Dog Eared, and Sucking from the Depths

and Heaven have mercy on us all–Presbyterians and Pagans alike–for we are all somehow dreadfully cracked about the head, and sadly need mending.  — Herman Melville, Moby Dick

As of late I’ve gotten hooked . . . by Herman Melville.  Thunder rolls from the pages, light leaps from my eyes.  Together, my dog eared book and I are a perfect storm.

I begin to wonder, is it infecting me?  Yesterday I spent almost an hour looking at whale photos and learning which wales are Odontoceti — toothed, and Mysticeti — Baleen whales who suck bottomfeeders from the depths.  I hear tell that this book becomes onerous to read after a certain point, but I have waded into it, and for me, there is no looking back.