Unimportant Milestones

Feb. 11

    Today we simultaneously crossed the prime meridian and equator at the same time.  I’m not sure why this is a big deal, because the Earth is in a round shape, which means that pretty much any point, anywhere in the world, has just as most claim to be the geographical center (I understand that the equator has some importance, but the prime meridian is completely arbitrary).  However, the British were good at making watches a couple hundred years ago, and therefore decided that they had the right to run the prime meridian right through their backyard in Greenwich.  For those wondering, there is surprisingly no visible line for either the equator or prime meridian, nor was there any discernible bump or bounce when we crossed 0 latitude and 0 longitude.  Also, the toilet water still seems to flush in the same direction.  Actually, the toilets on the ships are vacuum flushed, so there isn’t much of a swirl on the way down to begin with.  But it does make you wonder; in the words of the iconic David J Matthews, “It’s crazy thinking, just knowing that the world is round and here I am dancing on the ground.  Am I right side up or upside down, and is this real or am I dreaming?”


-Ben