Pacific Northwest Bound!

So, I went to bed around 3 last night, after finishing my policy proposal and readings, woof, it was certainly tough getting up at 8. I've been so tired lately, that I kinda forgot we're going to...the PACIFIC NORTHWEST TOMORROW!!! It's just starting to hit me, and I have so much packing to do, and we'll be leaving at 5am. Which means, in order to get 8 hours of sleep, I need to be in bed in about in hour. Is this doable? Probably not.

But...here's the schedule for the next 10 days! (Courtesy of Jim's syllabus)

Feb 27:

"We travel from Mystic to Seattle today, arriving in the early afternoon. We head first to the top of the Seattle Space Needle for the "Big Picture," and then check into the College Inn. Dinner will be on your own tonight, with various spots to choose from in the University District."

Feb 28:

"We start out with a talk on how the shores of Puget Sound, particularly the Seattle waterfront area, have changed since the 19^th century, and then we’re off on a tug boat trip to see Seattle from a water view and to motor through the Port of Seattle container docks. After lunch, we’ll walk through the history of old maritime Seattle, and then visit Fishermen's Terminal, before heading for dinner at the Burke Museum, and an after-dinner talk by Alex Conley S90 on salmon restoration in the Pacific Northwest."

March 1:

Seattle to Tacoma Container Ship terminal and thence to Portlant, OR

March 2:

"Today we’re up bright and sparky to head east up to the Columbia River Gorge and to Bonneville Dam. Then we turn west for the Pacific Ocean, pausing to bond with Multnomah Falls, arriving by late afternoon in Astoria, at the mouth of the grand Columbia River. Tonight we’re hosted by the good folks at the spectacular Columbia River Maritime Museum."

March 3:

"Up again to greet the dawn and, after one more stop in the Museum, off to Cape Disappointment in the State of Washington for our first view of the Pacific Ocean, followed by going back to Oregon and a visit to the salmon raising net pens in Astoria. Then we head south along the Oregon coast, with a lunch-time stop at Cannon Beach, nationally famous in the world of marine policy for the case of Thornton v. Hay. We make several stops thereafter as we head south to our overnight in Newport on Yaquina Bay."

March 4:

"In the morning, we’re at the Oregon Aquarium. In the afternoon, we’ll stop briefly at Sea Lion Caves to examine an aspect of public marine tourism, And then, depending upon weather and time, we may stop at the Oregon coast dunes. Tonight we are at the University of Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (OIMB)."

March 5:

"This morning, we head for the tidepools of Cape Arago for an exploration of the rocky intertidal zone. After lunch, we visit the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, one of only 5 such reserves on the Pacific coast."

March 6:

"This morning you'll have * free time * to relax and explore the area, before we reconvene to begin heading north to Portland, and then back home overnight to Mystic."

That's it! It'll be quite an adventure. I won't have internet...again. But! I will have a cellphone. I will only be able to check it when we are at a hotel though.

Have a wonderful 10 days, everyone! I am so excited to go back to the PNW! Puget Sound is one of my favorite places in the world.

XOXO

Fish Larvae are Special, apparently.

Last night, as Elizabeth watched, Jessica and I officially went crazy. We were able to register poor Elizabeth's fear for our sanity. We were so stressed and jittery, that we were laughing hysterically over everything whilst making popcorn on the stove. Somehow, we ended up pretending we were squirrels and ate our popcorn like acorns. I cannot help but wonder if we'll end up at a mental institution by the end of the semester.

I feel like it's final exams week...ALL the time. I get the same high from adrenaline rush though, and everyone is stressed together, so it's all okay. I sometimes feel like I'm wayyy behind on my work, but then after talking with several other people, I find out pretty quickly that we are all on the same page, more or less.

I have finally decided on my semester long project for Oceanography! I'll be working with Jessica on fish larval studies! Whoo whoo! We were so tired though. This is the title we came up with for our project at 3am this morning: "Early Spring Fish Larvae Special Variation in the Mystic River and Estuary." We couldn't stop laughing over what a horrible title our cloudy minds fashioned after writing our proposal...special...(as in variation among species), except it looked so silly. Special? As in, super fantastic fish larvae?? Cuz, you know, that's the only kind we plan to look at. Common fish larvae just won't do.

We fixed it though, never fear! After straining to think of a good title in such a tired state, we finally came up with: "Variation of Fish Larvae Species in the Mystic River and Estuary During the Early Spring." Yeah, 15 words long, and it's not even a full sentence. Kind of ridiculous, but that's how it goes.

