Taking back the blog

If I don't start posting more we may have to call this blog "The vaimo and her glacier geek". Or even worse, "The geeky artist and her aviomies". My only excuse this time is that I'd like to post photos from Germany and Ireland, but I still haven't gotten around to picking out my favorites. I continue to be really busy, and I don't think it will get any better any time soon. That's just how it is in science - field work, data analysis, preparing manuscripts, attending meetings, writing proposals (of which I've only done a little).

The meeting I attended in Ireland was really good. It was rather informal and there was plenty of time to meet other glaciologists, including some of the grandparents of glaciology. Glaciology is really fun for many reasons, one of which is that the field is young and small. A friend of mine says that glaciology is like a village, everybody knows everybody. If I had to pick a village to represent glaciology, I'd have to say that the village in "One hundred years of solitude" is a pretty good choice. Not only does everybody know each other, but almost all people that have considered themselves glaciologists are still alive, due in part to glaciologists ability to live into their 90's.

I returned to Fairbanks in late August, then quickly turned around and flew to Seattle with Inari and her family for a short vacation. In Seattle we visited some of the standard tourist sites, did a a little shopping (finally bought a nice down comforter - on sale), and visited friends Erik and Stephanie who are now doing their residency in Seattle. I have to say that I've gained a lot more respect for doctors after talking with them and seeing what they have to go through on their way to doctorhood. I don't believe that anybody would go into medicine just for the money. There must be much easier ways to make a good living.

Then it was back to Fairbanks to work on finishing up a manuscript (almost published now...), writing an abstract for a meeting in San Francisco in December, saying goodbye to friends that are leaving us for warmer climates, and picking our bumper crop of potatoes and carrots (50 lbs (?) of carrots and many, many more potatoes). This winter I'll either learn to love potatoes or die trying.

I'm now in the process of studying for my comprehensive exams, something I probably should've taken about a year ago. To pass the exams I have to demonstrate that I am making sufficient progress towards a PhD. Interestingly, the exams vary from group to group, even within one department. We basically have the flexibility to make up the exams as we go, but generally follow some sort of tradition. In my case, I'll be taking written exams on three subjects: glaciers, numerical analysis, and geodynamics. Then, a couple of weeks later I'll be presenting a thesis proposal in a talk that is open to the public. If I pass those I will be a certified "PhD candidate" and my biweekly pay checks will get ever so slightly bigger (yea!).