Update and upcoming changes

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.

T-minus 3 1/2 days

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/

Raleigh visit - success

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?

I'm in!

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.

How it happened..

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?