Heave Ho: My Little Green Book of Seasickness

by Charles Mazel | Entertainment |
ISBN: 0877423245 Global Overview for this book
Registered by wingGoryDetailswing of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 7/9/2003
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This book is in the wild! This Book is Currently in the Wild!
5 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wingGoryDetailswing from Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Wednesday, July 9, 2003
Pre-numbered label used for registration.

Can't remember where I spotted this, but I couldn't resist it - have started reading it and it's hilarious. Will update the review when I've read it; in the meantime, here's a web site with information, excerpts, and some of the illustrations: www.nightsea.com.

[The book comes with its own barf bag - unused (so far!).]

Journal Entry 2 by wingGoryDetailswing from Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Wednesday, September 3, 2003
This book is really entertaining - and informative, even useful (and I'm not just talking about the barf bag!). From the dedication, which ends "And last but far from least, the sea - which I love well enough to share my meals with," it's full of dry humor (about damp subjects - sorry, couldn't resist).

Beginning with the basics - "what is seasickness," "how do you know you're seasick" [pallor, cold sweats, nausea, and vomiting - in case anyone was wondering], "where did seasickness come from," "is seasickness good for anything" [now that's a question I would never have thought to ask, but the answer's interesting] - the author explains and illustrates his points with cartoons, quotes (both scientific and literary) and quips. Under "Who gets seasick" it is mentioned that some researchers believe women to be more susceptible than men, and that children are more susceptible still; the author speculates that "perhaps this is the origin of the phrase, 'Women and children first'."

Following chapters discuss possible treatments for seasickness, some practical and some horrific. The psychological basis for seasickness is also discussed, and under the heading "Just how bad is seasickness," Mazel says:
"To put seasickness in its proper perspective, we must have something against which to measure it. What, for example, is any living creature's strongest instinct? Sex, you say? Come on, this is the '90s. The correct answer is survival - self-preservation. Millions of years of evolution have honed this instinct to a keen edge; it underlies everything we do. Nothing is stronger. Except seasickness.

"The proof? In less than half an hour of seasickness, even a terminally perky alumnus of Up With People can mutate into a sniveling lump of green misery, praying for shipwreck or death. Fear of dying is transformed into an even stronger fear of living."


Later chapters get more inventive. There's the one about food, which suggests suitable meals for those times when you know you're going to be seeing (and tasting) them again very shortly; there's "Seasickness as Performance Art," or "How to behave when your stomach doesn't". And there's a handy glossary of international terms for seasickness, along with assorted euphemisms ("technicolor yawn," etc). [The entry for "Neanderthal" - "buwaaauggh" - does not include scientific verification. FWIW. ;-)]

And that's just the tip of the iceberg - if a nautical reference is permissible at this point. A very, very funny book. I'm considering taking a cruise specifically so as to have a perfect release site - although, if I manage to get photos of the release location, I'll try to avoid anything too, um, "technicolor"!

Journal Entry 3 by wingGoryDetailswing from Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Thursday, September 4, 2003
This is too good not to share; I'm sending this out on a bookring.

Participants in mailing order:

dawnmomoffour (Ontario, Canada)
bkwrm23 (NJ)
caligula03 (CA)
** Added:
rainbowbabe (PA)

I ask each participant to journal the book when you receive it, PM the next person in line for their mailing address, read the book reasonably promptly, and journal again with your comments when you're ready to pass it along. This is a small book and a fairly quick read; hope you enjoy it!

Journal Entry 4 by wingGoryDetailswing from Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Monday, September 8, 2003
Controlled release:

I sent this to BCer dawnmomoffour in Canada today, to kick off the bookring. Hope you enjoy it!

Journal Entry 5 by dawnmomoffour from Owen Sound, Ontario Canada on Monday, September 15, 2003
Just received this today as first on the bookring. Will read asap and send on it's way!
Thanks Gorydetails!!

