myyrän paluu

Vanha tuttavamme myyrä on palannut silppuamaan vessapaperia. Tänään aamulla näin sankarin tositoimissa, mutta tällä kertaa se ei jäänyt tuijottamaan minua, vaan hyppäsi ämpäristä (joka on aikalailla täydempi kuin viime toukokuussa) kakkalankulle* ja sitä kautta maahan. Huima hyppy oli ainakin kolmen myyrän mitan pituinen. En silti haluaisi kotimyyrää, joka levittää käytettyä vessapaperia ympäri ulkohuussia (vaikka oli se kyllä aika söpö).

*Kakkalankku = lankunpala, jolla pirstotaan ulkohuussiin talvisin kerääntyvä jäätynyt kakkakimpale.

++++

Our friend the vole has returned. The animal is cute, but I would appreciate seeing it more if it wouldn't happen in our outhouse, and it would not be munching on our used toilet paper. This morning I witnessed the vole jumping from our used toilet paper bucket to the top of the poop stick* (at least three vole lengths in distance) and scurrying away with a mouthful of toilet paper. Cute in a sort of grossed-out way.

*Poop stick = a stick to used to knock down the frozen poo-tower that inevitably fills the outhouse hole during winter.

Science and politics

Science is generally not a main topic in political discourse though it is clearly becoming more and more intertwined with politics and culture, what with concerns about global warming, oil production, stem cell research, and attempts by the religious right to discredit the theory of evolution. How politicians address these issues will affect how science is funded and conducted, ultimately feeding back into how politicians will address future issues. (This scientific system is not perfect, but maybe that is a topic for another post.)

Nature magazine published today a special feature on the 2008 US presidential election, which is definitely worth checking out. I think you're able to view it without having a subscription to Nature, but I could be wrong.

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!).

my two cents on Palin

Piti kirjoittamani Sarah Palinista, mutta Project Mama ilmaisi asian paljon paremmin.

McCain osoittautui taitavaksi taktikoksi valitessaan Palinin varapresidenttiehdokkaakseen. En usko, että Palinin tarkoituksena on saada Hillary Clintonin äänestäjiä McCainin taakse, enemmänkin kyse on konservatiiviäänestäjien houkuttelemisesta uurnille (siis niiden uskonnollisten änkyröiden, joiden mielestä McCain on aivan liian vapaamielinen). Kaksi vuotta sitten Palin voitti Alaskan kuvernöörin vaalin uudistuspoliittisella ohjelmalla, johon kuului mm. korruption kitkeminen. Vaalivoitto (ja kampanja) oli ilmiömäinen, joten en ole hämmästynyt, että Palin kykenee saamaan koko Yhdysvaltain sekaisin ja nousemaan McCainin rinnalle tärkeäksi osaksi vaalikamppanjaa. Kunnianhimoinen täti kaiken kaikkiaan (tai poliittinen pyrkyri, miten nyt kukin haluaa asian ilmaista).

Ehkä vastenmielisintä koko touhussa on kuinka Palin on muuttunut suorasanaisesta politiikan uudistajasta republikaanien käsikassaraksi (tai mitä todennäköisemmin Palinin mielipiteet ovat pysyneet samoina, mutta kuvernöörin vaalikamppanjassa niitä ei voinut esittää yhtä avoimesti kuin nyt).

Sokerina pohjalla: jos McCain menee ja voittaa vaalit ensi marraskuussa nousee Alaskan kuvernööriksi Palinin varamies, Sean Parnell, jolla on (mikäli mahdollista) vieläkin konservatiivisemmat mielipiteet kuin Palinilla.

++++

I meant to write something about Sarah Palin, but Literary Mama says these things more eloquently. I don't think McCain selected Palin to woo Clinton supporters, but to rally conservative voters and get their support.

And oh joy: if McCain wins in November Alaskans get stuck with our current Lieutenant Governor, Sean Parnell, who seems to be even farther right than Palin. Even if McCain loses and Palin returns to her position as a plain governor, I think we are going to see a much more of a right wing agenda and a lot less bipartisanship.

there might be such a thing as too much garlic

Viime viikkojen ohjelma on suurimmaksi osaksi ohi. Kiitos perheelle käynnistä. Oli valtavan kivaa. Ikävä.

