This is the second year that I've fallen off the blogging wagon in starting mid-February to late March, and I think you can look back to previous years and see at least a fall-off at the same time. The problem has gotten more pronounced since I've moved to mostly office work.
Back when I was out in the field all the time, I had access to light in the winter. Sure, it was weak winter light, and there were short days, but I was absorbing something even if I wore a million layers and had no skin exposed. After all these years, it's clear I have a bit of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and everything sort of... grinds to a halt after a couple months of darkness. I keep writing for a couple months after November/December out of stubbornness, but then it's so hard to get motivated to keep up.
I don't have any real solutions, except to try and come back up for air sooner rather than later. But in the meantime, I'll keep plugging away.
Showing posts with label weather. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weather. Show all posts
Monday, June 19, 2017
Friday, January 15, 2016
drying boots
When you do fieldwork regularly, chances are you will end up with wet boots. It seems like everybody has their own method for dealing with wet boots, but here are a few:
1. Hairdryer: most hotels have them, right?
2. Crank up the heat in your vehicle and hope for the best.
3. Find a reason to stand in or otherwise maneuver your feet into the exhaust stream of the largest piece of heavy equipment you can find.
4. In your hotel room, dangle, balance, or otherwise position the boots so that they are in front of the fan for the room's HVAC system.
5. Stuff absorbent materials (paper towels, dry socks, hotel washcloths) into the toes.
6. Cart around an unwieldy and expensive boot dryer (example below is from Cabela's - I couldn't resist the camo).
7. Just wear waterproof boots! Oh, right. Sweat.
8. I'm not afraid of a little moisture! Bring on the trench foot!
I tend to use a combination of 4 and 5 because I'm afraid that using a more aggressive heating option will damage the leather. They work pretty well for me, as long as I have a full overnight to dry them. Option 8 is a no-go for me because I ended up with a nasty infection (as discussed here) when I spent a week living in wet boots. I would prefer to keep my toenails, thanks.
1. Hairdryer: most hotels have them, right?
2. Crank up the heat in your vehicle and hope for the best.
3. Find a reason to stand in or otherwise maneuver your feet into the exhaust stream of the largest piece of heavy equipment you can find.
4. In your hotel room, dangle, balance, or otherwise position the boots so that they are in front of the fan for the room's HVAC system.
5. Stuff absorbent materials (paper towels, dry socks, hotel washcloths) into the toes.
6. Cart around an unwieldy and expensive boot dryer (example below is from Cabela's - I couldn't resist the camo).
8. I'm not afraid of a little moisture! Bring on the trench foot!
I tend to use a combination of 4 and 5 because I'm afraid that using a more aggressive heating option will damage the leather. They work pretty well for me, as long as I have a full overnight to dry them. Option 8 is a no-go for me because I ended up with a nasty infection (as discussed here) when I spent a week living in wet boots. I would prefer to keep my toenails, thanks.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
cold adaptation
I finally have this cold weather thing figured out. It took ages, but now I can do fieldwork in both absolute cold (well below freezing) and wet cold (deep snow, temperature just below freezing, pouring rain) all day without misery or risking hypothermia. The factors that keep me warm, from easy to adjust to... not:
Behavior:
1. Breakfast is critical. I cannot have too many complex carb/protein/fat calories the morning of a long day of fieldwork in the cold. I need to get all that energy in early because...
2. If I eat anything more than a snack during the day, my body works on digestion instead of keeping me warm, and my core temperature crashes. This is backwards and strange, but I am the sort of person who will start shivering after a big meal.
3. I'm better off staying out in the cold, rather than warming up. If I get toasty at any point, my system goes, "oh good, we don't need to worry about dealing with cold any more" and then I'm miserable the rest of the day.
4. Keep active. Sometimes I'm just watching other people do work, and if I just sit there, my circulation goes down and then I have a serious extremity problem. I have no shame doing "the cold dance" - bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet in place (so I'm not in danger of slipping) if my feet start to get cold.
Clothing:
Many of my "gear" posts are about the stuff I wear. It took a lot of experimenting to figure out what keeps me warm, but not overheated, in all sorts of conditions. How many layers are too many? Is there a possibility of getting wet? Will I be fighting through brambles? Maybe the knits and high-tech outer layers need to be replaced with something sturdier. How can I fit the PPE (personal protective equipment) I'm required to wear in with the cold-weather gear?
Experience:
I almost called this "grit", but that's not quite accurate. What I mean is, I've had lots of practice being cold. I shiver and turn funny colors easily, but there's a difference between "brrr!" and dangerous. I've learned to adapt to the cold, and I can stay comfortable (or uncomfortable but safe) for longer and at much lower temperatures than when I first started out.
Insulation:
I matured super late, physically, and was still in "colts years" into my early 20s. I've gained 30 pounds on a small frame (and remember, I'm a short woman!) since I started working in the environmental biz. Where did that weight go? Big muscles in my shoulders, upper arms, and back, from hauling coolers and other equipment. Same thing with my legs and butt, from hiking around all day with said equipment. My hips and boobs, from general weight gain and finally developing a "womanly figure" after spending what felt like an eternity (middle school, high school, early college) with no assets in that department. And yeah, I do have a pooh belly. That extra mass - everywhere - really does help.
