A 3 hour cruise....

Actually, it's 11 days...and it's not so much a cruise...but whatever.

I will only agree to go if this man is the captain.

Next week I am heading to Norfolk, VA to participate in a NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) research cruise through my University. I, and several of my classmates, will be living aboard the R/V Gordon Gunter for 11 days. Each day, we will trawl for monkfish and red crabs as part of two separate research projects. The goal is for us to get some experience at sea and with various techniques, as well as to allow work on projects involving species we might not normally see in the Chesapeake Bay or Maryland and Virginia Coastal Bays, where we typically work.

SO MANY BUTTONS TO PUSH

The boat we'll be aboard is 224 feet and designed for research with lots of fancy technical equipment onboard. This means lots of buttons to push and things to break. Hooray!

Honestly, this should be a pretty cool experience.

I am stressing out though, because it's a long time to be away from home and, as with most things with my school, everything is happening at the last minute. This includes getting fingerprinted....

So, there's lots of little things that need to get done before we embark on our journey of learning, but they will all get done. In the meantime, it's Friday, so I'm going to have a beer, enjoy the sun (It is the longest day of the year today. Happy solstice!) and try to relax.

Also, enjoy this picture of a crab. Because I said so.

Fish: it's what's for dinner.

I like fish. Hell, I am choosing to dedicate my life to the study or marine organisms, so I better like fish.

I also like to eat fish. Lots of people do and it happens to be the major protein source for much of the world.

Then there are those people who are all like "Oh, I'm allergic to fish." Way to be a downer. No, it's cool, go ahead and get your protein solely from sources like chickens and cows. Let's devote billions of acres of land to raising cows and chickens for you to eat. It's not like cows are just methane producing, grass eating, anthrax pooping machines....oh wait.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, ruminant livestock (ie. cows and sheep) produce 28% of global methane emissions each year.

And you thought Mom's chili was a major source of methane production..

And don't get me started on chickens....

Anyway, my point is that if you're not interested in being a vegetarian, fish is a good option for protein. And if I hear you say you're allergic to fish, I'm going to punch you in the face.

I might not NEED to punch you in the face, but I really want to.

You might think that's rude because you can't control what you're allergic to. Chances are though, you base your statement on the fact that you had an allergic reaction when you ate fish once, after years of being able to eat fish without a problem.

Guess what? You're probably not allergic.

Say hello to Scombrotoxin. This toxin is made by bacteria that grow on the fish once it's caught and isn't chilled or processed right away. The toxin is actually just an elevated level of histamine, which can cause food poisoning that looks like an allergic reaction. This is especially a concern for fish belonging to the family Scombridae, hence the name of the toxin. These fish include tuna and mackerel. It can also affect the meat of a few other species including bluefish, mahi-mahi and dolphins. For more info on this, you can check out the FDA's webpage.

Go ahead....eat me. We'll see who's sorry when you go into anaphylactic shock.

Now, some people might legitimately be allergic to fish or shellfish or some other marine organism that sends their bodies into attack mode, but you can find out via an allergy test, right? Just stop saying you're allergic unless you can actually prove it.

It's like saying you're the fastest person alive. You can say it all you want, but you're just an asshole until you have a gold medal in the 100 meter dash.