Ann Curry in Alvin

Just in case you missed it.....Ann Curry dives in Alvin with Bruce and Jeff............ 

Ann Curry in Alvin

I personally think Ann Curry got away lightly........on my first dive, while I was down.......

.....my desk and computer was "secured for sea" with a whole 2 rolls of tape.....

....no less than 10 buckets of ice water (with lumps of ice in!) were thrown on me......

........I was then thrown in the pool.......

......my shoes (which you leave back on the ship) were frozen in the -80C freezer.....and (which I don't have a picture of) all my clothes were removed from my cabin, dipped in water and wallpapered up in the -20C walk in freezer......all with a National Geographic camera crew onboard! 

But it was worth it. June 1st 2002, Galapagos Rift. 

Wrap N Mat and more....

Well, i've been trying out the Wrap-N-Mat for a few weeks now, and have to say, I love it! I've not had a single stale or soggy sandwich (and I was worried about soggy), and have actually liked it for a reason I hadn't even thought of when I bought it - space. It ends up much smaller than my usual plastic box, so has fitted into my lunch box much easier, it's also more flexible so fits into tight corners. 

Can wrap up the smallest to the largest sandwiches. To wash up I throw it in with my dishes and wash it first, hang it up to dry and it's ready to go the next morning. 

I really like that it gives me more space in my lunch box - it means I can throw a second cold pack in there too, which in Hawaii has been a real bonus. Enough room for sandwiches, apple and homemade yogurt. Yum! 

So what other things am I loving around the house right now......

My Tupperware Quick Shake - I've had this for a few years and love love love it! My mum always had one at home too, so when I saw one in a store a few years ago I picked one up. When you don't have (or have room for) an electric mixer, this little gadget is a lifesaver. I've always loved it for making cake batters (also good for pancake and waffle), but recently i've been using it to make up my dry milk in - no lumps and fits nicely in the fridge door! 

Don't know what to do with all those left over soap scraps? Make yourself a little scrubby bag with double stitch crochet - scrubs and lets the suds through, and when you put in a new bar, just leave the old pieces in there too and they'll be all used up. This one is made from bamboo fiber, so is also naturally anti-bacterial. 

My beloved Easy Yo yogurt maker. This is from the UK (though they're made in New Zealand). There are alot of makers out there and ways to make yogurt in your oven or on a heat mat, but the reason I love this so much is that it's basically a thermos - so no electricity or constant warming needed and you can throw it up on a shelf while it's cooking away, so no extra counter space needed either. And so easy.....put the ingredients in the yogurt tub, mix well, put boiling water in the thermos up to the level inside, put the yogurt tub in there, screw on the lid, leave overnight and the next morning - lots of yummy FIRM yogurt! They also have some really yummy packet mixes you can get (Stian sends me a few now and then from NZ when he's there!), but it works just as well with totally from scratch too!

Nappies, Diapers and Aunts!

As i've blogged about before in mid-Jan 2009 I am going to be an Aunt for the second time, and am so excited about it, my older brother and sister in law are going to be first time parents! They've also decided they want to do a mix of cloth and disposable nappies, so I said I would get them some from here and send them over to them, not a huge amount, but a few different brands they wouldn't get in the UK to try out alongside what they get. Luckily there is both a really nice small store here that sells such things, and a number of my blog-buddies have recently blogged about which are the best, so that has been really helpful. I now know more than I ever wanted to know about babies bottoms. 

It might seem like a weird thing to buy and send over, but a) they are cheaper here than in the UK (about half the price - you pay in pounds what you pay in $$) and b) it makes me feel a little closer and like i'm helping, when I'm so far away. One of the hardest things both about living abroad and this job is being away for such events. When Jack (my nephew of my younger brother) was born I was out in the NE Atlantic in a hurricane and didn't meet him for a month. Looks like I will be headed to the Antarctic and won't meet my niece for probably 3 or 4 months. 

One of the best finds though has been a black nappy cover! Yes babies, nieces and black don't seem like they should go together, but if you knew my brother and sister in law you would understand. Te he. 

Happy Weekend!

Well, i've had a G&T down and am now tucked up in bed, so I can truly say "Happy Weekend". Oh my, I was ready for it today. Tomorrow, bright and early it's time for Antarctic Physical blood work and chest x-ray, and then onto work to get some lab things done. Time is ticking for this trip to New Zealand, and I NEED to get some things off my list. 

So have a good one everyone! 

Props from the RV Ronald H Brown, taken in 2005 by the ROV Hercules whilst coming up from a dive to deep seamounts in the NW Atlantic Ocean. I like this photo, reminds me of a cruise I enjoyed, being called "Bob" for the entire 5 weeks because I sat in Bob Ballards chair for 8hrs a day directing where that ROV went and what it collected, and most of all sitting in a dark van between 4am and midday watching a robot scour the ocean floor for corals while singing directions in operatic baritones (to the tune of Phantom of the Opera) because we'd all been awake for too long.

