Traveling

Well tonight seems to be a productive night since this will be my 3rd blog post of the month, check that night.

Well as you can see from the list of places, under my profile picture to the right, that I would like to visit a fairly decent amount of places. It has finally come time to begin planning my vacation. It is sad that the more time that goes by the more people that can’t travel. The traveling group started out with myself, Rob Weidman, Rob Gancarz and Jeremy Hirschhorn. Then Natasha Shields joined the group and then right after that Rob G. dropped out of the group followed shortly by Jeremy. Rob and Jeremy were both supposed to winter down here in McMurdo but they got the call from back in the U.S.A. for a full time job or at least the possibility of one. No hard feels because if I had gotten that call I would have bounced as well, so that left Rob W. Natasha and myself, a solid group if I must say so myself. But now Rob W is going to jam as well, and yes it is for a fulltime job or the possibility of one at least, as well, so that leaved Natasha and myself (moooo-haha-haha my plan is finally coming together).

So the plan is, as of right now… in my head… while I am typing this blog, is to fly to London, since I am ticketed to there, and go from there. We are thinking Stonehenge then off to Paris and Euro Disney, that is right bitches be jealous, then up to the coast and see the D-day beaches before training it to Barcelona. While on the way to or from Barcelona hit up Andorra (one of the five smallest countries in the world-SCotW- that are in Europe) and Monaco (#2 SCoft)then off to Italy. Italy is the place that I would like to see the most so we are going to be hitting up Venice, the sinking city, San Marco (SCotW #3), Florence, Rome and then Pompeii before heading to Greece for a leisure island hoping life style. Then from Greece to Istanbul, Turkey where I will attempt to get my 4th possibly 5th and Natasha’s 7th and last, continent since the city resides in both Eastern Europe and Western Asia, or so says Wikipedia. Then from there fly to Prague, Czech Republic and then train it Germany where we will hit Berlin, Munich and Dusseldorf (spelling I know) before making our way back to London via Liechtenstein (#4 SCotW).

As of right now I am flying from Auckland New Zealand on the 23rd of October and landing in London on the 25th of October. We are planning, as of right now, to be leaving London the 15th of December so that I can have an awesome story to tell the family at the Walsh Family Christmas Party and general booze fest on the 18th of December 2010 in Braintree, Ma. So if your plans will take you to any where in Europe during that time frame, or you always wanted to travel but had nobody to go with drop me a line or telephony call and we can make this happen.



Yea we live life on the edge down here! Thanks Scotty

Stay Frosty
-C

Life during training, winfly and at the south pole in video

Hello All,

Here is a video that was put up on the wonderful world of Youtube. com by Phil McCully. I am the firefighter in the pink stocking hat also known as the dusty rose hat. And yes that is me "John Wayneing" the CO2 extinguisher at the 3:55 mark.




Thanks again Phil from Philfirerescue.blogspot.com for the video and stay low while in the academy

Stay Frosty
-C

Burger Bar

So I sit here in the computer kiosk reading other people’s blogs about being down here in the wonderful world of Antarctica and I realize that some of the most basic things that I enjoy down here people will never know the feeling of excitement and joy that they bring me.

So I will try to explain the simple things that bring me joy. For today’s installment I choose to write about Burger Bar. A very simple name for a very simple event but the joy and fulfillment that it brings me, and most people on station for that matter, is endless. You see everyday down here events rotate around a meal time, even more now during the winter than they do during the summer. The meals are breakfast from 06h00 to 08h00, then lunch 11h00 to 13h00 and then dinner 17h00 to 19h00. All of the meals with the exception of breakfast have an early and late meal. This by no way means that people are assigned a meal time but you see the same people at early lunch (a.k.a. 1st) 11h30 to 12h15 and then at early dinner 17h30 to 18h15 and the same for late (a.k.a. 2nd) lunch and dinner. Being that I work for a 24 hour department means that our schedule transverses all time frames and status quo as to which seating that we sit for. Some times, if I am covering dispatch, I will go to late dinner but I will usually go to early lunch, when I am working. It is funny, to me at least, that I added “when I am working” to the last sentence because when I am not working it seems that I don’t have a set time, which is nice but also means that I am usually eating alone. Eating alone is not a big deal for me especially since I am usually eating at 13h00 or 13h30 instead of the standard 11h00 to 13h00 time frame. But I always seem to eat 1st dinner with only one exception, Burger Bar. That is because Burger Bar is the coveted one dinner during the week that is cooked after you order it, isn’t under heat light or in ice baths, or that is tough to the touch since it has been cooked for a while.