I wouldn't say that I enjoy spending the day outside when it's miserable out. But I can do it for weeks on end without any ill effects, and then I have a bounty of war stories to impress newbies/scare my parents/negotiate for raises in the future.
Behavior:
1. Breakfast is critical. I cannot have too many complex carb/protein/fat calories the morning of a long day of fieldwork in the cold. I need to get all that energy in early because...
2. If I eat anything more than a snack during the day, my body works on digestion instead of keeping me warm, and my core temperature crashes. This is backwards and strange, but I am the sort of person who will start shivering after a big meal.
3. I'm better off staying out in the cold, rather than warming up. If I get toasty at any point, my system goes, "oh good, we don't need to worry about dealing with cold any more" and then I'm miserable the rest of the day.
4. Keep active. Sometimes I'm just watching other people do work, and if I just sit there, my circulation goes down and then I have a serious extremity problem. I have no shame doing "the cold dance" - bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet in place (so I'm not in danger of slipping) if my feet start to get cold.
Clothing:
Many of my "gear" posts are about the stuff I wear. It took a lot of experimenting to figure out what keeps me warm, but not overheated, in all sorts of conditions. How many layers are too many? Is there a possibility of getting wet? Will I be fighting through brambles? Maybe the knits and high-tech outer layers need to be replaced with something sturdier. How can I fit the PPE (personal protective equipment) I'm required to wear in with the cold-weather gear?
Experience:
I almost called this "grit", but that's not quite accurate. What I mean is, I've had lots of practice being cold. I shiver and turn funny colors easily, but there's a difference between "brrr!" and dangerous. I've learned to adapt to the cold, and I can stay comfortable (or uncomfortable but safe) for longer and at much lower temperatures than when I first started out.
Insulation:
I matured super late, physically, and was still in "colts years" into my early 20s. I've gained 30 pounds on a small frame (and remember, I'm a short woman!) since I started working in the environmental biz. Where did that weight go? Big muscles in my shoulders, upper arms, and back, from hauling coolers and other equipment. Same thing with my legs and butt, from hiking around all day with said equipment. My hips and boobs, from general weight gain and finally developing a "womanly figure" after spending what felt like an eternity (middle school, high school, early college) with no assets in that department. And yeah, I do have a pooh belly. That extra mass - everywhere - really does help.
I wouldn't say that I enjoy spending the day outside when it's miserable out. But I can do it for weeks on end without any ill effects, and then I have a bounty of war stories to impress newbies/scare my parents/negotiate for raises in the future.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
freezing samples
A comment on this post reminded me of an occasional problem with managing environmental samples: getting them too cold.
I have two "war stories" about freezing samples:
1. I was working on an island, and a blizzard blew in as we were wrapping up groundwater sampling for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) - small vials, no headspace allowed. We ended up fleeing and leaving the coolers where they were. We came back two days later, fought our way through epic snow drifts, and found that all our VOC samples had frozen. We spent all day running around like crazy people to re-sample, and by the time we had schlepped our new batch of samples back to the dock (back through those piles of snow again!), we were so overheated that we rode in the front of the launch (about 15 degrees F on the water) the whole ride back to the mainland.
2. We had a huge batch of samples that were going to go out the next day. It was winter, but we were working out of a storage box/office combo, so we had some residual heat for the whole trailer. Our VOC samples were tucked in tight in the office, but in this case the giant 4-liter glass bottles that I so dislike broke because they were out in the storage part and too far from the heater. They were essentially ok, except for the necks. Luckily (since these samples represented probably a combined 100 hours of effort) the bottles were already wrapped in giant ziplock bags for shipping and we just pumped the water out of the broken bottles and into fresh ones.
The best weather for samples is early spring/late fall in my neck of the woods: 60 degrees F during the day for comfortable fieldwork, 35 degrees F at night to keep the samples cold, but not too cold.
I have two "war stories" about freezing samples:
1. I was working on an island, and a blizzard blew in as we were wrapping up groundwater sampling for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) - small vials, no headspace allowed. We ended up fleeing and leaving the coolers where they were. We came back two days later, fought our way through epic snow drifts, and found that all our VOC samples had frozen. We spent all day running around like crazy people to re-sample, and by the time we had schlepped our new batch of samples back to the dock (back through those piles of snow again!), we were so overheated that we rode in the front of the launch (about 15 degrees F on the water) the whole ride back to the mainland.
2. We had a huge batch of samples that were going to go out the next day. It was winter, but we were working out of a storage box/office combo, so we had some residual heat for the whole trailer. Our VOC samples were tucked in tight in the office, but in this case the giant 4-liter glass bottles that I so dislike broke because they were out in the storage part and too far from the heater. They were essentially ok, except for the necks. Luckily (since these samples represented probably a combined 100 hours of effort) the bottles were already wrapped in giant ziplock bags for shipping and we just pumped the water out of the broken bottles and into fresh ones.
The best weather for samples is early spring/late fall in my neck of the woods: 60 degrees F during the day for comfortable fieldwork, 35 degrees F at night to keep the samples cold, but not too cold.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
summer shirts
I've written a number of posts on winter gear, such as this one on layering and this one on wool shirts and this on shoes. Now that we've officially moved into summer weather (regularly above 80 F) in the northeastern US, I thought I'd address the Great T-Shirt Debate: natural (cotton) or un-natural (polyester)?
