sharp winter walk

I've been working on a little design project since yesterday and have finally reached the point of ultimate frustration. I hate trying to design stuff in Word. It's making me crazy. I'm about to scrap the whole thing and go knit and watch 30 Rock. (I finished The West Wing last week. I could have lived inside that show forever. Sigh.) 


Anyway, my annoyance with all things computatorial (not a word), convinced me to leave the apartment for a walk in Finch Arboretum yesterday, which was lovely but freezing (actually, far below freezing) cold. Between the very blue sky, the white knife of the sun, and the glitter-glare of the snow, it was quite the sharp experience indeed. Ten minutes into the walk, I was thoroughly convinced being an Antarctic explorer must have been one of the worst things in the world. Not that Finch Arboretum was anything remotely like that. I understand that the comparison is insane. It was perfectly lovely, but who can have fun once you start to wonder if your toes are still actually connected to your foot? Hmm...can't feel those. Hope they haven't disappeared because I don't want block feet like the witches in Roald Dahl's The Witches.

The walk only lasted an hour, but I was cold for the rest of the day--even after I turned up the heat and drank some hot chocolate (which I decided to make with soy milk: mistake. Too thick. I'm no fan of thick or hot drinks. I loathe coffee. I don't understand the lure of tea. {Just wanted to augment your list of bizarre things I dislike. I know you're keeping one.}).


If you're interested (and why wouldn't you be?), you should check out one of the documentaries on the Shackleton voyage to the Antarctic. Perhaps one of the most excellent things about this voyage is that their photographer, Frank Hurley, was also their cinematographer. That's right! There's video from the expedition. Amazing, exhilarating, heart-wrenching video. Here's a link to a BBC documentary about Hurley, in 6 parts.  Frank Hurley: The Man Who Made History. You should definitely watch it.


While we're on the general subject of adventurers, here's Shackleton's ad for the Antarctic crew of the Endurance.


"Men Wanted: For Hazardous Journey. Small Wages, Bitter Cold, Long Months Of Complete Darkness, Constant Danger, Safe Return Doubtful. Honor And Recognition In Case Of Success. Sir Ernest Shackleton."


Badass.