Now I am be no means saying that the food down here is bad or that the cooks aren’t anything short of spectacular but what I am saying is that it is nice to actually go and order your food and get it the way you want it, with very few exceptions. Today was a burger bar night, if you can’t already tell. I had not realized that tonight was a BB night (Burger Bar for short, duh!) until I got a phone call asking to borrow my DVD player so they could watch the football game (in America we call it Soccer). I was so stunned to learn that it was BB tonight that I immediately jumped for joy because I know that I was going to have some fresh cooked, notice how I didn’t say fresh killed, food not even knowing what kind of toppings were to be had or even who was cooking. This joyous occasion only happens; I say it like it is rare, once a week but the day rotates so it could be 10 days in between BB. On those weeks the natives really get restless and that is when the lines and waits are long. But overall the selection of food is really good. Last BB, excluding tonight, it was “Big Kahuna Burgers.” It was burgers topped with fresh, as fresh as you can get with the last flight being 3 months ago, pineapple and real bacon. Tonight was sauce night; BBQ, Hot sauce, mild sauce, sweet chili sauce, ranch and bleu cheese, so that you could top your wings, fries, or tots with. Two BB ago it was hot dog and patty melt night and I do have to say that I had the best hot dog sandwich in my life that night, thanks Carl!

Stay Frosty
-C

P.S.-- Dear Google Images thank you for the picture of the cheeseburger as I would imagine it would look like if I was in a place that was warm. Picture taken from http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/IMG_0314_2.jpg and hopefully that will be enough credit to not get me in trouble

Benefits of being here during the winter

Well hello all. I am back in my room right now, on one of my (many) days off. Having every other day down here is the benefit of being a firefighter. Normally back home we would work a schedule at over 3,4 or 5 days we would work 1 and then have either 2, 3 or the next 4 days off, this is all due to working 24 hours a day. Down here we do not have that “luxury” but we still have some benefits. Case in point, today (and Monday for that matter), I had the benefit of going into the hot tub for 2 hours. Normally we can only reserve it for an hour at a time but if you go in groups then each person can get an hour to themselves which means longer for everyone.

Anyways, as I am walking to the Firehouse, which is 20 feet from the hot tub, I see people walking around town either going to or from a work assignment and I am thankful for having my schedule. I am dressed in my “big red” with a t-shirt and a pair of jeans on along with my sneakers and a bag around my shoulders to carry my towel and my beverages for the hot tub. I go into the firehouse and see the people working in the bay to overhaul our heating system. Of course I say hi to them all and they ask why I am back since it is my day off, they know this since they begin work at 730am and I leave work about 815am after we have our shift change meeting and “bs” with everyone. I say with a snicker “I’m ‘rubber ducking it’ today.” They all give that “I wish I was you right now” look since they know the rubber duck, yes just like when you were a kid and played with one in the tub, is attached to the hot tub key ring as to not lose the key in the snow.

I also take advantage of working at the firehouse and go to my bunk room to change into my swim shorts / workout short and with just my t-shirt, sneakers and workout shorts on I briskly jog over the 20 feet to the hot tub where I relax with some beverages, music and non-work related conversation. Since for the most part the Firehouse and the Power Plant operators are the only ones that don’t work “town schedule” (Monday to Saturday 730am to 530pm) the hot tub is relatively free most days before 6pm. This is nice since it gets chemically treated in the morning about 7 am or maybe the night before if it isn’t in use before the wonderful UT foreman racks out for the evening. So it is usually nice and clean and germ free, an added benefit.

Lately we have been getting more people to join us in the hot tub either before or after our scheduled times. It is nice to have people from different work centers come and join so we don’t talk about the same topics. The conversations inevitably turn into “war stories”, “triumphs” or work bitching. Which is all well and good but they have their place, which is not in the hot tub since it is relaxing time.

