It was a good day
This blog entry is about the day I had on December 11, 2005. It was one of those days you wish you could have everyday. This entry was adapted from an email I sent Cassandra. I was so sad that she couldn't be here.
It started off just like any day on a research ship, in the dark. Since natural light rarely penetrates into the interior spaces of the ship, you never know what time of day or night it is without a clock. Today when I woke up the clock read 7:00. First thing I did was take a nice long shower. One of the great things about a boat like the Thompson is that there is an unlimited supply of hot water. After my shower I had a bowl of Grapenuts and some coffee. The cooks aboard the R/V Thompson prepare big hot meals three times a day but I've started skipping these in hopes of losing some weight for my trip to Costa Rica with Cassandra.
After breakfast I went to work. Going to work aboard this ship is an ambiguous phrase. The amount of work awaiting me is determined by the amount of activity happening aboard the ship. Since the ship has been doing pretty much the same thing for the last four days, I found that I had all my work finished by around 10:00. Whew, long day.
Another great thing about the R/V Thompson is that it is equipped with a full-time internet connection via satellite. Using this connection the scientist and crew can check email, surf the web, upload pictures and other files. Recently I have discovered another use for it... making phone calls. Using a program called Skype, I can place calls anywhere in the world for a lot cheaper than it would be using a satellite phone. This program allows me to keep in touch with Cassandra, and the office. Today I used it to called my parents. My little brother Carrington is graduating from college in a few days and obviously I won�t be able to attend so I thought it would be best to call the parentals and let them know that I was thinking of them prior to them leaving for the graduation.
The phone call was cut short when the ship changed course, which in turn caused the path between the satellite dish and the satellite to be obstructed by the ship�s radar mast, which in turn severed the internet connection. It�s a bit annoying when this happens but you get used to it. After the phone call, since I didn�t have any work to get done, I elected to do a whole bunch of nothing for the next hour. Doing nothing was everything I thought it could be.
By now it was time for lunch. While I enjoyed a cup of soup, I happened to glance outside and noticed that the weather was the best it's been this entire trip. It was about 80-85 and sunny with a medium breeze out of the South. I grabbed some reading material and wondered out to the bow to do some tanning. After about an hour of sitting on a steel bench it hit me... I brought a hammock!!! I setup my hammock but couldn't lay in it long because I knew that I had already spent enough time out in the sun for one day.
With dinner quickly approaching I decided to squeeze in a quick workout. Working out on a boat is one of the toughest things to do. There�s nowhere to run except on a treadmill but because the boat is always moving, this can be really nauseating. Lifting weights has the same issue. Never the less, I tried and judging by how I feel today, I succeeded.
Around 5:00pm the captain made the announcement that the ship was throwing a cook out on the rear deck. Everyone gathered out back for hot dogs and hamburgers. The food was great and the outdoor decor was a welcomed change of scenery from the ship's mess hall.
After dinner, the sun was pretty low in the sky but still bright enough to read so I grabbed my book and went out to my hammock. At some point I fell asleep and when I woke up it was dark. The night sky was amazing bright with the glow of the moon. I went to my cabin, put on some warmer clothes and headed back out to sleep among the stars.
one comment:
Sounds like a prefect day! It was your grandmother Bartley’s birthday! She loved the ocean and would have loved this entry! It was good talking to you too! Thanks for thinking of us! Love you! Mom
Mom - 13 12 05 - 06:32