This time I get to provide lots of pictures (once I get them developed) because the lovely Ellyn let me borrow her camera :) Thank you Ellyn!!!

So, this trip is building on what I did in August. I'm observing all 120 stars from before, but now there are about 26 more stars I have to look at too.
For the 120 original: just look at them again, maybe see if there is any time variation in the emission
For the additional 26:
      - one is a standard star ("telluric") we need to remove absorption lines produced by Earth's atmosphere (esp. by water vapor)
      - one is a very weird, very red star. It is also very dim - it hasn't ever had any spectroscopy on it!
      - 10 are targets from a survey in K-band (in infrared) that really needed to be looked at sometime close to the date of that survey (one of the major reasons for the trip) (some - 7 - of my original 120 were also in that survey)
      - 10 are stars that my fellow students and I looked at in our Spectroscopy class with Dr. Gies (the guy that has sent me here) - they just needed more data
      - 2 are targets that have some good speckle data and need to have spectroscopy
      - one is a short-period binary that might be interesting in the future
      - the very last star I look at for the night is Regulus (alpha Leonis) - I need to take good spectra of it to see if it has any emission which would be indicative of a disk around the star. That disk is not wanted for this particular star (other people's research). So, we're hoping :)
Oh yeah, and this time, I'm looking in a little bit different part of the spectrum - last time it was blueish and this time it is reddish.

A Rough Timeline:

Monday, October 11, 2004
- 5:50 a.m. - I woke up from my "nap" (went to bed ~ 3:30)
- 7:00 a.m. - Finally made it out of house - had to stop by Angela's (keys) and then had to stop by school to try to find my government-vehicle driver's license - I couldn't find it!
- 8:20 a.m. - got to airport (flight leaves at 8:45!!)
- 8:45 a.m. - plane took off - without me :(
- 10:03 a.m. - my new flight (through Salt Lake City) departs
- 1:20 p.m. (MDT) - connecting flight to Tucson departs
- 2:00 p.m. (MST - Arizona doesn't observe Daylight Saving) - arrived in Tucson!!
- 2:30 p.m. - At NOAO headquarters (which is on the U of AZ campus), meandered, found Ed (my educational dude), chatted - I'm going to his class on Thursday. Also noted that the population of the U of AZ is very... fashion-y. They all look quite similar too... Good looking, but similar.
- 4:00 p.m. - Shuttled myself up to Kitt Peak in an NOAO govt. car
- 5:20 p.m. - I HAVE ARRIVED!! - grabbed quick supper then up to the Coude Feed to meet with the guy that will refresh my memory :)
- 6:45 p.m. - finally started taking data
      Oh, so tired :(
      This time around seems a little more chaotic because since I'm looking at red light my exposure times are shorter. Eek.
      My boy called
- 3:25 a.m. - DOMES CLOSED due to threatening clouds (I'd already noticed them since my star all of a sudden disappeared) so I have to shut down - I don't mind at all because I'm so very very tired... Got 55.5 stars (the .5 cuz ruined by clouds)
- 4:20 a.m. - finally got to sleep :)
My soundtrack for the night: My guy on the phone ; Sting - Mercury Falling ; Tori Amos - Boys For Pele' ; Sarah McLachlan - Touch ; Billy Joel - River of Dreams ; Mix from Andrew - EDG 5

Tuesday, October 12, 2004
It's my Daddy's birthday :)
2:20 p.m. - finally decided to get up :) - I happily skipped lunch
4:45 p.m. - went to supper after having messed around
5:30 p.m. - went up to the scope and took a bunch of pictures since the Sun hadn't set :)
6:07 p.m. - started with the preliminaries
7:00 p.m. - FINALLY started observing stars (my guider was totally screwy - I had to turn it off then back on - as always, the answer to everything)
6:00 a.m. - Everything is shut down and stuff :) Got 68 stars :)
My soundtrack for the night: Seal - Seal (?) ; U2 - The Joshua Tree ; Queen - Greatest Hits ; Mix from Andrew - EDG Music 3 ; Michael Jackson - Thriller ; Mix from Andrew - EDG Music 1 ; Sarah McLachlan - Solace ; Sting - Brand New Day (only part)

Wednesday, October 13, 2004
11:30 a.m. - woke up and couldn't go back to sleep :(
12:30 p.m. - lunchy-lunch - fine patio dining
      dinked around
      found the piano in the 4-meter dome :) Yay! I practiced for over an hour - I can play 'Ode to Joy' now :) Well, the simple version...
4:00 p.m. - decided to find a place in the sun to read - I started 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen (I've never read it)
4:50 p.m. - supper time!!
5:30 p.m. - up to the scope to get stuff ready
      it seems like when I'm trying to be efficient and speedy (i.e. expeditious) I make some dumb mistake and it costs me observing time :( Started the first star at 6:30.
10:30 p.m. - so, it seems to me that my stars are getting dimmer... Upon looking outside, it is definately hazy :( It takes longer to get my stars properly exposed :)
6:00 a.m. - by this time, everything is closed up and stuff - I gots to get outta here - no rest for the wicked! - Got 50 stars :)
Tonight's musical selections: Manu Chao - Clandestino ; my guy - he's back from Florida ; Forrest Gump Soundtrack - 1 and 2 ; Mix from frater Ian - Erika's Favorites ; Strictly Ballroom Soundtrack ; Garbage - Garbage