Well, I just finished my Oceanography class, and I feel bad that I wasn't able to fully concentrate. Diane is so sweet and is so excited to share her knowledge with us, but well, the proposal kind of took up all my energy last night. I am going to nap now.

Good night! Er...morning!

Cramer Video! Hooray!

Hello, all!

Ben sent me a video of a message I wanted to send you all while on the ship. Mostly, I wanted to show off my hot rain-gear, (so in season right now)...haha, just kidding! I thought it would be neat to capture the storm and how tumultuous everything was.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/hhpti8

Click on that link and download the video at the very bottom. (I believe there's an arrow pointing to it.)

If you can't hear what I'm saying, and if you can't understand sign language, I'm saying the following:

"Hello, friends and family! As you can see, I'm on the ship right now. It's very windy, rainy. It's a lot of fun! Feels like an amusement park ride. Um. I'm really enjoying it, a little bit seasick sometimes, but other than that, it's fine. I hope everyone's doing well! Love you!"

Just thought I'd share. :)

Busy as a bee!

My goodness. The past week/weekend has been incredibly busy. I don't even remember the last time I was this busy. Smith actually seems quite lax compared to all the activities/work we do during this program. I'm not complaining though...I thrive on being busy. And I love how we're all busy and stressed out together. We all take the same classes and are working on similar projects. We can empathize with one another, which allows us to try helping each other out and we feel more inclined to lend an ear to another who needs it.

Oh, for those of you who do not know: I am now a professional blogger! Sort of. One of the work study jobs was "admissions blogger," I applied for it, since I thought it would be great getting paid to do what I already do for free. Lo and behold! I'm going to start up that job soon. I'm guessing I'll focus on this blog and then pull out excerpts that they'd like for prospective students to read(?) We'll see! I just hope I won't have to write two different things at once, since this blog consumes a lot of my time. Or perhaps I'll direct you to the other blog. Hm.

So right, this past week has been crazy, CRAZY, I tells you! Some highlights: Going to the Mystic Aquarium on a school "night." (okay, 5pm, but still!) We get to go in for free with our Mystic badges! (Usually costs $26 for an adult.) It was so awesome, we saw Stellar Sea Lions, (yes, that's not just an adjective, that's what they're actually called...took me a minute to figure that out myself), beluga whales, and penguins! GAH! EVERY ANIMAL WAS SO CUTE! I wanted to hug the sea lions' blubbery fat, and just take one home and raise it as my baby, but well, my logical side intervened and made me realize the harrowing aspects of sea lionnapping.

Jessica and I might run there sometime and walk around it, and run back. It seems like the perfect exercise. We've also been running everyday outside this week, which has been fantastic. We're so good for each other...she provides the speed. I provide the endurance. We're good running buddies. My legs are killing me though. And I hope we can figure out some better running places soon since we keep getting stopped due to traffic when crossing streets.

What else did I do this week? So much. Ummm. Another lab in the marshes! That was excellent. I might base my semester-long oceanography project on it. We also went to Connecticut College where we got our IDs so we can use the gym and have access to social events there. Oh, but we Williams-Mystic people are silly. We made faces for our ID cards. Here's mine:

Yeah, the card is reversed, since I used my mac cam to show this to you, but eh. You get the idea.

We also went to a drag ball last night at the college. It twas fun indeedy. How can you not have fun whilst dancing and dressed in a tie and a snazzy vest?

Anyway, I must fly! Another house is hosting a potluck dinner. We're all bringing dishes from our respective houses. Oh, and I hosted the first ASL cookies/tea/coffee/hot chocolate event at Carr House! It was excellent. We sat in our living room, joking around, enjoying the food and drinks, playing some ASL games.

I'm having a great time.

The Work Begins...

I should be reading the six cases for Policy class on Friday. I should be starting the novel, "Searoad", for Lit class. Or perhaps I should be reading some of my Oceanography text book. Instead, I am sitting at my computer, blogging, and drinking a peppermint hot chocolate. I'm terrible!

Mary, Jessica, and I tried going out for some folk music on Monday night. We quickly discovered that Mystic doesn't really have very many young people, other than us and most of the Williams-Mystic staff. Rather, it has many men over the age of 40. Eep. I walked into the bar, inquiring about the music, (which they said was actually a lot later), and realized there were at least 10 pairs of eyes on me. We got out quickly and went back home, only to have another guy honk his horn at us. Oy. It's a nightmare being so attractive sometimes. Kidding! Kidding!

