oceanographer?

Today on NPR they announced the top ten worst jobs in Science. I am glad to announce that oceanographer was number two on the list, behind hazmat diver. This of course makes me happy because people are now recognizing that marine scientists don't always get to go swimming with dolphins. I am also excited because I found that I am more than qualified for job numbers 10,5, 2,and 1. http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/0203101256a23110vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd.html

My Sunday Ritual

Sunday ritual? My Sunday ritual lately has been to sleep in past my alarm (I still don't turn it off, even on the weekends). Wake up around 9 and lay in bed until 10. Then sit on the front stoop while I read the New York Times and bake bread. While this isn't a bad ritual in any sense, I decided today would be different. I would continue with the Sunday ritual I had in Hawaii. That is, wake up at 9 and get out of bed by 9:15. Eat a PB&J with orange juice, pack a bottle of orange juice and another PB&J and ride my bike to the beach. A much better ritual. In Hawaii, I would bring the newspaper with me to read at the beach (it was only 30 or so pages), but the New York Times is actually heavy, so I'll stick to the summer novels (or the dorky scientist definition of summer books- Micheal Crichton here I come!). The only thing I need now is some tropical fish and a tolerance for cold water.

Pictured is White Beach. It is several miles long and the parking lot is for residents only, being that it is Long Island that means the beach is nearly empty. I saw three other people. The only problem is that despite the fact it is one of the beaches closer to my house the road I have to ride to get to it is called Mount Misery, for a reason.

Dope!

Today, like many of the days on Long Island in June, it was raining. Being that tomorrow was a processing day (a.k.a twelve plus hours) and my most important job of the day was staying out of peoples' way, I decided to work from home.
Having slyly waited until after 9 to go for a run so my advisor (who lives unbelievably close by) would have already left for school and therefor have no chance of seeing me enjoying a relaxing day, I slipped on my running shoes and took to the road. After hearing six songs of bouncy music from my ipod I was just finishing my workout and starting my cool down when who else happens to drive by? My advisor! And he doesn't do the cool non-chalant glance. No, it was much more of a look, scratch head, glance a watch, turn head look, turn to look and make sure he wasn't going to hit anybody and turn again to make sure it was me (who I might add, was now a brighter shade of red and even more wet and pathetic looking than before). Good grief!

Lots of rain, and then more rain.

The drive from the caverns all the way up to Port Jefferson was dominated by rain, and then it rained in Port Jefferson. Taking a break from the indoors, Phill and I decided to take a trip on one of the fishing party boats that departs from the boat launch close to my house (the Celtic Quest II). It is a seven hour fishing trip in which around fifty people stand at a rail and wait for something to bite their line. When something bites (which is surprisingly often), you get to reel in the fish and the crew (two high school aged guys) come and unhook your fish and tell you whether you can keep it. I caught several fish, but only kept one 20 inch flounder and one 12 inch porgy (how much fish can a vegetarian eat/ give away?), and Phill kept a larger porgy. While I prefer to fly fish, it was an entertaining ordeal. Especially when we would float over a large school of fish and the two crew members were expected to unhook fifty fish instantaneously.

Somewhere in Virginia...

Stretching from Shenandoah National Park to the Great Smoky Mountains is the Blue Ridge Parkway, off the Parkway (among many other tourist attractions) is the Caverns of Luray. The most popular cave system on the East coast.

Atlanta Aquarium

Okay, I have fallen behind and now have about ten backlogged entries, but next on the stop was the Atlanta Aquarium in Georgia. One of the private investigators on my grant is currently the aquarium vet, so I had a great excuse to stop by and visit (of course, he wasn't able to meet with me when I was there, so I have a great excuse to go down there again, and visit Savannah.).

Everglades

When it is windy out in Florida, go to the Everglades. There will be fewer mosquitos/tourists that way.

Road Trippin

The last week I spent driving from the Florida Keys to Long Island. Not necessarily my dream vacation, but a break from the lab. The first stop was of course the beach. It was windy and raining, but the water was warm!