Polyester/rayon/nylon/whatever blends are generally cooler and lighter. They also dry out well. However, they don't wash well: any dirt gets pretty much ground in there permanently, and mine smell distinctly of sunscreen (and probably sweat, although the sunscreen is most noticeable) even after being washed multiple times. Also, they don't hide anything underneath, and I have to wear a distinctly, ah, supportive and thick sports bra in order to not be indecent in them, which kind of negates the "cool" part.
Cotton t-shirts tend to be heavier. They don't dry out all that well, and will stay damp for ages if you've been sweating in them. However, they're also safer if you (or a contractor you're overseeing) are doing any welding, grinding, or other hot work, because sparks that land on them may smolder and scorch them, but won't melt them to your flesh.
So what do I go with? It depends on the weather. If it's going to be brutally hot out or I know it's going to rain the whole day, I'll go with non-cotton t-shirts. If there's a chance for passing showers or I want to give the serious sports bra a rest, I'll go with cotton to prevent any issues with the shirt becoming see-through. I also think that cotton layers better, with minimal static if you have to peel something off. So when I'm in the field, I bring a few of each.
I think most of the contractors I've worked with are all-cotton, but that may be because cotton t-shirts are cheaper and are more permanently silk-screened with the appropriate company logo. If you do a lot of fieldwork, do you have a preference for one or the other?
Polyester/rayon/nylon/whatever blends are generally cooler and lighter. They also dry out well. However, they don't wash well: any dirt gets pretty much ground in there permanently, and mine smell distinctly of sunscreen (and probably sweat, although the sunscreen is most noticeable) even after being washed multiple times. Also, they don't hide anything underneath, and I have to wear a distinctly, ah, supportive and thick sports bra in order to not be indecent in them, which kind of negates the "cool" part.
Cotton t-shirts tend to be heavier. They don't dry out all that well, and will stay damp for ages if you've been sweating in them. However, they're also safer if you (or a contractor you're overseeing) are doing any welding, grinding, or other hot work, because sparks that land on them may smolder and scorch them, but won't melt them to your flesh.
So what do I go with? It depends on the weather. If it's going to be brutally hot out or I know it's going to rain the whole day, I'll go with non-cotton t-shirts. If there's a chance for passing showers or I want to give the serious sports bra a rest, I'll go with cotton to prevent any issues with the shirt becoming see-through. I also think that cotton layers better, with minimal static if you have to peel something off. So when I'm in the field, I bring a few of each.
I think most of the contractors I've worked with are all-cotton, but that may be because cotton t-shirts are cheaper and are more permanently silk-screened with the appropriate company logo. If you do a lot of fieldwork, do you have a preference for one or the other?
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
pre-entry level
An interesting discussion regarding volunteering is buried in the comments here. The question is, if you're just starting out and don't have any internship experience, does volunteer work count? What about unrelated non-office work?
In the environmental biz, internships and OSHA certifications are a big help when you're just starting out. Volunteer work is a little more iffy. I don't think that volunteering for an environmental cause is much of a draw unless you can show significant leadership or a serious time commitment. And if you come in all "Yay! I'm going to save Mother Earth!" it makes me worry that you don't realize the dirty, non-glamorous work that we actually do.
So what sort of non-environmental consulting work experience would I like to see in entry-level folks? For me, office experience is sort of a take it or leave it thing. But one thing that I do like to see is experience in being outside in all sorts of weather, working long hours. Because the number one reason why people bail out of environmental work is the drudgery of fieldwork. Getting rained on. Getting cold. Some people don't last a week. So, landscaping experience is good. Or construction. Or being a former camp counselor. Or farm work.
I do think that folks who want to be more than technicians need to have a strong science background, which means good grades or a good explanation for your grades. And strong communication skills are important if you want to advance. But all that doesn't help if you can't handle the fieldwork.
In the environmental biz, internships and OSHA certifications are a big help when you're just starting out. Volunteer work is a little more iffy. I don't think that volunteering for an environmental cause is much of a draw unless you can show significant leadership or a serious time commitment. And if you come in all "Yay! I'm going to save Mother Earth!" it makes me worry that you don't realize the dirty, non-glamorous work that we actually do.
So what sort of non-environmental consulting work experience would I like to see in entry-level folks? For me, office experience is sort of a take it or leave it thing. But one thing that I do like to see is experience in being outside in all sorts of weather, working long hours. Because the number one reason why people bail out of environmental work is the drudgery of fieldwork. Getting rained on. Getting cold. Some people don't last a week. So, landscaping experience is good. Or construction. Or being a former camp counselor. Or farm work.
I do think that folks who want to be more than technicians need to have a strong science background, which means good grades or a good explanation for your grades. And strong communication skills are important if you want to advance. But all that doesn't help if you can't handle the fieldwork.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
winter colors
This has been a trying winter here on the east coast for working outside. I got spoiled by the last couple of winters, which were generally mild.
