Saturday, November 07, 2009
I Haven't Updated in a Long Time
Sorry to those few dedicated readers out there for not posting on a regular basis over the past month. I've been swept up in the craziness of Mainbody and have abandoned the blog. I don't have much to post about, and we've been told to watch what we post this season. I like earning money, so I don't want to get fired. That means I'm really going to limit what I put out on the web.I will give you a link to this cool satellite image of Ross Island, where McMurdo Station is.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Wind Gusts
The wind is gusting at 50 knots or more today, and it sounds like a thunderstorm at times. It's one of those days you wish you could curl up in bed under the covers and come out when it's warmed up outside.Monday, September 28, 2009
A Visit to the Kiwi Snow Cave
Over the winter two kiwi folk (otherwise known as New Zealanders) decided to build a snow cave and live in it. They spent over 100 hours digging out the three-room dwelling in a snow drift behind the main building at Scott Base. I was lucky enough to get to visit the snow cave on my first visit to Scott Base this season. My coworkers and I were invited for dinner by their station's science support staff, and Paul the electrician was hanging out with us post-dinner. We asked for a tour of the cave he built with his friend Gav so he walked Pat and I out back and before we knew it he dove face-first through this tiny little hole into the snow cave. Not thinking things through, I decided it would be better for me personally to go in feet first. Well, of course this snow cave was built to keep the wind out so once I got down to the lowest point, I needed to go up and into the first room of the place. This turned out to be quite a problem since I couldn't really see "up". Luckily Paul was there to rescue me and pulled me up through the tunnel by my feet. He did say it was one of the least graceful entrances he had ever seen to the place. Thank you, thank you. Once Pat made her way in, we hung out in the bedroom for a little bit. It consisted of two flat carved out spots where they had air mattresses and sleeping bags with a handy light on a stand near by. Then we crawled into the guest room aka the party room. There is a giant snow post in the middle with a light inside it, and this room is a working power point (as you'll see in the third photo). I decided to just peek into the third room instead of falling through another hole to get there. This room was the movie room where they had attempted to show a few movies. The only problem with it is that the projector kept freezing on them. Go figure!You can buy the snow cave by clicking on this link. All proceeds go to charity. Also, you can check out more photos of this piece of prime real estate.
On our way in...
Pat and Paul in the guest room.
A real working power point. In a snow cave. In Antarctica.
I took this photo without my flash to give you an idea of the ambience of the place.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Hand-washing Police
Someone came up with the brilliant idea two weeks ago to make each department volunteer, or as we like to call it "voluntold", to stand guard by the hand-washing sinks outside the Galley to make sure everyone scrubbed up before entering. There is a big concern about spreading germs on station, and one way to minimize (supposedly) is to wash your hands before entering the Galley.
My department had a PM shift standing out front of the Galley for dinner. It was also the last time they made anyone stand guard.
My sign says, "The CDC recommends 20 seconds of scrubbing with soap to avoid spreading germs. Don't hate me because I'm clean. Hate me because I'm beautiful." And I obnoxiously timed people as they washed their hands.
This is my friend... we'll call him T. He let one guy pass by without washing his hands and one of the head honchos saw. He yelled out, "T, cut off his head!" Um, I think that's a little extreme.
Friday, September 11, 2009
First Flight Photos
All of these photos were taken by a talented winterover photographer named Chad Carpenter. He put them on the I: Drive so I grabbed them to show you our arrival. Click on them to get a better view!
You can sort of see me in the last photo where we're all crammed into Ivan the Terra Bus. Look on the right side of the bus. Count back three men down the aisle. I'm the one peeking out behind the third guy. You can really only see my glasses and my hat. I had my overstuffed carry-on smooshed on my lap and could barely see over it.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
IceCube is Helping Stimulate Wisconsin's Economy
"One of the longest and deepest traditions surrounding the University of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Idea signifies a general principle: that education should influence people’s lives beyond the boundaries of the classroom."The Wisconsin Idea made this neat little interactive map of Wisconsin that shows how much money IceCube has generated in the state of Wisconsin. IceCube is a project that is headed up at the University of Wisconsin - Madison but is based at the South Pole and focuses on the study of neutrinos.
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
9.9.09
Last night I was itching to get out of work so I could run home and snap some photos of the sky. The wind was really whipping the snow around, but you could still see the nacreous clouds in all their beauty, perhaps enhanced by the blowing snow.I took a round of photos at 5:45 or so, and this was one of the best.
I had dinner and then bundled up for another round of photos about 45 minutes later.
