18 June, 2000

And on the Seventh Day We Rest

Sunday is a time for rest at Camp Summit but there are no church services. What I mean is the scientists go to bed at 2 am on Saturday and wake up at 10am on Sunday. This means the workday is shortened to a mere 8 hours instead of the usual 12-14 hours. The mood is somewhat quiet. The camp staff has the day off so we have to fend for ourselves and eat leftovers. Food is not a problem at Camp Summit. There is always leftovers and they are great. You can help yourself to anything in the refrigerator but I am watching my weight because I have to start racing when I return home.

My day was spent doing data analysis. I now remember why I went into teaching. Sitting in a weather port (a giant tent that looks like a barrel cut in half the long way with more computer equipment than MHS) with other scientists was entertaining since they let me listen to Jerry Garcia but the work was tedious. (They actually threatened to play Neil Diamond so I left.) Data crunching is always a bore to me. I guess I'll stick to teaching for a while.

We had a science powwow tonight at 10pm (nobody sleeps here). It appears that many of the PI's are leaving on a flight back to the US on Wed. In order to keep research going, we had to discuss what the responsibilities will be for those remaining. It was very interesting to learn what the other scientists are doing. The project at Summit is a collaborative effort among the researcher to understand the interaction between snow and air surfaces. I will become involved in all the projects over the next 3 weeks while I'm here. Of course, I'll be working with Nick too since Koni will be leaving with the rest of them.

Science starts tomorrow again. Thanks to all of you who have written to me. Communication is slow and if you don't send your email address, I cannot respond back to you. Sorry.

Ciao, Cathi