Here's what has worked to keep me warm when the temperatures have hovered around zero (F), starting from the inside and working outside:
1. single-layer longjohns (I have a pair of the two-layer wool pants, but frankly, I can only wear so many bulky layers on my legs)
2. field cargo pants
3. ratty t-shirt
4. two-layer wool/cotton thermal top (my old river driver shirt finally disintegrated)
5. quilted coveralls, bib/suspender style, which I eventually bought not long after this post
6. cotton hoodie
7. wind-blocking fleece balaclava, pulled up over my nose so that once I put on the safety glasses, I had essentially no skin exposed
8. marine-grade jacket with all the bells and whistles (lots of pockets, including ones that are fleece-lined for hands, multiple high-tech layers, detachable hood, reflectors everywhere)
9. fingerless glove/mitten combo so I can use my fingertips when needed and then retract them into the mittens in an instant
So that's a lot of layers. And the other day, I'd managed to accidentally wear a different color of everything. Since I was looking pretty, um, distinctive, here's the list of colors without naming what item they went with:
1. royal blue
2. light blue
3. kelly green
4. slate gray/blue
5. yellow
6. purple
7. dark brown
8. camoflauge
9. off-white
I'm not sure if I look festive or like a bag lady...
Here's what has worked to keep me warm when the temperatures have hovered around zero (F), starting from the inside and working outside:
1. single-layer longjohns (I have a pair of the two-layer wool pants, but frankly, I can only wear so many bulky layers on my legs)
2. field cargo pants
3. ratty t-shirt
4. two-layer wool/cotton thermal top (my old river driver shirt finally disintegrated)
5. quilted coveralls, bib/suspender style, which I eventually bought not long after this post
6. cotton hoodie
7. wind-blocking fleece balaclava, pulled up over my nose so that once I put on the safety glasses, I had essentially no skin exposed
8. marine-grade jacket with all the bells and whistles (lots of pockets, including ones that are fleece-lined for hands, multiple high-tech layers, detachable hood, reflectors everywhere)
9. fingerless glove/mitten combo so I can use my fingertips when needed and then retract them into the mittens in an instant
So that's a lot of layers. And the other day, I'd managed to accidentally wear a different color of everything. Since I was looking pretty, um, distinctive, here's the list of colors without naming what item they went with:
1. royal blue
2. light blue
3. kelly green
4. slate gray/blue
5. yellow
6. purple
7. dark brown
8. camoflauge
9. off-white
I'm not sure if I look festive or like a bag lady...
Thursday, January 9, 2014
volcano photos
Sorry this week is light on content... all of my ambition has been frozen with this weather. Anyway, The Big Picture last week had some lovely photos on erupting volcanoes, such as this one:
The forecast is looking more positive (above freezing, even) in my area this week, so maybe the lava fields won't look so tempting then.
The forecast is looking more positive (above freezing, even) in my area this week, so maybe the lava fields won't look so tempting then.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
when to give up
I haven't done a weather post in a while...
The winter storm that snarled up a big portion of the US over the holiday reminded me of something. I've discussed giving up fieldwork because of illness before, but not giving up because of the weather.
We stop work if there's a thunderstorm for safety reasons. But thunderstorms generally pass through quickly, so usually it's only a break of less than an hour. Occasionally, I've broken off early because it's getting close to the end of the day anyway. But I don't remember actually stopping in the middle of the day and sending people home.
Other adverse weather slows work down and requires additional warm up/cool down breaks. But I've never actually stopped work for temperature variations.
If I have a big field crew, we tend not to stop for snow. I may stop the work early if the roads look like they'll be especially bad and it's the end of a day/travel shift. Of course, the problem with snow is that you can't up and leave if it's snowing. You'll lose supplies in the snow and never find them again, anything wet (say, from drilling more than 10 feet below ground surface) may freeze and get damaged, and equipment that's hidden and possibly frozen to the ground is a massive safety hazard. Everything needs to be secured properly, so I can't just make an announcement that we'll leave and try to come back and finish up later. Of course, this means that I've been caught in hellacious storms (like this one) driving 2-wheel drive pickups and vans.
Short answer, we work in all weather. It takes too much coordination and schedules are too tight for anything short of "get off the road" emergency declarations. It's just that sometimes, we need to be a little more deliberate in what we're doing...and we need to have the supplies to keep warm/cool/dry and safe.
The winter storm that snarled up a big portion of the US over the holiday reminded me of something. I've discussed giving up fieldwork because of illness before, but not giving up because of the weather.
We stop work if there's a thunderstorm for safety reasons. But thunderstorms generally pass through quickly, so usually it's only a break of less than an hour. Occasionally, I've broken off early because it's getting close to the end of the day anyway. But I don't remember actually stopping in the middle of the day and sending people home.
Other adverse weather slows work down and requires additional warm up/cool down breaks. But I've never actually stopped work for temperature variations.
If I have a big field crew, we tend not to stop for snow. I may stop the work early if the roads look like they'll be especially bad and it's the end of a day/travel shift. Of course, the problem with snow is that you can't up and leave if it's snowing. You'll lose supplies in the snow and never find them again, anything wet (say, from drilling more than 10 feet below ground surface) may freeze and get damaged, and equipment that's hidden and possibly frozen to the ground is a massive safety hazard. Everything needs to be secured properly, so I can't just make an announcement that we'll leave and try to come back and finish up later. Of course, this means that I've been caught in hellacious storms (like this one) driving 2-wheel drive pickups and vans.
Short answer, we work in all weather. It takes too much coordination and schedules are too tight for anything short of "get off the road" emergency declarations. It's just that sometimes, we need to be a little more deliberate in what we're doing...and we need to have the supplies to keep warm/cool/dry and safe.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
popsicle time
It's starting to feel like winter around here - it's been below freezing at night for a while now, and the other night, I drove home from work in snow flurries. The snow started sticking, so the ground is starting to freeze.
And when it gets really cold out and I'm collecting soil samples, I need to worry about popsicles.
If it's super cold and I'm overseeing extremely fast drilling, such as direct push technology (DPT), which produces a large number of samples in plastic acetate liners, my samples may freeze if they stack up too fast.
Frozen water can be difficult to break into sample-able pieces. Dense soil can be difficult to mix up properly. But frozen soil with chunks of gravel, wood, and other extremely hard bits is nearly impossible to sample. Sure, you could stick it on the dashboard of your truck to warm up, but often you're trying to sample volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which need to be preserved or sealed in an airtight container right away. Warm up the soil, and all your VOCs will just... leave.
One memorable winter, we were trying to collect a large number of shallow samples. The drillers were in a hurry to get the samples and get the hell out of there, so the samples started to pile up. The samples were frozen solid, and we had to sample for everything under the sun - VOCs plus large volumes of everything else. The soil cores were so hard and consolidated, we had no hope of beating them against hard objects to dislodge anything. So what we ended up doing was breaking tiny chips off the ends with whatever we could (mostly screwdrivers and icepicks) and sending off those for VOC analysis, hacking the cores into whatever would fit into mixing bowls, and piling the bowls in the corner for later.
Hacking at slippery, literally rock-hard chunks of contaminated soil with frozen hands is perhaps not the safest way to spend an afternoon.
...I have millions of photos of acetate liners with soil samples, but they're sort of privileged. It was harder than I thought to find a photo online. This is from a drilling company:
And when it gets really cold out and I'm collecting soil samples, I need to worry about popsicles.
If it's super cold and I'm overseeing extremely fast drilling, such as direct push technology (DPT), which produces a large number of samples in plastic acetate liners, my samples may freeze if they stack up too fast.
Frozen water can be difficult to break into sample-able pieces. Dense soil can be difficult to mix up properly. But frozen soil with chunks of gravel, wood, and other extremely hard bits is nearly impossible to sample. Sure, you could stick it on the dashboard of your truck to warm up, but often you're trying to sample volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which need to be preserved or sealed in an airtight container right away. Warm up the soil, and all your VOCs will just... leave.
One memorable winter, we were trying to collect a large number of shallow samples. The drillers were in a hurry to get the samples and get the hell out of there, so the samples started to pile up. The samples were frozen solid, and we had to sample for everything under the sun - VOCs plus large volumes of everything else. The soil cores were so hard and consolidated, we had no hope of beating them against hard objects to dislodge anything. So what we ended up doing was breaking tiny chips off the ends with whatever we could (mostly screwdrivers and icepicks) and sending off those for VOC analysis, hacking the cores into whatever would fit into mixing bowls, and piling the bowls in the corner for later.
Hacking at slippery, literally rock-hard chunks of contaminated soil with frozen hands is perhaps not the safest way to spend an afternoon.
...I have millions of photos of acetate liners with soil samples, but they're sort of privileged. It was harder than I thought to find a photo online. This is from a drilling company:
Monday, October 29, 2012
hangin' with Sandy
Like everyone else in the northeastern (southeast, central) US, we're hunkered down with the weather channel while the wind screams outside. We lost power for a couple of hours, but it came back just in time for us to cook dinner. Yes, sometimes it is convenient to live near a critical piece of infrastructure - the local utilities are a little less... leisurely.
I'm not a big weather bug, but I thought I'd share a couple of oddball websites:
This wind map of the US only goes up to 30 MPH, but check out the swirling around NYC.
Who knows if Mount Washington actually has the world's worst weather, but it's the place with the worst weather that's well instrumented. Right now, sustained wind is 88 mph, with gusts to 127.
Also, there's lots of cool pictures that are flying around the interwebs. How to tell if they're real? One hint - if the clouds look all nifty, they're probably not of a hurricane, which is gray and wet and, well, windy. This website will help.
Stay dry!
I'm not a big weather bug, but I thought I'd share a couple of oddball websites:
This wind map of the US only goes up to 30 MPH, but check out the swirling around NYC.
Who knows if Mount Washington actually has the world's worst weather, but it's the place with the worst weather that's well instrumented. Right now, sustained wind is 88 mph, with gusts to 127.
Also, there's lots of cool pictures that are flying around the interwebs. How to tell if they're real? One hint - if the clouds look all nifty, they're probably not of a hurricane, which is gray and wet and, well, windy. This website will help.
Stay dry!
Monday, June 18, 2012
climate control
Although I work in the environmental biz, I'm not a die-hard environmentalist. I don't save toilet flushes, or compost, or bicycle to all my errands.
At the same time, certain energy-wasting habits are a mystery to me. Like climate control.
