Dinner, plunge, and more work
Hey there all,
I just wanted to drop in to say hello. it's been a while since i've written, but things have been just plugging along all regular-like here. i'm sure you all are in the midst summer fun. i remember getting emails from a friend last summer in July while they were wintering down here. and i remember thinking to myself how funny it was that i was in the warmth and sun and they were in the cold darkness. well, i think i know who's laughing now. ME... crazy maniacal laughter. well, maybe not really, but we'll see in a couple more months- because i feel it setting in. i am much more spacey than usual, my language skills are falling apart (conversation is frustrating when you forget easy words, or say "make a camera" instead of "take a picture"), and the other day, i knew something was definitely wrong with me when i forgot to unzip my pants when i went to the bathroom. i was a fraction of a second away from urinating in my trousers before realizing that i had forgotten to open my fly. the image is pretty funny in my head- a guy walks up to the toilet, just stands in front of it and begins to wet his pants- whoops! he missed a crucial step there that he learned as a toddler! i'm so glad i was not that guy- i almost was, though, and that's disturbing enough.
A little over a week ago, we celebrated mid-winter with a great dinner. it was fun to get dressed up and eat like it was thanksgiving (i.e., until all you could do was lay down on the reclining chair and sleep like uncle Laverne). the tables in the galley were covered with white table cloths, and the mood was just like a fancy banquet. however, people could not do without the blue cafeteria trays when we sat down to dine. it's a complex that has taken over our eating habits- the trays are liked for numerous reasons. for example- you take your plate, pile it up with food, and oh shucky-darn... you ran out of room before you got to the end of the line! hey, no problem, just plop those mashed potatoes on your tray there next to your glass of juice and you're all set. also, when you sit down to eat, you can eat however sloppy you want. it's hard just to eat the food here sometimes- you really have to pick through it, rearrange piles of food, and push things to the side that looked good but taste awful. by the time you're done with your meal, your tray can look like you had to eat your food without the use of your hands. so if you spill off the side of your plate, don't worry! it's just a blue tray! and especially on this night with table cloths as white as our arms, who would want to spill a drop on them? bring on the blue trays! very classy.
Another habit taking over our dining experiences is eating off each others' plates. i'm not talking about family-style "please pass the squash" kind of thing... oh no, this is like sitting at a table with 5 other Helen Keller impersonators, grabbing food off each other's plates and eating it. to explain better... so you sit down with your plate (and tray) of food, thinking you're all set. but hey, oh wait, what's that on Matt's plate? spicy chili krab salad? you didn't see that up there. you bet it tastes good. without asking, you take your fork and stab a piece of krab, wipe up a little sauce, and pop it in your mouth. mmm, not too bad, maybe you'll get some for yourself. does this phase Matt? not in the least. if anyone at the table were to do that with your food... well, what's the problem? this has become standard and accepted behavior at the table. we'll have to remedy this at Winfly when 300 new people from the outside show up.
I've attached four pictures of what i've mainly been doing these past few months... which is my job. it requires me to do computer work, inventory material outside and inside, pull and reserve that same material, and drive the Pickle to move/store cargo for the science groups. for a perfect description of what the Pickle is, please refer to my friend Phil Jacobsen's website.
he left in February, leaving me to carry on as the solitary Phil on station. he has some great stories, and i highly recommend reading through them. my favorite is the one on Sir Ed's visit.
this past weekend, Scott Base hosted the mid-winter polar plunge. i stripped down to nothing but my sneakers, wrote a message in marker on my butt, and jumped into the 28-degree water under the Antarctic moon (the real one, accompanied by my friends' own glowing white moons). afterwards, the Scottish party got underway (why Scottish? you ask... well, i guess they needed a reason to cook and serve the Haggis they had in their food stores). it was damn fine haggis- smelled like a sheep's butt- mmm, mmm.
lastly, a few weeks ago, i was taken up to help with a flagging trip out towards Black Island, the hub for all our connections to the outside world. it's a prime spot for line-of-sight to satellites. so it's good to have the road properly marked if a party had to go out and fix things. it was beautiful out there- the moon low on the horizon, auroras overhead, and not a drop of wind. i was only out for the day, but it was amazing to get out of town into the dark. on a later trip, where a group stayed at the camp on Black Island to do preventative maintenance and such, the leader was able to get some amazing photos of the auroras they saw that time, so i've attached a couple.
i hope all is well in your worlds. love,
Phil
PS- picture "plunge2" is R-rated!! but it's nothing my mom hasn't seen before...