***

Today's rainy weather made a perfect day for a general laziness. We did manage to get to Farmer's market and bought some garlic bread that was mostly garlic and a bit of flower to make it more breadlike. My first impression: "Wow, this IS garlicky."

And I grew up on garlic.

the joys of a long distance relationship

Today I met a Random New Person:

RNP: So what brings you to Alaska?
Me: Oh, you know, the usual story. I was here as an exchange student, met my husband and so forth.
RNP: Interesting. What does your husband do?
Me: He's a glaciology student at UAF.
RNP: Oh, does he study Denali ice worms by any change?
Me: No, no, he is in Greenland doing fieldwork. That's where his research site is.
RNP: So let me get this straight... You moved here and your husband spends his time in Greenland?
Me: Yeah...

Trying to use up my 15 minutes

My friend Rolland discovered that there are actually public photos of me with the German chancellor Angela Merkel. It turns out that if you spell my name incorrectly, as he did, that you can quickly find a link to the German embassy in Denmark.

Photos from the field

I've finished my field work in Greenland, and am now sitting in Frankfurt (actually Niedernhausen) trying to comprehend the color green. Despite its name, Greenland really isn't very green, and in comparison Niedernhausen looks (and feels) tropical.

Our field work was quite successful. We managed to collect over a terabyte of data, a new record for us. Most of the data was in the form of photos - we had two cameras taking photos every 10 seconds. Those cameras eventually failed, giving me the opportunity to use a nice image stabilizing lens on my camera.

The results:

The glacier's terminus (where icebergs break into the ocean) shot from a helicopter.

Another shot of the terminus. Can you spot the helicopter?

An iceberg that has recently broken off of the terminus.

My favorite picnic spot. Most of the area near our camp contains very little vegetation, except for one small patch of tundra located a couple of kilometers down fjord. On a nice day its a great place to take a nap.

A little bay on the main fjord.

Boats in Ilulissat harbor's dry dock.

Lakes on the surface of the ice sheet.

this summer's weather rant

It has been cloudy, rainy and cold for two weeks now. We have been covered with low-hanging clouds that block the sun, rain a bit and move two meters to rain some more. The cabin is cold, the garden doesn't grow and my mood has taken a downward swing. I don't want to turn the heater on (it is supposed to be summer) so I have gone back to wearing my down booties and woolsocks.

The weather forecast for the next week (or the past two weeks):

Today: Occasional rain and mostly cloudy, scattered rain showers
Tonight: Mostly cloudy. Isolated rain showers
Wednesday: Mostly cloudy with isolated rain showers
Thursday: Mostly cloudy. Isolated rain showers
Friday: Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain
Saturday: Mostly cloudy with a change of rain
Sunday: Mostly cloudy with a change of rain

At least they don't throw in a warm and sunny day two days into the future as some forecasts do. Maybe they are trying to lift our spirits as in "The sun will shine. Just wait two more days."

Everything is slanted in the garden (except the weeds of course, but who wants to weed when it is raining). I am kind of glad we planted so many potatoes this year. They like colder weather and the tubers are safe underground. Our tomatoes, on the other hand, look pitiful. Zuccinis are rotting into their stalks.

I want my money back.

(As i type this, the sky is clearing up and I can see the sun first time in days. The incredible power of ranting does it again.)

+++++

Tervetuloa Alaskaan, täällä on kylmää ja kosteaa. Haluan tuliaisena hieman auringonpaistetta, kiitos.

personal note of changing circumstaces

Lopetin työt kirjakaupassa eilen.

Pelottava, mutta oikea ratkaisu. Nyt ollaan sitten kokopäiväisesti taiteilijaa, kun näyttää siltä, että kukaan ei Fairbanksissä tarvitse introverttiä piirtäjää. Työ itsessään oli ihan mukavaa, mutta vähän yksitoikkoista (puhumattakaan siitä, että työvuorolistassa olin aina ja ikuisesti viikonloppuvuorossa). Jason on luultavasti tyytyväinen, etten enää saa henkilökunta-alennusta kirjaostoksistani (tätä tosin kompensoin ostamalla tavallista enemmän kirjoja viimeisen viikon aikana). Kirjahyllytila on taas loppumassa.

