11-28
Life has been proceeding as normal, or unnormal as things go here. Of course with a small population (950 right now) and lots of crazy and mostly single people, there is lots of goings arounds and gossip. As Cassa likes to always say, just another episode of "Days of our McMurdo" (after the soap opera days of our lives in case you didn't know)
With the population nearing the summer high and the holidays approaching, there have been lots of activities, and I have been incredibly busy.
A couple of weeks ago, we had the dodgeball tournament. We made up a team of lab staff and grantees (aka beekers). I originally didn't have much hope for our team remembering how bad we got creamed last year with shuttles and thinking we were all nerdy scientists. The team consisted of Bev (my supervisor), Abe (the other lab assistant), and then Clint, Eric, and Laughlin from B-174 (studying the food web in the Ross Sea). We dressed up in lab coats, wore lab goggles, and each wore one latex glove. Our team name was, "bend over and cough" We ended up going undefeated and delivering dominating performances. Who would have guessed that the nerdy beakers would have walked in a smoked everyone?
A couple of weeks ago we also had the Crary lab Icecream social. It was the height of our lab and grantee population, so we held a get together for all the scientists up in the Crary library with fancy cheeses and wines. We also used liquid nitrogen to make some amazing icecream. The best flavours being peanut butter, baileys, and kahlua. The night was closed out by one of the popular bands here, "Condition Fun" a play on the weather term, condition one, given to the worst storms. They write their own mcmurdo related songs (Ivan the Terra Bus) as well as take songs you are familiar with and add McMurdo twists to them (C-17 to the tune of Sweet Caroline).
Last week there were some Kiwi distinguished visitors that came down. I had the honor of giving them the Crary lab tour. When the Scott Base representative introduced them to me, he used words like, "chancellor", "magistrate" and "his excellency" They were very nice guys though and invited me to visit them if I ever make my way through Auckland.
Last week we also had the final run through of what we call the MCI (mass casualty incident) drill. Our hospital here is capable of handling up to 3 emergency type patients, but if we have more than that, then it becomes a mass casualty incident. This year I volunteered to be a member of the MCI response team. I am a stretcher bearer, as is Abe. Elisha and Mitch are runners and set-up. This year we practiced 3 times before doing the final "live" practice with fake victims. The victims are dressed up and have make up on to make it look like they actually have the injuries they have. Interestingly, almost all the victims for the practice were kiwis, so we figured the accident must have been a kiwi vehicle driving on the wrong side of the road and getting run over by Ivan
Last week, Elisha and I also went on a pressure ridge tour to see the beautiful pressure ridges and melt pools where the sea ice meets in the land. The pressure ridges are basically giant frozen waves that hae gorgeous blue colors. When you walk through the pressure ridges, you feel like you are in the Antarctica that you read about in books with all the ice formations. Last weekend Elisha and I also skate skied from Scott Base on the cape armitage loop and out to the ice runway and back.
The week of Thanksgiving was quite the week of parties, activities, and amazing food. It started out on our Thanksgiving Day (thursday) with the Crary Lab staff thanksgiving party at hut 10. We had brugers, brats, shrimp quiche, and tasty cheese, as well as delicious chocolate brought by Mindy's Austrian husband Reinhart. We of course made more liquid nitrogen icecream. On Friday (you all's Thanksgiving back in America), the Shuttle Family had a Hut 10 party. This was of course a blast bc it was with all my current shuttle friends and shuttle friends from last year who have moved on. We had Filet Mignon (yum!! I had 3 pieces), portobello mushrooms, fancy cheeses, and then a tasty peanut butter/chocolate popcorn dessert made by one of the shuttlers. We played the always hilarious and tear-laugh producing telephone pictionary game. That night Jerod and I also led a Historic Hut tour to Scott's hut for some grantees. In the evening we headed out to watch Shuttle Brian and his 80's cover band play some music at Gallaghers. I tried to go to bed somewhat early because I was tired form the week and had the race the next day, but I was on the duty pager, and I got a page in the middle of the night because the aquarium was flooding.