Anyhoo, we had a lab yesterday, and when I initially saw it listed on our weekly schedule, I groaned, envisioning us standing around a lab, with test tubes, crunching out and calculating a ton of dull, dry numbers. However, I was pleasantly surprised, of course. (I keep forgetting how this is not an ordinary academic institution.) Instead, our lab was this: We were taken to Weekapaug Point, RI where we observed the rocky intertidal zone. It was cold, but beautiful. The water was calm and brushing up against the headlands. Rocks were scattered everywhere, along with a plentiful amount of seaweed. Jim pointed out three different types of snails. First, there's Common Periwinkle, which is the largest of the Littorinas. On our worksheet, it was listed as an omnivore, but Jim said it was an herbivore. When I inquired about the possible mix-up, he said it WAS an herbivore, but sometimes accidentally eats barnacles. Isn't that funny? It's kind of like accidentally eating a fly in your soup. "Waiter, waiter! There's a barnacle in my algae!"

Then there's Rock Winkle and Kelp Winkle. Both are herbivores as well. We also found Asian crabs, which are not native and is the most populous crab in New England. They are found from Maine to North Carolina, but are very rare in the Chesapeake Bay. (I asked.) But I do think I saw a few over the summer.

We also saw worms, (who contain all the organs you could need in a space the size of the head of a pin), and sea squirts, (who are our highly-evolved cousins, even though they look like dots and colonize together in orange or clear clumps, believe it or not). They both live on bottoms of rock in water so they will not dry out.

I'm shocked I can remember so much, but this is truly a hands-on environment. Instead of discussing theory alone, we go out and actually touch what we learn about. This is the way learning ought to be. I love this...wading through water on a chilly winter day, rummaging through seaweed and sea life!

Part IV

Hopefully, this will truly be my last installment. I have a good hour to write down the last section of my trip. (A few of us are going out at 8 for some sort of folk jam in downtown Mystic...should be interesting!)

Anyhoo, here goes...again!

Feb 9, 2010

2319: I am absolutely spent. I have just finished what might have been my last night watch, and it was an exciting one! We were caught in another storm. Storms at sea are like poisonous snakes, hissing and striking out of the air, forcing you into submission. I was on the bow, helping with furling the jib in absolute dark, when rain and wind came upon us suddenly. I had no hood, no hat, and could feel my head becoming soaked. I prayed for my CI and hearing aid...I was more worried about them than about myself. They get ruined...I get killed by my mother. So, really...it goes either way. As soon as I was able, I laid off and ran for dear life to the dog house in order to grab my rain gear from below deck. All went well after that episode. And all hearing apparatuses are in one piece! Whew.

I'm tired and have much to say, but I've only had 3 hours of sleep in the past 24 hours. One last thing: I keep wondering to myself--"I'm in...college right now??" This whole adventure, including classes, feels like a sort of working vacation. A lot of work, actually, but a lot of fun. Plus, I'm getting so tan! It's incredible. I keep thinking how this was definitely the right choice. I can go to England any time, but I will never be able to replicate this experience once college is over.

Feb 11 2010

*1723: We are now on the plane, headed to Miami where we will make a transfer for Hartford. I am in shock that this trip is over. I said my goodbyes to the whole Cramer crew, and as I stepped onto the dock, my heart grew heavy. I felt such a loss already--it was sure quite something. But perhaps before I lament too much, I'll update on the last couple of days. (I was incredibly busy and couldn't journal.)

Fort Jefferson saga continues! Shortly after our lecture given by both Rich and Diane, (yes, that's right...class on a beach...outrageous!), we stripped down to our bathing suits and put on fins and snorkeling goggles. Snorkeling was fantastic, even though we didn't see too much. I swam mostly with Jessica and we saw lots of plants, coral, and schools of fish, swimming past our legs. I held my breath and tried diving down closer to the ocean floor to get a closer look at the coral. I'm pretty sure I saw some barnacles and seashell clad creatures. I could have spent the whole time exploring the sea floor, but I grew somewhat cold after awhile. Jessica and I were the last ones to finish though. Snorkeling is sure addictive! I'd love to do it again, perhaps in warmer climes, or with warmer swimming gear.

Lovely palm trees

Jessica and I grabbed our lunches and walked around the fort again, marveling at its beauty. Within the fort, were gardens and palm trees. To me, it looked like an antiquated Garden of Eden.

