October 20, 2002
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Xangans have been leaving interesting comments and questions. Supercalifragile gave me a compliment so sweet I blushed at the words. Thank you. spotthecat1 wanted to know why the skipper dumped the oil in the Gulf of Alaska. I asked the mate the same question. It was economics. It would have cost him $30.00 to dispose of it legally in Seattle, and even more in Kodiak.
I can relate to the comment from fishonwheels about my memory being clearer than the present, it’s often that way for me, too. These old memories aren’t right there in the front of my mind, either, except for a choice few of the most memorable incidents. In my family, a lot of storytelling goes on. We pass them down through generations, and we tell our own stories. All my life I’ve been sharing stories of my life’s high points, like the one of my voyage on the MV Chief. or my best weekend with the bikers. Sometime in my twenties, people I told my stories to started telling me I should write a book.
When I got serious about writing my memoirs, it was a daunting task because I had forgotten a lot. All I had was a spindly framework with a bunch of vivid episodes connected by murky times I’d either forgotten or wanted to. Knowing that some of it was state-bound memory, when I’ve pulled blanks, I’ve made an effort to get my brainwaves and brain chemistry back into the state it was when the memories were recorded. I have also practiced meditative reverie and shamanic altered-state work, to recover memories.
ArSeNaL complained that there weren’t enough tanks in my blogs. That reminded me of sitting on a rusty old track from a tank to eat my lunch while I was on Kodiak Island. That blog will be one of the ones to come up next. Also on deck is one to answer OpaulleeO‘s question about what I do “for a living.” That one should be fun, but will be complicated and I want to take some pictures.
Right now, a very old movie is starting on PBS, and Greyfox is over there in front of it, where I will be very soon. G’nite.
Comments (11)
Me so happy. Thank you for adding me to your blog and thank you sor adding more tanks. Oh and now it needs more Fighter Jets LOL…
have not had the time to read your logs lately… I wish you the best of weekends!
Your memories are far more clear than mine. I could never paint a picture as clearly as what you have done. I can not believe how detailed you tell it. I love to read and sometimes i can even see similarities to things buried in my past.
Keep on writing and when the book is done dont forget us here on xanga
belinda
Heh. Damn us xangans for making you think so hard! Ah but see? We’re hooked on the story!
what was the movie? you and belindaann both teased w/movie hints in your most recent blog. grrrr…
I hope you do write and publish all this in book form. It is something that should be able to be held in one’s hands and savored.
The movie last night was Jezebel, with Bette Davis.
i’ll just toss in, again, how wonderful i think it is that you *can* call up memories with such detail. for what you may forget, you sure have conjured up so much.
I will try to keep up with your stories. Kinda hard to do Sat. and Sunday are the only days that I have time to give the pc. I like your stories. Have a nice week.
Heavyhaul
Sam
Thanks for the answer…it DID bother me, you know! Hope you enjoyed the movie!
Spot
What I find even more interesting is that our memories are relative. My memory of a certain situation may be different than someone who was also there but it’s the real memory to me as I felt it at that time. It’s all interesting stuff.
I made you blush? Wow! I’ll have to rent “Jezebel.” I’ve heard a lot of good things about it.