Fridays....

Despite this being a 4 day week here (though I worked tuesday anyhow) I am so tired this morning. Had a bad day yesterday and think it was all on my brain last night. Didn't get a positive response on trying to get some $$ to do the Antarctic larvae work that me and K-Way want to do. Got an all round bitchy response from the program manager in fact. Totally sucks. And then I sliced into my thumb on the microtome (while trying to take my mind off strangling program managers), and i'd just about shed the stress when it was time to tell K-Way of what went down, so got all stressed about it again. And I hadn't finished writing my lecture for this morning at that point either (which was 10pm). 

Today I just finished my first lecture, and have to finish writing my lecture for 2.30pm today (which has the grand total of 5 slides in it right now), and the coffee filter just broke in my machine, so I have crunchy coffee. Bad things come in 3s, so i'm waiting for what tomorrow holds.....

So I just had an email this morning saying my little sub (well, not mine, but i've been in it!) is going to be on the NBC Today show on monday - 10th Nov between 7-8am (EST). Ann Curry got to dive down with some friends of mine, so be sure to tune in. 

Baby Animals

This slideshow is just adorable.....

Baby Animals

Obama

Celebrating in style with the Watling's and a good bottle of champagne in front of the TV. I've never felt so connected to an election, but this one really held this aliens future in it's hands. And although the near future is still a little bleak, the longer term is looking way up now. Thank you America. 

And a hibiscus from our garden for Obama's grandmother, who never got to see it actually happen.

Go America....

Election day here, state holiday in HI (and not sure how many other states), good idea to get everyone out to vote. Just hope it works....not that there is going to be too much of a problem in Hawaii.........

Feeling pretty nervous about it, one way will result in a better future for science funding here, the other side doesn't even believe fruit fly research is important, let alone those rarely seen deep-water species. 

So lets see if I need to be looking for yet another continental move, and no, I really don't want to be..........

The simple things.....

A phone call from Stian at 3pm left me smiling for the rest of the day. I should clarify, two 1 minute phone calls (in rapid succession after being cut off) from Stian who is out on the McMurdo ice shelf in Antarctica. They left for the ice over a week ago and have yet to have their communications set up, so this is the first i've heard from him since then. So even if it was two really short, really crappy reception, satellite phone calls, it was wonderful to hear from him briefly, and I still have a grin on my face. They are doing well, had issues with equipment and getting people working, but they are getting there. And it sounds pretty damn cold....:0)

Stian, you're awesome, even in two 1 minute bursts......:0)

....wow....I just looked in the mirror and at somepoint in my day I drew on my forehead in blue pen. I hope I didn't do it before I taught my grad class.........

Goals - week 7

Packed Lunches - 5

Walk to work - 1

Swimming - 0

Exercise - 1 session of aerobics

Social - Pottery! That was sooooo much fun, can't wait for wednesdays now! 

Soda - 3

Giving up on the total weight loss. If I loose even near what I want, i'll let you know! At the moment, i'm breaking even.......

As for eating better and saving more, i'm doing well, though i've been bad this week and skipped a few meals in lieu of chocolate. A bad habit I picked up during my PhD, and sometimes it's just hard to motivate cooking something nice for just one (even if I make enough and have left overs). I've only bought some fresh fruit this week, and haven't bought a loaf of bread in 3 weeks (i've been making, with varying success, need some new yeast, think mine is too old for fluffy loaves) or milk, i've been living off dry I already have to save some $$ for a few weeks. I've been making various things, from soap to wooly hats to mincemeat to keep my creative side in track. In fact my only other purchases this week have been things to make into items for others. I get a little sucked in with that stuff though and can end up spending a lot that takes a while to recoup, time to curb on the crafting supplies and use up what I have in stock. I enjoy that challenge too though. 

Note to self....

Recipes that call for 2lbs of raisins might be a little too large to cook in Grodnick's kitchen......not to mention running out of pans.......:0)

But now I have lots of yummy Mincemeat for Christmas! Seemingly impossible to get in Hawaii, I decided to try making my own this year, they have to "mature" for a month before eating, but i'll let you know how it turns out! 

Yum yum! My first experience canning too, just hoping those tops 'pop' when the oven cools. 

ps.....Mincemeat for all those non-uk-ites out there is basically a fruit pie filling with raisins, cranberries, apples and lots of spices and brandy. Mmmmmmm

List

New Zealand and Christmas are coming up fast, so I need to get my lists in order. And you all know how much I love to write out my lists........

Work

- Lectures  (8 in the next 2 weeks) - finish writing coral lectures

- Lab Class - organise corals, rooms, worksheets etc. 

