Winter approaches

It is getting cold, which is completely normal for this time of year in PA, but people seem to have forgotten that after a decade of mild autumn seasons. Personally, I enjoy the cold, so the seasonal shift is welcome. I just wish we could get past the rainy dismal part and get right on to the snow. Regardless, it is forecast to be mild on Friday, so I suppose I should stop by the store for candy on my way home from the lab this evening.

Speaking of the lab, I suppose I should tell more about my occupation at some point for any voyeurs that might stumble by. Today, however, is not the day that will happen in any detail. To compensate, I have begun to update my profile here hoping that will keep any questioners at bay.

Eugene managed to get me an email through the satellite link this morning, it was simple but effective:

From: epreskin@cmu.edu
Subject: Arrival!
To: dr.bruce.stevenson@gmail.com
Date: Tuesday, October 28, 2008, 6:42 AM

Who knew ice cubes could be so damn beautiful?

If you knew him, you would be picturing him radiating like a saint in an ancient religious icon. ‘Ice cubes’ have been the focus of his research for the last decade, and while the satellite imaging and SOSUS data and all of the other information flooding to his office is more than enough to cover his needs, there’s nothing like field research to reawaken one’s passion for a project. Things are simply so much more real when experienced first-hand. I suppose this will lead to several months or years of dinners at the Preskin home where the topic of glaciers positively cannot be avoided, but I will suffer that to see him so excited about his work again.

I visited Amanda for lunch on Sunday on the condition that she would let me keep the TV on quietly in the background so I could monitor how badly the Steelers would fall to the Giants. Lunch was delightful, the game, less so. Amanda says she’s been getting hourly emails from Eugene and I should not complain for him being out of contact with me. She testifies one can bear only so many emails about gulls and dolphins. Regardless, Amanda had her MacBook on the kitchen table with her email client updating regularly so she would not miss a report.

Enough journal-therapy for now. I must return to my work. This does seem to be easing some tension, however. Maybe it is just the act of recording something for posterity — leaving your mark somewhere, however small — that makes it relieving. Whatever the case, I must try to better dedicate myself to it.

Until then...