THE RACE IS ON!

I have finally settled into a very regular pattern. Wake up at 4, eat breakfast, cast the rosette, gather samples, filter seawater, go back to sleep, wake up, eat lunch, record data from previous day, free time (exercise, read, watch movies, etc.), eat dinner, go to sleep. Of course what makes the seemingly monotonous days so much fun is the camaraderie with all of the other scientists and crew members. In the mess hall, we sit wherever there is space and often are treated to some crazy sea stories from the crew. The pre-dawn hours, while we wait for the rosette to resurface, are filled with light banter, quick naps in an unused corner, and dance parties (well, the latter is usually just me).

Someone caught me sleeping on the job, waiting for the rosette to resurface.
You know me, I can fall asleep just about anywhere.

I regret to inform my friends and family that I have become addicted to an unhealthy vice. Jennifer and I have developed a way to pass the time while the seawater is filtering. For each round of filtering, there are 10 tubes set up with 10 filters. Each tube is filled with water from a different depth. The filtering process for the .2 micron filters is about 5 minutes long. Just enough time to place bets. As soon as the pump is started, we announce to the lab, “THE RACE IS ON!” and everyone places their bets on which tube will empty the fastest. It usually comes down to the last second and a shout is heard from the victor when the fastest tube is announced. Currently Jennifer and I have two points each. Don’t worry, we don’t bet for money, just for bragging rights. :)

Me at my filtering station! (Although the tubes are not set up yet)

After we have finished with work for the day, we have time to ourselves. I have already finished two books! It feels great because usually I have no time to read during the semester. Now that I have gotten used to the motion of the ship, I feel comfortable trying to exercise in the mini gym onboard. There is an elliptical machine, a stationary bike, some free weights, and a very strange machine with lots of parts. Trying to use the elliptical while the boat is rolling and pitching is insanely difficult. By the end, I feel like I’ve gotten an ab workout as well as a leg workout! It’s pretty difficult (and dangerous) to try to run on the deck outside, so I resort to lunges. Unfortunately, these are still pretty hard and I ended up falling into a spot of wet paint. Oops!

Our current latitude is 38° N (Durham, North Carolina is at 36° N, for comparison) and the temperature shift is very noticeable. We started off wearing shorts during our 4 am mornings, and now we are wearing sweatshirts, gloves, and hats. We will be heading farther North in the coming days, but soon we will chug back South. Yay for warmth!

Our projected track. It's very zig-zagged, so hopefully
when we are in the cold, it won't be for very long.

This is just a cool picture that one of the other scientists took.
The wind and waves can get pretty crazy out here in the North Pacific.