October 17, 1975: Friday

Started over on my granite thin section. That first one was a real disaster. Did the first finishing of our sieve samples. Cal did the fine sampling and mounting.

Read Peter’s paper on sediments from the Glomar Explorer’s Ross Sea drilling. I’m beginning to understand. I made a histogram (bar graph, you illiterates) plotting phi size against per cent. I need to check the sieve number against half-phi intervals. I think they’re right. I wonder if I know what I’m doing. One of these days, I’ll get up enough courage to ask Peter about percentiles.

Red Sox won yesterday. But we lost the ball game, again, with the score tied in the bottom of the fourth.

Two Navy guys came up to go over plans to flag with Calvin and one of the older drillers. I’d met one of them somewhere before (full black beard and friendly eyes). The other’s name is Otis.

Read about icebergs and sea ice today. Ross claimed he’d seen icebergs a hundred miles long. Ours has got to be twice that long.

Explained to Nartsiss about our traverse at supper. He doesn’t understand me too well, because I don’t speak English very well. He wanted me to repeat what I said, “using a subject and a predicate.” I wanted him to give a lecture at the Chalet Sunday. He was very reluctant about it. Peter’s going to give it, because Dr. Treves didn’t want to prepare in so short a time, with a trip coming up.

Mike brought us back a rock from Hutton Cliffs.

There are two Navy officers (ladies) that might be worthwhile knowing. One is on crutches (the only pair in McMurdo) and has black hair and glasses. The other is blonde and reminds me of Valerie What-ever-her-name-is-now.

We have the largest separatory funnel in Antarctica.

The Crozier penguin people loaded up in three Navy Nodwells. What a collection. My roommate leaves tomorrow at six. Hope the weather is good for them. I’ll miss his tape player, but only two of his tapes, the Ozark Mountain Daredevils (for Ann) and Beethoven’s Fifth.

Doug stopped by. Talked about the CIA. I think Tim is the real CIA agent, keeping tabs on Dr. Treves. I like advanced paranoia. It’s so delightfully unreal. Doug takes it seriously, I think. He takes a lot of things seriously, which I classify as non-important.

Bio-Mike and this helo guy came by looking for a pound of lead. Doug had some, so I drove him out to CosRay, brought back the Navy guy, and his pound of lead.

CosRay is a nice little place with a kitchen and a big lounge with lots of books and a good stereo. The back is chock-full of electronic gadgetry that makes a racket every two minutes. I though it was counting bosons. No such luck.

Read Plain Speaking up ‘til Harry S. was re-elected. Maybe I should be President. I need a good paying job.

Sam got some peanut butter cookies in the mail. Not bad for 12,000 mile cookies. Mom’s are better.

Dr. Treves, every time we get a foreign station on the radio, says it’s in Armenian (kind of like Clark and his Jewish music). Well, tonight we got the Something World Network in the East Indies broadcasting “the next hour in Armenian.” (Gees).