Cultural and other references, plus some follow-up

Turns out it is “make do” rather than “make due”.

In case you didn’t youtube it yourself, Barrier Reef

And just because I feel like sharing, two more of my favorite Old 97s songs, The Other Shoe and Big Brown Eyes.

“I wonder if he is using the same wind we are using.” As an aside, perhaps the most disappointing moment of my Sydney stop was when I failed to convince the kids of the friends I was staying with that we should watch Princess Bride. I think we ended up with Mission Impossible instead.

I’ve also been doing some thinking about the food/cooking/heat issue, and I’m not sure there’s the easy solution I was thinking there was. The problem with these meal bars is that most of them are focused on the diet market with some on the workout market. They’re designed to deliver protein and maybe broader nutrition without a lot of calories, not to sustain 5000 calories per day of exertion. And the ones that are more “energy” oriented are still too small to be more than supplements. And they’re expensive, at least compared to the budget we have, which I think is about £3 per person per day. You’d drop that on a single Cliff Bar! I still think we’re stupid to make porridge, as cold cereal is a perfectly good substitute, though that might be colored by the fact that I won’t eat porridge anyway. I’m not sure how to replace the rice/pasta calories without boiling a giant pot of water. Suggestions welcome.

One last thing. I mentioned a blow-up over some bunks. Never saw anything more come of that. The two people involved are working together as well as ever. No idea if they talked it out or just moved on, though I suspect the latter. There will probably be more such moments around the boat as we go. It’s a lot of people in a confined environment under a lot of stress and not getting a lot of sleep. I’m actually a bit surprised there haven’t been more.

Dave Brubeck R.I.P.

Dave Brubeck died today. It's almost twelve years ago I had a chance to see him play live, an 80th birthday concert with four of his sons and the London Symphony Orchestra, but missed it because I'd already bought my flight back to the States for Christmas. It's high on my list of things I regret not doing in life.

To be honest, I didn't even realize he was still alive until I heard the news. I didn't even realize he was still alive and playing twelve years ago until I saw the show advertised. I'm certainly not a great follower of his. But as jazz goes, I think he's one of the best, and I'm not sure he's as well known as he should be.

If you're not familiar with him, check out Take Five. You'll recognize it. Then go a bit deeper with Unsquare Dance, probably my favorite of his. You might recognize it too. It's been in commercials and apparently made #74 on the U.S Billboard Hot 100. Then try The Real Ambassadors, with its great backstory. And his verison of Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho. And what he did with Volga Boatmen while touring Russia. And on and on and on.....