Titanic Only Latest in Disaster Fascination

SLIGHTLY OFF THE MARK

 

            Oh, yeah – the boat that sank.

            I have well over a dozen books and movies relating to the doomed passenger liner, Titanic. While many date back to my kids’ fascination with the subject after James Cameron’s move came out, I kept them because of my own fascination with both history and disasters … and, of course, the history of disasters.

            We just passed the 100^th anniversary of the date the Titanic, on its maiden voyage, hit a patch of ice and slid off the surface of the ocean, despite the efforts of the crew to patch the leaks with third class passengers. It was a story of human error, class differences, heroism and cowardice, and no small amount of irony.

            You want irony? Over 1,500 people died that night, but three dogs made it onto the lifeboats. But in all fairness, they were small dogs.           

( As humans we’re fascinated and appalled by large scale disasters like ships sinking, wars, and the Kardashians. We want to understand what happened, how it effects people and societies, and above all how to keep it from happening again (Or, if you’re a reality TV programmer, how to make it happen again). )

 

Emily's surgery

Emily's going in for some exploratory surgery in the morning, to try and figure out why she's been having such trouble with abdominal pain and other issues for several weeks now. We might be a little sparse online for awhile -- the doc says 5-7 days recovery time for her -- but I'll check in whenever I have an internet connection and let everyone know how she's doing. Prayers, healing vibes, and all manner of other good thoughts are appreciated.