today, i walked on a research vessel!

In fact, I did a lot more walking than I'd planned, as I parked at the research building rather than near the dock.

I'll see how my right leg feels about that tomorrow.

For now, I'm pretty elated about the experience!

 

This was an 'Open Ship Night' at the SkIO and I was one of the first to arrive for the first tour!

The ship is the R/V Savannah and it's been out to sea for 110 days so far this year, so it took some planning on the part of Jackson Schroeder, the Public Relations Coordinator to make sure it would be in port.

Dr. Mark Frischer, one of the researchers that I met last year, kept the group entertained as each set of 8 awaited their turn.

He was telling us about the gear off to his right.

I was in the second group to board the research vessel.

That's his graduate student, Alyssa Fritz, on the left; beside her is Claire Eilers, a graduate student of Dr. Nicholas Foukal.

They were in charge of our herd of cats.

(smile!) 

They first talked of the equipment on the newly-extended stern.

That work was done in 2024, to lengthen the ship by 11 feet to make more room for NOAA gear on their missions.

That's nice extra income for the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography!

That's good, since the refitting cost 4.6 million dollars - which is a million more than the ship cost in 2001 when it was brand new!

The two young women didn't tell us that; nope, that came from a old Brit in our group who was well-read on such matters.

Very interesting!

After we'd looked at all on the stern, we were led in to the Wet Lab, aptly named as it was the first room in.

The Dry Lab was next, before we turned another corner into the dining area and the galley, which was quite well equipped.

It would need to be, as some of the trips were month-long ventures!

Then we went upstairs to one of the bunk rooms.

It was pretty petite - only half our party could enter the space!

We went up yet another set of narrow, steep, stairs - more of a ladder, really - to the bridge, where Morgan talked to us about the missions.

What a marvelous view!

And did I say "missions"?

Yes, this ship serves not only the researchers here at SkIO, but also marine researchers at other universities, as well as weather missions for NOAA.

Busy as bees they are!

Like I said, that's a good thing, given the cost of the recent overhaul.

We climbed down from that lofty perch on a twisty set of narrow, steep, stairs back to the stern.

That's Claire, pointing out some of the controls in the conning tower. 

The view is toward the A-frame at the back, capable of holding more than two tons of gear and research equipment.

Someone asked her if anyone ever got seasick on the voyages.

Most definitely!

The ship is tall and narrow, with a wide bottom, so it rocks like a child's toy in choppy waters.

She said someone always gets seasick, but you just deal with it.

I remember getting so sick on that little, fast, hydrofoil that ferried us from Naples to the Isle of Capri - that was rough!

I feel for those who sailed on R/V Savannah!

The end of the tour was down in the engine room.

We were advised those steps were even steeper and more twisty than the ones that came down from the bridge.

I told Claire and Alyssa that I would abstain from that trek!

So, I stayed on the stern and talked to Jackson for a while.

When he was called away, I was joined by Terrell Scarboro, the ship's engineer, and we spoke for probably 15 minutes!

I'd been talking with him about the water testing tubes on the deck, telling him that I recalled doing such years ago...

when I was with a high school science group called STERI...

and his eyes lit up...

he had been with that group, too!

I told him there had been two of us from Jenkins High, at least four from BC, and two from Johnson High...

and Johnson was his school!

He'd graduated in 1976, same as me!

But neither of us remembered the other from our time with Charles Schuberth and the Student-Teacher Environmental Research Initiative.

Hey, it's been just over 50 years ago, as that program was for high school juniors, so it's understandable that we wouldn't recognize each other.

Plus, I was busy dating two of the Benedictine Cadets, so, there's that.

Still, it was really nice to run into someone who shared that bit of history with me and was also a Savannah native.

That's really rare for me.

And he gave me a parting gift: a sighting of a dolphin chasing a fish dinner almost into the water's edge as I was headed to the pier!

Wow... what a great shot that would have been! 

today, i was proud of my students

"Your students? You haven't taught for nearly eight years, ya know."

Yes, I was reminded of that yesterday while talking to Cathy of California. She'd called to check in and made sure I knew she was retiring on June 29! I told her I keep thinking it's been 7 years, but... I retired in May of 2018... so next month will make 8 years.

"Yes, indeed. You need to plan something to commemorate that occasion. So, what brought that up tonight?"

Well, you know that crazy TV show I like? "The Game With Balls"? Tonight was the second show of their second season and it had male firefighters - complete with them partially clad in calendar shots!!! - versus male and female nurses. I liked that diversity, as some of my students had been men, too. Anyway, it gets down to one lone firefighter playing three rounds all by himself. All of the others - all five on the nurses' team, as well as his two brothers and the other two from their fire house - had all missed answers and fallen into the pool. Splash!!!

"Oh, wow!"

So, he manages to win them $31,000, theirs to keep. Then he gets to go up against the Golden Balls for $100,000 of prize money. All he has to do is answer five questions correctly, that's all.

"Easier said than done, I'm sure!"

Get this: he chooses "Chemistry" over "Girl Groups". "Chemistry"!!! He says that's the topic he goes for when playing "Trivia Crack", whatever that is. The other four guys applauded like crazy!!! Apparently, he does pretty well with that. And so I was excited to see what would happen in this duel between Nate and those Golden Balls.

"And..."

And he did impressively well! The question that stumped him would have gotten me, too. But the others? He really did know his science! The first question had been a soft pitch. "Which element forms table salt when combined with chlorine?" He knew immediately that was "Sodium"! Take that, you Golden Ball!

"Hahahaha! That was an easy choice, though. Given that the other possibilities were 'Lead', 'Nickel', 'Nitrogen', 'Boron', and 'Hydrogen'."

Very true. The next question was a little harder. "Legume plants are known for fixing which element into the soil?" Well, he ran right onto the space for 'Nitrogen', knowing that element to be good for dirt... and he was right, of course!

"Oh, nice, you caught that in the photo!"

You bet I did! The third question was a bit harder. "Deuterium is an isotope of which element?" My students would have known 'isotope' means 'type of atom of same element' and that 'Hydrogen' has two isotopes, Deuterium and Tritium. Somewhere in his mind, he know that, too!

"Very good! Three questions down, two to go!"

The fourth one asked: "Galena is the primary ore of which element?" He recognized that to be a metal and chose 'Lead'. Bravo! I feel like my students would have gotten that, too. But the fifth, and final, question? That was tough. "Which element has a Curie point?'

"Yikes! What's a Curie point???"

Well, as Jay told us afterward, a Curie point is "the temperature at which a metal loses its magnetism". That's not anything I ever recall talking about, ever. I would have thought it had something to do with its radioactivity, given Marie Curie's work. However, it's named for her husband, Pierre Curie, not her. Oh, well!

"So, what was the answer? 'Nickel' or 'Boron'?"

'Nickel'. I bet he'll never forget that! I know I won't. Nice to learn something new, especially when it's from an unexpected source like a game show.

assorted sneakers in row of dryers

"What's that, dearie?"

That's part of what it sounded like. I had an MRI of my brain this afternoon, over at the Savannah VA Center. Part of the testing reminded me of the banging noise that sneakers make. Only thing is, the sound was much, much, much louder. I'm glad they gave me ear plugs, as I don't think I could have stood the din!

"Sneakers in a dryer... that's an interesting correlation."

I actually have Michael Kavanaugh to thank for that. He posted the above cartoon on fb and I happened to spot it. WASH 'n' DRY 'n' MRI, it says, in a laundromat with a twist!

"Oh, my. That's a pretty narrow channel for your body!"

Yes, it was. I was scrunched down onto this gurney, arms tight against my side and partly on my chest and abdomen, shoulders jabbed against these plastic knobs that held my head in place, and a sheet draped over my body to keep it all in place. They had what seemed like a catcher's mask over my face. Then they gave me a 'panic ball' to hold, telling me to keep my eyes closed and try not to breathe deeply during the the twenty-minute procedure. That was absolutely the longest twenty minutes of my life. The noisiest, too.

"A 'panic ball'! So you could have stopped the test at any time?"