I just wanted to drop in to say hello. it's been a while since i've written, but things have been just plugging along all regular-like here. i'm sure you all are in the midst summer fun. i remember getting emails from a friend last summer in July while they were wintering down here. and i remember thinking to myself how funny it was that i was in the warmth and sun and they were in the cold darkness. well, i think i know who's laughing now. ME... crazy maniacal laughter. well, maybe not really, but we'll see in a couple more months- because i feel it setting in. i am much more spacey than usual, my language skills are falling apart (conversation is frustrating when you forget easy words, or say "make a camera" instead of "take a picture"), and the other day, i knew something was definitely wrong with me when i forgot to unzip my pants when i went to the bathroom. i was a fraction of a second away from urinating in my trousers before realizing that i had forgotten to open my fly. the image is pretty funny in my head- a guy walks up to the toilet, just stands in front of it and begins to wet his pants- whoops! he missed a crucial step there that he learned as a toddler! i'm so glad i was not that guy- i almost was, though, and that's disturbing enough.
A little over a week ago, we celebrated mid-winter with a great dinner. it was fun to get dressed up and eat like it was thanksgiving (i.e., until all you could do was lay down on the reclining chair and sleep like uncle Laverne). the tables in the galley were covered with white table cloths, and the mood was just like a fancy banquet. however, people could not do without the blue cafeteria trays when we sat down to dine. it's a complex that has taken over our eating habits- the trays are liked for numerous reasons. for example- you take your plate, pile it up with food, and oh shucky-darn... you ran out of room before you got to the end of the line! hey, no problem, just plop those mashed potatoes on your tray there next to your glass of juice and you're all set. also, when you sit down to eat, you can eat however sloppy you want. it's hard just to eat the food here sometimes- you really have to pick through it, rearrange piles of food, and push things to the side that looked good but taste awful. by the time you're done with your meal, your tray can look like you had to eat your food without the use of your hands. so if you spill off the side of your plate, don't worry! it's just a blue tray! and especially on this night with table cloths as white as our arms, who would want to spill a drop on them? bring on the blue trays! very classy.
Another habit taking over our dining experiences is eating off each others' plates. i'm not talking about family-style "please pass the squash" kind of thing... oh no, this is like sitting at a table with 5 other Helen Keller impersonators, grabbing food off each other's plates and eating it. to explain better... so you sit down with your plate (and tray) of food, thinking you're all set. but hey, oh wait, what's that on Matt's plate? spicy chili krab salad? you didn't see that up there. you bet it tastes good. without asking, you take your fork and stab a piece of krab, wipe up a little sauce, and pop it in your mouth. mmm, not too bad, maybe you'll get some for yourself. does this phase Matt? not in the least. if anyone at the table were to do that with your food... well, what's the problem? this has become standard and accepted behavior at the table. we'll have to remedy this at Winfly when 300 new people from the outside show up.
I've attached four pictures of what i've mainly been doing these past few months... which is my job. it requires me to do computer work, inventory material outside and inside, pull and reserve that same material, and drive the Pickle to move/store cargo for the science groups. for a perfect description of what the Pickle is, please refer to my friend Phil Jacobsen's website.
he left in February, leaving me to carry on as the solitary Phil on station. he has some great stories, and i highly recommend reading through them. my favorite is the one on Sir Ed's visit.
this past weekend, Scott Base hosted the mid-winter polar plunge. i stripped down to nothing but my sneakers, wrote a message in marker on my butt, and jumped into the 28-degree water under the Antarctic moon (the real one, accompanied by my friends' own glowing white moons). afterwards, the Scottish party got underway (why Scottish? you ask... well, i guess they needed a reason to cook and serve the Haggis they had in their food stores). it was damn fine haggis- smelled like a sheep's butt- mmm, mmm.
lastly, a few weeks ago, i was taken up to help with a flagging trip out towards Black Island, the hub for all our connections to the outside world. it's a prime spot for line-of-sight to satellites. so it's good to have the road properly marked if a party had to go out and fix things. it was beautiful out there- the moon low on the horizon, auroras overhead, and not a drop of wind. i was only out for the day, but it was amazing to get out of town into the dark. on a later trip, where a group stayed at the camp on Black Island to do preventative maintenance and such, the leader was able to get some amazing photos of the auroras they saw that time, so i've attached a couple.
i hope all is well in your worlds. love,
Phil
PS- picture "plunge2" is R-rated!! but it's nothing my mom hasn't seen before...
posted by Phil on Ice at 10:46 AM
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