The Prince of Monaco is coming to visit McMurdo

Hello All,

We wanted to make sure you were aware that H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco will be visiting McMurdo tonight through Friday morning as part of his month-long expedition to Antarctica. During his month-long visit to the continent, the Prince's itinerary includes meetings with climate change experts to get an overview of the latest research and he will also visit a range of scientific stations including South Pole, McMurdo, Concordia, Vostok, Novolazarevskaya, Davis, Princess Elisabeth, and Troll. An important objective of his expedition is to raise worldwide public awareness of the effect of global warming and other environmental changes in the polar regions.

As part of his McMurdo visit he will speak with Station personnel in the Dining Hall (Bldg 155) from 7:15-7:45 pm tomorrow, January 15th. The Prince has made environmental awareness a key goal of his principality and it is expected that this will be a focus of his briefing. This is an important event for the USAP and we are very glad that McMurdo and South Pole Stations are part of his agenda.

Space will be limited and seating will be on a first come, first served basis.

Hope to see you there!

Cheers,
Alex

*******************************************
Dr. Alexandra Isern
Antarctic Research Support
Division of Antarctic Infrastructure and Logistics
Office of Polar Programs (755)
National Science Foundation
4201 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22230
(703) 292-7581
aisern@nsf.gov
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Those darn Blasters!

DATE: Wednesday, December 10, 2008

TIME: 16:00

LOCATION: Water & Power Plant

Five minutes prior to the blasting event roads leading to Power and Water will be closed by Chapel of the Snows Building 7 and by the Puzzle Palace Building 144

PURPOSE OF BLASTING OPERATIONS:

Upgrade construction

COMMUNICATIONS:

Fire House Dispatch will be notified with the following on Channel Five.
* One Hour
*Thirty Minute
*15 Minute
*5 Minute Warning.

The 5-second countdown will be given by the Lead Explosives Handler on Channel One .
"An All Clear" will be given on Channel One and normal activity will resume.

Any questions or comments: Please call Tim Short, Lead Explosives Handler, Pager 422 or Todd Franson, Fleet Operations at 2355.

Thanks,

Timothy Short
Lead Blaster
Phone: 2355

Just so you can place me-- I am sitting in Hotel Cal, one of the dorms here, looking out the balcony doors at the Helicopter landing pad and the trans-Antarctic mountain range.

I'm starting to feel a little attached to this place. It took a little while, but this has definitely become more than a growing experience and crazy adventure. It's starting to feel like home : ) And that is most likely due to things like this:

-There is a weird obsession with Raisin Bran. I know this because an hour after anyone re-fills the Raisin Bran it is completely gone. I think people bring a lot of zip lock bags from home because I know they don't sell them in the store.
-There is a massive tea selection with hand written labels dominating the condiment station.
-There is homemade bread everyday. It is better than any bread I've ever tasted...and that has nothing to do with the fact that everything here is frozen and two years passed it's expiration date.
-The Jello and salads always have endearing, hilarious personalized names like; "Lou's Bomb.com Ambrosia Jello" or "Sexy Tex Mexy Chicken Salad." The other night I even had Beet / Pear / Carrot salad named after me: "Kira's Fave Beet Salad."
-During stretch breaks we are lectured on how we need to throw away all of the bread in the bread box if we find one slice with something that resembles mold, but we need to be better about using the expired Juice Boxes for the Flight Lunches.
-In the Pot Room there is a shelf labeled "Plastic Containrz."
-The Coffee House looks like a quaint well-lived and loved old cabin in Northern Minnesota.
-I am asked frequently by people I don't know to help them play pranks on their friends.
-A friends and I invented a game called "Galley Tally." Our intention was to have this game spread throughout the community and eventually become one more of those "things" McMurdians just do. We plan on this happening by word of mouth...and also by the DA's yelling "woo woo woo!!" every time someone scores a point.
The game is simple. It is based on honesty and requires relatively no skill. If you take a point where a point is not deserved because it was contrived in some way or another you should feel really bad about yourself. There are racks that hold cups and mugs. If you take the last cup or mug in a rack you get one point. If you complete a rack by putting the filling the last available space with a cup or mug in that rack you get one point. I have 10 points as of today. That's pretty good...I'd say I'm in second or third place.