Everyone once in an while someone will knock on the door to see who is in there since they can hear the music on the outside. The conversation usually goes like “Hey what up? Not much ‘just chilling, relaxing and acting all cool. You know shooting some b-ball outside of the school.’ How long you going to be here? Until 4 or so (or 5 or 6 which ever is correct). Cool mind if I join? Not at all come on back and join.” Then there is the inevitable meeting / passing / random person coming up in the galley / hallway / computer kiosk that asks if we are “tubing” it this morning / afternoon. Which the answer is usually yes or maybe an inquisitive you want to? But either way it is nice to be here and have some things that are different or specifically saved for winter. It gives the 198 winter-overs, the biggest in 3 years, something to be elitists about. Apparently this year it is going to be a big winfly season with 200 more scientist and grantees coming down. So the hot tub and all the extra amenities will all disappear, a week early this year, as to not give the impression that we have "luxuries" that they don't have during the summer. Where as winfly is usually the influx of trades people to help; open the dorms and buildings, get the vehicles up and running, and compile all the gear that is going to get used during the summer. But this year is it the 260ish winfly people like normal plus 200+ scientist and grantees. (FYI grantees are the unpaid scientist / videographers / photographers / random people in general that get sponsored by their respective universities and the NSF to come down and work on experiments.)

About these pictures:
So right down the road, literally, is Scott Base which is considered “foreign soil” since it is under the control of New Zealand. They are the ones that maintain the wind turbines (picture #2) that help to offset the power used by both bases. Apparently McMurdo’s power plant helps to power Scott Base. So when the wind is whipping, read above about 10 knots, it gives enough power to completely supply Scott Base and help offset McMurdo’s own power consumption. This is a good thing since we aren’t using diesel / JP-8 (jet fuel) / AN-8 (winterized {Antarctic} JP-8) to power the town which is a normally what is used to make electricity and water. Heat is comes from the diesel thru boilers or thru the waste heat loop around town that comes from the cooling of the 2 generators. So anyways about the sign, currently there are 14 bodies (13 plus a really short person hence a 13 ½) that reside at Scott Base during the winter. This picture was taken the same day that we did fire watch stand by for them so they could take there winter-over picture up at the wind turbines. It is A-shift, my shift, minus Virginia. It was here “Kelly Day.”

Hope you enjoyed.

From a nice calm and surprisingly warm (+7 degrees Fahrenheit) Wednesday

Stay Frosty!
-C

Group Photos

Helloooo All,

I know it has been a few weeks, almost a month, since my last update but I have been busy. Well to tell you the truth I haven’t been busy but I have been to busy to finish writing the 5 posts that I have started. I get typing and then something comes up and I don’t finish, or I rush and it doesn’t accurately portray what I am trying to describe. So I have decided to go over them and revise what I have to make a good solid few posts. Plus my friend Phil McCully mentioned me in his blog so I have to kick my arse into high gear to get this updated.

So since this is more of a teaser than an update I will be showing and telling about my fellow McMurdoians. We have been taking pictures all over town for the yearbook, Mother’s day and our individual department photos. So this is more of a get to know my fellow Americans, and some Kiwi, than anything else. I do have to give credit where it is due, since the photos are not saved on the common drive anymore, and I do not have access to my laptop currently. I am going to be borrowing pictures that are already posted by my fellow McMurdoians. So please visit the page of a fellow McMurdoian Marika at http://ilostabetdotgov.wordpress.com/ which is truly a wonderful blog or my friends on facebook under the “Ice Cube” friend group.

My Fellow Firefighters
So here is a good picture of the different shifts. On the left you have A-Shift of which I am a proud member of. On the right you have B-Shift which they are all proud members of. And then in the front you have the Station Captain, John Cassidy, on the left and our wonderful and talented dispatcher Bethany Barfield on the right. For B-Shift starting at the bottom is their Lieutenant Mark Bucher, FF Corey Adler, FF Grant Hanson, FF & D/O Rob Weidman and last but certainly not least FF & D/O Megan Branson. Now Megan and Rob are both my personal photographers so you may already recognize them. Now onto A-Shift again starting at the bottom is Lieutenant Shayne Dombrowski, FF & D/O Virginia Price, FF & D/O Scott Beu, FF Peter McHargue and last but of course not least, not in my mind anyways, FF & D/O Corey Walsh who I do have to say is a stunningly good looking person.