Thursday, October 14, 2004
6:00 a.m. - grab some stuff and start down the mountain to Tucson
7:20 a.m. - reach NOAO headquarters and wander across the street to the Astronomy building to meet Ed and others - subsequently, we wander to class
8:00 a.m. - Ed's class starts - interesting study in using Lecture Tutorials and slightly non-traditional teaching :)
9:30 a.m. - I wander off to Chris Impey's class - much different topics and a totally different Lect. Tut. - the two have very different teaching styles...
10:40 a.m. - I wander away from that class and meander the campus - eventually, I run in to Ed - off to lunch
12:40 p.m. - we show up to the 12:30 meeting :) Darn that eating! Anyways, meeting discussed an education article - interesting interactions and ideas.
1:50 p.m. - I gots to get to my mountain shuttle - leaves at 2
3:30 p.m. - get to my room and get to sleep :)
5:15 p.m. - I gots to get up :( Eat. Go to telescope
6:00 p.m. - wow, things goin' great, but wait, I can't seem to get any sort of data!! Damn you telescope!! I have to call someone down in Tucson and now he's coming up here.
7:40 p.m. - I got sent to bed
9:30 p.m. - Got back up and went to the telescope. Bill and I tried a bunch of stuff, but no good!! The CCD refuses to behave :(
11:15 p.m. - we finally call it a night and submit reports to the appropriate people. I guess I get to sleep after all!
2:30 a.m. - finally went to sleep (I figured I had better not totally screw up my night schedule - and I was reading 'Pride and Prejudice' :) )
Soundtrack: the sound of heads banging against the wall, my snoring :)

Friday, October 15, 2004
10:30 a.m. - I woke up :) I decided to read for a while
12:40 p.m. - realized I had to move it or lose it (lunch that is)
2:30 p.m. - realized that I had not filled my dewar (the CCD needs to be kept cool by liquid nitrogen and the container has to be refilled every 12 hours or so). Oops.
        I met the guys who were trying to fix the scope and finally it started working of it's own volition!! Damn scope!
5:15 p.m. - meandered off to lunch while noticing that the sky really didn't look too good - lots of whispy clouds - not good for observing
5:45 p.m. - wandered back up, resigned to reading and grading and dinking around til we could completely call off the night
6:10 p.m. - got word the scopes were all opening!!! The clouds cleared off a bit. Wow.
9:00ish p.m. - Well, it's not as good as I thought - haze has settled over us - I have to observe at least 4 times longer than 'normal' - GRRRRRR
        Well, it got better - only 2 times longer :)
6:00 a.m. - everything is shut down now. Got 53 stars :) In going outside, I see why I was having problems - thin little clouds - they don't completely block stuff, but they aren't transparent either
Musical accompaniment: My fingers pounding out practice pieces for piano class ; Norah Jones - Come Away With Me (something inoffensive for reading) ; my guy :) ; Sting - Ten Summoner's Tales ; Paul Simon - Graceland ; Mix from frater Ian - Symphonic/Techno video game ditties, Beatles, Sinatra and other fun stuff ; Shakira - Laundry Service ; U2 - Best of 1990-2000

Saturday, October 16, 2004
12:30 p.m. - dragged myself out of bed to go eat, then back for a shower, then a nap!!! Wow, I don't normally nap...
3:30 p.m. - Woke up again and went over to the 4-meter where the piano is - I practiced for an hour
5:15 p.m. - supper!
5:30 p.m. - wandered up to the telescope - the weather looks horrid :( Tons of almost contiguous whispy clouds and a few thunderheads in the distance. Very not cool - but it gives a beautiful sunset :) It is also quite windy.
6:10 p.m. - they tell me to open... I dunno
8:30 p.m. - well, things have improved considerably :) I can see stars again and even faint ones!
11:10 p.m. - DUDE - it is so windy! My stars are jumping around horribly and it just seems dangerous (we officially shut down around 40 mph and that's what it was) - I closed it up and since I have to go on the roof to do it, it was rather scary because that wind was whipping around the building and I'm sure I was catching gusts of over 50 mph - on top of a building (with quite big safety rails). Eek.
4:00 a.m. - got a call that my dewar was warming up - had to fill it early - also got info that humidity is increasing and the wind isn't expected to abate anytime soon :( I might just go to bed - Got 14 stars
Musica de la Noche :p : Ringer - live at Medina Entertainment Center (they're a band I used to dance to in Minn) ; Mix from Andrew - EDG Music 2 ; They Might Be Giants - Mink Car ; Michael Jackson - Invincible ; Enya - Paint the Sky with Stars (Best of) ; howling wind and clanking metal

Sunday, October 17, 2004
9:00 a.m. - gotta get up - showered, made copies of the observing logs, filled the dewar one last time, filled out the observing run report...
11:00 a.m. - the other 2 people going down on the shuttle are ready - I gots to go
12:20 p.m. - got down to headquarters - there's no one to give the car to!!! Some nice employee let me in :) Now to find some grub - amazingly, the student union food court is open!!! No overpriced airport food for me!
1:30 p.m. - my taxi picked me up and we took the 20 min drive to the airport.
4:25 p.m. - after my dinking around for so long, I'm very happy the plane finally is ready to depart!
9:00 p.m. (CDT) - got off my plane and had to get right on my other one - right down the same jetway
9:20 p.m. (CDT) - yay! we're taking off! There are a bunch of Steeler fans on here - there had been a game between the Steelers and the Cowboys
12:15 a.m. (EDT) - yay!! We landed!!
It has been a good run, but I'm glad to be home and with my boy again :)