I don't know what to write about it. It is difficult to explain what it so endearing about McMurdo. Even after listening to endless stories about this place from Kirk and Mari I still didn't understand it until I came. I can see why this life-style is so attractive to so many people. When I first got off that C17 I had no intention of returning to the ice. Now I'm in a constant limbo of deciding whether or not I should return for another season.

I've decided that McMurdo is a culmination of the movies Groundhog Day and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers combined. Like in Groundhog Day, everyday everything is esentially the same. The same variety of activites, people, food, schedule, weather... luckily there is so much to do that I can't do it all in one day so my days don't have to be identical. (The cool part is they could be!). It also looks like someone shipped the set and cast from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. There are almost 700 huge, strong, gruff, dirty and hungry mountain men. I have yet to see a man without a beard and carhart attire on this continent. As for the women, well, this is where my comparison becomes a little weak... Let's just say the women are just like the men. The interesting part is that the women are still being courted and pursued in the same way they are in the movie.

I think another reason why McMurdo is starting to feel homey is due to the increasing number of activities I do that have now become traditions.
Here are some of them:
-Sunday Scrabble Club. There are usually around 6-10 of us that play around 4:15...It officially starts at 4:00 but they patiently wait for Leslie and I to get off of work, run upstairs to our rooms so we can throw off our smurf uniforms and run across the way to 203 B lounge.
-Wednesday night "Fun Night" at 9:00pm. There are never any specific plans, you just have to show up and see what happens.
-Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I go yoga classes in the Chapel. This small little white and blue chapel and sits right at the edge of the hill so all you can see are those gorgeous mountains. Right next to the door there is a little old fashioned sign that says "Snow Chapel." Inside there is a stained glass window with a cross and a penguin. It's absolutely precious.
-I have two 30 minute breaks during my work day. During those breaks we play Yahtzee, Taboo, or Sequence depending on our mood. I always laugh hard. Like really hard.
-Every Sunday night I go to the science lecture with Leslie, Chris, Eli, and Cedar. We usually play cribbage while we're waiting for it to start, since we usually get there early enough to get "our" table, which is the best table of course. The science lectures have been incredible. The first was one from the producer of the show Planet Earth!!! That's when I decided I was going every week.
-Sunday brunch. Even though I work on Sundays and can't enough this special time, it still feels like Christmas Eve or Thanksgiving in the Galley. And I like that. Sunday brunch is one of those meals where people come with the intention of sitting for a long time and having really delicious extra special dishes and treats. It smells especially good in the kitchen, like cinnamon rolls and cheese from New Zealand. People have mimosas and good conversation. Maybe take some time to reflect on the night before. Sundays are the days I miss home the most.

