Showing posts with label Captain Phil Harris. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Captain Phil Harris. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Thoughts for a Wednesday

Grrr...I am so mad at my computer.  I was in the middle of composing my post when inevitably some error occurred that wiped out some of my thoughts!! The nerve....so apologies if this isn't a very good post - blame it on my pc...

But life must go on I suppose, so without further ado, here are some thoughts for this week's edition of Thoughts for a Wednesday.

1 - April 13th!  That's the date that Deadliest Catch premieres!  I am so excited, though very sad because one of the main captains, Captain Phil Harris, passed away during the filming of this season.  It is one of those rare times that a reality show becomes actually real.  Maybe that is why I love this show so much - its authenticity versus the stories that other "reality" shows can create through careful editing.

2 - While I am talking about TV shows, I have to mention Lost and how I can't believe that there are only 6 episodes left.  That seems so unreal to me.  Will we ever figure out who is good and who is evil?  Will there be any concrete answers given to us, the ones loyal enough to stay with this show through all the mysteries and questions because we knew that an ending would come?  Or are we being set up for a non-ending, something along the lines of Sayid "I don't feel anything...", no more pain or joy or anger at the mysteries of the show, but just numbed to oblivion by all the ones left unanswered?

3 - And also I just want to give a shout out to "Kell on Earth", the reality TV show that just concluded on Bravo based upon Kelly Cutrone and her business, People's Revolution.  I think you either love or hate Kelly.  I happen to be in the camp that really likes her (to be honest, I have to admit that I have loved her ever since her appearance on "The Hills" - she was one of the best things about that show with her no bs attitude).  She really is a remarkable businesswoman, with an amazing combination of both vision and implementation, which has made her very successful.

4 - Speaking of women and business, I just recently finished reading this book called Flux: Women on Sex, Work, Love, Kids, and Life in a Half-Changed World.  I read it on recommendation from my two best friends, and it really was a mind-bender.  I'll save my review for another post, but suffice to say that it made me think a lot about the life decisions that I face as a woman in my late twenties, approaching thirties.

5 - So in other news, I have started another blog, this one dedicated to all things style and fashion and my thoughts and outfits that I choose to post.   I've just been reading too many of these fashion blogs for my own good, because obviously they have inspired me to start my own.  So come stop by Small Time Style when you get a chance and leave a comment or two or become a follower if you'd like!  Any and all suggestions for posts are more than welcome!

6 - I am Number 4 in my office NCAA tourney pool and the ONLY one to have picked Duke to win the championship.  SO I potentially have a shot at emerging as the winner of the office pool.  It is an admittedly loooonggg shot, but it's as close as I've ever gotten in my office pool (with the exception of winning the first round of picks one year) and would mark the second time in my life that I would win in my pool!  If you hear a loud shout of "WAHOO" come next Monday, my apologies in advance.

7 - It seemed as if I blinked and Easter is already this weekend!  Last Sunday was Palm Sunday, and one of the traditions of the Catholic Church is that every Palm Sunday we read the Passion of Christ.  The congregation participates in the actual reading, which is always poignant for me, for it reminds me that I too was one of the crowd yelling "Crucify him!" to Pilate when he wanted to release Jesus.  It happened that I was just finishing the book of Mark at the same time and so read the Passion again the next morning.  This time in reading it, I was struck at how easily Pilate gives in to the crowd.  I know that Jesus's purpose for taking on human form was to bring us salvation, but it struck me that Pilate could have not given in to the demands of the Pharisees and others who wanted to kill Jesus.  Pilate could have stepped in and saved an innocent man - he KNEW that Jesus was innocent - and yet he washes his hands, saying that Jesus's blood is on the Jews.  His indifference to an innocent man's fate and willingness to give in to a crowd just makes me wonder about myself and the world that I live in.  Would I be willing to save an innocent man even if it went against everyone's wishes?

8 - Lots of thoughts this Wednesday!  One more for today - if you've been reading this blog for any length of time at all, you know that from time to time I like to give my thoughts on foreign affairs and various international relations.  The recent wave of suicide bombings in Russia have me concerned and wondering how Russia's reaction to these latest bombings is going to affect the greater world balance and what actions they are going to take to stop "the terrorists".  But this is a case of journalists choosing words - are these suicide bombers terrorists or are they Chechen freedom fighters?  Separatists longing for their own freedom and territory or people bent on inflicting destruction on others for no good reason?  Check out Kevin Sites' video on Chechnya that he filmed while on his "In the Hot Zone" documentary and then form your thoughts.

And that's it folks!  Coming soon, a book review on Flux and maybe a couple other pictures that I snapped last week.  And who knows - maybe I'll have some thoughts on another day than just Wednesday!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Sad Day for Crab Fishing

Yesterday saw the passing of Captain Phil Harris, the captain of the Cornelia Marie, one of the stalwart and largest crab fishing boats on one of my favorite shows, Deadliest Catch.  Captain Phil was a rough, tough, crude, chain-smoking, hard-working man who guided his boat to success through both the king-crab and opilio-crab fishing seasons in some of the worst working conditions imaginable.   
Just a season ago, he was on his boat in the middle of the opilio season when he had a blood clot pass through his heart and survived it. Then a few weeks ago, again in the middle of the opilio crab season, Captain Phil suffered a stroke during an offload run, his body finally giving out after all the years of pushing it through the unbelievable stress of captaining a crab boat.  He held on for a few more weeks, even giving signs of recovery, but unfortunately, he passed away yesterday.

His love for his sons and crew is probably one of the things I remember most about him.  His two sons, Josh and Jake Harris both became crew members on the Cornelia Marie and their dad made them work for every penny and gave them no slack just because they were his sons.  But even so, in all the conversations that he had with his sons that they showed to viewers were couched with affection and love for his two goofball sons.  I feel so sad for them, knowing how much they loved him.

Probably one of the more distinct memories from the show that I have of him is on the very first episode of Deadliest Catch, when the derby-style of fishing was still employed, a crab boat went down in the first few hours of the season opening.  And the Cornelia Marie and her partner boat, Maverick searched through the night with the Coast Guard for survivors, scanning the Bering Sea for any possible signs of life, forgetting about the fishing in order to possibly save lives.  It was heart-wrenching and riveting, all at the same time.  And showed the character and camaraderie of the captains as well.

It's weird - it's not like I knew Captain Phil personally, but by being willing to have his life taped on one of the reality shows that I love watching, he became "known" in a way to me.  And so I feel genuine sadness at his passing.

I'll miss ya Captain Phil - praying that you are enjoying clear sunny skies and calm seas.

Some links on Captain Phil's passing: