Some winter COVIDtime updates: boats? and science? and teaching?!?

Hey, ya hoolie baloogans!

I’m on a boat! … Just kidding. I was on a boat. Now I’m being a land velociraptor, grontling through your fir treed forests, sitting in leather armchairs in tweed jackets with those funny elbow patches, and smoking my pipe.

BUT BOATS. Ever been in the middle of an ocean in gale force winds, dear readers? IMAGINE WHO WOULD BE TAKING PICTURES NEAR SUCH A TIME. [photo credit: Jeff Schell]

This writing is for a few updates, and to wish all of your beshnozzled selves well. I’m actually not in an armchair; I’m sitting in my car in the chill winter, outside of a food co-op, writing to y’all instead of grabbing food.

bot

Because I love you so.

Just like I love dessicated wood.

[Two days later]

I was on a boat named the Corwith Cramer. She’s a seagoing scientific research/educational vessel thingummy; we took a bunch of hapless students out to sea in October, and sailed them down from Massachusetts, through the Sargasso Sea, and into the Caribbean. Don’t worry.

It wasn’t… like…. during hurricane season or anything.

Very Peaceful

That took a month and a while. They were only the most cute students, and we were all trapped in a confined space in the middle of the ocean for weeks. Weeks, I tell you.

Favorite students in recent memory. (Other than my other former students who are just as cute: you are all badass humans who do awesome things, and I hope you wake up in the morning, look into the mirror, and go, “I’m awesome.” Please. Do it at least once for yourself.)

Then, I came home for Thanksgiving.

family, hurrah

Now, I’ve picked up another work contract.

I live in the middle of the Appalachians. For three months, I’ll be on a team of roving medical providers, and wander through local communities (some of which are my beloved trail towns), stabbing townsfolk with needles in the name of communal health and wellbeing.

I love it so.

SARGASSUM

To that end: please take care of yourselves, and each other, ya nerds. Here are a few more gratuitous pictures of sailing.

Finally, for some updates:

Greenland. Nothing.

My heart and soul say we’ll get there in June, and then I’ll need to skedaddle back to wherever I left from hiking, in Canada? Unclear. Many words are being said, but I’ll let you know once there are firm logistics in place for a given month.

Hiking. Until our team is all done vaccinating trail towns and delivering monoclonal antibody treatments, please hold your horses

Most possibly this spring.

Location. I’ve been a bit iffy on giving location specific information for a while. For any hiker traveling alone, putting your location online can often be a bad idea, because humans are the worst.

I’d already been pushing things back a few weeks before I published them; but I will be keeping all location information offline until it is no longer relevant.

In other news, check out my new digs!

You are still more than welcome to send me ALL THE MESSAGES!

ALL OF THEM. ALSO, LOOK AT THIS CATERPILLAR; I wonder if it is edible.

Anyways, it’s late at night.

I have to wake up and get to work at 6:30. Is this what it’s like, being a contributing member of society? Ugh. The worst.

blegh

Please have a wonderful December.

-S

[most of the boat photos from this post were taken by Jeff Schell, the incredible human being that he is.]