Journal Entry 6 by dawnmomoffour from Owen Sound, Ontario Canada on Friday, September 19, 2003
I found this book to be the most interesting little book I have read in a long time. It sure made me smile many times over! In fact, my son read aloud a chapter each night to me before bed for his reading log at school. He is 7 yrs old and reads at a grade 5 level. He too periodically giggled. This did not, however, hold up the bookring..he just doesn't get to finish it LOL It is a very infomative humour read. I recommend it!
I had a blast with it.
Controlled Release.
I am sending this to bkwrm23 as the next person on the bookring.

Journal Entry 7 by bkwrm23 from Haskell, New Jersey USA on Thursday, October 2, 2003
Received on Sep 30th...quick and easy read. Wasn't as amusing as I thought it would be, but some parts were very funny! Ready to send on as soon as I have the address for Caligula03.

Journal Entry 8 by caligula03 from Hayward, California USA on Tuesday, October 7, 2003
The book arrived safe and sound. The included barf bag gave me a chuckle. I will get to this book as soon as I can. You can check my progress on my profile.

Journal Entry 9 by caligula03 from Hayward, California USA on Friday, November 21, 2003
The book has its moments but it tends to ramble. There are sometimes too many quotes. They disrupt the flow of the text. The cartoons have to be the best part of the book. My husband got a few chuckles out of it too.

Journal Entry 10 by caligula03 at on Friday, November 21, 2003
Release planned for Saturday, November 22, 2003 at rainbowbabe in n/a, n/a Controlled Releases.

Should I feel guilty about mailing a book about vomiting just before Thanksgiving?

Journal Entry 11 by rainbowbabe from West Chester, Pennsylvania USA on Monday, December 1, 2003
I just got this book in the mail today - it looks quite funny! It took me a while to figure out what the additional material inside was - but then I finally realized it was a "barf bag"! Too funny. An unused barf bag, I should note.

Goreydetails originally suggested I check this book out for my son, because he was feeling nervous about vomiting. I'll read it first. He hasn't mentioned vomiting for awhile, so I don't want to renew the fear instead of helping it! (Kind of like all those little kids who were never afraid of the drain in bath tubs, until MisterRogers sang "You'll Never Go Down the Drain" to them! LOL)
Thanks for including me in the ring for this very unusual book!
Oh, and caligula03, I got the book on the Monday after Thanksgiving - so my feast is finally digested now, and not in danger of returning to me! ;-)

Journal Entry 12 by rainbowbabe from West Chester, Pennsylvania USA on Tuesday, August 2, 2005
Oh, my! I have had this book FAR too long! I do apologize, GoryDetails - I will be PMing you for your address so I can get it back to you.

I feel just sick about having this book for so long... (Hoping a horrible pun will get me off the hook just a bit ;-)

Journal Entry 13 by wingGoryDetailswing from Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Heave Ho arrived safely back home today - many thanks to all! And especially to rainbowbabe, for remembering the book long after I'd forgotten about it {wry grin}. [Horrible puns are always appreciated!]

Journal Entry 14 by wingGoryDetailswing at Boston-Provincetown Ferry in Provincetown, Massachusetts USA on Friday, September 1, 2006

Released 17 yrs ago (9/1/2006 UTC) at Boston-Provincetown Ferry in Provincetown, Massachusetts USA

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

Ever since I first saw this book I've been hoping to release it on some kind of watercraft, for obvious reasons. Today I'm going to try to get it on board the Bay State Cruise Company's Provincetown ferry. Am aiming for the 1pm sailing, though it all depends on whether I can get into Boston and find the docks AND get on board in time; if any of that falls through I might release the book at the harbor in Boston and hope somebody takes it on board. [In a nice touch of irony, there's a notice on the company site that the slower ferry will not sail on Saturday and Sunday because of forecasts of rough seas, and while "the seas are not unsafe... conditions aboard our slower boat would make a three hour crossing something of a trial." That may be quite an understatement! I'm aiming for the fast ferry, FWIW; reading about seasickness is very amusing but having it is not {grin}.] Hope the finder enjoys the book!

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