On Saturday we had the 5k Turkey Trot. It was a gorgeous day, and I ran in shorts and rolled up the sleeves on my wicking top. I ended up doing really well, running the tough course (it's straight uphill the 1st half of the race as the turnaround is on the scott base pass) in 22:30 and finishing 5th overall in the men's division. Out of American's though, I finished 3rd. Elisha did quite well too, finishing 7th in women's. The turkey trot is a fun race and includes lots of people wearing awesome costumes, and with 1km to go an aid station where I shotgunned a Coors Light thanks to SciCo (Science Cargo) Jenn. After the race, as it was such a gorgeous day, Elisha and I skate skied out to the ice runway. We made it back in time to grab a chai at the coffee house, grab a quick sauna, and then get dressed up for the big McMurdo Thanksgiving. I sat at the shuttles family table for dinner bc as Sharona says, "once a shuttle driver, always a shuttle driver". Plus crary didn’t organize a table for a “family” dinner. The dinner was of course fantastic. I got three drumsticks and lots of crab legs. There was also pecan pie, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, and a huge assortment of fudge.
Of course volleyball and basketball, ballroom dance, insanity, and game nights have continued. As well as some glee watching.
It's been getting very warm here of late, though it still hasn't quite broken above freezing yet. I liked this weather report we had the day after thanksgiving...
Life has been proceeding as normal, or unnormal as things go here. Of course with a small population (950 right now) and lots of crazy and mostly single people, there is lots of goings arounds and gossip. As Cassa likes to always say, just another episode of "Days of our McMurdo" (after the soap opera days of our lives in case you didn't know)
With the population nearing the summer high and the holidays approaching, there have been lots of activities, and I have been incredibly busy.
A couple of weeks ago, we had the dodgeball tournament. We made up a team of lab staff and grantees (aka beekers). I originally didn't have much hope for our team remembering how bad we got creamed last year with shuttles and thinking we were all nerdy scientists. The team consisted of Bev (my supervisor), Abe (the other lab assistant), and then Clint, Eric, and Laughlin from B-174 (studying the food web in the Ross Sea). We dressed up in lab coats, wore lab goggles, and each wore one latex glove. Our team name was, "bend over and cough" We ended up going undefeated and delivering dominating performances. Who would have guessed that the nerdy beakers would have walked in a smoked everyone?
A couple of weeks ago we also had the Crary lab Icecream social. It was the height of our lab and grantee population, so we held a get together for all the scientists up in the Crary library with fancy cheeses and wines. We also used liquid nitrogen to make some amazing icecream. The best flavours being peanut butter, baileys, and kahlua. The night was closed out by one of the popular bands here, "Condition Fun" a play on the weather term, condition one, given to the worst storms. They write their own mcmurdo related songs (Ivan the Terra Bus) as well as take songs you are familiar with and add McMurdo twists to them (C-17 to the tune of Sweet Caroline).
Last week there were some Kiwi distinguished visitors that came down. I had the honor of giving them the Crary lab tour. When the Scott Base representative introduced them to me, he used words like, "chancellor", "magistrate" and "his excellency" They were very nice guys though and invited me to visit them if I ever make my way through Auckland.
Last week we also had the final run through of what we call the MCI (mass casualty incident) drill. Our hospital here is capable of handling up to 3 emergency type patients, but if we have more than that, then it becomes a mass casualty incident. This year I volunteered to be a member of the MCI response team. I am a stretcher bearer, as is Abe. Elisha and Mitch are runners and set-up. This year we practiced 3 times before doing the final "live" practice with fake victims. The victims are dressed up and have make up on to make it look like they actually have the injuries they have. Interestingly, almost all the victims for the practice were kiwis, so we figured the accident must have been a kiwi vehicle driving on the wrong side of the road and getting run over by Ivan
Last week, Elisha and I also went on a pressure ridge tour to see the beautiful pressure ridges and melt pools where the sea ice meets in the land. The pressure ridges are basically giant frozen waves that hae gorgeous blue colors. When you walk through the pressure ridges, you feel like you are in the Antarctica that you read about in books with all the ice formations. Last weekend Elisha and I also skate skied from Scott Base on the cape armitage loop and out to the ice runway and back.
