I spent much
of the previous week shivering in double sweatpants and sweatshirts, broken by
brief periods of sweating, visiting medical, and shambling past my hard-working
colleagues to procure yogurt and mashed potatoes. At least everyone could see I was one-quarter
dead and didn’t begrudge me all that sweet, sweet time languishing in clammy
pajamas. And then science came to the
rescue. It’s amazing what a course of
antibiotics will do.
The
observation tube is back this year, and I delighted in tiny fish, krill, and
mini-jellyfish, along with the gorgeous cut-crystal underside of the ice
shelf. My friend was lucky enough to be
in there when nearby divers were working, so you can see what it looks like
from the outside.
Yet more
news in science, I made it through an entire lecture about sea spiders, which
are like giant (2-8”) daddy longlegs but with almost no body. Some issues under study are the relation
between ocean oxygen content, polar gigantism, and the sea spider’s utilization
of oxygen. They speculate that the
relative isolation of the Antarctic ocean, its cold temperature, its relatively
calm tidal action, and its high oxygenation all contribute to the ease with
which animals stay flush with oxygen.
Sea spiders spend their time walking around poking and sucking juices
out of sponges, jellyfish, and other gooey things that end up on the ocean
floor.
The most
interesting thing I made in the kitchen lately was a vinegar-based Carolina
barbeque sauce. At first it struck me as
pretty disgusting: vinegar, more vinegar, some vinegar-based hot sauce. Because I couldn’t handle that, I included
ketchup, honey mustard, molasses, and dfjsdkjfnbmb (secret ingredient). It was terrible to try to gauge on its own,
but on pulled pork it was surprisingly good.
Not as good as sugary red KC Masterpiece, but decent if you insist on
having Carolina-type barbecue.
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