One of the crew gave me a neat gift: a big conch shell made into a trumpet. I've always wanted one! It sounds great. Now all I have to do is figure out how to get it home in one piece!
Tonight's movie was the director's cut of "Natural Born Killers." Although extremely violent, it's a thoroughly well crafted indictment of child abuse and media hype as feeding violence in our culture. Lots of hallucinatory effects and overcuts give it a kind of expressionist flavor.
The ship is bucking like a bronco today. In the afternoon I tried to do some taiji, and barely got through the first form before I gave up; I was staggering around, it was just too crazy. So I finished up with 30 minutes on one of the exercise bikes. The bow is now off limits for us, due to the weather.
The typhoon is progressing on, with winds of 110 knots, gusting to 170 (according to Jon). Some reports are indicating it might turn away fairly soon, which would allow us to get back on site in a couple of days, and get in a few more days on the bottom before we have to leave. Even though none of this is up to me, I feel eager to give our customers as much productive time as possible.
For dinner we had turkey with everything; cranberry sauce, squash and potatoes, corn and gravy, and mixed nuts and chocolate bars to finish it off. Good feed.
The evening movie was "At Play in the Fields of the Lord" which I thought was very good. An excellent portrayal of the lives of natives in Amazonia (I think they were Jivaro, but the movie didn't say) and the impact of civilization (especially the rivalry between Catholic and Protestant missionaries). Also spectacular shots of the rain forest, and Angel Falls in Venezuela.
Managed to take some pictures, since we have the time. I have hardly gone outside today at all, since we're under heavy weather conditions. The sky is a uniform blanket of humid gray over a leaden sea, except that lead doesn't toss and turn like a giant who can't get to sleep.
When the seas are this heavy, it affects everything you do. There's a grab handle in the shower to hang onto, which helps prevent the inevitable comedy routines. The galley crew has put down rubber mesh mats on the mess tables, to help keep the plates from sliding around, but you still have to hold onto the cups, or wedge them between things. Funny thing is, I got so used to being seasick early on, that it's a strange feeling to be moving this much and _not_ feel sick!
I went up to the bridge to look at the weather forecasts and charts. The storm looks like it's moving past us, and turning away. Good news, that means we can soon get back to work, get done, get home.
Two movies today: "Hot Shots part deux" which is a good chucklefest, and "Congo" which is entirely inane. Brain candy for your inner child.
We are back on station, and the weather has calmed down some. The sky has that painfully clear brightness that comes after a storm. Looks like we might be able to get Jason wet today.
With the weather so rough, taiji is not an option, so I've been using the exercise bikes. They give a good workout, but besides being boring, they are unconfortable at best. Today I tore a strip of skin off the inside of my leg, from the friction against the frame. Not fun! I'm so glad exercise is good for me!
By chance I picked up a copy of the book _Wired_ in the library, and I've been reading through it. It's an interesting look at the private lives of public stars (not just John Belushi), a different perspective than I'm used to. It's also a hell of a ride through a world of people who seem to have more money than common sense.
Jason was launched late in the day. Back to work!
Another book I've been reading off and on is _A Ship Too Far_, which is about the loss of the _Derbyshire_. This is interesting mostly because the writers have no direct evidence about the wreck whatsoever, and yet they manage to write a whole book from speculation. It includes a completely fictional account of the sinking, complete with panic and heroism on the part of the crew members. What tripe.
1200 - 1600 The weather is still so rough that we spent most of the watch in trail position, with Jason off to the side so as not to yank the tether. Towards the end of the watch, we picked a target which doesn't have any dangerous stuff around it, and did some work there, so we are making progress at least. I was psyched to find a copy of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue (it's been a long trip, folks!) of which there are supposed to be several on board the ship, but none can be found anywhere. Imagine that. At any rate it's better than the pornographic _manga_ (Japanese comic book) that someone left in the van. Yeesh.
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After this watch, I went up to the foredeck and howled at the full moon for a bit. Felt a little better. The full moon casts an eerie radiance over the ocean, making it look immense and completely otherworldly. This is very different from the inky nothingness during the new moon.
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Tonight was another nice night to view Comet Hale-Bopp, which if anything is even bigger and brighter now. After two months of looking at these stars, it still seems weird to see Ursa Major upside down, and Orion lying on his side at zenith.
But halfway through the watch came the moment we were waiting for: imaging complete, haul up the vehicles! So the rest of the time was "Z watch" with the winch grinding away. Tim (navigator) put on some music by the band he works with, and I danced around like a fool.
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I spent the day tearing down and packing the sidescan sonar computer system, which won't be used for the sample cutting. What a great feeling, to start the process of completion, the beginning of the end! There's a chance we can fly home a day early if everything is done in time (the first of May, rather than the second) and everyone is psyched to do whatever it takes.
The weather is calm enough that I can do my complete taiji regimen once again (I've been doing bits and pieces for the last couple of days). A particularly beautiful sunset this evening, delicate fish-scale clouds of orange and white serrating the deep blue sky. Folks were fishing from the fantail. I mentioned the term "mackerel sky" but no one else had heard of it; maybe it's a New England thing.
Tonight, instead of a movie, we all watched tapes of several TV specials on the _Derbyshire_ (two from the BBC and one from Discovery) which trace the history of the formal inquiries and legal contortions. Interesting, but worrisome because they make a surprising number of mistakes and misunderstandings. Now that I know so much about it, I can see right through their blather, but most viewers will be taking it as gospel. Makes you really wonder about journalism in general. (Caveat lector!)
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