F.E.M.C.-Facilities Engineering Mechanical and Construction
These groups of people are the ones that take care of and maintain everything on station except for vehicles and computers, which means they are the biggest group on station by far during this winter. They are plumbers, electricians, carpenters, engineers, boiler mechanics, and UT (universal technicians) that I get to call at 1, 2, 3 or 4 am when I am covering dispatch when a variety of alarms go off. They are the ones that brave the -50 degree weather to make sure the local watering hole (Gallagher’s) is still nice and toasty when the low temperature alarm goes off, like it just did.

Galley
I would think that just by the name it would explain it. But for those who do not know, there are the people who cook our delicious food and maintain the entire cutlery that goes along with it. They have by far one of the least appreciated jobs on station. In fact they are so under staffed that every weekend 4-6 community members have to “volunteer” in the dish pit to clean dishes and pots so 1 member of the Galley staff can have the day off.

Janos
The Janos are the housing staff that clean up the public spaces in McMurdo. Many are former Galley staff that liked it so much that they came back. They are also the people that do the laundry that is left over from the summer and make the bed packs so when the summer people come back they have clean sheets to sleep on. They also have one of the least appreciated jobs on station.

Carp Shop
These are the guys that are carpenters on station. They, like most others jobs this winter, are always under staffed and overbook on projects. They also assemble two of the best bands on station.

B.F.C.-Berg Field Center a.k.a. Building Full of Chicks
They are the individuals that are tasked with cleaning, maintaining and preparing all the field camp equipment for the summer researchers. They are also charge with maintaining the hiking trails in and around McMurdo both summer and winter.

Heat Trace
They have one of the worst jobs, I think, on station. All the piping that runs from building to building is wrapped with heat conduction to keep it all warm. Well they are in the process of rewiring all of it. So they are outside 90% of the day. A good solid thanks to all you heat tracers.

**Note** Heavy Shop Picture doesn't feel like loading today so I will work on it.

The Heavy ShopThese guys and gals are the ones that fix our equipment. Big and small, light and heavy, snow covered or sea water soaked they take care of it all. They work on everything from pickups to Caterpillar D-9 earth moving, or rather snow moving, dozers. I know that we, the fire department, have tasked them with fixing our Engines multiple times this winter and with probably more to come. They are also the group that graciously gives up there work center once a month for a horseshoe tournament

Now I know that I am missing some departments like supply, Human Resources, Finance, the Store, Safety and IT but I could not, even remotely, find a picture of them. This last picture is of the fire department again. We took it outside, obviously, but since we needed a head shot type picture we went with the first one.

More updates to come this week, I promise!

Stay Frosty
-C

Washing my Hands

So everyday we have to checkout the apparatus and today it is my turn to check our primary fire rig but not just the normal daily check the much coveted weekly check. Not a huge deal I have done 1 a week since I have been here in McMurdo. Not that I could do them in my sleep but they are pretty mundane and considering there are only 4 firefighters per shift I am doing 1 of the 2 fire rigs every week, or at least it seems that way. So there I am checking the airbrake system under the rig and I say to myself “self what does this remind you of?”

Well it reminds me of when I was younger (15 years ago pfft!) I used to help my dad work on cars, van, trucks or whatever he was getting paid to “wrench” on. I am sitting on a red creeper, with similarly placed duct tape patches, under a vehicle on a concrete floor looking up at the rear axles when I slid my head into something. Dang drive shaft! You would thing that I already know that the drive shaft would win in a battle with my flamboyantly styled hair and my hard as brink head but I forgot and the drive shaft let me know it again. As I sit there draining the air from the airbrake tanks, to get the moisture out, I think of how many afternoons I have spend under, in or working on cars with my dad. After I get done under the rig I get up to wash my hands and as I reach for the soap one of the guys asks why I do not use water to help the soap? Well I explain to them that the “Gojo” soap that we are using is pumice based and it is designed to help get the grease out of your pours and from under your finger nails and what not. And by using water it dilutes the soap and it will not work as well. He proceeded to thank me for my explanation. So this goes out to you Dad. Thanks for taking the time to explain how the soap work to me, among other things.
About this picture:

This picture is half of our winter fire department staff. We had just got done with a confined space practical exercise a couple hundred feet from the sign and the wind died down. So in the pictures are (left to right) Scott “Scotty Beu-Beu-Beu” Beu, Corey “Yup the writer of this Blog” Walsh, Peter “Prusik Pete” McHargue, Lt. Shayne “D-Ski” Dombrowski, Station Captain John “Oh Captain My Captain” Cassidy, and Virginia “I’m going to rule the world… someday” Price. With the exception of Capt. Cassidy that is the A-shift that is protecting McMurdo Station Antarctica on the Ross Ice Shelf in the Ross Sea with in the confines of the continent of Antarctica for the winter of 2010, or until Winfly at least. Behind up is McMurdo Sound which 2 months ago had open water and seals everywhere. But now the temperatures are colder and the wind windier so it is only the few 200+ crazy people from the USA, New Zealand and everywhere else. I was going to “photoshop” out the power lines but than I realized that it is how it is down here so why should I try to hide anything.

Stay Frost
-C

The Darkness

So I am sitting at the firehouse standing in the dark of the room and staring out the window into the darkness of the night. Off to my right is a reflection, from one of the 4 windows in the room, of a blue light. The blue is familiar and so I turn to look and see what it is from. Ding ding the blue color is from the fresh paint, well fresh down here, of the mail dormitory building that also houses the galley, offices and businesses, all 2 of them. The building, number 155, was painted this summer as one of the summer projects. Most people I talked to during the summer really had distain for the blue. I admit I did as well at the time but now as I see it in the light of the night with the light from the outside stairwell shinning onto it I actually like it. It is calming and that is what I need right now. I transition back to my original window to continuing to enjoy the night for a few minutes before I head to bed. Thirty minutes later I finally make my way to my bunk and as I enter my room I see that I have been missing some of the most beautiful horizon that I have seen in year. I look out my bunk room window to see the Royal Society Mountain Range backlit with a layering of colors. Yellow at the bottom followed with a surprising green twice as high as the yellow and topped off with a wonderful and picturesque blue right at the top of the mountain range.

The last time I saw a sunset or sunrise for that matter was many years ago when I was hiking in New Mexico. I know that is something that some people may find hard to believe since I have lived at the foot of one of the best beaches in the world on Cape Cod. But I can honestly tell you that you don’t get the colors over the ocean that you do down here. You still get the layering but it just isn’t the 3 hours that you get down here. Back home you get 20 minutes at best. Now when I was in New Mexico I was hiking and I do have to say that when I was there I saw the most beautiful sunrise and sunset that I could have possibly imagined but down here with the clean air and the 3 hour sunsets it is completely different. The sunsets, and sunrises I would imagine it I was up early enough, start earlier everyday but seem to last all night. Last night’s started at 20h12 (8:12 pm) and it was 23h30 (11:30 pm) when I made it up stairs to my bunk.

I think, besides the length of the sunset, the mountains have a major part in the sunsets. They help to reflect the light in different angles and thus creating different, strike that, more vibrant, long lasting colors that you typically do not see. I have not seen a sunrise down here that could compare to a sunrise over 9,000’+ mountains and over mesa and plateaus. I do look forward to seeing what Mother Nature has in store for us come August after the months of darkness that I have before me.

Stay Frosty
-C
About this posting’s picture,

Well I would think that it is pretty self explanatory but since most people as me about it I will tell you. After Hurricane Katrina I worked down in New Orleans for 9 months. While working there I was assigned many tasks but this one involved checking to make sure that the temporary housing that was being installed was being set up properly. So while working I came up to an intersection and since there was water in the street we were instructed to get out and check to make sure that there was still a road below the water. So I get out and look at the puddle. It was ankle deep and I was able to walk and see thru the whole puddle, so I just back in my car to drive thru it. Well that is when the road gave out. I made it halfway thru the puddle when the road gave out, twice. So I called my buddy who was a few blocks away to come help me. As I am on the phone with him the water starts coming into the car, time to get out! So 5 hours later and 8 feet below the road they finally figure out that at some point the fire hydrant got hit and it was undermining the whole intersection. I made it out by jumping out the window onto the grass which was coincidently when the New Orleans Police rolled up.

