Addiction

In the 1970's, I lived in a beautiful and interesting town by the sea where
I spent the best and worst days of my youth. I worked for the most
prestigious oceanographic institution in the nation and fell in love with
marine research. I decided to devote my career as much as possible to the
design of oceanographic research vessels.

I have now designed seven of the research vessels in the Atlantic fleet but
there has been nothing in my professional life that I wanted as much as
seeing the logo of that institution on the stack of a vessel that I
designed. Last Monday, I stood under clear blue skies listening to the
chairman of the ship committee calling the vessel behind him on the
launching ways perhaps the first perfect vessel he had seen. I received a
big round of applause from a crowd that includes friends of 30 years.

I stood there, looked up at the sky and my brain said, "I'd rather be
flying." Yikes! Am I sick? Are we all sick? Most things in life that have
such a hold on people are illegal, immoral, or both. I just fly a simple
spam can around in nice weather on mostly local flights and I still feel
that way.

--
Roger Long