The week of Thanksgiving was quite the week of parties, activities, and amazing food. It started out on our Thanksgiving Day (thursday) with the Crary Lab staff thanksgiving party at hut 10. We had brugers, brats, shrimp quiche, and tasty cheese, as well as delicious chocolate brought by Mindy's Austrian husband Reinhart. We of course made more liquid nitrogen icecream. On Friday (you all's Thanksgiving back in America), the Shuttle Family had a Hut 10 party. This was of course a blast bc it was with all my current shuttle friends and shuttle friends from last year who have moved on. We had Filet Mignon (yum!! I had 3 pieces), portobello mushrooms, fancy cheeses, and then a tasty peanut butter/chocolate popcorn dessert made by one of the shuttlers. We played the always hilarious and tear-laugh producing telephone pictionary game. That night Jerod and I also led a Historic Hut tour to Scott's hut for some grantees. In the evening we headed out to watch Shuttle Brian and his 80's cover band play some music at Gallaghers. I tried to go to bed somewhat early because I was tired form the week and had the race the next day, but I was on the duty pager, and I got a page in the middle of the night because the aquarium was flooding.
On Saturday we had the 5k Turkey Trot. It was a gorgeous day, and I ran in shorts and rolled up the sleeves on my wicking top. I ended up doing really well, running the tough course (it's straight uphill the 1st half of the race as the turnaround is on the scott base pass) in 22:30 and finishing 5th overall in the men's division. Out of American's though, I finished 3rd. Elisha did quite well too, finishing 7th in women's. The turkey trot is a fun race and includes lots of people wearing awesome costumes, and with 1km to go an aid station where I shotgunned a Coors Light thanks to SciCo (Science Cargo) Jenn. After the race, as it was such a gorgeous day, Elisha and I skate skied out to the ice runway. We made it back in time to grab a chai at the coffee house, grab a quick sauna, and then get dressed up for the big McMurdo Thanksgiving. I sat at the shuttles family table for dinner bc as Sharona says, "once a shuttle driver, always a shuttle driver". Plus crary didn’t organize a table for a “family” dinner. The dinner was of course fantastic. I got three drumsticks and lots of crab legs. There was also pecan pie, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, and a huge assortment of fudge.
After dinner it was time to prepare our costumes for freezing man. Jerod, Elisha, and I pre-funked at steph and jeff’s room where jeff was having fun making unusual cocktails. His coral spawn drink complete with chia seeds and dried mangoes was tasty. However, is Gin and Jerky, not so much.
Freezing man (the Antarctic equivalent to Burning Man…google it if you don’t know what it is) was of course amazing. Cassa was the planner behind the whole event, so I helped out a bit with the organization. There were cool little booths set up around the big gym and of course face painting and plenty of dancing (and I always love the anonymous dance screen). Everyone dresses up in goofy costumes and lets out the hippy from within. I wore ice packs from the lab (to be a freezing man) and of course Cassa's disco ball that I wore last year as she would have been so disappointed if I didn't wear it again since it was such a big hit last year.
Because of Thanksgiving, we actually had a TWO day weekend. Which is always greatly appreciated. I spent the 2nd day relaxing for the most part. Helped clean up the big gym after the party, took a hike around the arrival heights loop, and then watched some movies.
On Sunday night, I finally got a much needed haircut. My hair had been in my eyes and bugging me. So Elisha volunteered to cut my hair so that I didn't have to pay the barber (they are charging now). She did a nice job and everyone says they could hardly recognize me. I guess I look a lot younger and much different without the huge mop of long hair.
Yesterday I attended a fireside reading at the coffee house that I had helped to organize. The writer and artist grantee that is here, Larissa, had wanted to share some of her work, so I arranged a "fireside" reading for her and a contract worker who had recently had her Antarctic poems published. It was a cool little event that I think people enjoyed.
Of course volleyball and basketball, ballroom dance, insanity, and game nights have continued. As well as some glee watching.
It's been getting very warm here of late, though it still hasn't quite broken above freezing yet. I liked this weather report we had the day after thanksgiving...
Regional Summary | 11/23/2012 5:25:34 AM |
| Fair weather, a few high clouds , light winds and sunny skies as high pressure builds in today. Hang up “big red” and break out the t-shirts and shorts as we may even reach the freezing point today. | |
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