I had a really hard time with some of my roommates in grad school because they would do things like set the heat at full blast while keeping the windows open for "airing." I could attribute this to my roommates being young and never having to pay for their own energy bills.
What I can't understand is getting to my hotel at night and finding that on a lovely summer day (70s, light breeze), everything in the hotel is set to 65 degrees. Here's a hint for all: in the winter, you should expect the indoor temperature to be set at a lower temperature than in the summer. First, it's unnecessary and energy wasting to have the room so cold in the summer, and second, it totally throws off my own internal temperature regulating system and I completely wilt when I go outside.
At the same time, I do understand that if a hotel provides only a single blanket, and that blanket is a gigantic comforter that's more than 6" thick, you need to keep the AC cranked up so that you don't wake up in a puddle of sweat in the middle of the night. Why the hotel is compelled to put a 35-degree comforter in every room in the summer is another mystery...
At the same time, certain energy-wasting habits are a mystery to me. Like climate control.
I had a really hard time with some of my roommates in grad school because they would do things like set the heat at full blast while keeping the windows open for "airing." I could attribute this to my roommates being young and never having to pay for their own energy bills.
What I can't understand is getting to my hotel at night and finding that on a lovely summer day (70s, light breeze), everything in the hotel is set to 65 degrees. Here's a hint for all: in the winter, you should expect the indoor temperature to be set at a lower temperature than in the summer. First, it's unnecessary and energy wasting to have the room so cold in the summer, and second, it totally throws off my own internal temperature regulating system and I completely wilt when I go outside.
At the same time, I do understand that if a hotel provides only a single blanket, and that blanket is a gigantic comforter that's more than 6" thick, you need to keep the AC cranked up so that you don't wake up in a puddle of sweat in the middle of the night. Why the hotel is compelled to put a 35-degree comforter in every room in the summer is another mystery...
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
not acclimated
We had a non-winter and a super mild spring - minimal rain, lovely temperatures. I was really not prepared for it to be over 90 degrees and humid today. It didn't help that I was lifting and moving around a bunch of heavy stuff that had been baking in the sun all morning.
So today was annoying and hot. Worse, I ended up with some lovely heat rash to plague me now that I'm inside and re-hydrated.
So today was annoying and hot. Worse, I ended up with some lovely heat rash to plague me now that I'm inside and re-hydrated.
Monday, March 26, 2012
um, spring?
It was gloriously warm for a couple weeks. Everybody got all excited and started posting things like this.
So I went off to work in a short-sleeved shirt. Bad idea - the wind picked up and then I found that the high today was expected to be 50 and that there's a freeze warning for tonight. So maybe I was a little too optimistic to bury my knit hat and my coveralls in the back of the closet for the season.
So I went off to work in a short-sleeved shirt. Bad idea - the wind picked up and then I found that the high today was expected to be 50 and that there's a freeze warning for tonight. So maybe I was a little too optimistic to bury my knit hat and my coveralls in the back of the closet for the season.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
winter wheels
I live in a cold enough climate that snow is a regular issue in the winter. I know that I should have winter tires, which are way better than all-wheel drive in winter conditions. I've never owned a car with either.
My first car was inherited from my Mom. It was an old-school economy car made entirely of steel, with some plastic to liven up the interior and pad out the bumpers. It had no power (or brakes) to speak of, and it had narrow little economy tires that allowed me to scramble out of any accumulation of snow/ice lower than the chassis.
When my first car died, I got my little hatchback, and learned that the wide, sporty tires were um, not good for snow. But by then, I had driven safely through utterly hairy conditions (roads with massive, 50+ car chain accidents, roads that were closed by the authorities about 10 minutes after I drove through, etc) with vehicles that were terrible for snow: cargo vans and pickups with front-wheel drive and no weight in the back. So I didn't feel any urgency to get winter tires.
But now is the time to consider winter wheels and tires: 1. I have been convinced that it's dumb to avoid a critical safety feature just because I think I'm an awesome driver. 2. My current wheels have a really crappy alloy that went yellow almost immediately and permanently look dirty, and the rims have a bad case of curb rash.
Ok. When my current all-season tires expire, I'll buy winter tires and put them on the old wheels, then I'll get summer tires and... new wheels! Some browsing on tire rack provides 2 options for wheels that will fit my car that are lightweight, not hideous, and not outrageously expensive:
1. The cheaper option ($140/wheel) that I like the looks of a little better, but which weighs almost 20 pounds - Enkei Performance Imola
or
2. The more expensive option ($180/wheel) that weighs 3 pounds less - Enkei Tuning Fujin
Either way, this is going to be an investment. Hope we don't get hit by a truck any time soon.
My first car was inherited from my Mom. It was an old-school economy car made entirely of steel, with some plastic to liven up the interior and pad out the bumpers. It had no power (or brakes) to speak of, and it had narrow little economy tires that allowed me to scramble out of any accumulation of snow/ice lower than the chassis.
When my first car died, I got my little hatchback, and learned that the wide, sporty tires were um, not good for snow. But by then, I had driven safely through utterly hairy conditions (roads with massive, 50+ car chain accidents, roads that were closed by the authorities about 10 minutes after I drove through, etc) with vehicles that were terrible for snow: cargo vans and pickups with front-wheel drive and no weight in the back. So I didn't feel any urgency to get winter tires.