"Garden of Eden"

The fort was 3 stories high. On each level, there were windows by which hundreds of cannons used to sit and wait for attack as defense. (Some are still sitting by the windows today, along with piles of cannon balls). Jessica and I borrowed a pair of binoculars from the gift shop and climbed up winding stairs through the lighthouse, which is still in use today. (Our ship used it as one of our points to keep an eye on during night watch to make sure we weren't dragging while anchored.) What a sight! We were on top of the structure, on the roof, where grass was growing. More cannons were up there at odd angles, along with piles of old bricks/rocks.

View of cannons at the top

From our vantage point, we could see the entirety of the fort's insides--reminded me of an ancient Greek coliseum. We could also see the moat and the beach, (with our lovely Williams-Mystic peers scattered everywhere), the ferry, (which transports tourists to and from Key West), and Bird Island, (formerly "Bush Key," I think). I adjusted the binoculars into focus and was able to make out at least 30 blue herons roosting together on one side. I had never seen so many all at once.

Bird Island

Oh, and at one point, when Jessica and I were walking and lunching, we came upon a blue heron, who was simply strutting around, sticking his head out like nobody's business. We managed to get within a few feet away from him before he flew off. He didn't seem to mind us too much!

1844: Okay, we are now waiting for our transfer. After the experience at Fort Jefferson, I had my first all-nighter...ever...and it happened on a ship. We put together our findings on dinoflagellates/diatoms and phytoplankton through a write-up, a poster, and a summary. Then...presentations at 0945. I couldn't concentrate on anyone's presentations one iota. I watched, cotton-mouthed, as millions of words came pouring over my head like dry sand. My brain registered zilch. It was pretty bad. I don't know if I've ever felt THAT tired. I actually felt sick from my exhaustion.

The day of Feb 10th, we docked at Key West, clocking in at almost 600 nautical miles total. It was field day. We had to literally clean the ship from top to bottom. Even the ceilings were washed. I was content though since I got to clean the bookshelves, which allowed me to pore over the many book titles. I love just holding books, feeling the weight of them, their scent. Good lord, I'm such a nerd. Anyway, we finished...finally, and everything looked sparkling clean! We had a great dinner and a tribute to the crew, thanking them for everything. Wearing a sailor's middie my cousin Linda gave me, I performed an adaptation I wrote for "Sea Fever."

The original:

I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

My version, (now called "Bunk Fever"):

I must down to the bunk again so I won't puke and moan,

And all I ask is the Cramer and a star to steer her home,

And Lil's food and learning my lines and the white sail's shaking,

And lots of phytoplankton and perhaps less waking.

I must down to the bunk again, for the call of more deep sleep

Is a wild call and a clear call, it is one I must keep,

And all I ask is a calmer day with the bright sun way overhead,

And the flung spray and the wild crash, and a nice, clean bed.

I must down to the bunk again to the lone dishwasher life,

To the soapy way and the bleach's way where the heat's like a whetted knife,

And all I ask is a merry yarn from Becca laughing all over,

And a long nap and a cell phone when the ten days' over.

Mary and I also led a lesson on Israeli folk dancing. Much fun was had by all. (And the other skits were great too!)

Today was Key West, but I don't need to go into much detail about that.

Well, I've basically caught you up on all the events thus far, (whomever you are), and so now I'll talk about my feelings on ship life: I'd be happy to go on another voyage again. I loved having a different life for a little while. Days become meaningless. One lives from one watch to the next. It's simply a different way to live...throws your whole system out of a loop and changes the seemingly static pattern of life for a bit. I don't think I could be at sea for very long stretches of time thogh. I miss running and walking, hiking and traversing land. My legs currently feel like gelatin. I ache to run free. Soon enough, I'll be off this plane and back on solid ground for a long while. We landlubbers certainly take the land for granted. I do love how I'm always outside on a ship. Fresh air fills my lungs with every breath. I can see the sun rise and fall. I can see the night sky form and also set. On a ship, you feel tied to the inner workings of the movement of the Earth, the planets, the stars, the galaxy, the universe as a whole. It's incredible feeling that connection--we are hands on the clock of life. We can't help but go with it, always ticking away, faithful servants to nature, the weather, the sky.

Anyway, I'd certainly go to sea again, but only for short, sporadic bursts. I enjoy feeling like I'm a part of something, a cog in ship's machinery. All deckhands help the ship move, and in the right direction.

The whole trip gave me such positive energy, I felt happy to be alive, grateful for my past and all that I have learned, excited for my future and looking forward to what it may bring. Sun and fresh air is good for my soul. My entire state of being is altered. My life's schedule changing so dramatically may have helped too. I was no longer feeling bogged down by constancy, by weary stability and knowing the flow of the days, feeling like I can forsee the future. So, I've only had positive thoughts about my life, daydreaming about jobs and places and people I will meet. In short, this 10 day trip has turned me around completely.

