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30 August, 2004
Down time on the Oden
When we are waiting for cores to come up and samples to come aboard or for
the drilling to resume, there are plenty of opportunities to unwind and
relax on board ship. There is always time to wander the deck in search of
the perfect picture. We joke that our friends and relatives will be
overwhelmed by our photos when we return home - that you will all be
groaning after looking at pictures of ships - pictures of ice - pictures of
ships in the ice. In reality the light can change often here and so the
landscape, or "icescape", is always changing. When the illusive sun does
come out to shine upon us, there is often a mad dash for cameras, for it is
then that you can capture the scenery with some depth and definition. Often
the sun appears when the time is closer to nighttime (10 or 11 pm) rather
than daytime; yet in the Land of the Midnight Sun, daytime is really an
illusion, for it is never dark. I was sitting and talking today with one of
the scientists who normally works the night shift. He looked at his watch at
12:00 and asked, is it noon or midnight? That question is not unusual here.
I wake up in the night and check my watch to see if it is close to the time
to get up because the light diffusing through the window shade gives no clue
at all.
If people are off-shift, on their free time, and not taking pictures, they
may be having coffee at the two daily coffee breaks. We take our coffee
seriously and strong here on the Oden. I was warned before coming aboard
that Swedish coffee would be much too strong and that I should bring my own
American blend. Well, that American coffee is still in the containers in my
cabin closet; I have adapted too well to Swedish coffee. Coffee time is a
nice break-time and social time when the crew, scientists, everyone gathers
together in the mess for coffee and cookies or a coffeecake treat.
What about entertainment, you wonder? There is a movie showing every night
at 2030 in the Oden cinema. The cinema seats 21 very comfortably in stadium
style seats. I provided some movie candy the other night, packed for me
courtesy of my daughters, but where is the movie popcorn?
Others find recreation in the gym - ping-pong table, rowing machine,
exercycles, treadmill and weight equipment. There is an organized (or often
disorganized) aerobics class every day, led by expedition co-chief Kate
Moran, just after she comes off her 12 hour shift. There is a rumor going
around that there will be a performance by the aerobics class at the end of
the expedition. Others in the gym are racking up kilometers on the exercise
equipment to add to the "Great Race from the North Pole to the South Pole".
We keep track of our progress on a chart and map on the gym wall.
There is a lounge for relaxing and conversation and if quiet time is what
you crave but you'd rather not be in your cabin, there is also a very nice
lounge for reading.
Every other day the Oden Supermarket, the ship store, is open in the lower
deck foyer from 1:00 - 1:15 for purchases of t-shirts, postcards, toiletries
or candies. There is often a line and closing time is usually delayed due to
the number of consumers. After all, it's the only store in town.
Oden aerobics class
Summer ice in the Arctic sun
Sovetskiy Soyuz, Russian nuclear icebreaker, in the ice
Erik, Hannes, Itsuki and Dave M enjoying a game of ping-pong
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