Walking to school

So there I am getting ready for work and looking at the gorgeous sunrise shining through my 24” by 48” window, happening before my eyes. The light is coming up over the Royal Society Mountain Range directly outside my window. Through the window I can see the dreadful wind. Normally, the wind is an invisible creature that you have to be involved in to experience but down here and right now it is the mixture of snow, volcanic dust, and rock that show direction as well as speed. However whispery it may be for the time being, it can change to horrifyingly violent with enough force to pick up dumpsters and move them multiple feet. The wind, today, is ever so slow; that is, just enough to put a chill in your bones. Just enough to cause the hair on the back of your neck to stand, but when it blows it likes to wrap around whatever it catches almost like it is creating a whirlpool -- a vortex around its prey. Then, just as fast as it caught you, it is gone. All the snow and dust is lying flat on the ground motionless: waiting, stalking, and thinking of who or what it is going for next.

As I make the outer door to my building I pause for a moment to do a mental check of stuff for work. Work sweatshirt? Check. Ball cap? Check. Sunglasses? Check. Writing instrument --pen? Check. Now I am ready to leave. So I reach for the outer door and slowly peer outside to see how hard the wind is blowing. To my surprise it is docile, for the moment. As I am walking down the metal staircase I say, “Self, I hope it doesn’t pick up once I leave the security of the landing.” I am lucky today as the wind is not lurking behind the building waiting or watching me. I am completely free to continue on my long, arduous journey to work.

The morning, this morning, is different from the last few. It reminds me of when I used to walk to the school bus stop, way back when. I always remember walking up the hill by my house, when we lived 4 blocks from the beach, and seeing the sunrise coming up over the marsh on my left where the mix of warm water and cool air created a fog that slowly rolled up the landscape trying to catch me before I made the top of the hill to see the gorgeous ocean on my right. Back in McMurdo I don’t have the luxury of a marsh but I have a snow-covered volcanic rock parking lot affectionately named “Derelict Junction.” I see to my left the wind has indeed picked up a bit. I see a newly created whirlwind coming from the alley between a few of the buildings. The snow and dust create a fog so that I cannot see the person’s face just 50 feet to my left but only the silhouette of their “Big Red” jacket. It is trying to chase me, just like the fog used to on those cool spring and summer mornings back on Cape Cod. It does end up catching me, so to speak. It seems to have lost its momentum right at my feet. The tenaciousness of the wind to find me, get to me, and hold me is futile since I take that fateful step up the stair, effectively putting myself out of its reach. I make a quick left at Gallagher’s and then a quick right behind Medical and I have only 50 feet to go up a snowdrift-covered volcanic rock hill, over some power cords that are keeping our fire apparatus warm and tidy, past four vehicles that I will surely be out to check on in less than an hour, and then to the man door at the fire station.

As I step inside the fire station, I take a minute to think and catch my breath, being as it is -15 degrees out. In the three minutes it took me to get to work this morning, it brought back so many memories of being a kid again: walking around in shorts on a brisk and balmy 40-degree day before school, riding my bicycle in the rain just because the rain was warm, seeing the waves crash on the flooded beach parking lot while there is a hurricane coming up the East Coast.

Who knew that the wind could bring back so many memories?

Stay Frosty
-C

P.S. The picture is a "Sun Dog." It is a rainbow that forms around the sun when there are a lot of ice crystals in the air. They are better seen through polarized lenses, either sunglasses or camera, but with the naked eye you can still see the truly beautiful ones. You just have to work a little hard at it. <(")

I am from the future! (Said with weird computer voice)

Do you know that I like about being down here? That I am from the future! No not like I know the lottery numbers future or Quantum Leap future but from 18 hours ahead of US Eastern Standard Time. I have the ability to be the first to comment on people’s birthdays or to be late on anything with the excuse of “sorry you were not open when I was trying to call…. from Antarctica.” What I do also like is the fact that the communications equipment can, and in fact did last week, become disabled and give us that isolated feeling. The drawback to this is that I missed my dad’s birthday. I did not actually miss it to be technical, I Facebooked him saying Happy Birthday since I was working, but on his actual birthday the communications equipment decided to take a “union break” and there were no communications, for the laymen town folk anyways.

I called him once the antenna array got fixed but it still wasn’t the same. I know that I have excuses and valid ones at that but I still feel like crap since I missed it and I am the one son that never, usually, misses his birthday. So when I finally did get to call, he completely understood. He completely understands since he spent time in the Air Force in Alaska over the winter, while Mom was in Iceland with the Air Force. But still that was 30 years ago almost and you would think that with all the technology it just wouldn’t happen. His response was something to the effect of “at least it was only down for 18 hours instead of days.” I guess that is the upside to being experienced and being able to look outside the box at stuff.