Sure. However, I stayed the course. I've been waiting for almost two years for this MRI. Remember when I started having ophthalmogic migraines, back in 2019?  They began without any pain or headache, just psychedelic sunshower auras radiating out from my central vision, making it impossible to truly see anything and causing vertigo. The trip to the ER at Memorial Hospital involved a CT scan of my head, as well as other tests to rule out stroke or heart issues. The upshot was I needed to see an ophthalmologist. Ah, but first I must go to Charleston so the veteran hospital could rule for themselves what I needed. (It would be another few years before I would learn that the VA MISSION Act of 2018 gave me the right to have refused that and to insist on local community care instead.) 

"Does this story ever get to a current point?"

Well, last year, my ophthalmologist at the Savannah VA Center, Dr. Urban, asked if I was still having those ophthalmogic migraines or any blurriness in my vision. I told him I was! Very little of the sunshower stuff, but sudden blurriness for no reason several times a year. He said that originated from within my brain, not from my eyes, and he called them acephalgic migraines. He recommended that I see a neurologist and get an MRI. I passed that along to my PCP, Susan Barker, and she concurred. Finally, last December, I got that neurology appointment, with Dr. Diaz at the Savannah VA Center. He agreed that an MRI was warranted and today that came to pass. What an ordeal this has been!

"I'm glad you stayed with the process. You know how it works in the medical field, when you have to see a specialist. It just takes time, lots of time. So, when do you get to discuss the results with Dr. Diaz?"

That will be on May 5th. Becky and Maureen, the technicians, told me the results would be posted within 48 hours, so I may look at them before I see him. Right now, I just want to take a quiet break. As well as the din from the tumbling sneakers, there were periodic bursts that can only be likened to the shrill tornado alert drills that we get every month. Only these were very much louder, too. So loud!

"Fortunately, that's all done now. Just take a little down time and mellow out. Don't forget you have an American Legion meeting tonight, though. That's at 5:30 for the Two First Posts."

Got it. I hope that will be the last one!

today, i went to a muse-ical in rincon!

And guess what?

Orpheus was there, singing "Time In A Bottle"!!!

He dedicated it to the long-gone Eurydice. 

That guy has gotten around, hasn't he?

First he was in the play last week, and now he's in Rincon at the Hive Repertory Theater's event!

Not that he was the focus of this jukebox musical.

Not hardly.

In "The Olympians", the spotlight is on the three goddesses having a grudge match about who was best.

To settle it, they each choose a human to set on a quest, with the winning goddess being the one whose choice reaches Mount Olympus first.

Here's warrior Zoey, to whom Artemis sings "You Make My Dreams" come true!

Wooo hooo, woohoo!

Aphrodite found Lexi as her champion!

The girl was singing about the "goddess on the mountain top... had what no one else had!"

Hey, "Venus" is just another name for the love goddess!

As for Athena, a goatherd named Sofia was the one she beseeched to "Breakaway" from her grandma and go on a quest to find the lost girdle of Hippolyta.

And what looks odd here?

Sofia is reading from a script!

Get this: she was tagged just two hours before the play to be on stage for someone who was sick - what a valiant trouper!

Aphrodite was another trouper, stepping in only a week ago for someone who had to leave - amazing!!!

So, here we are: three goddesses, three humans, with each expected to run their own quest.

Instead, the trio of girls mystify the goddesses by working together!

Here they are on the streets of Athens, trying to stay ahead of the police.

Why are they being chased?

Lone females aren't allowed to wander about!

That's what the gate guards told them and those mustache-wearing guys are serious!

Back and forth across the stage ran the guard!

"One Way Or Another", they sang, "we're gonna find ya, we're gonna getcha getcha getcha getcha!"

Fortunately for our plucky trio of humans...

and Lexi's younger brother, Zander...

the guards never even come close to getting them.

Whew!

Next stop: the Oracle, to receive clues to the girdle's location.

They didn't realize that the three goddesses hit that location first, to give the Oracle (actually the Narrator in disguise!) the scroll.

The goddesses lingered too long and had to pose as statues - lol!

