happy halloween

Halloween on the station for all intensive purposes was friday. I haven't been updating you all recently on my actual research here, and friday was an interesting day of data collection. Basically, after two frustrating months of microscope problems, my mentor and I have taken leave of the microscopy approach and have switched to using radioisotopic tracers to determine the amount of autotrophic matter vs other matter (bacteria). Without getting into too much science detail, I am filtering the traced solution on a few different sized filters and also with a machine to look at accuracy. Friday was my second run at it- and it went much more smoothly than the first.
I usually work from 830- 5 or later, but on friday I had an important schedule change. I told my mentor I had to leave and four, and at 4:15 pulled myself away from work to run to the dock for the underwater pumpkin carving contest.
Rules:
-you must keep the pumpkin completely submerged at all times.
-you are only allowed 40 minutes to carve the pumpkin
-the pumpkin must be 100% intact prior to the dive (no incisions) though a drawn on pattern IS acceptable.

Problems:
-Pumpkins are EXTREMELY buoyant
-in such shallow water, I am EXTREMELY bouyant
-visibility is poor, and fish are distracting



In the end, dive buddy Kristen had intentionally overweighted herself, but was at the point that she could not float if was holding a hundred balloons- Sam and I could not keep ourselves submerged, and no one knew where our carving tools were. A few minutes later, we became more organized. We rearranged when I found that if we positioned ourselves under the dock, we could place the pumpkin upside down on the underside and it would stay put very well on its own. Still without our kitchen knife (nor a true dive knife) I whipped out my pop's leatherman and found it was the perfect carving tool. It was a bit chaotic- we were unsure of how much time we had wasted trying to force the pumpkin to the bottom, but in the end, we were quite happy with our first underwater pumpkin experience. I think the next one will be even better. We surfaced well before time limitation and friends on the dock asked to take our picture with our new jack o'lantern- only poor Kristen remained submerged until we figured out she couldn't surface with her extra weight.



We didn't win, even after attempts to bribe the judges- but we had so much fun!

(second to the right)
Carving ended early enough for us to grab a quick bite, shower and get into costume for the night. Usually, I go all out for halloween and make a detailed costume but this year I felt a bit resource limited for my island halloween. Instead, many of the REUs, and a few others went as (take your pick!) either beach babes, or 'fat tourists'. We bought those oversized beach shirts with the beach bodies drawn on and went on down to the station social club. The shirts can be quite convincing from far away and I don't think I ever stopped laughing at the sight of some of the girls. Other good costumes were a scary jack o lantern, an air hostess who gave out peanuts, and the moon from the mighty boosh (winner of the costume award).

Now it is true halloween- and i'm celebrating by going on a recreational dive with a local dive company. I wonder what I should expect to see on a halloween dive: barracudas? eels? maybe we'll explore an old scary wreck!


much love-Happy Halloween!

Hillevi