The Sea's Only Gifts Are Harsh Blows,

I Read Somewhere... How Important It Is In Life Not Necessarily To Be Strong, But To Feel Strong... To Measure Yourself At Least Once.

It Is True That I Miss Intelligent Companionship, But There Are So Few With Whom I Can Share The Things That Mean So Much To Me That I Have Learned To Contain Myself. It Is Enough That I Am Surrounded With Beauty.

Mr. Franz, I Think Careers Are A 20th Century Invention And I Don't Want One. You Don’t Need To Worry About Me; I Have A College Education. I’m Not Destitute. I'm Living Like This By Choice.

The Long Walk Is A Raw, Wrenching, Blood-soaked Chronicle Of The Human Cost Of War. Brian Castner, The Leader Of A Military Bomb Disposal Team, Recounts His Deployment To Iraq With Unflinching Candor, And In The Process Exposes Crucial Truths Not Only About This Particular Conflict, But Also About War Throughout History. Castner's Memoir Brings To Mind Erich Maria Remarque's Masterpiece, All Quiet On The Western Front.

Early On A Difficult Climb, Especially A Solo Climb, You’re Hyper-aware Of The Abyss Pulling At Your Back, Constantly Feeling Its Call, Its Immense Hunger. To Resist Takes Tremendous Conscious Effort, You Don’t Dare Let Your Guard Down For An Instant. The Void Puts You On Edge, Makes Your Movements Tentative And Clumsy. But As The Climb Continues, You Grow Accustomed To The Exposure, You Get Used To Rubbing Shoulders With Doom, You Come To Believe In The Reliability Of Your Hands And Feet And Head. You Learn To Trust Your Self-control.