VIMS

Excited, but nervous

I thought I'd jump out of bed this morning like a kid on Christmas in anticipation and excitement for the day, but it never ceases to amaze me how much energy diving, snorkeling and just being on the boat in the sun takes out of you.  Chris asked me if I was excited and even though I am, I'm more nervous than anything; not about the interviews, because we all know I have the gift of gab (my mom is laughing as she reads this I'm sure), but about abiding by habitat protocol.  I'm currently trying to memorize where to enter the habitat, where to take off my gear-the idea of a "wet" porch is hard to imagine if you haven't been to Aquarius, and that I have to take a shower and dry off before officially entering the living quarters.  Sarina and I just handed off our interview clothing, neatly folded in plastic bags, along with two video cameras to record the interview, to be "potted" and brought down to the habitat completely dry in water-tight containers, or pots.

Mark is now explaining the layout of the habitat to us, the protocol for entering, the structure and the doors that separate the "wet porch" from the rest of the habitat.  He also just started a sentence with "Don't be afraid...", not a good sign, and then proceeded to tell us about how pressure changes can make a "KAPOW!" sound that sounds like "an explosion at a construction site and makes the whole habitat shake", great way to make me even more nervous!  Dramamine may be controlling my seasickness pretty well, but I'm not sure it works on nerves.  Well I'm off to prepare right now, departure time is at 1100 EST and we splash at 1230!