Somebody get me off this God-forsaken ship!!!

Posted by at 7:58 PM, June 19, 2004

I'm kidding, of course. But I think this might be one way people go crazy. Imagine: you are in motion ALL THE TIME. You can't sit down or lie down to take a break from it because you're still rocking and rolling and tossing and turning. Every minute of every day. Until you go insane. I honestly don't remember what it's like to just stand there without having to hold on to something solid. Occasionally we will hit a really big wave and things will go flying. We basically just see where the thing landed, figure it's probably better off there, and resume our conversation.

--- Marnee

Somebody get me off this God-forsaken ship!!! I'm kidding, of course. But I think this might be one way people go crazy. Imagine: you are in motion ALL THE TIME. You can't sit down or lie down to take a break from it because you're still rocking and rolling and tossing and turning. Every minute of every day. Until you go insane. I honestly don't remember what it's like to just stand there without having to hold on to something solid. Occasionally we will hit a really big wave and things will go flying. We basically just see where the thing landed, figure it's probably better off there, and resume our conversation.

I've received a few e-mails from home and read them all 20 times, visualizing the senders and hearing their voices. Laughing at the same thing again and again, as if reading it for the first time. I think there exists in some people a fundamental need to be connected. To a place. Or a person. To their past. I guess such connections impart a sense of continuity to your life. It explains who you are.

Have I told you about the toiletries bag Air France gave me to compensate for my lost luggage? You'd think, what, shampoo and conditioner, a toothbrush, tube of toothpaste, some soap, a few aspirin. Maybe a comb and a razor. No. Try deodorant, eau d' toilette, and a condom. Optimistic bunch, the French.

Speaking of lost luggage... My bag has been found! Hooray! It is reportedly in Reykjavik at this very moment. Ahhh, to be reunited with my belongings. Wouldn't it be funny if it was the wrong bag though?

Erika and I made a chocolate cake today. Dinner was a feast: steak, potatoes, salad, steamed broccoli and carrots, stuffed bell peppers. Followed by cake with ice cream. Plus we had some nice red wine. What a treat! This will undoubtedly prove to be a huge victory (no vomit) or a crushing defeat (tons of vomit) for me tonight.

Tonight at dinner was really fun. Everyone was in the mess hall at the same time and the mood was jovial. We laughed quite a lot at the inevitability of me becoming a meat-eating, alcoholic smoker as a result of my direct exposure to Greenpeace. Also, Demet cracked me up when she threatened to butter her ice cream if Mark didn't stop teasing her about her consumption of artery-clogging foods.

Mike Fincken (from South Africa) wrote a really lovely piece about our journey thus far and posted it for the rest of us to enjoy. He's the 2nd Mate and charts our course everyday. He is a gentle soul with a deep love of the sea and a profound appreciation for the earth. He sees beauty where others might miss it, just as he saw that distant boat on the horizon the other day long before I spotted it. He is quietly inspiring, genuinely interested in the experiences of others, and very nice to be around.

Something wonderful has been happening lately. I've received some encouraging messages from people within Greenpeace in response to my daily logs. Never in my life did I imagine that someone on board the Rainbow Warrior would contact me and wish me a smooth voyage. Or that a former member of the Esperanza crew would take the time to write me with her thoughts and experiences. I keep finding the same word escaping from my lips: WOW!

-Marnee