Palkkaa saattaa tosin tulla ikävä. Tosin, jos oikein tiukka paikka tulee, niin Fred Myers tarvitsee aina kärryntyöntäjiä.

++++

I quit working at the bookstore yesterday. I left with mixed feelings; scared of future, sad to leave great co-workers behind, but happy to be drawing full-time again. I just have to treat drawing as a career and see where it takes me.

Jason is propably happy that I cannot get any discounts on books anymore. He thinks that our place is overflowing with books, I think we still have plenty of room to install more bookcases.

turning completely around

On my previous rant I made a passing reference to a website, 360 cities. The idea behind the site is simple; They stitch panoramic photographs together to create immersive views of a place. Their site is pretty neat (think Google streetviews) even though their navigation system is awkward and using the main map to move from one site to another is a bit frustrating.

Even though the site features an extensive network of European cities, I was still surprised to find that Helsinki, where I grew up, was included. I'm not sure if the photographs featured from Helsinki represent "the most interesting places in the world from the most interesting perspectives" but I guess I have never seen Helsinki through a pair of foreign eyes. (And maybe part of the fascination is to see what parts of a familiar landscape a stranger chooses to photograph.)

Most of the images turned out to be the obvious ones. There is the main square, the main park, the main shopping district, and there are multiple images of Suomenlinna, a naval fortress where I run around as a teenager participating in live action role-playing games (wearing a complete scavenged pseudo-medieval outfit with a cape and a wooden sword. Geeky, I tell you). Yet, some of their choices are more puzzling: Hotel Sokos' lobby is not very high in my list of interesting interiors in Helsinki. And why take photos of a lipouautomaati* (sic)? I fail to see the exoticism.

*A vending machine that sells parking passes.

Familiar Ilulissat

I'm back in Ilulissat and will be heading out to the field tomorrow morning. I find it interesting to see how my perception of Greenland, especially Ilulissat, changes with each visit. It's becoming more familiar - I no longer have the urge to take photos of every thing I see. This doesn't mean that I no longer find it interesting and beautiful. I also don't take that many photos when I'm in Fairbanks, but I like it there as well.

My initial attitude towards Greenland and Greenlanders was probably too romantic. The Greenland of my imagination no longer exists, at least not in the big town of Ilulissat. Life here really isn't that much different than life anywhere else. The culture has been strongly Danish-ized: pretty much everything about life in Ilulissat has been affected by Danish culture. I'm very curious to see how this changes in the future. How will Greenlandic culture evolve under globalization, climate warming, and rising fuel prices? The problems facing Greenland are very similar to the problems facing Alaska. The lack of resources, harsh climate, and large distances makes it very difficult, in my mind, for a modern western culture to survive.

I'll be done with field work in a little over two weeks. Then I head to Frankfurt to meet some friends and to Limerick, Ireland for a glaciology conference. Looking forward to both of those trips.

Note for our American readership

(Warning: this post contains political commentary. Take only with moderation.)

The rising price of gasoline is sending panic waves through congress and pushing legislators to open Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil exploration and drilling. I urge you to contact your representatives and tell them that drilling in ANWR will not lower the gas prices, reduce the dependency on foreign oil, or provide improved homeland security.

(For the record, I am aware that drilling will employ a few Alaskans, and create income to the state, and to a few native corporations. But no one knows how it will effect caribou migrations, subsistence hunting or animal populations living in the area.)

As for the Alaskan representatives, they are dead-set on opening ANWR (which is quite understandable when you think that 90% of Alaska's revenue is created by the oil industry - the rest comes mostly from the Federal reserves.). They have tried every trick in the book to slip ANWR legislation through the system. The rising gas price might be the ticket that they have been waiting for.

If the rising gas prices get you down, please remember that Finns are currently paying €1.50 per liter. That is €5.68 per gallon. High conversion rate increases the price even further so that Finns are essentially paying over nine dollars per gallon of gasoline (which is the same than rural communities in Alaska are facing right now).

Just in case you agree with the former Alaska senator Frank "There is nothing there!" Murkowski, please click here to see 360 degree images taken on location.

(End. You can all take a deep breath now.)

Edit: price calculations

Suomalaisia uutisia

Now that we have fast internet at home, I've started researching more exciting ways to learn Finnish. One thing we discovered is that Yleisradio, basically Finnish public broadcasting, offers streaming news video and sound clips. What is really cool is that the website offers "selkouutiset" (meaning: clear news), which is geared towards foreigners living in Finland that don't yet have a good grasp of Finnish. The language is greatly simplified and the reporters speak r-e-a-l-l-y slowly. The audio clips are also transcribed, so you can read the news as you are listening to it. Seems like a great way to learn - news clips tend to be short, so you don't need to have a long attention span, they use very common language, and if you are somewhat current with events it can be easy to figure out the meaning of words. For example, one of the clips today talked about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, so I was easily able to translate "asuntomarkkinat" (housing market) and "lainata" (to loan). I plan to listen to Finnish news every day. We'll see what happens, but so far I'm one for one.

I wonder if other countries have similar programs for foreigners. It seems like a great way to help non-native speakers assimilate into a new country. The Finnish program that we found is great, but I think it could be significantly improved with just a little bit more effort and resources.

Listening, reading, watching: July 2008

Listening: Pandora radio

I just learned about Pandora (internet) radio from a friend of mine. This coincided with Inari and I getting faster internet at home, and I now listen to Pandora basically every day. It's really neat - it allows you to fine tune your "radio" to listen to music that you like. It's a great way to learn about musicians. Right now I have three stations: pop, cuban, and electronic. I'm sure that will expand with time. No more advertisements, no more top-40 playlists, no more pre-processed mass-produced music.


Reading: Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

Speaking of mass-produced culture, I'm now reading Fast Food Nation, which doesn't exactly instill pride in our culture. The book is a very thorough account of the history of fast food and how it has affected American culture. It covers everything from treatment of employees to health to agriculture. Schlosser has a very obvious left-wing bias, so I am left wondering exactly how truthful he is, but on the other hand he does seem to have done very thorough research. I'm anxious to finish the book so that I can begin reading critiques.


Watching: WALL-E

This sci-fi Pixar animation is fantastic. I wasn't sure if Pixar could top their last animation (Ratatouille), but I think they have. Of course I'm a little biased - some of my favorite movies throughout my life have been sci-fi (e.g., E.T., Star Wars, 2001: A Space Odyssey) - so any movie that makes fun of or mimics these movies is likely to make me laugh.

Canoeing in Minnesota

Summer always seems to go by too fast. I can't believe we're already approaching the end of June. I've already been to Greenland and back, Minnesota and back, am now teaching an undergraduate course (which is a lot of fun but also a lot of work), and will be leaving for Greenland again in a few weeks. In the mean time I have a lot of other things to work on, including getting a paper submitted, studying for my comprehensive exams, gardening, fishing, and trying to get out to the mountains to have fun.

The trip to Minnesota was a much needed vacation from computers and e-mail. Inari and I went down there for our friends' wedding and to help my grandma celebrate her 85th birthday. Our friends had organized a pre-wedding canoe trip in the Boundary Waters, which was something we couldn't resist. I did a lot of canoe trips in the Boundary Waters when I was kid, and I'm sure that those trips had a strong impact on me. I hadn't been back for several years. In some ways the place was the same that it has always been: peaceful, familiar, relaxing. At the same time I realized that I've changed and have a different perspective on things. I found myself wondering why I never bothered to learn about the plants, people, and animals that live in that region. I was bothered that I couldn't identify basic plants. But most of all the trip made me want to spend more time in the Boundary Waters. Its not the most beautiful place that I've been, but its probably the most peaceful and also the most comforting. It feels like home.

Here are few photos from the canoe trip:

The view of Shovel Point on Lake Superior, taken on the drive from Minneapolis to the Boundary Waters.

Our trail group minus myself. From left to right: Jenny, Elvira (the bride), Inari, Kelly, Jason (the groom), Angie, and Mark.


Typical Boundary Waters scenery.

Sawbill Lake in the fog.

