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Hey!  The address for my website is now http://zena-cardman.com, since some imposter “Zena Cardman” bought zenacardman.com before I had a chance to renew the URL.  I mean seriously, who else actually wants zenacardman.com?  I know I haven’t posted anything in a while, but I just thought you might like to know.

Hey y’all!  I’d like to introduce you to my new project.  Everyone, this is SeaMonster.  SeaMonster, meet everyone.  SeaMonster is a blog about all things ocean-related – from surfing to ecology to politics to submarines – and written by folks from the United States and the UK.  We hope you’ll enjoy it, whether you’re already interested in the ocean or you’re just into stuff like cool videos, current events, monsters, sculptures…

This post is dedicated to Stephen Sansom. Stephen, your dirty socks have been in my backpack since I picked them up off the beach nine months ago, and they’re here with me in Antarctica. I’ve made sure that they’ve had a good time, of course: visiting penguin colonies, hanging out on the bow of the ship, and going on adventures that I’m not even allowed to join. Below is a picture of your socks strapped to some oceanographic equipment, about to be sent 3,008 meters underwater. Don’t worry, they came back just fine. Later this afternoon they’ll set their little holey soles on an island that hasn’t even been seen since the 1980s.

Let’s talk about blogs. Let’s talk about blogs written by scientists, and how it seems as if Scientist-Blogger Moses shared with all
Scientist-Bloggers the following Commandments:

Thou shalt broadcast how exciting science can be. Thou shalt covet the public’s interest. Thou shalt explain in an accessible manner exactly how relevant your research is. Thou shalt show the public that scientists are cool, hip people. Thou shalt Tweet if that’s what the kids are doing these days.

Like any other pious Scientist-Blogger, I devote some effort to following these Commandments. But how successful am I? Why are you here? Is it because I have shown you how exciting science can be? Possibly, but more likely you’re here because you’re a friend of mine. Or because you gave birth to me. (Hi, Mom and Dad!) Or because you’re already interested in the type of research I do. Maybe you like my photos. Maybe you like the way I write. Do you think I’m funny? (Bless your soul.)

I suppose I could slip you some science along with the humor and photography, the way some parents hide vegetables in little
bacon-and-mashed-potato Trojan Horses, just to get something healthy into their children’s mouths. But I know you’re a smart audience and you can taste broccoli whether it’s covered in cheese or not.

All I can do is be shamelessly myself. What I write here is what I actually find interesting or exciting or beautiful. This is how I experience the world, and I hope you’ll enjoy seeing what I see, too.

On Tuesday I flew to Canada, after a week-long astrobiology course in Spain.  Tomorrow I’ll drive up from Vancouver to Pavilion Lake, to spend the next couple weeks deploying submarines with the Pavilion Lake Research Project.  I’m so pumped to be working with many of the same folks who were at the lake last summer–plus all the new people.  This year’s lineup includes:

1. more astronauts
2. more undergrads

…both of which I’m really excited about.

I’ve spent the last few days helping out with inventory and packing at UBC, and trying not to feel too overwhelmed with the amount of stuff we’re going to cram into this field season.  I’ll keep you posted!  In the meantime, below is a pair of photos from Spain.  In addition to seminars on subjects like microbial metabolisms, deep-sea hydrothermal vents, and  Saturn’s moon Titan, we were treated to an afternoon of spelunking.

Here we are inside El Soplao cave:

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…and here are a few of the ladies, posing outside afterward:

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More soon,
Zena