Life o' Brian

Babies

2011-08-11T11:22:00.001-07:00

Not one, but two. Life changes quickly...

Barcelona

2009-01-23T06:49:00.000-08:00

So yeah, yeah, it's been years since I posted a blog, but whatever.. life's crazy as a grad student. This last semester was pretty stressful and I always had something 'more important' to do than compose a post. Plus, I got tasked with updating the project blog, and nothing makes an activity more undesirable than requirement.

I'm here in Europe for an ASLO conference and we decided to stop in a little early and check out Barcelona for a few days. It's great here. Wine is cheap, food is good, and people are generally friendly. We have done some touristy things, avoided some touristy things, and generally found time to relax and enjoy the ourselves while NOT WORKING. Okay, we did a little work.

I've got some good photos, but I haven't uploaded many yet. We will have a better internet connection when we arrive in France tomorrow. I'll get them up then.

Off to Nice and the land of frogs!

Eff-ing gorgeous!

2008-07-15T22:33:00.000-07:00

We are sampling here at our southernmost station, and we are pretty much
iced in (nothing we can't break out of, don't worry). The ice really makes
for a surreal and utterly amazing landscape. I might as well be on the
moon. The sun also barely peeks above the horizon, so the light, when it's
around, is that warm diffuse light of sunrise/set. I wish I had the
bandwidth to post some photos here, but check the NCSU blog (linked at the
top right) which should have some photos up in a few days.

A downside, though, is that it's butt cold outside. It's been a steady
-11*C and most of our sampling equipment freezes up within minutes of
setting it on deck. Sounds weird, but I actually like this little
hardship... makes the fact that I'm in Antarctica that much more real. I'm
lovin it!!

Sea Ice!

2008-07-14T22:13:00.000-07:00

The passage across the Drake was pretty mellow. The seas were a little
churned up, but this is a much bigger boat than the LM Gould (the ship we
were on in February) and WAY more stable. I'm sporting the sea patch just
in case of seasickness, but I could probably get away without it. Better
safe than miserable.

We are now about 6 hours from our first station. We are doing the
southernmost station first, and are now below the Antarctic circle. Last
night we started hitting sea ice, though it's all pretty new. The call it
pancake ice and it's pretty obvious why. Anyway, we've also had clear days
and nights, so the scenery has been pretty magical and a little surreal.
I've got some photos that will be posted to the NCSU blog soon, but I'm
going to try to send one here if I can. Note that this photo was taken at
about 12:30. It was up for about 3.5 hours. Not quite sunbathing weather.

I'm in pretty good spirits and happy to be here....

Casting off..

2008-07-10T05:45:00.000-07:00

Leaving the civilized world soon. I won't have internet for the next 4 weeks. I am totally looking forward to the fast.

I will hopefully be able to update this blog on a semi-regular basis from the ship. Pictures may be far and few between, but we will be able post photos to the project blog, a link to which you can find at the top right-hand side of this page. From this point onward, please use the {at}nbp.usap.gov email address to contact me (if you got my email, you got the address....).

For now, morale is fairly high. Most of us are quite happy to see one another after a long hiatus, and we all know what we're doing so things are running quite smoothly. So far...

I'll probably have more to say when I'm not being rushed by a 10 am all-aboard and a line of people behind me to check the internet for the last time. :)

Southern Hemisphere

2008-07-07T16:08:00.000-07:00

I like it down here.

A fellow Greener at the 'other' pole...

2008-07-03T21:28:00.000-07:00

My fellow former Greener, Katrine is doing atmospheric chemistry in Greenland right now. She has a most awesome blog here. Be sure to check out the wet hair experiment, which i hope to reproduce in the south with some of my long-haired colleagues. I hypothesize that it will look the same, but all the ice crystals will be oriented in the opposite direction because it's in the Southern Hemisphere. Crop circles are like that too.......

Weather in PA

2008-07-03T19:25:00.001-07:00

This post is mostly a test to see if I can indeed post to this blog via email, but it's also a semi-interesting comparison of the weather in Raleigh and Punta Arenas. What a difference 80 degrees of latitude make!

