Back to the adventures of a desert rat in the tundra.....

As I was saying, Perry hurt his leg while working at the ITEX site last week. He came hobbling in with a whincing grimace on his face. His leg was swollen behind his knee at the attatchment point of his gastrocnemius and hamstrings. I guess he fell between the boards of the platform like trail we walk on out there and torqued it somehow. I think he pulled a tendon or something. Sunday he, Santonu and I went to the hospital to find a knee brace for him. (Everyone has searched far and wide across Barrow, no crevace left, no stone unturned, but alas there are no ace knee bandages anywhere. Well, except for the hospital). Our quest was fruitful. We attained one knee brace size L for Mr. Perry I.Q. Houser with the hurt leg. Yesterday a mysterious bruise appeared in the front of his knee that was a lovely shade of purple and black. In the meantime, yours truly is taking on his field missions.

Oh yeah, Alex and Dave got to go seal hunting with Lewis on his boat on Sunday. I thought that was a really unique experience for them to have, so please check out Alex's blog on the event: www.benhumea.blogspot.com



After the hospital we stopped by the the King Eider's Inn to check it out. The outside was clean and free of random junk, officially making the King Eider's Inn the cleanest building in all of Barrow. There was a muck room in the entrance and we had to remove our shoes. To the left was a warm and welcoming fireplace with a really cool handcrafted chessboard. One side was composed of various handcarved and painted wooden ducks; the King Eider was, well, the king. The other side was composed of birds of prey; an eagle was king.

I asked to see a room, just for kicks and grins. They were very nice and seemed huge compared to my little room at NARL. The master suite was gargantuan and had a queen bed, fireplace, kitchen and jacuzzi bathtub. Any guest who stays is welcome to the sauna, which Perry and I both drooled at. (Santonu didn't come in; I think he didn't want to take his shoes off).

We went to Stuaqpak (literally "the big store"), aka AC Value Center to get some groceries after our infomative adventure at the Inn. Immediatley upon entering the store there were some craftmen selling their wares. One was selling titanium blades that had whale bone handles, while the other was selling pieces of whale baleen that he etched scenes of whaling on. You can find different craftsmen at any given time in Stuaqpak, and unfortunately I didn't have that much cash on me. I had to forego the goods and continue on my voyage, we needed food and a hungry scientist is not a pretty sight. It was a joyous time for all as we strolled through isles of overpriced food and goods.

The three of us attempted to go to the Inupiat Heritage Center, but they were closed. I am very interested in learning more about the history of the Inupiat culture and Barrow. I got to see some of it at the grand opening ceremony, and most of the museum was dedicated to whaling. The gift shop has been closed everytime I have gone :( I am hoping to bring home some items that are characteristic of Barrow and my experiences. I picked up a book called "Uqaluktuat 1980 Elders' Conference Women's Sessions." The book covers topics of preparing whales, games and songs, and an oral history of the weather changes. Half of it is in English, and you can flip it over to read it in Inupiat.

Sunday night: "Kill Bill: Volume 1"

Monday: I went out with Santonu to the field to help out with temperature readings along the tramlines. He and Perry have been assigned two kids who are earning college credit. However, his kids are pretty young (an 8th and 9th grader). One of them complained a lot and kept asking us to do less work and end the day early. The other one worked pretty hard and was taking good notes and was very inquizitive (which I like to see in a kid). I think this program is pretty cool; I wish I could've worked hands on with scientists to get college credit. Many of the researchers here are taking on kids. It seems that some of the students are working well, while others are completely miserable and don't want to be here; or third scenario: they want to be here and aren't fit with the right researcher. I think a lot of the students are pretty young, so it is difficult for them to put in hours out in the field. Daniel, Adrian's intern quit. I feel that this program should have a stricter application process to ensure motivated kids who are interested in the science. Field work is tough, even for adults and I think it takes a certain attitude to survive with your sanity.

The two students were funny though. I enjoyed talking about science with them and tried to get them enthused about it. Santonu enjoyed working with them as well, and even put together a few readings about the project he's working on. I think in a few years this program will be running smoothly. Either way I;m sure all of these students will come out with a greater understanding and appreciation for the science involved here (and the hard work it entails).

Tuesday: Tuesday was my birthday, and I received a lot of thoughtful birthday wishes from my friends and family that made me happy. A few of us stayed up pretty late the previous night, so I was a little tired. At the end of the day we went to Osaka's, a japanese restaurant. The food was delicious, and I thnk it was the best meal I've had here in Barrow. I ordered the Bento box #3 (as did 6 other people at the table), which includes sushi, rice, salad, terriyaki chicken, and tempura. MMMM..... After our meal we all joined in a glass of sake and I played the ukulele to my heart's content.

THANK YOU to all of my friends and family that made my day awesome!

Entertaining ourselves: