Sunday bird blogging

Gentoos living the good life, in Mikkelsen Harbor.

More spooky Antarctica

Mikkelsen Harbor.

Saturday reflections

Neko Harbor, and a picture that really shows how spooky Antarctica can be, with the mists draping over the mountains and the water that looks almost black in the dim light.

Thai food near me

I passed this restaurant when I was walking home from a doctor's appointment this morning and I laughed out loud (always welcome these days.)

I googled “thai food near me” when I got home and this restaurant was indeed at the top of the search results though it's actually on the other side of Manhattan. Very clever.

Sunday bird blogging

 This seems appropriate. In Cierva Cove.

I'm shattered

Well, that's an exaggeration for me personally, but less so for these remains of a large mirror that until late last night sat on top of some shelves in my apartment. (Or our honor and reputation as a country, though that is not something I have the energy to think about today.)

Yesterday after having made it to class at the last possible minute because I could not find my phone, I got a text during lunch because of fraudulent charges on the credit card I use most often. They're issuing a new card, and while I'm grateful that it's being taken care of, it means I will have to go through the tedious process of updating all the automatic charges.

Another series of texts late that afternoon informed me that I am an "ignorant moron" who should leave the USA for Ukraine. This was apparently in response to some texts the previous day on the teachers' group chat, expressing our anger over the White House meeting and joking that we should leave and open a language school in Europe. This was unnerving, to say the least. It was not only the malicious tone of the texts, but the fact that our chat had been intercepted and read by some unknown person. (Only those of us who had actually commented in the chat the previous day received the texts.) I know SMS texts are not really secure, and it's not as though we were plotting a rebellion but in this political climate you don't want strangers looking over your shoulder.

We set up a new group on WhatsApp, I watched some TV and tried to relax, and then broke the mirror on my way to the bathroom before bed.

Yes, that person vacuuming at midnight last night was me.

Elephant seal aerobics

I so wish I had video of this: an elephant seal in Fortuna Bay actually moving.

The seal had been on the grassy slope above the beach and the process of working its way back down towards the water was only slightly faster and less laborious than my recent climbs up four flights of stairs to my apartment with a bad knee.

The Whew! I'm exhausted reaction upon finally reaching our goals were pretty identical, though.

Elephant seal yoga

In Fortuna Bay. The onlookers were clearly amazed by this display.

Iceberg on a sunny day

A closeup of the iceberg. I like the way the scalloped shapes on the top mimic the mountains behind it.

More landscapes

More of the beautiful surroundings in Fortuna Bay, including the only waterfall I saw in South Georgia.

The even bigger picture

The mountains around Fortuna Bay, seen from the ship. If you zoom in, you can see tiny penguins and seals by the water.

The bigger picture

In South Georgia, I took pictures of the animals, I took pictures of the mountains, but I seldom managed to combine the two. This picture from Fortuna Bay has mountains, snow, a glacier, seals, penguins, and a couple of petrels hanging out by the clump of tussac grass.