The "masters" have arrived

After wishing and hoping for years, a master's swimming program has finally come to Kodiak. Of course, it comes right after I land a job as a life guard and won't be able to take full advantage of the program. None the less, master's is here and it can be nothing but a positive. I worked out with the group on Sunday and again this morning. While the workout itself wasn't much different than what I would have usually done, it seems to be so much more motivating and challenging when you are with a group of people with a common interest and goal.
I'm off for another two week adventure on the west side of the island in hopes of snagging another fin whale or two. Thankfully we've managed to climb out of that cold streak and temps have been in the more reasonable 30 degree range.
Making it happen....
Bree

Working the system

I have somehow managed to get hired as a life guard at the Coast Guard Base pool. I'm working the morning lap swim shift a couple of days a week. This is perhaps the smartest thing I have done in a long time. Why is this so smart? Well, it turns out the higher ups allow the guards to swim during the lap swim shifts. With very little change to my regular schedule, I now get paid to swim three days a week. Plus, if you count the $2.50 I no longer have to pay to get into the pool, I'm getting myself pretty far ahead.
As if that weren't enough, I now have full Base privileges, which means access to the gym, climbing wall, raquet ball courts, and exchange. Anyone need a new couch or HDTV at government subsidized prices?
The only drawback is that I have to get my lazy ass out of bed at 5:00 and then work a bit later at my regular job. Small price to pay, right?

Dog days

It's hard not to feel a bit like a kept woman these days. The cold streak in Kodiak remains. We are currently sitting at an impressive 3 degrees right now, with wee bits of snow falling. I'm all for being tough and training through the winter, but I've realized once it gets below about 10 degrees your nose hairs freeze far too fast to make breathing all that effective.
My poor pooch is stuck inside as well because she split her nail open, which has proved to be a very difficult thing to explain to her. Although she cocks her head from side-to-side, I am doubtful that she really understands what I am telling her.
I also have a cold, which is more irritating than the weather.
And in very bizarre news....19 eagles died after they gorged themselves in a truck full of fish waste. They were so slimed that they couldn't fly or clean themselves and they basically froze to death.

The good news...I'm off to Hawaii in about three weeks time. Bet those eagles wish they were too.
Making it happen...sans fish slime,
Bree

An Alaskan First

I spent about 12 days in Uganik Bay in late November/early December. The mission: tagging fin and humpback whales while assessing prey availability and distribution.
Tagging whales is usually a gigantic pain in the ass and the ratio of successful attachments to attempts has been about 25:1 in the past. Because of this frustration, Mark decided to redesign our tags and tag launching system. I'm not sure if he decided to this because he was really interested or he was tired of hearing me bitch about it. Anyway...the new system rocks. It's basically a souped up potato gun, powdered by compressed air. The one drawback is that is pretty heavy...can you tell?


The trip was a pretty big success given the weather conditions and the fact that it was the middle of freakin' winter.
We tagged a humpback. The big news is that we tagged a fin whale. A FIN WHALE! This is huge! This is the VERY FIRST fin whale tagged in Alaska. Come on people...we're making history here!


We head back out for a second trip in a couple of weeks. I'm gonna get me another fin whale!
Making it happen,
Bree

Umm.....brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Mild winter my ass. Last winter was harsh with tons of snow and cold temps. Naturally, locals say that a mild winter is bound to follow. So much for local knowledge.
Kodiak broke a record for snow fall on Christmas Eve with a whopping 18". That nice little snow fall was thoughtfully accompanied by 80 mph winds. Our neighbors recorded a gust of 110 mph. So, yep, looks like a mild winter indeed. Oh yeah...did I mention that is 9 frigging degrees right now?
There are a few bonuses to this weather, however.
#1: New snowshoes
I got a pair for Christmas and am actually getting some use of out of them.


#2: It's beautiful!!!
Cold temps usually mean crystal clear blue skies and the last few days have not disappointed.

Happy New Year

I'm not sure what happened exactly. Just a few minutes ago I looked at the calendar on the wall and it was just after Halloween, but when I looked up again just now it was already January.
My life has been busy, but I've missed posted on the blog for the simple reason that it forces me to spend some time thinking about what has been going on in my life and reflect. OK, I realize it's not always that dramatic, but it's true.

Winter is suppose to be my slow time of year with work. My plan was to cut back my work hours to half time in late fall and spend more hours working on my dissertation. Well, that has happened to a degree except that I am working half again as many hours and still working on my dissertation.

I have a few pics to post of the past several weeks. Whales and snow mostly.

I also want to take just a moment to honor the 6 people who were killed in Kodiak in a plane wreck on Saturday. Though I did not know any of them personally, a tragedy such as this hits small communities pretty hard. My thoughts go out to all of the families of those lost.