T-minus 48 hours

2008-07-03T18:53:00.000-07:00

It's nearly ship out time, and I feel fine. I've got my lab shit packed. I got lots of warm gear (to go along with the giant pile of clothes USAP gives you when you get there). Getting the iPod filled up. Got the seasick meds. Writing the obligatory pre-departure blog post. Why does this seem like an old hat already?

I'm really looking forward to it, though. Something about being on a work vessel - you end up getting in such a zone. I gotta tell ya, removing oneself from news, home BS, and other miscellaneous distractions is so dang therapeutic. And despite the dark and the cold, it's Antarctica!! - and how cool is it to do work there? Very cool, indeed.So I'm pretty sure I will be able to post to this blog from time to time from the ship via email. I will also be the posting for the official science blog (http://antarctica-ncsu.blogspot.com/) so be sure to check in there too. Don't ask how I got roped into that...

Anyway, the quick and dirty itinerary.:
05 Jul 08 - Fly to Punta Arenas, Chile
06 Jul 08 - Arrive Punta Arenas, Chile
10 Jul 08 - Depart Punta Arenas aboard R/V N.B.Palmer
14 Jul - 1 Aug 08 (approx) - Sample benthos along WAP shelf
4 Aug 08 - Arrive in Punta Arenas
5 Aug 08 - Fly back to Raleigh
6 Aug 08 - Arrive in Raleigh NC and get chained to the lab with lots of work to do.

Mt Evans

2008-06-27T11:28:00.000-07:00

Took a trip to Colorado last week to visit family and commemorate the life of my brother. Grayson Pointer died last year from a scooter accident, and his ashes were scattered on Mt Evans on June 19, the first anniversary of his marriage to his wife Lauren. So it's been informally decided that we will make an annual pilgrimage to the Denver area to summit the peak and remember. Here are some choice photos of the trip.

Broeker on 'fixing' carbon

2008-06-24T19:03:00.000-07:00

Nice interview in the Smithsonian with geochemist Wallace Broeker. I can't help but agree with him that proposed solutions such as alternative energy and carbon credits are, while great ideas to pursue, are too little, too late to stem the changes in climate due to increased CO₂ emissions. With the way our economy, political landscape, and infrastructure is laid out, a change to clean, greenhouse gas free, renewable energy is decades away. And with the recent testimony of NASA's Robert Hanson (PDF link) that we have merely a year to make drastic cuts in carbon emissions... yeah, this train's a-rollin. The interview is interesting and the book should be too.

Procrastination.. I know you.

2008-06-11T21:08:00.000-07:00

Update: T-riffic Response:

New location, under same management

2008-06-07T22:50:00.000-07:00

I've made the switch over to Blogger, and most of the old content has been transferred here, thanks to a clever script by zeaster. (Thanks!) My original intention of keeping a separate blogs for the kids and faint of heart was too complicated and not really a good idea anyway. There are worse things for a 14 year old to do on the internet than follow a link to an off-color video or see the word 'shit' printed on a screen. So here's where you'll find all of Brian's many colored brain droppings ('brain shit' for the teenagers..), Antarctica related or not. As usual, you'll find that this blog will have spurts of many posts over a short period of time, followed by months of silence. This is how I blog. Please do not become concerned if your incessant refreshes do not show any new material. RSS is a great invention. Google it if you don't know what it is. As for my life lately... I was crazy busy in the lab until the end of May. Have been slowly catching my breath and reflecting on the immensity and amaze-ity of my experiences and the underlying science as well. I'm starting to get a much better grasp on how I'm going to turn all this monkey-work into a working, meaningful thesis. At least that's the plan. The future holds a short backpacking trip, a trip to Denver to see some family and remember my very inspiring brother, and then off to Antarctica to freeze my nuts off on the 5th of July. w00t!!

