Free Time: Let's see what we have here!

As Natalie told you, the Main Lab operates for 24 hours a day, but we have a 6 hour shift (nobody can work for 24 hours of course!).  So, what are we going to do in our free time? That is a great question!  Let me show you the Marcus Langseth's free-time facilities.

Located next to the Galley we have our Library which has a lot of good books (I was reading the Che Guevara's travel book before the beginning of this part II, I really want to finish it!) and these excellent chairs...they're really comfortable, believe me. You can also find a variety of mystery, fiction and scientific books on the shelves.

The library with a wide variety of books

Yeah, but John actually I'm not a book lover ...

No problem! This is what you need! A 42-inch TV screen and a big collection of movies and TV shows. Ah, and don't forget the PS3, which makes the crew's free-time fun.  I have to admit something to you, I've never used the movie room, but maybe sometime I will go there to catch a movie or documentary.

The movie room with seating for plenty

But if you're an athletic person, this is your place, the gym!
It's a little bit small, but if you think we're in the middle of the ocean, the luxury of having some equipment must be appreciated.

The gym ... be careful when the ship is moving!

So, there is a treadmill, some free weights, etc. Be aware of the pitch, roll and heave! These are the movements made by the ship.  Instead of explaining them, I'll post an image which can perfectly illustrate what I'm trying to say.

The differences between pitching, rolling, and heaving

For those who appreciate an indoor sport, we also have a ping-pong table. It's located one level below the Galley, at the Main Deck. I didn't use this table either, but I'll launch a challenge: Try to play ping-pong during rough seas! Imagine how cool a ping-pong game is inside a ship facing waves of 5 or 7m (or even higher).

The ping pong table ... this could get interesting in rough seas

Thank you...or should I say Obrigado?

João (John) Pedro T. Zielinski
Complutense University of Madrid/Federal University of Santa Catarina