Patience.

OK -

I thought dealing with the Earthlink Customer Frustration Desk took patience.

Nope. That's minor.

What really takes patience?

Rowing across the Pacific really takes patience.

Wouldn't you agree?

Possibly a modicum of insanity too, but you know I'll be following this one with the same fascination as I followed Renata Chlumska on her human powered circumnavigation of the lower 48 states, and am following the continuing adventures of Reid and Soanya on their 1000 days at sea.

Oh, another one I found intriguingly nuts was a sailing race around the world, singlehanded, in 10 foot home-built sailboats. Now of course I can't figure out who'd posted that site! Rats! Anybody here have any clue what I'm talking about?

I'm pretty conservative with my boating, it's pretty much just a great seasoning in an otherwise fairly average middle-class city dweller's life. Somehow don't need that sort of extreme limit-pushing for myself, although I do love it when I find I can do something new (remember how happy I got over something as silly as sailing onto a dock all by myself for the very first time?), - but I do enjoy watching people with grander dreams make them happen.

Thanks, Salt Water Jim, for the link to Roz's page!

Oh, speaking of firsts...I was present last week at a really wonderful first. Won't be in the papers but I had to mention it here. On Wednesday night, I went to Queens to catch up with Kayak Family - that being Kayak Girl, Kayak Boy & fairly recent arrival Kayak Baby. Kayak Aunty was there too, and a couple of other friends. Nice crowd. We were passing around the baby, taking turns bouncing her. She likes bouncing. Also rocking & ocean noises. Hmmm.

OK, no, she gets a few years before she'll be pulling off her first roll.

For now, it was exciting enough for everyone there that in the presence of that entire crew, Kayak Baby pulled off her VERY FIRST LAUGH!

Now THAT was a cool first to witness.