Update and upcoming changes

2008-03-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

Hi all, I am back from the Antarctic, and what a trip it has been. I promise pictures (there's lots) and some stories soon. But first I think there's going to be some changes to my blogging service. It's been a long while since I've blogged, mostly because I did not have internet access on the ship. We do have a limited email account, and it would have been easy and awesome to send the occasional update and small photo to my own blog and not depend on the project blog to do the storytelling for me. That blog is great to see how we are doing, but some of you want to know how I am doing, and that can be quite another matter. So I think I am going to switch to Blogger. I considered them when I started this blog, and in reading the reviews, Wordpress seemed to be the winner. However, I did not read that carefully - the opensource and free content manager at Wordpress.org is great when you have your own webhost setup at your cost. The free (and therefore graduate-student-budget-friendly) Wordpress.com comes with a slough of limitations and lack of features. Blogger allows you to send an email to post to your blog. Wordpress.com does not. Blogger is very Picasa friendly (I use Picasa way more than Flickr), Wordpress is not. Anyway... expect to update your bookmarks soon. I know... it's flakey to change midstream, but it's the blogosphere and flakeyness is sort-of the status quo around here. I am working like a dog to get all my samples running. That means 12 hour days in the lab with lots of concentrated acid and benzene to keep me company. Anyway, it may take me a week or so to get my pics and new blog up. Enjoy the anticipation.

Flamethrower Storage

2008-02-12T15:31:00.000-08:00

This is posted on a cabinet on the R/V L.M. Gould, my soon-to-be home for 4 weeks. If you don't know the connotations of this, you should take the opportunity to watch the '80's version of The Thing. Kurt Russell is sooooo awesome in that movie.

Chile

2008-02-12T01:09:00.000-08:00

Made it to Chile! After only around 20 hours of travel time, we have arrived in Punta Arenas, Chile. The local news this morning included Territorio Antarctica in their weather report. 3 degrees celsius and showers. Balmy! The group is quite fun and we went to a local pub to try the local drink. Pisco sours. Waaayyyy too easy to drink. Here's; a photo of a few of the group at the Santiago airport. (I'm behind the camera). I will have internet access for a couple more days here at the hotel. After that, it will be very sparse, but keep checking http://antarctica-ncsu.blogspot.com for updates from the ship...

T-minus 3 1/2 days

2008-02-07T05:43:00.000-08:00

Sunday evening I'll be getting on a plane bound for the southern-most city in Chile. Then, on Valentine's day no less, I get on an ice breaker and take a romantic, albeit bumpy, cruise to the continent of Antarctica. Wow. Who would have thought a snot-nosed kid from Amarillo, Texas would have made a trip like this. So here's a rough schedule for the planning minds out there. 11 Feb 08 Arrive by Air Punta Arenas, Chile 14 Feb 08 Depart Punta Arenas aboard R/V L.M. Gould 18 Feb 08 Arrive Palmer Station 19 Feb 08 Leave Palmer Station [Work like ~~dogs~~ penguins] 12 Mar 08 Arrive Palmer 13 Mar 08 Leave Palmer 17 Mar 08 Arrive Punta Arenas 19 Mar 08 Fly back to Raleigh After getting on the ship, I'll have extremely limited access to the internet and email. We connect twice per day via a satellite, and the bandwidth is about what you used to get on Compuserve ca. 1994. However, we are required by NSF to keep up a daily blog of our activities for outreach purposes. This will be the best way to keep track of what we are up to, writings from the science crew, and the ever so popular photos. Penguin cuteness is bound to be bountiful. So I may add a few posts here before I leave, but once I'm south, check here for updates: http://antarctica-ncsu.blogspot.com/

Why being an oceanographer is awesome (one reason)

2008-02-06T17:42:00.000-08:00

Wicked shark photos

2008-01-29T16:19:00.000-08:00

A great little photoset from the Telegraph.. I would like to see a shark flying though the air... from the safety of a large boat, of course.

Polar lions

2008-01-27T17:12:00.000-08:00

Excellent video on Intelligent Design

2008-01-01T15:11:00.000-08:00

Found this on YouTube and it's excellent. It'll eat up a couple hours of your time, but if you are interested in the controversy regarding Intelligent Design, it's worth the watch. At some point in the future, I may write about my feelings regarding the influence of modern politics and religion on science. Sneak peek - most of those feelings are negative.