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Our friends' wedding was also a lot of fun. Probably the second most fun wedding that I've been to (sorry J&E, but you had some tough competition). The wedding festivities lasted an entire weekend and even included square dancing! Got to meet up with some old friends and make some new ones.

lessons learned

We tried to go canoeing yesterday (or I tried, Jason succeeded). It turned out to be an afternoon spend mostly driving from one point to another, trying to find the lost cars, and getting lost ourselves.

Lesson number one: everyone knows where they are going. We set a meeting point to be at a local grocery store. Already on our way there one carload got lost. After we were ready to go, only one driver knew for sure where the destination was, and we lost him in the first turn. A lot of mix-ups happened (not to mention an hour and a half of lost time) before everyone was at the river ready to get in the canoes.

(Here's Sam, Chris and Agatha seen through the car window. Notice the rain drops and proper attire.)

Lesson number two: If the weather is good, go now, and don't wait until afternoon. In our case, the gorgeous sunny and hot day turned into windy and rainy afternoon. Always bring your rain gear.

Lesson number three: if you are sick, don't go (hence my trying). I got a flu a day before, but kept hoping that my condition would improve (and hey, canoeing is not that strenuous activity anyways). It didn't and a splitting headache got me to my senses. I had to bail out.

Lesson number four: if someone is picking you up, make sure that they know where to go. After I bailed out two other members of the group decided to do the same (see lesson two). Problem was that it was their car waiting at the other end. I drove them to their car and they kept telling me that I was headed the wrong way (which I wasn't). In the end they did manage to find their way back and pick up the successful canoers.

As for me, I spend the rest of the day in a feverish stupor.

before and after

The blogsilence was due to a trip to Minnesota: we participated in an Amundson family gathering, a BWCA canoe trip and a wedding. Jason can fill in the details, what I wanted to share was this: We left in a hurry. Jason's paper writing woes, gardening craziness and my painting worries left our place in complete disarray. In fact, we were still packing at 1 AM.


It took six hours of cleaning to get to this stage.

Bear affects peaceful commute

I like bears, or at least I try to. I think they are pretty amazing animals. I also like biking and skiing to work. Even though the commute gets old at times, especially in winter, I mostly enjoy it because its a chance to get some fresh air, to organize my thoughts, and to put some distance between my personal life and work - though admittedly the last thing doesn't always happen.

What I don't like so much though, is when bears affect my morning commute. Granted, I didn't actually see a bear, but I did see this sign Wednesday morning just as I was entering a narrow trail through the woods:


That was enough to raise my heart rate even though I started biking at a somewhat slower pace.

Field appetite

You'd think that I'd eat a lot more food when I'm doing field work than when I'm sitting in front of my computer all day, but you'd be wrong. By a lot. A typical day of field work involves getting up around 7:00 and starting work around 8:00. On days that we fly up on the glacier there tends to be very little time for lunch since its expensive to have the helicopter sitting around doing nothing. That doesn't bother me too much, as long as I can get a few bites of chocolate and an apple. If we don't have the helicopter we are at camp tending to our instruments. Setting up the instruments requires hauling heavy batteries and solar panels around. (Once, while doing field work in southeast Alaska, I even hauled loads of rocks up the glacier. Seemed kind of pointless, since the glacier would just carry them back to its terminus...) On those days lunch becomes a little more important, but I still don't eat any more than I do at home. Dinner tends to be around 7:00 or 7:30 and is followed by a game of cards. Some days - especially if the weather is nice - we work after dinner though we usually try to avoid doing so.

Let's compare that to what I do when I'm in Fairbanks. I get up around 8:00 and am at work by 9:00 or 9:30. We have a coffee break at 10:30, which is occasionally accompanied by some sort of cake or chocolate. If not, then I'm hungry by 11:00. I usually make it until noon before diving into my lunch, which today consisted of a fairly large salad, and apple, and a couple of sandwiches. By 3:00 I was already thinking about dinner. I made it until 7:00 without eating anything else, but I had to snack on some munchies while I was cooking dinner in order to have the energy to cook. Its now 8:30 and I feel fine, but I'm pretty sure that a big bowl of ice cream will hit the spot in about an hour.

The only explanation that I can come up with is that my computer needs more than 4 GB of RAM to do all the work that I ask it to. It is forced to suck energy from me to complete all of its tasks.