But Zoey, Lexi, and Sofia finally arrive at the right place, receive their marching orders, and set off on their quest!

They're barely on it when Artemis' twin brother, Apollo, throws a monkey wrench into the mix, having all but Zoey "Walking On Sunshine" as a shortcut, kinda sorta.

End of Act One!

I sure did enjoy this very much!!!

Plus, the crew at HiveRepTh did me a solid, granting me a seat that was front and center of the stage - y'all know what I like!!!

Oh, and there was even a joke from Orpheus!

Zander picked up the other instrument, calling it a lyre.

Orpheus corrected him, saying "No, my lyre was stolen by luters [looters]... and they didn't even know how to play it!"

Hahahahaha!!!!

Yes, this was well worth the ride to Rincon and the $20 ticket!!!

today, i made the friday fiesta!

I celebrated by ordering the Shrimp Ceviche!

Yes, a celebration was most def in order.

I'd missed the ones on April 3rd and 10th, though Tony and Laura had brought home chips and salsa for me after that first one.

Such a good brother!

I was determined to see both of my brothers this time, and so I did, getting hugs in Jalapenos when I entered and hugs outside when we were all leaving!

Hugs from my family and friends are as much a part of this time together as is the shared meal itself!

I know Robin has found that to be true, too, after the death of her husband, Harry.

I do wonder sometimes if I started that hugging part of the ritual or if it was already in place before I started coming out to Jalapenos?

I'm just thankful for all that touch!

We were all giving hugs to Claudia tonight, too.

Our favorite waitress for these S&K Friday Fiestas is off to her family's home in Mexico for a month and won't be at Jalapenos next week.

As I told her, I'm so glad I was there tonight!

I would have been so sad to have missed her.

I know we'll all be taking a break from Sandfly next week.

We'll either be at Tubby's or at Spanky's, but not here.

It'll be good to have a change of pace!

(smile!)

Now, I'm going to settle in to watch "The Accountant", my Diamond Reward from Comcast this week.

My guess is the title was chosen as an inside joke!

After all, Wednesday was the last day to file income taxes! 

Hopefully they know he's really a hit man!

Hahahaha!

today, i wore an easter bonnet!

"Put on your Easter bonnet

with all the frills upon it

and we will have 

a very merry

Easter Parade!"

That Irving Berlin song from 1933 has been on my mind ever since the theme of this Sisters In Faith luncheon was announced last month.

Such a catchy little number!

I fashioned my head-topper by wrapping the Periodic Table scarf around the bright pink bowl of the hat that always brings happy thoughts of Mama.

Thanks, Cathy of El Cerrito, for that gift!

It went so well with my Spring-time dress!

That's what Linda Combs and Michelle Meece told me, so I know it to be true!

Here they are, with our gracious event planner wearing one of the cutest hats there!

Just look at those bunny ears!!!

Linda, I just know Bugs Bunny would be thrilled, too!!!

Those were more bunny ears, too.

That's Sherry Giddens, at the end of my table, sporting huge ears atop her bonnet!

Judy Wilburn's summer hat boasted flowers against its straw!

And there were three ladies at the table beside us who all wore flower-bedecked bonnets! 

That's Kathy Hodges, in the pink dress, in the middle, between the lady in the orange hat and the one in the green.

My table had a mother and daughter wearing bonnets!

The daughter, Jenni, had her 61st birthday yesterday.

Her mom, Linda, tried to scoot out of the photo, but I caught her!

To me, they were the belles of this ball at Holliday Hall - they brought three boxes of Chick-Fil-A nuggets!!!

I signed up to bring finger sandwiches, substituting two trays of sushi.

(That's them between the chips and tower of cucumber sandwiches.)

Cheri Hester brought sushi, too, as did one other - so much for me bringing something different!

That just meant I had sushi to take home for dinner tonight.

(smile!)

Here's the array of Easter bonnets that came today, arranged in competition on the stage here at Asbury Memorial's social hall.

I bet there were at least fifteen!!!

That's Linda and Michelle, making sure each entry has been assigned a number for the voting process.

 

The winner was worn by Cece Colman!

