Butterflies

First leg of the trip is done. I'm in Atlanta killing time on my 6 hour layover. Already met someone on the trip, overheard 'em speaking, introduced myself, turned out they are ND alums.

I'm hanging out in the Delta Crown Room, which beats the Red Carpet Club by a mile. All the more reason to continue my transition over from United.

I have to admit, as I started typing, it finally hit "I'm going to Antarctica!!" I've actually got butterflies in my stomach, interesting feeling. It's been awhile.

So, I'm finishing up stuff for the start of the semester, then will kick back and sleep (with some chemical help most likely) on the 10 hr flight to Buenos Aires. Hopefully I'll be able to update this blog from there before we head out.
____________________
ANTARCTICA FUN FACTS -- Like humans, apparently fairy penguins, or little penguins, parade during "good years," when food is plentiful. A penguin parade consists of 5 to 10 individuals that walk together, nearly in sync, while arriving or leaving a colony. The benefits of penguin parades might include preventing predation and improving foraging success. During the successful breeding years of 2002 and 2003, the colony was a veritable penguin parade fest, with numerous groups forming in the morning and evening hours. The scientists noticed that the majority of parading groups consisted of adults that nested close together and that were in similar physical shape. "Middle-aged penguins, 5 to 11 years old, tended to have sync parades," Chiaradia explained. "We know from previous studies that these penguins are at the peak of their breeding performance, meaning they are more experienced." (Source: Discovery News)