Cruise Mojo

There comes a time during a research cruise when people start to get a little punchy. Here in Monterey Bay, that time is now. We just started doing 24 hour operations, so we have switched over to a “split-fours” schedule. This means that you have a four hour time slot to work, twice a day. Mine is 4 – 8, so I work 4AM to 8AM, and 4PM to 8PM. The transition has not been easy. Two days in a row now I’ve noticed that I’d put my underwear on inside out. Granted, it was 3:45AM and dark, but still. I like to feel that I at least have enough wherewithal to dress myself. Sadly, I may not be quite “all there” at the moment. These are the sacrifices that one makes for the pursuit of knowledge.

Another sign of possible mental imbalance brought on by lack of sleep may be inappropriate behavior with foreign objects. Now, before you get your mind too far into the gutter, observe what happened to one of our cruise mascots a couple of days ago. (As an aside, most Oceanographers bring along some form of talisman that acts to improve cruise mojo. We have Barbie, which seems silly I admit, but we have history now and she rides when we ride). Barbie appeared topless and headless among the laptops that we use to view and control data flow. I will neither confirm nor deny involvement in the situation.

Perhaps coincidentally, we have been having some glitches in data transmission from the instruments as they run in real time, and we still haven’t figured out the cause. In an attempt to quell the “bad Scoobies” that have been haunting us, I made amends with Barbie by providing her a very stylish baby alpaca tube dress with a coordinating trim detail. She seems happy enough, and has even taken up with a new beau. I think he’s kind of short for her, and maybe a bit too focused on his pecs, but everyone has their thing and Aquaman is no different (except maybe for his staff/hand/thing).

Ah well, the long hours and prolonged state of disorientation are worth it when the science is coming together. Plus, the sunrises out here aren’t all that bad. In more news to come, a member of the ship’s crew approached me with a request for a knitting lesson. This person is male, and has many tattoos. !!! Turns out that he’s a natural, and one tough cookie for putting up with the ribbing he’s getting from the rest of the crew. *Am. So. Proud!*  More details are forthcoming...