That's her, on the left, with the Mexican sombrero-style hat with all the fringe and little Easter bunnies.

I bet that laden bonnet weighed at least ten pounds!

That's means I wouldn't have been able to pick it up, per post-surgery orders, for at least another three weeks.

That's pretty impressive, as was the hat with the twinkle lights!

Here's a funny story!

Right after I snapped that photo, the two women realized their hats had gotten snagged.

Oh, no!

But I have plenty of practice with branches in my long hair, so set to work untangling Cece's fringe from Mary's foliage.

I just let my fingers feel their way, loosening the two from each other, just as I've done in my yard on many occasions.

Hooray!

And who was our guest speaker today?

Kim Polote, someone I'd rescued from a clothing emergency years ago!

It was while I was a volunteer usher at the Lucas Theatre.

She was to perform in a Christmas show, but the gown she was in didn't quite fit at the top of the bodice.

I happened to be in the bathroom when she was in distress about her dress...

and I happened to have several safety pins with me...

so, calamity avoided and distress dispersed!

Right place, right time!

Of course, that's been at least fifteen years ago.

Today, she was there to share songs with us at this happy luncheon!

"Wind Beneath My Wings" was merged seamlessly into "Over The Rainbow" before she said her first words to us.

Later, led us all in singing "This Little Light Of Mine", clapping joyously!

Then she gave us "Change Is Gonna Come" and one her own songs, "Everything Must Change".

In between all that music, she told her life stories and encouraged us to "find the message in the mess" life sometimes hands us.

Absolutely lovely!

She also talked of celebrating the joy wherever we find it, even in a movie, such as "Me, You & Tuscany"...

and I spoke up that I'd just seen it yesterday!!!

That made her smile and got everyone's attention. 

Right place, right time!

today, i completed my dance card

I already shared my philosophy of back to back double headers.

Now that all four films have been watched, let's get to them, shall we?

 

Yesterday, it was "Newborn" and "The Drama".

The first was about 'Chris Newborn', a man who went to prison in lieu of his younger brother for a hit-and-run death.

He ended up in solitary for seven years - yes, very hard to believe that part - when he saw guards kill an inmate.

Eventually, he's released to his wife and their autistic son, born after he went to prison.

His wife tries to get them into a family frame of mind at a resort, but things go a bit haywire.

It could have been a good film, but for unknown reasons, it incorporated horror elements which were a distinct distraction.

"The Drama" also held horror elements, in the form of a stupid drinking game that led to a near-moment of weakness being taken as actual.

Zendaya plays a young woman, 'Emma', who grew up in isolation, partly due to frequent moves around the country during her youth, then deafness in one ear during her teens.

So when her fiance's mettling friends start a game of "who did the worst thing ever", she answers honestly... and has it immediately cause a rift not only with his friends, but also with him.

"What if"... but it didn't happen, so why should it matter?

Ack.

Today's duo I had expected to be lighter.

I was half-right.

"You, Me, & Tuscany" was beautifully filmed in Italy, with lots of talk of good food and good drink and a special summer party that had notes of Il Palio of Siena - yes!

Here's the thing, though: it had all the earmarks of a Hallmark rom-com and I was absolutely sure by the end of it that I had seen both leads in movies of that ilk.

Near as I can tell, neither Halle Bailey nor Regé-Jean Page have been in any of those movies, nor the rom-coms of similar streaming services.

I sure hope they'll consider those - they were fabulous in this one!

I'll most def be seeing it again!

Not so for the other two movies in this quartet, nor this last one.

I misunderstood what "A Great Awakening" was about.

I expected a history lesson on my Great-Uncle Ben Franklin and his friendship with George Whitefield...

and so it was...

but I hadn't known who that other fellow was...

nor did I know of the religious revivals he instigated in England and brought to the colonies in the 1730's and 1740's.

What I learned about my ancestor was this: he was the tenth son of his religious father, who pledged him as a tithe to God.

Seriously.

No wonder the young man had turned to working in the print shop of his older brother, James (our forefather), to escape home.

I'm glad I managed to see four movies on this A*List, but I'll be hoping for some that are more pleasurable next week.