I'm enjoying work a lot more these days too. I'm used to it and finally feel comfortable. I love all of the other DA's and we've become really close. The fact that we all endure the same pain creates a strong bond. I'm already planning the next time I'll see some of these people. But the thing that makes me really happy I'm in Antarctica are the small little adventures I have when I'm NOT working.
Some fun things I've done recently:
Skua Hunt.
Skua's are large seagull like birds whose only purpose it seems is to dive bomb people who are stealing food from the Galley and bringing it back to their room. Skua Central is a Goodwill like place where one can donate ANYTHING they want. In addition to the actual "store", there are Skua bins in every building. One day Leslie and I walked around to all of the Skua bins on Station. I'm guessing there's around 20. We found some crazy things: new clothes, a fake beard, soccer socks, Christmas decorations, neck warmer, and even a Fondue Pot! I think we took something in every bin.
Ice Caves.
One lazy Wednesday evening Leslie and I happened to be in the right place at the right time and were asked by "Rec Gene" if we wanted to go on the Ice Cave Boondoggle (there had been people standing in line for an hour waiting to get signed up for this trip earlier that evening). (Side Note: People here are often called by name AND position, like " James the Wastie", "Environmentalist Kevin", "DA Kira" these are actually real examples... ) So we of course said 'uhh, yes!', grabbed big red and our bunny boots and hopped in one of the Deltas with the other 10 people that got to go. These other people had played by the rules and had spent 2 hours that evening waiting in line down Highway (hallway) 1 to get signed up for this trip. We drove an hour to get to a recently discovered Ice Cave that will probably be gone 2 weeks from now. Ice Caves such as this one have been featured in National Geographic. They haven't found one here for 10 years, so I feel really lucky to have been able to go inside. It was one of the coolest things I've ever done. We were only allowed in there for 20 minutes, but that was enough to take 127 pictures and slide down the entrance hole a few times. : ) Leslie and I were trying to not act like inexperienced dorky DA's but our not stop oohs, aws, gasps, giggles, and grins completely gave us away.
Waste Barn.
On our day off Leslie and I followed a friend, Nick the Wastie, to his work Center to learn what happens within the world of Waste Management down here on the ice. It was incredible! Many were confused as to why we would choose this activity for our day OFF. I just think that if I'm here I want to know what is going on around me. It was really cool to see the facility and learn a little bit about how they sort the incredible amount of trash, what happens to it and where it goes. I learned how to properly package up huge cardboard boxes of waste, sort trash, and even got to jump in the sorting bins. Cool, huh!! The best part about being a Wastie is that among finding the occasional underwear with skid marks you find the Station love notes. I think it's almost worth it for the juicy gossip!

I think you've all had enough for one entry. Whew! I'll try and update it a little more frequently so I don't end up giving everyone headaches again. But I did want to say one more thing. Someone said recently that all the people without ties fall to the bottom, and end up in Antarctica. I've been thinking about that statement... trying to figure out what my loose ends are and how or if I'm going to get them tied.

Thanks to those of you who hung in there. : )

Love and miss everyone at home!

Just one example of the daily emails from Raytheon

Please find the attached safety alert that describes an incident that occurred at McMurdo Station. This alert describes a situation where an employee was removing a metal cover that was stuck in place. Additional effort was applied to the removal (brute force). When the cover slid free the additional force caused the cover to strike the employee in the head. This is a situation that everyone can learn from. Please utilize this safety alert to generate a conversation about how to avoid the use of brute force in your work center. In addition please discuss practical examples of how you can remain outside of the line of fire of hazards while conducting tasks.

Thanks,

Matt Barnes
Health and Safety Manager
Raytheon Polar Services
(720) 568-2450

Flight to Antarctica!

Lotion Story

My favorite part of my day are the two 15 minute stretch breaks. This is when all of the DAs, cook and bakers come into a semi-blocked off area of the dining hall, IN SILENCE, and start stretching. I don't know why I think it's so funny...but most of the time it takes me a few to get it together. There is something really hilarious about sharing a space in that way...especially when stretching turns to yoga and more intimate positions. Now that we know each other better we've been talking more. We make announcements, ask questions, get scolded, clear up rumors (McMurdo is known for it's Rumor Mill).

One day during stretching time I was asked by the Lead DA to "share what I learned today." And what he was referring to was a hazardous situation that occured earlier that day.