But now is the time to consider winter wheels and tires: 1. I have been convinced that it's dumb to avoid a critical safety feature just because I think I'm an awesome driver. 2. My current wheels have a really crappy alloy that went yellow almost immediately and permanently look dirty, and the rims have a bad case of curb rash.
Ok. When my current all-season tires expire, I'll buy winter tires and put them on the old wheels, then I'll get summer tires and... new wheels! Some browsing on tire rack provides 2 options for wheels that will fit my car that are lightweight, not hideous, and not outrageously expensive:
1. The cheaper option ($140/wheel) that I like the looks of a little better, but which weighs almost 20 pounds - Enkei Performance Imola
or
2. The more expensive option ($180/wheel) that weighs 3 pounds less - Enkei Tuning Fujin
Either way, this is going to be an investment. Hope we don't get hit by a truck any time soon.
Friday, January 13, 2012
wind gear
I have been spoiled by this winter. Although I've been spending significant time outside for months, it's been unusually mild almost the entire time.
I went to work with my usual couple of layers - undershirt, 2-layer wool shirt, light pants, and wind-stopping outer gear. It seemed reasonable, considering that it was 55 when I left the house this morning. However, the temperature dropped 20 degrees by the time I got to the field location and the wind quickly picked up to a sustained, oh, 40 mph.
I have been wearing a nasty old knit hat that's only marginally warmer than a bandana. An old bandana. But - buried under six cloth grocery bags, a first aid kit, an emergency fleece blanket, a box of nitrile gloves, and two horseshoes (unearthed a long time ago during fieldwork, they were interesting enough to throw into the trunk but not enough to move out of the trunk), was a two-layer fleece balaclava. Imagine something like these but in a more...festive color.
And you know what? Once I was properly balaclava'd and had added a fleece vest and ditched the wind pants for some lined coveralls (if it was going to precipitate anything, it would be snow) I was toasty the entire day. This, dear reader, is exactly why I haven't cleaned out my trunk of all that miscellaneous field gear that's just been mildewing for the last, oh, several years.
I went to work with my usual couple of layers - undershirt, 2-layer wool shirt, light pants, and wind-stopping outer gear. It seemed reasonable, considering that it was 55 when I left the house this morning. However, the temperature dropped 20 degrees by the time I got to the field location and the wind quickly picked up to a sustained, oh, 40 mph.
I have been wearing a nasty old knit hat that's only marginally warmer than a bandana. An old bandana. But - buried under six cloth grocery bags, a first aid kit, an emergency fleece blanket, a box of nitrile gloves, and two horseshoes (unearthed a long time ago during fieldwork, they were interesting enough to throw into the trunk but not enough to move out of the trunk), was a two-layer fleece balaclava. Imagine something like these but in a more...festive color.
And you know what? Once I was properly balaclava'd and had added a fleece vest and ditched the wind pants for some lined coveralls (if it was going to precipitate anything, it would be snow) I was toasty the entire day. This, dear reader, is exactly why I haven't cleaned out my trunk of all that miscellaneous field gear that's just been mildewing for the last, oh, several years.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
over-pants
For the longest time, I wore rain pants as my second, windbreaker layer when it was cold out. But honestly, below a certain point, a thin windbreaker layer just doesn't cut it.
Eventually, I broke down and got a pair of lined coveralls. They were just as warm and durable as I'd hoped. However...
I had ordered a pair of jeans-style coveralls (pants, no bib) because I hated the whole "attempt to peel off an overcoat and who knows what in order to get the bib down to pee in a freezing porta-potty". This was a mistake. What actually happens is that without the bib straps to hold up the coveralls, the pants are a tremendous drag and need to be hitched up constantly if they're not so tight as to be painful. So I've traded 10 minutes of discomfort for an entire day of discomfort.
I'll figure out this field clothing thing eventually.
Eventually, I broke down and got a pair of lined coveralls. They were just as warm and durable as I'd hoped. However...
I had ordered a pair of jeans-style coveralls (pants, no bib) because I hated the whole "attempt to peel off an overcoat and who knows what in order to get the bib down to pee in a freezing porta-potty". This was a mistake. What actually happens is that without the bib straps to hold up the coveralls, the pants are a tremendous drag and need to be hitched up constantly if they're not so tight as to be painful. So I've traded 10 minutes of discomfort for an entire day of discomfort.
I'll figure out this field clothing thing eventually.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
finding my way
So, Silver Fox recently posted a big link-fest on field geology and one link she mentioned was my "gear" tag, which has been somewhat neglected over the last year. So here's an update on the GPS...
The traffic-sensing function on my GPS is fantastic. In this winter of ridiculous snow and terrible road conditions in east coast big cities, I've used the GPS to thread my way right through areas I would otherwise detour around.
This confounds some of my technology-adverse coworkers. "You just follow the GPS anywhere?" asked one. Yes, yes I do. Because the GPS tells me the fastest route, which is usually a route that is at least passable. If the GPS thinks that it will take me four hours to drive what should be 20 minutes, then maybe I take a nap and try the drive later.
