Wrapping up field work

High today: -25 F
Low today: -34 F

Overnight last night and this morning I did my last weather balloon launches for my grad study. I am very excited that this is over - I enjoyed the field work but it is nice to not have to be flaky on people and to be able to plan trips more than a few days in advance... not to mention feeling like I can now crank through this thesis thing. It is due in early/mid-February but the sooner the better so I can play (hopefully) come March. For my last set of launches I had a few visitors.. Patrick stopped by for the first launch and Brittany and Oliver came for the second launch bearing hot chocolate (yum!). It was an interesting night with 2.5 hours of sleep after a very long day, I fell asleep inbetween the 5th and 6th launch... Literally curled up on the floor, set the alarm clock on my phone (which wasn't needed since the computer beeped at me when it wanted me to do something), and napped for 30 mins and had vivid life-like dreams during it. That was the first time I actually slept during my field work. Why not though.. it is nice being able to master the power nap.

Brittany and Oliver being silly

It got down to -35.7 F at the station on Saturday morning. I was staring at the thermometer at one point just egging it on to get to -40. (don't we all start acting funny and talking to ourselves, or moving objects like the temperature sensor when we get tired?) It really didn't feel that cold out. I guess I have figured out how to dress at that weather finally.. in a cocoon of insulated Carhartts and down.
During the last launch, the random balloon that was sitting on the ceiling of the garage decided to make an escape out the door and began to rise.. only to decide it was losing air too quickly and came back. I was thinking to myself as it began to float upward, "FAA is going to kill me. Thank goodness this is the last time I have to bother them." Not that a big giant floating balloon should bother anyone since nothing was attached to it. But still, I had this horrible fear the entire time with field work that I was going to make some poor little airplane come crashing down because the balloon or line got tangled up in its engine. Thank goodness that did not happen.

Enough rambling for now. Come back later for more!