- Lab - slice, stain, look at antarctic corals

- Talk - write keynote for New Zealand (gulp)

- Make poster for New Zealand

- TEM - Trim, slice and stain all larvae experiment samples

- TEM - get on the TEM to look at the sections

- Lab - Prep Kate's fish gonads, slice, stain and look at

- Reference for student

- Workshop report - finish edits

- Proposal review

- Write paper on antarctic larvae

- Edit paper on antarctic anemone

Home

- Repot overgrown plants - soon!

- Finish christmas presents

- Buy Hawaii presents for NZ family

- Make mincemeat

- Try lye soap (again, first attempt failed!)

- Finish various crochet projects (I have 6 on the go at once right now....argh!)

- Purge stuff (always)

- Take down swingseat and repair/get rid of

- Spread Terro outside

Work to live or live to work? Not sure at this point.....

Green = Done! 

The best things come in packages!

I'm not sure which I was most excited about - the box of yarn or the drawing from Lala! Thanks guys, I miss you too! 

The is the front door Gecko (as opposed to the back door gecko), they were really going for it this evening, but I saw this one eat two flying things, so keep it up! 

Baby gecko on my light. This is the first time i've seen the babies inside (they are usually outside living in my crocs). This little fellow was just across from the front door Gecko, so maybe mamma was taking the baby for a walk. I then saw another baby behind my TV. Grodnick is suddenly becoming quite crowded.....

Happy Weekend!

Something new for the weekend - lets see if this works. Gentoo penguins from my last cruise in August. These were on King George Island. 

And another one, of the penguins swimming. 

Happy Halloween!

Tonight I had a pumpkin carving party at Grodnick, a small crowd (for a small house!) of Alison, Jenna, Christine and Paul, all from the Watling Complex, yay! 

Our one pumpkin - I'd picked one up from Safeway this morning thinking I would pick another one up on the way home, and thinking that others would bring their own. By midday all of Manoa was out of pumpkins (and apparently far beyond too!), so the five of us had just one pumpkin to share, but it was still a lot of fun! We made it into a four faced pumpkin, everyone carving out their own face, except Alison, she supervised! 

Jenna working on her pumpkin face. Jenna also did the hard work of pulling out all the 'guts' and sorting through the schmoo to get to the seeds. Anyone know a good recipe for seeds? 

So the hope is tomorrow that we might get some trick-or-treaters coming up the long and windy stairs, we'll see. Tonight it is pouring it down, really nasty weather, if it's like this tomorrow I don't think our chances are high. 

Pottery!

I had my first pottery class today and loved it! I made 2 bowls and a vase, getting much better towards the end. I haven't done pottery since I was in junior school (about 12 years old), and then only briefly, but it's amazing how much I picked up and it all came flowing back. Gives me something to really look forward to next week! 

Yesterday's aerobics class was fun too, not the most intense work out of my life, but every little helps, and maybe it'll build up somewhere along the way. 

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?

My new crop of lettuce. I'm still tucking into my old crop which is now all in the fridge. Lettuce doesn't grow so well here, too hot my garden guru tells me.....

A bonus in the hedge behind grodnick.....Surinam Cherries. These turn bright red when ripe. I haven't tasted one yet, kinda hoping they don't taste like cherries....they're very pretty whatever the case......

The peas are growing tall.....

As are the papaya trees......going to have to spread them out, they're crowding one another! 

Tomatoes, ready for repotting into larger pots, cucumber in the background too, they're doing really well! 

Thai Watermelon.....I can't tell you how excited i'll be if these take off.....seeds from a melon from the farmers market....woo hoo! 

Don't speak for me Sarah Palin

Sorry for all the political posts, but as someone who can't vote, I feel I can make fun of the candidates without any compunction. 

My friend Ellen just sent me this U-Tube, and in the musical theme i've been going for, here it is. It is hysterical, and not only because it has a piano playing moose. 

Don't Speak For Me Sarah Palin

Tagged

So i've been tagged by Da Kiahas, which means I get to tell you 7 things you probably didn't know about me. This is a hard one, most people already know a lot about me. So here it goes (and following K's own list here a little)- 

1. I've lived in 3 countries, each for more than 5 years, and each on a different continent
2. I'm the second of four children, and the wild child
3. Though I study corals, I can't scuba dive (yet!), and have only ever dived to the seafloor (without getting wet) in a submersible
4. I've been on 18 research cruises since 2003, spending the grand total of ~70 weeks at sea and going to all the oceans except the Indian
5. I've been to five of the six continents, and in December i'll step on my last one
6. I really don't like moths. So much so I trap them under glasses and wait for Kate to come over to get rid of them, even if it was a month before I saw her. Kate I need you to come to Hawaii soon! 
7. I like to sleep with 3 pillows surrounding me, which Stian thinks is silly, but I think is cozy...:0)

So now onto 7 others - I tag - K-Way, Dahlia A., Kathy, Bookyg, NEA, Mollie and Lance W. So get your 7 facts either up in my comments or on your own blogs! 

Going in with the Big Guns.....

Okay thousand little anties snaking across my ceiling.......lets see if this Terro power i've heard all about works.........