Broken Wrists and Science on a Boat

February 2^nd

Received an email that my mom had fallen down and broken her wrist and banged up her knee badly. Times like these where I feel so useless. I can’t go home for a weekend like I can at UW to make sure she is alright and help her around the house. All I can do is hope she has a good recovery. I am kind of frustrated that I can’t go and see her.

On another note today was freezing, it’s gorgeous outside, but absolutely freezing. Ran to the bus which was eleven minutes late anyways. My marine molecular biology class left my brain numb from information overload. I think I will definitely have to record the lectures in that class this semester and form a solid study group. The lecture today was already going to that gray area of my knowledge in biology.

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Yesterday morning, I was able to go on the R/V Conway for one of my courses. It was similar weather as today; too flippin’ cold but not a cloud in sight. On the boat we also had a -12 degree C wind chill that even pierced through the four layers of clothes I was wearing and chilled me to the bone. We took temperature and salinity measurements on board with a TS probe and then we took some horizontal profiling of silicon concentrations as we went up the estuary/River Itchen. Despite how I wanted to get in and experience science, I chickened out on taking the first batch of water samples because I knew it was going to be cold and my hands were already bright pink and purple with dry skin (stinkin’ poor circulation). As we neared the NOC however I knew I had to get in there and help with taking the vertical water samples that we recovered by using a Niskin Bottle. After collecting about 5 or 6 water samples I barely could feel my hands and they looked way worse off than anyone else’s who were collecting samples. Luckily I was able to warm up back in the NOC where Becky and I decided to make use of the hand dryers and warm water in the restrooms. I concluded the day with a warm shower (Rich had a plumber come to fix the shower!! Huzzah!) and watching the movie, ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ for the second time.