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DONE! I'm off for some folk music! Have a great night, everyone! xoxo

Corwith Cramer: Part III (Oh goodness, will this EVER end?)

I just finished my first essay of the semester! Whoo hoo! It's been quite awhile since I've written one about literature, but I'm done now, and I don't quite feel ready for bed, so I'll update you on my trip some more! Where were we? Feb 6th...

I wrote a poem that day in my journal, titled "Sea Yearnings":

Shall I away to sea again?

The sickness now gone

[misery of miseries!]

replaced by sunshine

bursting from within.

I shall most likely

away to sea again,

for my heart will yearn

white-capped waves

bristling with foam

rolling on endlessly,

hard labor and little

time to daydream

with long stretches

of dreamtime and

mindful meanderings.

Cut off from the

land--no more news,

no more gossip.

Just the ship, which

becomes an entire world

floating, rocking to and fro

on blue, grey-green water.

All the time in the world,

and more, for reflection.

The outside world fades away

into cloudy and calm skies.

Indeed, for all these things

my heart will yearn

and I shall away to sea again.

Feb 8, 2010

*0015: Yesterday was quite something. I woke up at 0430, along with Ben, and groggily got up on deck, urging myself to keep my eyes open because, "Seeing a rocket go off into space is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" (One was scheduled to leave Earth at that time.) However, no rocket was sighted. Darn. I went back to bed and tossed and turned, (or rather...was tossed and turned) and couldn't fall asleep again. During the six hours of my watch that day, I witnessed something pretty amazing...the sight of land! The Dry Tortugas!

First sight of dry land!

It is amazing what a change of mood overtakes a ship once dry land is sighted. Our watch became a lot more lax and everyone was happy and smiling, snapping many photos. I have to say, this part of FL is absolutely stunning...pristine white islands with crystal blue water and palm trees. We are currently anchored near Fort Jefferson, which is an amazing brown, crumbly structure that takes up an entire islands. The birds here are loud and full of life. James Audubon actually came here often and studied the birds here. I didn't realize that. I worked for the Audubon Society last summer, so it's nice to get a bit more background info about "the man behind it all."

Little old me smiling as we spot land

Also...today, I climbed the rigging along with my watch members. My gosh, it was so high up. Absolutely terrifying. I have an intense fear of heights, which isn't good because I love climbing UP things...rocks, trees, what-have-you. I just sometimes am paralyzed when facing the fact I have to...go...back...DOWN. Blargh. I pleasantly surprised myself today though! I went up much higher than planned and returned without a panic attack.

View from the top of the mast

View of the bowsprit. And of my hand.

Ben, giving me the "thumbs-up" as we stand at a dizzying height

Sometimes I think I actually live for the thrill of getting over my physical fears. I am silly indeed. I walked away after getting down, with a stupid grin on my face. Rich had to point it out before I even noticed, ha.

Project update: Note to self: Never put two humanities students together in a lab. My partner Anna and I were terrible with our microscope slides. I broke a slide cover and then chipped another. When we finally put a new slide under the microscope, we couldn't see anything, and then we realized that we accidentally had put on THREE slide covers which were stuck together instead of just one on top of the sample! Oy. We just had to laugh at ourselves. It was the perfect comedy sketch...two humanities students together in a lab together automatically spells D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R.

Also, funny incident at dinner. I looked over at Rich, and he was poking at his potato salad rather disgustedly. A few of us realized he had found a piece of gum in it. Yeep.

Feb 9, 2010

1714: Around 0800 or 0900 yesterday morn, we took turns getting onto a small motorboat and set sail for Fort Jefferson. The ride itself was quite fun--we roared through the waves, spraying water everywhere. I had no idea what was in store though. I literally gasped as we docked onto the island. It was truly breath-taking. The hexagonal structure was crumbly and old.

The beach was gorgeous. The water so clear, I could see the details of fish and plant life as I peered over the side of the brick moat. The beach itself was littered with all sorts of dried up sea life--sea sponges, coral, sea shells, seaweed, bahamian sea fans (light and dark purple)...I wanted to take one home so badly, but Leave No Trace!

What I wanted to take home: Bahamian Sea Fan

Man-of-War Jellyfish I found on the beach

I must go off to dinner now! I'll continue later.

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And I will post Part IV tomorrow. Hopefully, that'll be the last installment about this trip. Phew. My bed is gently calling my name.