A Short History of Nearly Everything

Such a good book. Especially for a clouded mind. It in no way helps with my confusion or solving my problems, but it distracts me so easily and completely. And sometimes that is the best solution.

Thanks Bill.

Cloudy Clear Ethan..

"A.l.w.a.y.s Attract"

...my heart's out at sea, my head's all over the place...

Such a good song.

I'm going to Japan in a couple of days and I think that'll well and truly sort me out. I'm feeling like the best is now. Or snow.

I can not wait for the numbing combination of cold, anonymity and adventure.

...you can make your own decisions, you can make your own mistakes...

Hoping the next couple of years pan out as planned. But I'm sure that they probably won't, and it doesn't really matter because if they don't, there'll be something else. There a.l.w.a.y.s is.

...I'll be home in a day, I fear that's a month too late...

It's almost a feeling of nothingness. It's a good thing, I guess. It's like I don't think about anything anymore, but I'm a.l.w.a.y.s thinking about everything - at the same time.

It's good knowing that there are plenty of awesome people out there. I meet someone awesome almost every day. It's good knowing I'm having the fun that I used to.

I don't think that anything is a.l.w.a.y.s.

But who knows. I'm not really the biggest believer in plans or rules either. It's hard to trust them.

Still looking for my castle in the clouds.

You Me At Ethan..

No Labyrinth

Life is a maze, not a labyrinth;

to succeed, you need persistence, knowledge, and a bit of luck...

Or enough money to buy a helicopter.

A Mazing Ethan

Australia Day

You know what,

I love Australia.

I don't like all the bogans and wankers who force foreigners to kiss the flag, and I don't like the people who have Southern Cross tattoos (besides Andy. He appears to be OK. Time shall tell.)

But I love the day. Every year I hug absolute randoms for the hell of it. I high-five people I've never seen before and they are so happy that I've done so. I run into recently-proclaimed Australians and they say how awesome it is to have completed their citizenship and be one of this nation.

BUT... In all facets of life, there are bad apples.

Fuck them.

That's not what this nation was built on. Life is awesome. Australia is awesome. And its awesome because we accept all people, as long as they're happy and honoured to be here.

Happy Invasion Day Australia.

Love Ethan..

Mary Celeste

So basically this is one of the greatest nautical mysteries in history.

In the early afternoon of December 4th, 1872, the crew aboard the Canadian brigantine, Dei Gratia, spotted a ship in the distance off the Strait of Gibraltar. The ship was under sail and moving erratically, slightly to starboard.

As they got closer they realised that she was the Mary Celeste (often incorrectly spelt Marie due to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional book that used several factual details surrounding this mystery) and that there were no sailors on deck. When they came aboard they found that all the important documents were missing (except for the Captain's logbook), there was enough food and water onboard to last six months, and there was no sign of struggle.

This was the mystery I know and love.

Unfortunately, a little research has proven this tale to be a slight fabrication, spiralling me into a despair akin to when I learnt that lemmings did not, in fact, commit mass cult suicide by leaping off cliffs.

There are some important facts that have been conveniently left out of this tale; for one, the inside of the ship was "a thoroughly wet mess". This is somewhat sad to read, as I had always heard the fantastical ghost story of sailors boarding the empty vessel to find warm soup and tea on clean dinnerware, lit candles, and no sign of a struggle.

Well at least there was no sign of struggle. The only things out of the ordinary were a loose rope with one frayed end dragging in the water behind the ship; the missing documents; the one and only lifeboat was gone; the ship's clock which was not functioning; the compass had been smashed by some object; the sextant and marine chronometer were missing; and that of the 1701 barrels of alcohol that the vessel shipped from New York's East River, nine were found to be empty.

From this, people have theorised that perhaps rough sea conditions had knocked over the nine barrels, and the fumes were ignited by the galley's oven. This sent the crew into a panic and they quickly gathered some navigational equipment, papers and other useful tools, dropped the tiny lifeboat and tied it a safe distance from the Mary Celeste (this was the standard procedure for fires on vessels at sea - the crew would hope that the fire would burn down to an extinguishable level, and then they would haul themselves back aboard).

Unfortunately it is also standard procedure to take-in the sails beforehand. This quite apparently did not happen.

It seems that the explosion and flame from the ignited alcohol left no damage to the ship, and the Captain and crew were unlucky enough to have the ship (under sail) pull away from them so rapidly that it snapped the rope holding them to it.

They then had to watch their perfectly sailable and seaworthy vessel (and it's incredibly valuable cargo) steadily drift away from them.

One little mistake.

Ah screw that "intelligently weighed" explanation! I say ghosts or aliens or giant sea creatures or dinosaurs or Elvis took them. I love a good ghost story.

Commodore Ethan..

Opium

Sometimes you dream of mountains,

Sometimes the mountains dream of you.

Enough now.

The pipe dreams go round and round.

"...all the words of mice and men..."

Ouch Ethan..

"A Rough Guide"

I have been reading Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything". It is awesome. Pretty much all the subject matter that I like to read, in the style that I like to read. I can tell that the next few posts are going to be influenced or inspired by this book. You have been warned.