Mail Buoy
September 14, 2001
Hi- I’m Justin Moore from Mrs. Sandezs class in Moreno Valley, Califoria and I wanted to know about how big was the pillow lava you found?
Hi Justin-
The pillow lava we have been dredging up is different sizes. Look at the Hot Topic on lava flows and you’ll see pictures of them, also the daily journals the past few days have lots of photos of the pillow lava we’ve recovered. In general, the larger pillows are the size of a duffel bag, or a sofa pillow, the smaller ones are about basketball size.
Hope you keep Diving and Discovering with us.
Regards,
Dan Fornari
Dear Kate Buckman,
We are a class of four juniors in your aunt Jamsie Hurt’s grammar class. We are deaf and go to Illinois School for the Deaf. We just finished reading your interview and we were fascinated with the variety of stuff you do in your life.
Amy, Patrick, Shannon, Rodolfo
Hi Amy, Patrick, Shannon, Rodolfo and Aunt Jamsie,
Thanks for the questions, and I am glad that you are following our adventures aboard the Revelle. I’ll answer your questions in order:
Amy: Our first question is, do you play on the men’s hockey team or the women’s hockey team?
I played on a women’s hockey team. The college I attended, Smith, is an all women's school.
Patrick: You travel all around the world, you experience a lot of things in a short time. What is your inspiration and also which of your travels is your favorite?
I guess that my inspiration to travel so much and do so many things is a desire to learn more about the world around me. It is also something that I truly enjoy doing. All of my experiences so far have been rewarding as well as fun in many different ways, so it is hard to choose a favorite. If I had to choose, I would say that my favorite trips so far have been the ones involving sailing and learning about the ocean, as this is my particular passion. But each adventure I have been on has taught me not only about different areas of the world, but also about myself, and therefore have been invaluable in helping me to become the person that I am.
Amy: When you get up in the morning what is the first thing you always think of?
Answer: Usually the first thing through my mind after I climb out of my bunk is “I wonder what the weather is like outside,” second is “what's for breakfast” and third “how soon until a dredge comes on deck.”
Shannon: You seem to be the kind of woman who is proud and strong. What is it that makes you that kind of person?
It’s really hard to pinpoint exactly what makes me the kind of person that I am. Part of it definitely comes from having a loving and supportive family and group of friends, as well as excellent teachers and professors who have provided me with more than just “book learning.” I have also found that the more confidence you have in yourself, the more confidence other people will have in you, which often leads to opportunities beyond what you might have expected.
Rodolfo: What’s the daily grind for ya?
I am on the 8-12 watch so I get up around 7:15am and head up to breakfast before relieving the watch before me. During my watch I do whatever is on task at the time, whether it is deploying or recovering a dredge, processing rocks, monitoring the tensiometer, or doing the odd job. After lunch I spend the afternoon relaxing outside reading, napping, or working on the Dive and Discover website. I usually head out to the weather deck to watch the sunset after supper, then have a bit more time to relax or work on the website before I go on watch again at 8pm. After watch I go to bed so I’m rested for another day's work.
Amy: Although you have experienced a lot of things ever since, is there any thing that you haven’t done and want to do?
Answer: There are lots of things that I haven’t done and want to do. Each new thing I do inspires me to do ten other things. There are many places that I would like to explore, Alaska, Britain, and the Red Sea being three of them. There are also many more things that I would like to learn about. As I said in my interview, I don’t think I’ll ever get bored with learning.
All: When your time at the Islands is over, what’s next?
Right now my post-cruise plans are a bit tentative. I’ll be traveling with Rhian in Costa Rica for a bit before heading home to New Hampshire for some time with my family. This fall I hope to begin working for SEA as an assistant scientist aboard their ships though I may also spend some time at WHOI helping out Mark Kurz and Josh Curtice begin processing th rocks we collected on this cruise. So I have a few options, but am waiting until I get back on land and can more easily communicate with people before I make definite arrangements. Graduate school is also a plan, but not for a couple of years.
Again thanks for your questions, feel free to write back with any more you come up with, and keep checking the site for new information.
Take care.
Sincerely, Kate Buckman
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