I used to work with someone who used paper maps exclusively - an entire desk drawer filled with a huge stack of the free road maps you pick up at rest stop welcome areas. He always insisted that I take his (utterly outdated) maps.
I do have a road atlas buried in the trunk of my car for emergencies, but now the GPS is my guide...for both finding new field sites and to find new shortcuts in my own backyard.
The traffic-sensing function on my GPS is fantastic. In this winter of ridiculous snow and terrible road conditions in east coast big cities, I've used the GPS to thread my way right through areas I would otherwise detour around.
This confounds some of my technology-adverse coworkers. "You just follow the GPS anywhere?" asked one. Yes, yes I do. Because the GPS tells me the fastest route, which is usually a route that is at least passable. If the GPS thinks that it will take me four hours to drive what should be 20 minutes, then maybe I take a nap and try the drive later.
I used to work with someone who used paper maps exclusively - an entire desk drawer filled with a huge stack of the free road maps you pick up at rest stop welcome areas. He always insisted that I take his (utterly outdated) maps.
I do have a road atlas buried in the trunk of my car for emergencies, but now the GPS is my guide...for both finding new field sites and to find new shortcuts in my own backyard.
Friday, January 7, 2011
fieldwork forever?
Everybody's been doing a traveling meme for the past year - Silver Fox has a nice collection of other geobloggers who have done one this year. I didn't join in because of my paranoia about keeping my pseudonymity. But I did start compiling a list of the different places I've traveled this past year, and it's actually fairly short. I haven't done much fieldwork this past year - I counted about 12 weeks, not counting traveling I did for work that didn't involve playing in the dirt.
I never intended to be a full-time field person for my entire career, so it's ok that I'm transitioning more to office work. Contrary to popular opinion, I don't mind the lousy weather or the long days - I just miss having a life on weeknights, and I have certain commitments right now that require at least marginal attention during the work week.
I know a couple of "fieldwork forever" guys (they're all guys) who can't stand being in the office. They get itchy and they tend not to deal well with crowds, with "crowds" being more than about 5 people. I've been helping out a fieldwork forever guy with some basic computer stuff, and his level of discomfort with basic computer stuff is pretty...bad. I mean, technical skills like writing a simple memorandum or downloading a file are a mystery.
I'm glad that these guys are happy doing 100% fieldwork. But it does worry me a little - what happens if work slows down and there's a backlog of reports to be written? These forever fieldwork guys usually do ok for themselves, but come winter, when things generally slow down, they're not exactly flexible. And in this economy, being less than totally billable isn't a good thing. Sure, they'll be working ridiculous hours in a couple months, but will their management wait that long to keep them?
I never intended to be a full-time field person for my entire career, so it's ok that I'm transitioning more to office work. Contrary to popular opinion, I don't mind the lousy weather or the long days - I just miss having a life on weeknights, and I have certain commitments right now that require at least marginal attention during the work week.
I know a couple of "fieldwork forever" guys (they're all guys) who can't stand being in the office. They get itchy and they tend not to deal well with crowds, with "crowds" being more than about 5 people. I've been helping out a fieldwork forever guy with some basic computer stuff, and his level of discomfort with basic computer stuff is pretty...bad. I mean, technical skills like writing a simple memorandum or downloading a file are a mystery.
I'm glad that these guys are happy doing 100% fieldwork. But it does worry me a little - what happens if work slows down and there's a backlog of reports to be written? These forever fieldwork guys usually do ok for themselves, but come winter, when things generally slow down, they're not exactly flexible. And in this economy, being less than totally billable isn't a good thing. Sure, they'll be working ridiculous hours in a couple months, but will their management wait that long to keep them?
Thursday, April 22, 2010
lunch break
Today was a lovely day. We had a nice lunch break, sitting on the tailgate and enjoying the day. However, I was reminded of a common lunch-time mistake: not securing the heavy equipment/ samples/whatever to your usual standards because you're just going out for a quick bite. This is especially true if you're working at some sort of secure facility. After all, you have security keeping an eye on things, right?
The problem is that when it's a nice spring day, everybody ambles outside on their lunch break. And what do they see? This funny-looking equipment with all sorts of interesting stuff and only a lame chunk of caution tape keeping out the curious.
I was working on paperwork while eating a granola bar (the drillers were out buying lunch), and I had to scurry over and intercept some overly curious office workers.
I don't mind explaining what we're doing - at a safe distance. And lunchtime is actually an ideal time to gather some people and explain some of the technical stuff. I don't have to yell to make myself heard, I'm not (usually) terribly busy, and there's no moving parts to worry about. I just need to make sure I'm there to do the explaining.
The problem is that when it's a nice spring day, everybody ambles outside on their lunch break. And what do they see? This funny-looking equipment with all sorts of interesting stuff and only a lame chunk of caution tape keeping out the curious.
I was working on paperwork while eating a granola bar (the drillers were out buying lunch), and I had to scurry over and intercept some overly curious office workers.
I don't mind explaining what we're doing - at a safe distance. And lunchtime is actually an ideal time to gather some people and explain some of the technical stuff. I don't have to yell to make myself heard, I'm not (usually) terribly busy, and there's no moving parts to worry about. I just need to make sure I'm there to do the explaining.
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