: TEN DEGREES FROM THE NORTH POLE
TRIVIAL PURSUIT: There are no polar bears in Antarctica and no penguins in the Arctic.
NATIONAL CURMUDGEON DAY
I declare this day to be National Curmudgeon Day - a day when everyone can shout all of their pet peeves into the universe, knowing that if a common complaint gathers force, solutions may be forthcoming, or, alternatively, the complaint, having been vocalized and heard, will be set free.
I have three pet peeves at the moment. The first two are belly button flashers and pierced body parts - tongues, lips, noses, eyebrows, nipples and belly buttons. ("Aaarrgg" as I think Charlie Brown used to say). I have also heard tell of other body parts that get pierced but at least they are not generally on display - so far.
A trip to the mall means having inneys and outeys flashed at you from all directions. For some, belly buttons may be sexy but I don't rate them high on the list of primal attractions. What ever happened to subtlety? A lost art, I suspect. And I see nothing inspiring about seeing how many rings one can suspend from an eyebrow. We had circus sideshows in my day. They must have satisfied some basic need as the current generation seems compelled to create its own. (This is really good curmudgeon stuff.)
My third and biggest pet peeve is maniac cell phone users. Please, spare me the details of your life in spaces when I can't get away! Take, for example, an airplane. No matter whether the plane lands on time or not, half the passengers are calling someone to say, "We're on the tarmac". Like maybe the plane to Chicago landed in London by mistake? Then, later, "I'm at the baggage claim", "There's my bag", "I'm picking it up now", "I'm leaving the building", "I'm headed for the parking area". Splat! Yes, cell phones can be dangerous.
Closeted in an airplane, a restaurant, a beauty shop and hundreds of other places, unable to escape, one's space is invaded and one's peace sabotaged by unthinking, self-centered cell phone users whose world exists only between their ear and their cell phone. Loud and clear, we get snippets of business deals, gossip, advice, last night's date, tomorrow's date, social calendars, arguments, and otherwise insignificant prattle. I am thinking about offering free signs for businesses to post that say, PLEASE STEP OUTSIDE TO USE YOUR CELL PHONE.
There is some good news. Some restaurants have posted signs saying "Please turn off cell phones". There was such a sign in a doctor's office I visited recently. I invite you all to join my cadre of cell phone police for the sake of restoring some peace and quiet to our lives.
Are we so out of touch as a society, we have to be constantly in touch?
Oh, I feel so much better! HAPPY NATIONAL CURMUDGEON DAY (maybe that should be a month)!
 
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SOUL TRAVEL: TEN DEGREES FROM THE NORTH POLE
Standing on the bow of the Polar Star, an icebreaker, I watched the vast sea of pack ice in the ship's path split apart, like an ax splits a log. The ice often broke into jigsaw-like pieces on the sides of the fissure, forming a grand design of snow-covered ice and deep blue sea. I watched with fascination, feeling the power of the ship in contrast to the great isolation of the surroundings.
We were attempting to get to Moffen Island where there was a significant walrus colony. Moffen Island is the very northernmost point in the archipelago known as Svalbard that is just off the northwest tip of Norway. The ice was 6 to 8 feet thick. Eventually, it became too thick and stopped us short of our goal. As we moved north, we came across small groups of two to three walrus lolling about on the ice, for the most part unmoved by our presence. Lying prone, they look like overstuffed Bratwurst.
Our effort to get to Moffen Isld. took us across the 80th parallel. This is akin to crossing the equator and called for a round of champagne. As most of you may know, the North Pole is at the 90th parallel. There was nutty talk of going for a dip as the ultimate baptism but no one did - something about the ice being too unstable. Good excuse!
During the trip we encountered five polar bear. These animals are such a thrill to see in the wild. Although curious, the ones we saw did not stick around for close ups. Sickened by the sight of several polar bear rugs in a store in Longyearbyen, I had no doubt that the bears have learned man is dangerous.
There were birds by the thousands, many around the ship looking for handouts, and massive bird colonies on cliffs that rose straight up from the sea. The air was often filled with their plaintive calls and, when we approached a bird colony, the sound became a crescendoing cacophony. We hiked to the top of one very high cliff for close-up views of one colony that included auks, guillemots and kittiwakes. Lying flat against the ground and shimmying close to the edge, we were able to look into some of the nests and, much to our delight, spotted some nests with eggs. The eggs range in color from brown to green to blue and are shaped unevenly in order to prevent them from rolling so easily from the nest and falling the dizzying distance into the sea below.
Whenever we spent time on land, we were asked to stay in groups and were accompanied by staff carrying large rifles in case of a polar bear. But, no such luck!
A particularly glorious evening was the night they served dinner on the deck of the ship. The ship had traveled to the end of a lovely fijord. The wind was still, the sun was shining and warm. Several ring seals were poking their noses up through their holes in the ice. Sitting on deck in the soft Arctic light, surrounded by the magnificent scenery of ice, mountains, sea, and a brilliant blue sky with white, fluffy clouds, we dined on barbecued salmon and drank wine. It was magical.
Looking back on the trip, it is the vast, stark landscape that remains the most vivid memory--the harshness of the ice and snow, the glacial mountains, the 24 hour daylight, the shadows, the Arctic light, the sense of isolation. Pure, silent, intimidating, mysterious, the landscape haunts you and pulls at your soul. Surely, it was, in part, this forbidding beauty that beckoned the polar explorers.
Following is an excerpt from a poem I wrote while on board ship: The Spirit Bear (another name for polar bear) has been asked to talk about his land.
My land is frozen, bleak and harsh,
Life and death are mates;
Each struggles against the Arctic night
That eventually decides our fates.
Then comes the light
That hides the night
And heralds a brand new season.
There're cubs and eggs
And wobbly legs --
Life seems blessed with reason.
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(I have posted twice as many photos as usual. Hope you enjoy them.)
HAVE A GREAT MONTH!
NEXT MONTH: NORWAY IN A NUTSHELL
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I WANT TO THANK THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE TAKEN THE TIME TO LET ME KNOW HOW MUCH YOU ARE ENJOYING THE MUSELETTER AND THANKS ALSO TO THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE GIVEN ME E MAILS OF OTHERS YOU THINK MIGHT ENJOY IT. IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO HEAR FROM YOU. YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED!
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WINGS Vol. II, No. 7, August, 2003