Made it to Raleigh.. (and photos of the continental crossing)

2007-12-11T06:23:00.000-08:00

I have arrived. The entire trip could be distilled into 5 hard days of driving, but luckily I stopped in Denver, Texas, and Oklahoma to be with family. Turned out to be pretty relaxing actually. Maybe I should move across the country more often... mmm, not so much. I don't have many photos of the actual trip (I was busy driving...), but I do have a few of my stay in Oklahoma over Thanksgiving. Definitely very thankful to have had the time to spend with family this time around. I've got more photos on my Google page (Link to album) and the obligatory YouTube of a cute nephew: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTIUrV0-1x4] And one more of redneck heaven... [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOnaBJs6cYY]

Making the crossing..

2007-11-26T07:44:00.000-08:00

I have departed the left coast and am slowly making my way to Raleigh. My truck is loaded and the trailer is full. Even though it's a slow slog, the old truck is doing okay. I got from Portland to Dever in two days, and Oklahoma in one more. Right now I am writing from my birthtown, Amarillo, TX, in the library where I spent quite a bit of time when I was younger. Everything seems a lot smaller than it did then... I'll be visiting family and on the road to Raleigh till Dec. 1. I'll also be starting my work preparing for the Antarctic. Look for more updates and photos from the trip then. Happy trails.

Raleigh visit - success

2007-11-04T19:39:00.000-08:00

I flew out to Raleigh to check out the town, meet my advisors and the department, and find a place to live. Operation successful. I think I really lucked out finding a place to live. My criteria were cost, proximity to campus, and good landlord. I have never liked apartment complexes and the management firms that run them, so a private landlord is my preference. Here's what I found. It's a cute duplex that's right next to campus. Check out the map: (Click to enlarge) The place is well laid out, has parking, a washer dryer unit in the unit, and the landlord is a mellow dude who runs his own electrician biz. There's food/drink and library (my staples in the next few years) in easy biking distance. I hope to give the old truck some well deserved rest. My advisor is also a very mellow guy who I think I can work well with and learn a lot from. He's well established in the field and seems to care a lot about the well-being and future of his students. I think it's going to be a productive couple of years at least. So now my goal is to get my poop in a pile and loaded up to drive across the country to my new home. My last day at work was Friday, so I have no more good excuses to procrastinate on my packing. Anyone want to buy a drum set?

