A couple shots of the drill arch
Infinity:
Camp
1/25/08
And on the 12th day...
...I was finally reunited with my underwear. WAIS divide turned out to be an exceptionally cool field camp filled with wonderful people. The ice-coring drill rig was super impressive, the food remarkable (just about the best piece of salmon I've ever eaten)...A nice break from the daily grind here. I feel very fortunate to have gotten to go.
Camp
Camp
1/12/08
Seven days, one underwear
Today looks like it'll be the day. Good weather here, good weather there. In other news:
Pimp my 5-ton:
A couple of the folks from the shop took a truck that looked like this:
And made it look like this:
Then they parked it at the MAAG (McMurdo alternative art gathering).
I thought this statement of taking the piss out of the rules was absolutely brilliant (maybe you have to be here)
Then there was my entry. It's "ant art" (look closely)
For me, this was the highlight of the show. A custom chopper mobile:
Pimp my 5-ton:
A couple of the folks from the shop took a truck that looked like this:
And made it look like this:
Then they parked it at the MAAG (McMurdo alternative art gathering).
I thought this statement of taking the piss out of the rules was absolutely brilliant (maybe you have to be here)
Then there was my entry. It's "ant art" (look closely)
For me, this was the highlight of the show. A custom chopper mobile:
1/10/08
WX CX
WX CX is some sort of shorthand for weather cancellation. I've been a victim of WX CX for five days now. Sunday I bag-dragged for my flight to WAIS...it's a process that everyone that flies via fixed wing aircraft goes through here in Antarctica. It involves packing ones clothing/gear whatever you will need for the trip and dropping it off with the cargo folks to be palletized and shipped to your destination. Now since I plan on being gone for two weeks I packed all of my underwear (about a weeks worth really) in my bags. Because I have been weather delayed since Sunday, I also have the same underwear as I did then.
Day one of WX CX transport was supposed to be at 09:00 so I slept in and didn't bother going to work. The flight was canceled by 08:00 so I sauntered on into work. My work clothes, etc were packed of course so I had to make due with what I had.
Day two transport was at 09:00, then moved to 15:30 and eventually canceled.
Day three the weather got wicked bad in McMurdo (previous weather problems were at destination). We had a full on storm with high winds and copious (for here) amounts of snow. Flight times were listed as "TBD" and eventually canceled.
However, this wasn't all bad as this was the day that the psych eval team was here so I was able to get that done for winter. It was rather ordealish. I may write about it later but to get a glimpse of what it's all about check out big dead place. You can do a text search on that page (try ctrl-f with most browsers) for "winter psyche eval" It's hilarious. Anyhow, I emerged with less than a warm fuzzy feeling about getting the 'nod' to winter over. It appears that I'm a wee bit outside the lines of what voodoo science sees as "normal".
Day four: All flights canceled. Laundry where I proudly used a full size washer to wash a pair of socks and a pair of underwear.
Day five: Transport at 17:30, eventually changed to "TBD" then "indefinite weather delay" then finally WX CX which is where I am now with time to post.
A little bit about WAIS - in a nutshell it is a deep ice core project. Samples are being taken to collect data on environmental change over the last ~100,000 years. You can read more about it here.
Day one of WX CX transport was supposed to be at 09:00 so I slept in and didn't bother going to work. The flight was canceled by 08:00 so I sauntered on into work. My work clothes, etc were packed of course so I had to make due with what I had.
Day two transport was at 09:00, then moved to 15:30 and eventually canceled.
Day three the weather got wicked bad in McMurdo (previous weather problems were at destination). We had a full on storm with high winds and copious (for here) amounts of snow. Flight times were listed as "TBD" and eventually canceled.
However, this wasn't all bad as this was the day that the psych eval team was here so I was able to get that done for winter. It was rather ordealish. I may write about it later but to get a glimpse of what it's all about check out big dead place. You can do a text search on that page (try ctrl-f with most browsers) for "winter psyche eval" It's hilarious. Anyhow, I emerged with less than a warm fuzzy feeling about getting the 'nod' to winter over. It appears that I'm a wee bit outside the lines of what voodoo science sees as "normal".