Ok so about the picture. It was taken while the C-17 is taxying in after landing. It is currently blowing 8-10 knots and -8 degrees not including wind chill. It is the wonderful Natasha, my personnel photographer (one of anyways), right before she is going to board that plane to leave the ice for traveling fun in New Zealand. It is funny sitting on the runway while we are standing by for aircraft fire protection and watching everyone take pictures of the plane and then hearing them say “I wish there was a sign here to make this picture better.” When there is and all they have to do is look for the 2 4x4 beams sticking out of the snow with the sign attached. But they don’t and very few people ask us to takes pictures of them while we are on standby. So they don’t get this wonderful shot that Rob got of us two.

Well anyways, I am supposed to be doing something besides typing right now so I have to jam out of here.

Stay Frosty
-C

Shenanigans! In Phil McCully Speak "Wa Waa WAAAAA!"

So the winter season is unofficially officially here. Now if I were to rewind to August 2009 I would think that that statement make absolutely no sense. But after being here on ice for the last 191 days it makes complete sense. What I mean is that officially the winter season starts after the last flight leaves. But this year we have an extended season. So instead of the last flight being on the 20th of Feb 2010 it is on the 5th of March 2010. Not a huge deal but with all the winter-over personnel being on station they keep acting like winter is here. And so I digress back to the topic of shenanigans and thus the topic of this post. While at the wonderfully beautiful and desolate South Pole there were many interesting people that I met and interacted with. On of them is a Ms. Shelby Handlin. She was, not necessarily the head of but a good portion of, the activities committee. So they would plan things like bingo, and trivia and what not. So since the fire department couldn’t necessarily play completely, due to flight coming day and night, the games we would attend and play but usually not finish. Now working at the South Pole there are some very smart people. It ranges from astrophysicist to rocket scientist to PhD students to engineers to well everything you would find to make a town run. The trivia was very popular since beer was given out as prizes for each round. But since 60% of the station has 1 bachelor degree at least it was difficult for some to have fun at trivia. Well one night the star finally aligned and we were able to do trivia. But not just as participants, we were the ones that made the questions. It was so fun that night at trivia and towards the end Ms. Shelby Handlin shows up which is an absolute surprise to the regulars at trivia since it was always “past her bedtime.” Now at this point everyone that is playing trivia is laughing and dancing and having a grand old time, so much different then the usual trivia night. You see when we put of the fliers to announce that the fire department was running trivia we put “make sure you brush up on” US international policy, foreign made cars, US history prior to 1844 and Costa Rica. Those are the real topics that we put but they will suffice for the point of this blog. We had about 15 people come up to us and say “you really want those topics for trivia?” and our response was “do you really think that we know that shit either. Make sure you bring plenty of beer it is going to be fun.” Well the word got around to the 40% of the station with 1 bachelor degree or less so when everyone got to trivia they were prepared for a good time, well a good time commenced. We had 140 possible points and out of the 8 teams the ones that were doing the best were the 40 %ers by a landslide, like 120ish points to 50ish. So I was the 3 of 4 to give my questions.

Sorry I got off topic, so Shelby walks in and everyone cheers. With a little banter back and forth, between all 6 of the firefighters and her, the topic comes up that I, actually Danielle and I, will be leaving in 5 days and that “our time is limited now so we should make the most out of it.” Now you throw in my "glorious smile" my stunning physique and a joking wink and Blam-O! Right there in the middle of the galley in front of 40ish people that are on there way to being “3 sheets to the wind” Shelby, not to be out done, drops to her knee and proposes to me. Then of course Megan, who could possibly be the female version of me and who was coincdently on the microphone, announces it to everyone and the cheers begin.... again. Now I know you all are thinking “that is a funny story but unless the galley is outside what is the point of the story?” Well this picture is of her “actually breaking my heart and ‘demanding’ a divorce” on the day that I was leaving, well supposed to leave. I was lucky to get a 3 day furlough extending my time at the South Pole to the 30th of December 2009. The picture was thought to be lost but it mysteriously appeared on my Facebook and I just couldn’t let the story go untold.

So now that it is out there, everyone can enjoy it. I do enjoy it immensely when I remember the shenanigans of the night. It really is a highlight of my wonderful time at the South Pole.

Stay Frosty
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