Featured image by Sandra Herrmann, IODP JRSO.

Another new year is upon us. I don’t think anyone expected 2021 to be what it was (I mean come on, we thought we got that all over with in 2020, right?). We certainly didn’t expect Expedition 391 to turn into what it has become.

When I went around to ask everyone for their New Year’s resolution, many were shocked that somehow it was already December 31st. We’ve been in this strange limbo, waiting to see if we would be able to sail or not, if we would get any core or not, that it almost felt like time froze. It was impossible to make a plan for the next twelve hours, let alone the rest of the expedition or dare I say it, an entire new year. But those on the JOIDES Resolution are nothing if not resilient and optimistic, so of course everyone was game to give me content for the newest blog post.

Read on to see what everyone is hoping to accomplish during the rest of Expedition 391, and throughout the new year of 2022.

• James Zhao, Application Developer: My New Year resolution is my whole family and I won’t get COVID in 2022.
• Seunghee Han, Inorganic Geochemist: Take pictures of whales.
• Sonia Tikoo, Paleomagnetist: Write a bunch of papers and then take a real vacation.
• Mark Higley, Paleomagnetics Laboratory Technician: I just want to have really good paleomagnetic data.
• Dan Marone, Assistant Laboratory Officer: My New Year’s Resolution is to get a cat!
• Emily Britt, Core Technician / Marine Lab Specialist: Daily meditation.
• Ethan Petrou, Physical Properties Specialist: Do more yoga on the helideck with Maya.
• Yuhao Dai, Organic Geochemist: Get some materials, get some sediments.
• Kevin Gaastra, Paleomagnetist: Finish my PhD, get a job.
• Tobias Höfig, Expedition Project Manager/Staff Scientist: To bring everyone through this successfully and happily.
• Arianna Del Gaudio, Micropaleontologist: Finally get Aaron to learn how to make a cappuccino… and get core.
• Aaron Avery, Micropaleontologist: Correlate ages across ALL our drill sites, and quit smoking.
• Brian Swilley, X-Ray Laboratory Technician: Spend more time on the boat.
• Myriam Kars, Core Laboratory Technician: Make the Expedition 391 scientists happy.
• David Buchs, Sedimentologist/Volcanologist: I wish the expedition to be successful, and to finally be able to remove our masks!
• Sandra Herrmann, Imaging Specialist: Capture the joy.
• Steve Midgley, Operations Superintendent: Start working again!
• Randy Gjesvold, Marine Instrumentation Specialist: Survive 2022.
• Carel Lewis, Curatorial Specialist: This is my first expedition, I just want it to go well!
• Arnold Corpus, Physician: I shouldn’t be late for work anymore! [Editor’s note: this is funny because Arnold is probably the single hardest working person on this expedition!!]
• Katie Potter, Physical Properties Specialist: Learn to floss as well as Ethan.
• Kaj Hoernle, Co-Chief Scientist: Get as much core as possible! And stay happy and healthy.
• Claire Carvallo, Paleomagnetist: I really like these words by the philosopher Vladimir Jankélévitch. He says: “It is time! Later it will be too late, because this time only lasts a moment. The wind is picking up, it is now or never. Do not loose your unique chance in the whole eternity, do not miss your unique spring morning” (rough translation of this:
  C’est l’heure! Tout à l’heure, il sera trop tard, car cette heure-là ne dure qu’un instant. Le vent se lève, c’est maintenant ou jamais. Ne perdez pas votre chance unique dans toute l’éternité, ne manquez pas votre unique matinée de printemps.) So my JOIDES resolution is this: to not miss my unique spring mornings…

And as for me?

• Maya Pincus, Onboard Outreach Officer: I hope to create something that inspires even just one young person to pursue a life of science. And learn how to overcome the temptation of Jose the baker’s desserts!