Nowhere To Go But Up

For reasons of conserving energy and for convenience, we have to store all of our alcohol inside the station. Today we brought all of our booze from the outlying buildings where they have resided since arriving. It may seem like a trivial thing, but nothing is ever straightforward at the south pole. We don't have a ramp leading into the station anymore so we can't bring pallets inside the station directly since we live on stilts. We don't have an elevator that opens to the outside. We have a hoist that only goes to the second floor, but we needed to store the baja (as alcohol is known locally by some) on the first floor. Therefore, our only choice is to drop the pallets of spirits outside and form a human chain up to the first floor of the station where it will be stored....and that's exactly what we did today. The trick is to get all of the alcohol in before it freezes outside. It's not that big of a trick with hard liquor, since it freezes at a pretty low temperature (we were around -70F/-60C today), but the beer and wine freezes fairly fast. It took the efforts of most of the station, the duration of most of the morning, and a few wounded soldiers (booze that froze or broke) but we got it all in today. At least, we got in all we're going to need to make it through the winter.

I had a nice little chat with myself this weekend, which is one of the benefits of time off down here. I was trying to figure out the "why am I here?", "what's the point of all of this?", and "why do I answer in a different voice than I ask the question?" type questions. While I was off I went to places that I have never been and was able to fit in right away. I also went back to where I used to belong and found myself right back into a grove. Everywhere I went, everything was good. So Why Come Back Here???? It's easy to say that it's a job and I work for money, but I could do that anywhere. There is a theory abound here that everyone comes to the south pole to escape something and that may have been true my first time down, but I've healed from all that. I actually like being here at some level, but I don't love it here. This place lacks the fundamental freedom to "go" that I would need to really be happy here. Maybe I came back for the free room, food, and internet (I think they call it being "institutionalized") After mulling everything over, I decided that whatever brought me back here there's nothing at all that I can do about it now. So, I'll quit wasting time on the subject and get on to more important philosophical questions such as, "how do I get black lint in my belly button when I'm wearing a light-colored shirt?"

An off-shoot of my self-talk this weekend was that I realize that one of the true benefits of being at the south pole is the people (it's certainly not the flora & fauna). Last year I worked with a good group of people and I was the youngest science support guy by about twenty years. This year I still work with a good group of people and I'm the oldest by about 9 months. A year at the south pole will do that to you. These guys just don't know it yet.

Hi-5! Oh yeah. Do I really need a reason?

It turns out that we have some new beer at the south pole. Red Hook, Sierra Nevada, and Bass are all available this winter, in addition to last year's Kiwi beer selection, Corona, and Guinness. Supposedly the selection will get better as the season progresses, though I can't imagine beer getting better flavor as the season goes on, so why not give it to us now? Also, to compliment Jameson we now have Bushmills. It appears that we have the same brands of Scotch as last year.

Otherwise it's business as usual at PoleMart, where I am again manning the register on Saturday nights with movie master Noah. Swing by after dinner for a movie rental, some yummy snacks, and a tasty beverage. Here's what the Saturday night crew looked like on the way to the ice:
I guess I should try to get a more current photo on here, that beard is so early fall. Maybe I'll do some action photos of us in the store.

Last night we said goodbye to the dodgy bar in epic style, earlier today was the last flight out of here, and tonight we watched both versions of The Thing (hey, it's tradtion). The final winter-over station population is 54. We'll see y'all in 8 months.

I was thinking about starting the winter with the clean-shaven look. After Michael did this to himself (the haircut), I almost decided not to cut my beard off.


He sort of stole my thunder by chopping off his beard AND his hair. Six years in the making and he went and just had it all cut off. I was really in the mood to shave though, so I decided to go ahead and whack off my facial hair. About half way through, I stopped to see how the trimming was progressing. I actually liked how it looked, so I stopped mid-cut. Don't let the hat, the hat from the American-rules football world champion Indianapolis Colts, fool you. I actually have all of my hair still. But now, I'm ready to live the simple life of the Amish.


Any good 'After' picture needs a 'Before'.....

Ekki put me on the hook for this last year, and I'm finally getting around to doing it.

