Here we are, barely finished with the excitement of the Christmas season and I believe I am feeling, or at least anticipating the coming January “doldrums.” With that interesting word swirling around in my head, I immediately thought of the long, long ago burden of reading, and discussing in a high school literature class, the famous poem, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Coleridge [1]. It seems that the only thing I remember about that experience is that the mariner was, at one point, caught in the doldrums.
Curiosity got the best of me, and of course I had to revisit the poem. To the library shelves I went, where I easily found two pretty thick books, The Top 500 Poems [2]and The Best Poems of the English Language [3], each containing a copy of ”The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” I looked no further. After reading this lengthy literary piece, I concluded that there is a good description of the doldrums therein. Additionally I remembered why I wasn’t a particular fan of that high school class.
For anyone that has never heard this word before, the colloquial definition of doldrums is, “a state of inactivity, mild depression, listlessness, or stagnation” and that surely can define the after holiday blahs. Now may be the time to search out materials at the library to “take us away.” Perhaps a book by Dave Barry such as I’ll Mature When I’m Dead [4], which is available in both print and audio cd, or The Rosie Project [5]by Graeme Simsion, also available in print and audio. The library staff is happy to share additional ideas with you.
If you prefer, there are many comedy DVD [6]’s available as well. As a sampling, there are The Princess Bride [7], Grown Ups [8]and the Great Outdoors [9]. And you can always call ahead and reserve your choice, or browse our online catalog [10].