Here's what happened:

I was trying to put on lotion (because we wash our hands 27 times a day)...and I couldn't get the lotion to come out of the bottle. This particular bottle is located on the top shelf next to the hand washing sink. I kept pumping the top nozzle hoping it would come out. Naturally, I got on my tip toes and looked into the nozzle (still pumping it) to see if it was clogged. Apparently it wasn't because right as I did that lotion came squirting out into my eye. The Lead happened to be there and was ready to push my face down into the emergency eye wash. I was determined to let my eye sort it out for itself and forget it even happened. Luckily, it did work itself out because that would have been an embarrassing reason to use the emergency eye wash. So, when I was asked to share this story with everyone, while stretching of course, we as a group had to figure out a way to avoid the "almost hazardous situation". Which we determined would have been making it REQUIRED to wear safety glasses while putting on lotion. HAH! I am so thankful I did not use that emergency eye wash station.

Life as a DA

I can't believe it's been almost 2 weeks since I arrived. It feels like years.

I wake up at 5am for my shift. Right now I'm on the morning shift from 6am-4pm, but I'm sure that will change. I like being on the morning shift because I can participate in all of the community events (yoga, soccer, lectures, library, arts and crafts rooms, music rooms, workout classes, bouldering cave, etc). The pm shift gets off at 9pm so the only community activity still going at that point is Gallagher's..."the" bar. It hasn't been easy getting sleep here. When I go into my room it's always dark (I mean, really dark. There are no windows.) and when I leave my room it's so bright. I never spend any time in my room because my 3 roommates and I all have different work schedules, and therefore we all sleep at different times. It's funny that it doesn't really matter though, because it's always light outside.

I've really enjoyed being a dining attendant (DA) so far. I've already become very close with the people I work with and we definitely have fun during the day. When I get there in the morning there is a spreadsheet with your name and all of your tasks for the day. We write them down in our little green notebooks called "Green Brains". (I use mine to write down all of my thats what she saids : ) ) My schedule usually looks something like this:

Kira: 6-7 DISH 7-8 POTS break 8:30-9:30 C3 9:30-10:30 POTS 11-11:30 POTS

11:30-12:30 FLOOR 12:30-1:30 LINE break 2-3:30 POTS 3:30-4 LAUNDRY

I've noticed that when I have a good day at work it's because I've been assigned "DISH" more than once. Everyone loves DISH. If you're on dish then you get to do all the plates and silverware that the community uses (different from POTS which is scrubing all of the pots and pans the community uses). When people are done eating and drop off their trays, plates, untensils and what have you at the window they always talk to you, say thank you, ask you how your day is going, give you millions of compliments, even ask you on dates sometimes. So, as horrible as this job seems, it's incredibly rewarding when doing DISH. But seriously, I feel much appreciated all the time. Even though I realize I'm at the bottom of the food chain here no person ever treats me like I'm inferior. It really says something about the community, I think.

There are 62 people working in the Galley (the Dining Hall), 34 are DAs. It is CROWDED in there. We look like little blue smurfs with our light blue button up shirts and matching clogs running around all over the place—scrubbing, re-filling, re-stocking, sweeping, mopping, serving, carrying…it's absolutely hilarious. You can always tell when someone has finished his or her task because he or she is walking around aimlessly with a rag in hand trying to find something to wipe.

I learned quickly that the word I will hear most often in these next 5 months is "ergonomics". By using ergonomics we, as unskilled dishand pot scrapers, can increase productivity by using proper lifting and carrying techniques to minimize the amount of fatigue, discomfort and horrible pain one might feel during a ten hour shift. So basically, we look like robots with barbie hands when we are carrying, moving or touching anything. It's pretty funny and looks ridiculous, but we're committed to doing it because if we don't we'll most likely get fired.

There is something really wonderful about accomplishing a lot in a day without feeling like my brain is going to explode. It's not that I'm not using my brain, it's that it's free to think about whatever I want. I usually spend my time thinking about one of the following: the significance of my education, the election, places I want to travel to when I'm done, how lucky and privileged I am, and everything else...like games we can play while we're working and what I should write in my blog. I guess what I'm really trying to say is.... I'm really happy to be done with the portion of my life where I was writing papers for 5 hours a day.

My hands have gotten pretty dry. I've definitely lost a few layers of skin. But I've gained humility and patience.