11-11-12
An update on how the new policies are affecting life on base bc a few of you, specifically Lael, are interested and want updates.
Because of being short staffed at the Vehicle Maintenance Facility, they have decided that Rec trips will not happen this year bc they cannot spare vehicles on Sundays for them. So this means no tours out to the Pegasus crash site (I went last year), no trips out to Cape Evans and the historic hut there (last year, we couldn't go bc of sea ice conditions), and no trips to the ice caves (again, couldn't go last year bc of poor sea ice condtions). This is the newest additon to the Funger games. Well that and they have decided they will no longer be giving work center food for snacks unless your work center works the majority of the time outside. And in that case, they will only be giving powerbars. It may be better for the health of the station, but considering there is no place to buy snacks, it's kind of sad. They used to give us tons of food like candy bars, cliff bars, chips, crackers, cookies, nuts, dried fruit, chocolates, and sometimes trail mix. I'll be okay bc I'm good at taking excess food from the galley to be used later, especially fruit, but this could cause some issues for people. Soon there won't be freshies (fresh fruit and veg) as there will be no flights from thanksgiving until near the end of January. The winter-overs are also bumming bc they used to get 1 two day weekend each month, but Lockheed has threatened to take that away. The big parties have also been a bit lamer this year bc of new alcohol policies and the building codes. One of the best dance parties last year, the homecoming at the BFC, will not happen bc that building has been given a fire code of having a maximum of 17 people. So obviously you can't have a party there this year, sadly!
But have no fear, we have still been having lots of fun and working around it. Elisha, Cassa, Jerod, Stef, Jeff, and lots of others have started taking ballroom dance classes. It's pretty fun and we're actually learning stuff bc the instructor is a professional. As he said, classes like this back home would cost nearly 50 bucks a session. So it's a treat. Cassa has also been sponsoring game night at the coffee house, which has been fun. I'm actually currently at the coffee shop now. This year they decided to not allow alcoholic beverages to be sold there, so there are no cool alcoholic coffee drinks with baileys and kahlua and such, but bc of this, they have made all the drinks here free, so that's nice. Elisha is a barista right now, and she has been making me lots of special drinks as I sit here doing internet chores and doing some christmas shopping. Very tasty! And she has been playing Josh Ritter, which I appreciate.
Of course basketball, volleyball, insanity, movies at the coffeehouse, glee, and ping pong continue unhindered
Wastey (as in he works for Waste, not is a wasted guy) James has been organizing these awesome dance parties on Saturday nights that sneak by some of the rules. He has been labeling some as a dance fitness class. But they started getting really big and he wanted only the hardcore and serious dancers to come, so he has now been advertising them as math club. They are sweet bc he has 1 from 8pm to 9pm right after drinks at dinner, where we all dance crazy. Then another one from 1130 to 1230 after the bars close.
Debates and discussions about all of this have been intense, interesting, and amusing in the galley. A lot of people are very upset about how they can enforce select government rules (fire and building codes) only for select events (for parties but not for all-hands meetings or science lectures) and not enforce others that would have to be followed back home (handicap accessibility, labor laws (we work 60 hour weeks without OT).
Today was my day off, but I didn't do much bc they had an airfield show where you could view the planes. I'm not super into seeing the inside of the planes, and I've seen plenty from the outside with shuttles. Abe was super excited to see them, but he was on Sunday duty this week, so I volunteered to work for him so he could go. It made me feel good to see how happy he was to go.
It was fun to follow the election from here, though there was really not much talk about it here. People were too busy and pretty much everyone here wanted the the same person to win. Well maybe it was the NSF backed Antarctic Support Contractors vs the Air National Guard with who they wanted to win. But there is always some tension between them and each was probably voting for the guy that they thought would continue to give them a job. Science vs Military.
An update on how the new policies are affecting life on base bc a few of you, specifically Lael, are interested and want updates.
