Tuesday, May 2

Summer Plans...

Well, it's been a while. Busy as usual.
Here's what I'm up to this summer.
May 13th - May 28th: Up to Maine, some hiking, some kayaking, some caving (maybe), and certainly some relaxing.
May 30th - June 8th: Fly to Bahamas. This time GTR (yay no 17 hour drive!) to Nassau, then from there to Cat Island. Doing some field work and field trip stuff out there.
June 8th - June 12th: On to San Salvador, Karst Symposium, present stuff from New Providence, listen to other people present stuff.
June 12th - July 2nd (approx.): Field work on San Salvador. Lots and lots of cave surveying. I'll be surveying sea caves, so I should be mostly on the coast where it's breezy (less bugs and nasty humidity). Athena will be surveying "tafoni" caves, many of which are on the coast, but there's lots inland as well. Since surveying takes at least two people, we'll work together. The initial plan is to do my surveying one day, hers the next, then take a day to reduce the data, and repeat as many times as we've got days there. Mylroie is teaching a field course, so I'm not sure how much help we'll be getting from him. It should be pretty interesting stuff since we're FINALLY getting to do some science of our own. I'm getting tired/bored/sick of just reading and hearing about everything. Let me go check it out for myself dammit.

So, I'll basically be out of touch once I leave for the Bahamas. Internet down there like $1.00 per minute or so, and it's a very slow connection, so I don't think I'll bother. Phone service is pretty much impossible as well. Mail takes way too long, since it goes by boat. Kristen will be all by herself again. I hate having to leave her behind. I won't be here on her birthday AGAIN. Hmph. Last year it was field camp. On the bright side, I think, she's not going to be taking any summer classes. Well, she will be taking some foofy writing class online. The rest of the time she'll busy at her "Research Experience for Undergraduates" (REU). She's going to be working with a biology prof. looking at something to do with wetlands at Noxubee Refuge. It'll probably be hot, dirty work, but I imagine it'll be a nice break from classwork, it's good experience for her resume, and it pays $3,000 or so.
By the way, in case I hadn't mentioned it, she's now decided to double major in Biology and Biological Engineering. Even taking 24 credits/semester, we're going to be here at least two more years. So when I get done next year, I'll have to figure out something to do down here while she' s finishing up.
Anywho, finals starting on Friday, I think I've got two and Kristen's got 8, so we'll be busy as usual. It sure will be nice to get up to Maine and just not think for a while. My brain is tired.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Don't sweat the birthday or distance thing. Sheila and I have never seen each other on a birthday yet and we have counted out on 2.25 years dating I have actually been in seattle 13 months.

I got that sweet job chasing frogs and salamanders al over the Willapa hills and Olympic pennisula, So I am stoked on that.

WE had a hell of a sailing race last night, actually winning till we had a nice collison with another boat that almost mashed sheila and our skipper and left us with a hole big enough I could stick my head from the quarterberh to the open air. It was about half a foot above the waterline so we limped back with a bunch of rags in the hole and our hands on the bilge. No sailing the next couple months, just a bunch of sanding at the drydock.

Your summer sounds awesome. I really want to get down to the tropics again some time.

Take care
Teal