I met a new group of people at breakfast this morning and it reminded me that some of my blog readers have asked for pictures and information about some of the interesting people I meet here. Sooo, I will do that. I didn’t get any pictures today because I didn’t have my camera but I will start carrying it to meals. Just a teaser of things to come, Jammer Joe and Jammer Myrna, Lawyer who was on the Arthur Anderson defense team who is now washing dishes here, a nurse who spent seven years in the Army and the last 7 years as an ER nurse, Fleet, the dentist who is growing his hair our to donate it to cancer victims just to name a few. Hopefully you will enjoy getting to know them as much as I do.

Tonight’s science lecture is being presented by on of the electronic techs from last year who was awarded a grant this year from the NSF (National Science Foundation) to develop an under-ice vehicle. His wife is part of the team and will be presenting with him tonight. This is her eleventh trip to the ice.One of the members of their team is a 5th grade teacher. She directed us and you to a web site Polar Trec. The site has lots of information about projects happening in Antarctica and in the Arctic. It is well worth checking out.

Along these same lines, if you have a specific request, a question to ask or a correction to make please send me a blog reply and I will do my best to fulfill your fondest dream.

Early on in grade school one of my teachers approached the first student in the first row. She bent down and whispered something she had written on a piece of paper in her ear. That student turned and whispered something to the student behind her and so the process went until every student in the room had heard what the teacher whispered in the first student’s ear. The last student was then instructed to go to the chalk board and write down what he had been told. I’m sure many of you have had this same experience and obviously what was written on the board bore little resemblance to what was written on the piece of paper that started the whole process.

In many ways McMurdo is like a small town. There are many things to do, places to go and people to meet but our brains function so fast that these people, places and things can’t keep us fully occupied so we talk, mainly about people. Sometimes it’s good things but mainly it’s like a Hollywood Tabloid. You can fill in the rest. It’s funny how we must continually relearn life’s lessons. Last year I found myself embroiled in several personnel controversies by trying to, I thought innocently, help a “wronged employee”. I later realized I was just being used as a supporting pawn in a chess game that had been going on for some time and that continues to this day. I no longer participate in “the game” (I know that sounds holier than though, but I try). My new policy is that I won’t say anything about someone else unless they are in my presence and have an opportunity to participate in the conversation.

This is all making a very short story long (a thing I have a propensity to do). Yesterday morning when I went to work I sent an instant message (IM) to our home base in Charleston, SC to let them know I was at work and the air traffic facility was open. They sent me an IM asking if there would be any flying today. I answered just the helicopters. She answered back “no Medevac” (medical evacuation), I responded, “Do you know something I don’t?” She never replied so I asked several people in surrounding work sites if they knew anything. Long story short (this time only) within an hour a rumor was circulating all over McMurdo about the accident and the need for a Medevac flight and everybody went into their emergency mode. After several hours an announcement was sent out from the “Mayor of Mac Town” that there would be no Medevac flight today so everyone could return to their normal duties. Turns out today I was the first kid in the first desk in class. Well at least it created a little excitement on what turned out to be a very routine day in a very extraordinary place.

Last night before I went to bed I turned on the TV and low and behold what is playing but “Eight Below”, the Hollywood version of a true story that happened here in Antarctica many years ago. I’d seen the movie before but I thought it was interesting that I was watching it here where many of the scenes were filmed. It’s a pretty good movie if you have some spare time someday.

I have also just finished two books. They are both fairly short but very interesting and insightful. One is “Sharing Good Times” by Jimmy Carter. In it he describes how he and his family spent and continue to spend vacations together. It is a very honest and engrossing account of this part of his family’s life. The other book is “700 Sundays” by Billy Crystal. This book is a poignant sharing of his relationship with his father who died of a heart attack when Billy was only fifteen. I know it sounds like a downer but it was really uplifting and reminded me to live everyday to its fullest.

As I was walking to work this morning I was just thinking about the beauty of this place. The sky is absolutely clear. The sun is still very low in the horizon and casts a beautiful glow on the Royal Society Mountains. The temperature is forecast to rise to +9F today and the wind is just wafting by. The only thing scheduled to fly today are the helicopters and I sure would like to be on one. I am also hoping for this kind of weather next Tuesday for Happy Camper School. I’m on the downside of this little cold and just thinking how great life is. I’ve been watching the news from back in the States and picturing myself back in Minnesota for the changing of the leaves and the season. Wherever you are I hope you have a great weekend.

For those new to the blog this year let me give you a couple of quick definitions. A Skua is a relative of the common sea gull. It is about twice the size and brown and very aggressive when it comes to attacking unsuspecting FNG’s (friendly new guys) for scraps of food from the galley.

When people leave the ice they normally leave many usable things behind. These things end up in the Skua Store. Kind of like a Goodwill Store except everything is free for the taking, first come, first served.

I tell you this because I mailed three boxes here from home with things I wanted to have here but wasn’t willing to carry on an airplane. I needed a pair of sweat pants for happy camper school on Tuesday and a needle and thread to sew up my laundry bag so away I went to the Skua Store. Of course it’s up the hill and into a stiff wind to get there so I bundled up in my ECW and headed off. I found the sweats and some thread (actually light yarn) but no needle. At bingo the night before, in the course of conversation, the movie Casablanca came up (don’t ask me how, it just did). A couple of us said we hadn’t seen the movie before but had always wanted to. Oddly enough as I was about to leave the Skua Store I found a VHS copy of the movie on the book rack. As my sister Barb would say, “SCORE”. I snagged it and went back to the room and watched it from start to finish. Good movie. I’ll pass it on to anyone else who is interested. (Did I just make a really short story long?)

At dinner I sat with a woman I met briefly last year who, at some time in her life, was involved with improv. We had some fun talking about that and she said she thought there were some other improv people here this year and that we should get together. Two other folks joined us who just arrived two days ago for their first trip to McMurdo. I gave them some “old timer” pointers on things to do. They took it all in and like most first timers they were smiling all the time and couldn’t wait for each new day of the adventure to unfold.

The weather yesterday was very snowy and windy with little visibility so there was no flying, not even the helicopters, so I was able to go back to my room for some rest. I’m still trying to shake this cold so I can go to happy camper school.

Check out the photo gallery on the blog today. I’ve posted some new pictures from this year. The top row of pictures from L-R is:
Winfly (first flight of New Year) passengers disembarking from C-17
First C-17 of the year landing
Dawn of the new spring looking at the Royal Society Mountains
View from the cockpit of the C-17’s bubble window of first flight passengers

Second Row and first two pictures of the third row are of the aurora australis (southern lights) as opposed to the aurora borealis (northern lights)

It’s snowing again today and very pretty. The nice thing about snowy days is that the wind usually does not blow as hard and even though it is still cold it doesn’t feel “as cold”.

Everyone is beginning to settle into a groove and each day more people arrive, some new faces and many friends from last year. Last night was the first night of bingo and we had great fun although I didn’t win a single game.

Yesterday I also met one of the helicopter pilots who’s from France. His name is Flo (for short). He just came here from Angola, Africa where he was flying to oil drilling sites. He is very handsome and has a great smile and personality. He stopped by our bingo table and we showed him how the game was played. Funny how you just assume everyone in the world knows how to play. I also met two women one who lives in Chicago, near Lincoln Park. A good friend of mine lives very near that. We had a great time talking about our favorite places and things in the Windy City. The other is a “beaker” (McMurdoese for scientist). She is here doing graduate work with Weddell Seals. As I’ve said before it is interesting meeting new people and discovering what brought them to this place.