Because of being short staffed at the Vehicle Maintenance Facility, they have decided that Rec trips will not happen this year bc they cannot spare vehicles on Sundays for them. So this means no tours out to the Pegasus crash site (I went last year), no trips out to Cape Evans and the historic hut there (last year, we couldn't go bc of sea ice conditions), and no trips to the ice caves (again, couldn't go last year bc of poor sea ice condtions). This is the newest additon to the Funger games. Well that and they have decided they will no longer be giving work center food for snacks unless your work center works the majority of the time outside. And in that case, they will only be giving powerbars. It may be better for the health of the station, but considering there is no place to buy snacks, it's kind of sad. They used to give us tons of food like candy bars, cliff bars, chips, crackers, cookies, nuts, dried fruit, chocolates, and sometimes trail mix. I'll be okay bc I'm good at taking excess food from the galley to be used later, especially fruit, but this could cause some issues for people. Soon there won't be freshies (fresh fruit and veg) as there will be no flights from thanksgiving until near the end of January. The winter-overs are also bumming bc they used to get 1 two day weekend each month, but Lockheed has threatened to take that away. The big parties have also been a bit lamer this year bc of new alcohol policies and the building codes. One of the best dance parties last year, the homecoming at the BFC, will not happen bc that building has been given a fire code of having a maximum of 17 people. So obviously you can't have a party there this year, sadly!
But have no fear, we have still been having lots of fun and working around it. Elisha, Cassa, Jerod, Stef, Jeff, and lots of others have started taking ballroom dance classes. It's pretty fun and we're actually learning stuff bc the instructor is a professional. As he said, classes like this back home would cost nearly 50 bucks a session. So it's a treat. Cassa has also been sponsoring game night at the coffee house, which has been fun. I'm actually currently at the coffee shop now. This year they decided to not allow alcoholic beverages to be sold there, so there are no cool alcoholic coffee drinks with baileys and kahlua and such, but bc of this, they have made all the drinks here free, so that's nice. Elisha is a barista right now, and she has been making me lots of special drinks as I sit here doing internet chores and doing some christmas shopping. Very tasty! And she has been playing Josh Ritter, which I appreciate.
Of course basketball, volleyball, insanity, movies at the coffeehouse, glee, and ping pong continue unhindered
Wastey (as in he works for Waste, not is a wasted guy) James has been organizing these awesome dance parties on Saturday nights that sneak by some of the rules. He has been labeling some as a dance fitness class. But they started getting really big and he wanted only the hardcore and serious dancers to come, so he has now been advertising them as math club. They are sweet bc he has 1 from 8pm to 9pm right after drinks at dinner, where we all dance crazy. Then another one from 1130 to 1230 after the bars close.
Debates and discussions about all of this have been intense, interesting, and amusing in the galley. A lot of people are very upset about how they can enforce select government rules (fire and building codes) only for select events (for parties but not for all-hands meetings or science lectures) and not enforce others that would have to be followed back home (handicap accessibility, labor laws (we work 60 hour weeks without OT).
Today was my day off, but I didn't do much bc they had an airfield show where you could view the planes. I'm not super into seeing the inside of the planes, and I've seen plenty from the outside with shuttles. Abe was super excited to see them, but he was on Sunday duty this week, so I volunteered to work for him so he could go. It made me feel good to see how happy he was to go.
It was fun to follow the election from here, though there was really not much talk about it here. People were too busy and pretty much everyone here wanted the the same person to win. Well maybe it was the NSF backed Antarctic Support Contractors vs the Air National Guard with who they wanted to win. But there is always some tension between them and each was probably voting for the guy that they thought would continue to give them a job. Science vs Military.
2 comments:
Oh that makes me so sad! But thank you so much for the update. I'm still pining away here wishing I could be there :)
Have you been to any cool science lectures lately?
Miss you Tedster! I know that if anyone could persevere and have a kick-ass time even during the Funger Games, it would be you!
Lael
Hey Lael! Miss you too! Can't wait to see you again. Hopefully this coming summer.
I've been pretty much regularly attending the science lectures. All very cool. My favorites: bromide in the snow leading to the ozone hole, fish adapting to increased CO2 and temp, worms in the sea sediment.
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