Day 3 (Wednesday 8 September) we have spent a lot of time learning about life aboard a ship!  The two big rules to remember are:  1.  BE QUIET in the ‘hotel’ or ‘berth’ region of the ship because being a 24-7 operation at least one shift of the 140 personnel is always sleeping!  and 2.  UNLOCK the bathroom door that you share with the other ship room (two folk to a room, two rooms to a toilet & shower).   Many of the regulations are for our safety (wearing a hard hat in dangerous areas for instance) or everyone’s comfort (don’t sit and chat in the galley when your done eating so the next group can eat too).  We also took a tour of the ship – WAY COOL!  The labs all have big fancy toys to study the sediments and the drill bits are monsters.   But before we get to the driving of the boat or the mechanics of inserting scientific instruments 1 mile underneath the sea surface; we have to take care of the basics, such as how to flush a vacuum system toilet, the pros and cons of patches and pills for sea sickness, how to use the intranet for sharing videos, photos, and programs (only a handful of computers have internet access), and what are our goals as educators on a scientific sea vessel.   Remember you can email me at jrs_novak@ship.iodp.tamu.edu if you have any questions!  I will respond at the end of my 7 am to 7 pm shift.  (So when’s nap time?)