Thursday, August 30, 2007
Lunar Eclipse as Seen at the South Pole
by Robert Schwarz
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
My Pass-a-port
I love that Ana Bell calls it a pass-a-port. Well, I'm still waiting to get my new one. The passport agency told me that it's a 10-12 week wait, and now they're saying 12-14. In two weeks, I'll have to call and track it down. If I don't get to go to Antarctica this year because I don't have my passport, I'll be soooooo upset. But that won't happen. It can't happen.Friday, August 24, 2007
Look Out Baby... Cuz Here I Come!
Just found out today that I have officially PQ'ed! I'm headed back to the Ice at the very beginning of October. I'll be in Denver for two weeks of training in September, then home for a week and a half or so. At the very end of September (probably the 25th or 26th), I'll leave Wisco for orientation in Denver, then 2 days in Christchurch and by the 2nd or 3rd of October, I'll be baaaack!In the meantime, I must pack up my things at my sublet apartment and find space for everything at the fireworks store (I'm hoping they won't mind storing my things again). I need to get stuff packed for Denver Round One and Antarctica Round Two. There are a few friends I haven't even seen since I've been back. I want to spend as much time with my grandpa at the nursing home as emotionally possible. I need to figure out how my camera works. My shopping list for this year's trip to the Ice is almost complete, although I'd like to add another camera lens to my arsenal.
I'm getting emails from people who've returned to the Ice in the last couple of days, and it really makes me jealous that I'm not there for Win-fly this time around. Some of you may remember that Win-fly starts with the first flight (since February) in August, and ends with the first flight of Mainbody (scheduled for October 2nd this season). During that time, the station feels kind of magical. There's very little or no sun at all. The winds are so strong you have to walk with your upper body parallel to the ground. People are less concerned with the corporate-ness that the station becomes during Mainbody. The small population of 400 means you have a fairly good chance of at least meeting everyone on station. And... the sunsets... they are AH-mazing, if I do say so myself!
I'm going to include a link to my friend Erin's weblog. She has just returned to the Ice for her second season and seems to perfectly word how it feels to leave again.