Day four: All flights canceled. Laundry where I proudly used a full size washer to wash a pair of socks and a pair of underwear.
Day five: Transport at 17:30, eventually changed to "TBD" then "indefinite weather delay" then finally WX CX which is where I am now with time to post.
A little bit about WAIS - in a nutshell it is a deep ice core project. Samples are being taken to collect data on environmental change over the last ~100,000 years. You can read more about it here.
1/5/08
What I've been up to:
So...an update on where I am, what I've been doing and where I'm going.
There hasn't been much activity on here since September; partly because I've been extremely busy. Work has been very hectic and I've managed to fill my free time up with things other than writing/blogging/surfing. I have weekly Spanish group, sports leagues, a Wednesday night radio show with Marsha (we DJ a show called uncommon ground which revolves around our distaste for each others musical interests), going to travelogues, hosting a travelogue, teaching juggling and practicing juggling. Also, it seems like less of an adventure being here this time. Nothing is new, fresh and exciting so I don't feel compelled to write about it. That is about to change, however. On Monday, I am scheduled to go to WAIS. WAIS stands for West Antarctic Ice Sheet, it's a deep field camp and I will be there for two weeks (give or take) filling in for the camp mechanic who is currently gone. Very soon after that I will be off to Pole for the winter (provided I pass the psych eval and don't bail out at the last minute). I'm actually getting very excited about being there for the winter.
The Russia gig is starting to lose its appeal. The process for getting a security clearance has become arduous and that is compounded by my being in Antarctica. One step of the process is submitting a set of fingerprints and there is no fingerprint ink or law enforcement here and I'm running out of time. If I don't manage to get it done in the next few weeks, then mail will stop moving until I leave in November. Also, much of the contact information that I have provided in the questionnaire for people who can verify my employment and residence here will have changed so I will have to fill the questionnaire out again. Anyhow, I am starting to think of alternate plans if I don't get my security clearance done. Taking a year off to chase snow and surf is very high on that list.
I haven't taken many pictures this year, but if you want to see some good ice pics check out Aeon Jones on Flickr.
That's about it for now. Maybe I will be inspired by something at WAIS or Pole to write about.
There hasn't been much activity on here since September; partly because I've been extremely busy. Work has been very hectic and I've managed to fill my free time up with things other than writing/blogging/surfing. I have weekly Spanish group, sports leagues, a Wednesday night radio show with Marsha (we DJ a show called uncommon ground which revolves around our distaste for each others musical interests), going to travelogues, hosting a travelogue, teaching juggling and practicing juggling. Also, it seems like less of an adventure being here this time. Nothing is new, fresh and exciting so I don't feel compelled to write about it. That is about to change, however. On Monday, I am scheduled to go to WAIS. WAIS stands for West Antarctic Ice Sheet, it's a deep field camp and I will be there for two weeks (give or take) filling in for the camp mechanic who is currently gone. Very soon after that I will be off to Pole for the winter (provided I pass the psych eval and don't bail out at the last minute). I'm actually getting very excited about being there for the winter.
The Russia gig is starting to lose its appeal. The process for getting a security clearance has become arduous and that is compounded by my being in Antarctica. One step of the process is submitting a set of fingerprints and there is no fingerprint ink or law enforcement here and I'm running out of time. If I don't manage to get it done in the next few weeks, then mail will stop moving until I leave in November. Also, much of the contact information that I have provided in the questionnaire for people who can verify my employment and residence here will have changed so I will have to fill the questionnaire out again. Anyhow, I am starting to think of alternate plans if I don't get my security clearance done. Taking a year off to chase snow and surf is very high on that list.
I haven't taken many pictures this year, but if you want to see some good ice pics check out Aeon Jones on Flickr.
That's about it for now. Maybe I will be inspired by something at WAIS or Pole to write about.
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