Drake Passage - a preview

2007-11-04T14:00:00.000-08:00

Been checking out YouTubes of Drake Passage. Let's just say, I'm happy I have a prescription for Scopolamine.
This one's not so crazy... taken from a cruise ship. You can hear some old fart bragging in the background about how big the seas were when he was in the navy. Snow covered and uphill both ways, eh old timer...
~~~~~~~~
This one (link - embedding disabled) is huge.. good thing they are heading with the wind. Wouldn't want to hit those suckers head on.
~~~~~~~~
I like this one best, especially the crazy sounds below deck as stuff gets clanged about in the shifty seas. The lady walking sideways down the passageway is awesome too.
~~~~~~~~~
Coming in Feb/March - my own video of the passage. Hope my camera - and the seasickness meds - will hold up..

Alternative Energy - reality

2007-10-22T07:02:00.000-07:00

Saw this article (via) and you know, with reports that peak oil may be already come and gone, this comes as a very refreshing breath of fresh air. Again, this is the kind of innovation that needs to be pushed into reality by inspiring leaders and focused funding. The US is so poised to take the lead on this... We can put a man on the moon if empowered and inspired. Education in math and science will improve if kids have something meaningful to work on. America has the creativity and technical prowess to make this happen (and make some killer $$ along the way). When will a presidential candidate or member of congress vow to do this? With the money we've spent in Iraq, we could have had solar powered Jetson cars by now... and cell phones that work...

See Mike Draw

2007-10-14T06:04:00.000-07:00

Holy shit, these are some of the funniest comics I've ever seen!

Lessig's virgin talk on Corruption

2007-10-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

I am a little over halfway through watching this lecture, and it's pretty moving. Lawrence Lessig has been a big name in copyfighting circles for years (see close to every 5th post on Boingboing). He's now working on corruption issues, and he makes an amazingly good argument. Worth a watch. Democracy requires personal responsibility AS WELL AS community responsibility. If you see someone stealing something, do you speak up and do something about it?? If you know that someone is cheating on their taxes, do you speak up? If you know that someone is molesting young children, do you speak up?? I'm not passing judgement on the answers of any of these questions, but just provoking thought.

I'm in!

2007-10-14T05:25:00.000-07:00

I got the official acceptance letter from the NCSU graduate school today. I had been assured that this crucial piece of the puzzle would go through easily, but I've been living with a little gnawing shred of anxiety until now. Needless, to say, I sighed a huge breath of relief when getting this. So I'm flying to Raleigh on the 23rd. I'll meet the department, find an apartment, and just try to figure the place out. I really don't know what to expect, so if you know anyone in Raleigh, know of a good coffee shop, Thai restaurant, or dive bar - let me know.

Is this the new story of our times?

2007-10-01T16:37:00.000-07:00

Article. I read this and wonder. I go back and forth when I get the opportunity to give advice to young people about to decide what to do with their careers. Sometimes I say, "Do what you love, the rest will work itself out." Other times I defeatedly say, "Get a law degree, kid.. fuck science. NO money." And reading this article just makes me even more confused. Is it really social inequity that keeps me from being able to make ends meet.. and I'm not even doing anything THAT idealistic right now. Sure, I'm going to grad school to study the oceans and climate change, but right now, I'm doing environmental consulting. Don't let the 'environmental' in that title confuse you - what I do consists of mostly industrial enabling. We help people clean up their messes, sure, but at the lowest cost and just baaareeley enough to keep the agencies and regulators off their backs. Sell out I am, but broke nonetheless. I could have taken a job similar to my father's - working as a pipeline inspector and make twice the salary I make now. Only then would I really be able to 'make it' in the current economy. Teachers can't make it, young researchers can't make it. WTF? Are these people jsut young yuppie primadonas that are whining their way into debt? Certainly some of them are, but not all. I have wondered about my individual plight through mediocre salary and massive student debt, and if I skrewed up somehow. It seems I'm in a boat with a lot of people, and we're all drifting along hoping for a break. Well, anyway, I've decided to go back and do what I love. I'll be broke some more, and may never make enough money to be very comfortable. But fuck it, who else is going to save the world?

Secrets of PBF

2007-09-30T19:04:00.000-07:00

An interview with the creator of the greatest internet comic strip ever.

How it happened..

2007-09-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

I have been asked by a few folks, "So how'd you find this gig?!?" Well, it all started while I was sitting on the toilet one evening... No, really, I was taking care of business and idly reading a copy of EOS, a weekly rag put out by the American Geophysical Union that has short articles and, more importantly, a lively classifieds section. It was then that I drifted upon this ad:

"PhD Opportunity in Antarctic Benthic Research. The Dept of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at North Carolina State University has funding to support a doctoral student for 3 years (tuition, fees, and salary) on an NSF Polar Programs grant. the research will involve 3 cruises to the Antarctic Peninsula, with measurement of naturally occuring tracers (primarily C-14 and Th-234) in sediments and in benthos as the primary focus of the student resarch. The goal fo the study is is to asses benthic feeding strategies as the respond to temperature gradients and climate change. Applicants should have a BS and/or MS in chemistry, marine chemistry, or marine biology. For further details, contact [...]

I remember getting a real good feeling about this ad and heard a distinct voice in my head say to me, "This could be your ticket, Brian.." So, anyway, I crapped and got off the pot, so to speak. I emailed the professor, he liked my previous experience, I sent him my transcripts, GRE scores, an essay, etc..., and he offered me the position a few weeks later. That's how it went down. Pretty sweet, eh?

First Post...

2007-09-23T10:43:00.000-07:00

Hi all, and thanks for visiting. I intend this little blog to be a diary of experiences, photos, and errata for a new chapter in my life. I recently found out that I have an opportunity to do a few things that I always wanted to do - go to grad school, study oceanography and climate change, and travel to Antarctica. I wished it, and the universe responded in kind. In short, I'm eff-ing giddy with anticipation of what's to come. So stay tuned. I will add details of my studies and travels as I get them figured out. Now things are mostly a blur of barely laden plans and ideas... And please, email or leave a comment. I probably would love to hear from you.