Friday, October 06, 2006
The First Few Days of Mainbody
It's been a slow progression towards Mainbody. The first flight arrived on Tuesday. We were supposed to get two flights on Wednesday and one Thursday, but they were all postponed. Because the flights weren't able to come in, there were tons of Americans flooding Christchurch, New Zealand waiting to get here. And there are some crusty winter-overs that were extremely anxious to get off this continent!When flights started again, Friday brought a flight of people as did Saturday. I think station population has gone from 400 on Monday to 700 or so as of Sunday the 8th. I'm getting a little feeling of what it must have felt like for the winter-overs when we arrived in August. This, I'm sure, does not even come close to comparing what it's like to winter-over and then have 200-300 new people invade your station. But I'm still a little shocked when I walk into the Galley to eat and I can't find my friends, let alone an empty table. The noise in there is so loud - I'm debating whether or not to bring ear plugs.
But Tuesday meant there was a chance I would get packages. As I was walking into Building 155 for break, I ran into a woman, Kathy, who works in the post office. She remembered me (the girl who lost her luggage) from the first week of Win-Fly (she was here for a week to run the PO). Kathy told me that my "packages" were put in flat mail, so as long as that had made it on the plane, I would have them soon. I was excited she said packages plural because that meant I had at least two! I gave her my pager number, and within a few hours I was being let in the back door of the mailroom to get three packages. Everyone was jealous as I was the only one to get package mail on the day the flight arrived. I went home and tore through my boxes like it was Christmas!! Mom had sent me a box full of things I requested! I couldn't believe she fit it all in a 15"x12"x15" box. I also had a package of things I had ordered from Target, and my hiking boots made it. The housing department got approval to buy me a pair of hiking boots since my luggage was lost because I was flying for work. I couldn't believe it when they told me 4 weeks ago. And I was able to get the exact same style of boots I had lost!! The next day I was cleaning in Building 140, where the post office and mailroom are, and another lady recognized me from when I had picked up my packages. She went and got a mailroom key and gave me my flat mail that had come in too. I love getting access to the mailroom when it's closed... really makes me feel VIP.
My favorite thing that happened last week was Mykle Hoban's birthday on the 4th. Around 6pm, I was sitting in the Galley eating dinner when I heard an electronic keyboard rendition of the "Happy Birthday" song. Richard was carrying a large keyboard around following Mykle Hoban through the serving area. A train of people were following behind him, and everyone (except Mykle) was holding Mykle Hoban heads mounted on popsicle sticks up to their faces. I finished up dinner and joined up just in time to follow him around the store. Later that night, Mykle had reserved Hut 10 (the coveted party-lounge-around-you-can-only-reserve-it-once-a-season building), and we all met up to watch Final Destination 2 and 3. I showed up a little late, and as I walked in the door everyone was holding up Mykle Hoban heads and repeating "I'm Mykle Hoban" over and over. I bet we yelled, "I'm Mykle Hoban" about 50 times that night... anytime someone walked through the door. Ralph (one the TV/Radio people) gave Mykle a standing 3-light floor lamp. He had attempted to wrap it in Christmas paper but ran out half-way through. Ralph asked if his gift was blocking my view of the TV. I admired the beautifully-wrapped gift and asked Mykle if he had any guesses to what it was. Mykle responded, "I have no idea!" I was also cornered at one point in the evening so Julie (the other TV/Radio person) could draw spacers (those earrings that form big holes in your earlobes) on my earlobes with a blue Sharpie marker. Everyone at the party had to have them drawn on. The next day, a few of us had very blue earlobes.
I'm the Mykle in the blue shirt in back. That's Mykle himself on the left. The picture they used is Mykle with 2 pancakes on his head (I'm not sure what the story is behind the photo).
Mykle himself is using a Mykle Hoban head in this photo with the keyboard-toting Mykle. The real Mykle Hoban is the second standing person from the left.
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