According to the rules…
Each player of this game lists “6 weird things about you”. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says “you are tagged” in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

1) I am OCD, but only about certain things. If I need to push a door open in a public place, I will reach up really high to push the part where I don't think most people are pushing. I draw imaginary pictures of houses on TV screens with my toes while I'm watching. I intentionally step on cracks and lines on the ground, because when I was a kid those seemed like high wires and would keep me from falling. Yeah. BUT, I don't keep my living or working space tidy, I don't follow routines each day, and I never write anything down. I play with my own fingers all the time. I have dry spots all over my hands from digging my own finger nails into my flesh. It's not so bad now, just because I realize it's screwing up my hands and I'm trying to stop.

2) I live most of my life within a quarter mile of the geographic south pole of the planet earth. This winter, only 55 other people will be able to say that, down from 64 last year. I go weeks without seeing darkness, then months without seeing the sun. I look like Golem from LOTR around November timeframe.

3) My body hair grows asymetrically. The left side never matches the right.

4) I can't really whistle. I can make a really high-pitched, single-noted, non-whistlelike sound by blowing air through my lips, but it only serves to make dogs cock their heads everywhere in a three mile radius.

5) I still have all of my wisdom teeth. They just came in without me noticing at some point between the ages of 12 and 24, when I didn't see a dentist for a dozen years. It's probably a good thing I didn't see a dentist, because he/she would have likely wanted to yank them. My teeth are actually straighter now than they were when I was a kid, so the wisdom teeth probably aligned things for me.

6) I went to school non-stop between the ages of 4 and 29. That's a quarter of a century of education and I have only a bachelor's degree to show for it. I should be a professor, medical doctor, or high school principle with all of the school I have attended.

OK, the rules say that I'm supposed to tag 6 people now. I hereby tag the first 6 people who read this, haven't done it yet, and chose to do it now.

I got this from Ann. It's not 100% on the money, but it's close enough on a couple of points that I thought I would throw it on my blog. It's no secret that I like to eat. One of the things I like best about being at the south pole is the grub...unlimited, free, yummy food that I don't have to prepare myself. . .

Your Candy Heart Says "First Kiss"

You're a true romantic who brings an innocent hope to each new relationship. You see the good in every person you date, and you relish each step of falling in love. Your ideal Valentine's Day date: a romantic dinner your sweetie cooks for you Your flirting style: friendly and sweet What turns you off: cynics who don't believe in romance Why you're hot: you always keep the romance alive

Nope, this isn't going to be a football highlight posting. I have decided to set some goals for myself this season. I have a couple of professional goals, but since I'm doing the same job as last year the professional goals basically amount to doing a better job than I did last season....not making the same mistakes twice. Really my goals are personal goals and I figure that if I post them for all to see, then I'll be slightly more accountable for meeting my goals than if I just keep them in my head or tell somebody about them. I suppose this is like making new year's resolutions, but really down here if you don't have a path or plan, then it's easy to fall into a rut. So, without further poo poo, here's my list in order that I think of them:

A) Learn Russian. I brought down a CD that will help me learn pronounciation and to listen in Russian. I also have a book that will help with the reading and writing. I want to visit Russia next year and not depend on everyone speaking English to me like I did while in Europe. I don't expect to master the language on my own in one year, but if I can at least make basic conversation then I'll be happy.

B) Drink less. As last season went on, drinking seemed like a better and better idea. I want to avoid drinking on a random weeknight. I'll save boozing for celebrations and not just to pass the time.

C) Eat healthier. My blood pressure and cholesterol levels were a mess after last season. I ate lots of meats and desserts. This year I'm eating salad every time it is served, limiting myself to one dessert per day (last year I averaged about three), and drinking water or tea instead of the sugary juice that is served.

D) Read more. I quit reading last year around August. I want to average a book every two weeks, which is smokin' for me. I'm a slow reader normally. I brought 7 books with me, plus there is the library. I want to alternate between fiction and non-fiction. Every book I finish I will give to somebody else, unless it is total crap.

E) Work out all season. I gave up on the gym several times during the season and I gave up for good by the beginning of September. I want to be able to run 10 miles by the time I leave here. that shouldn't be too hard of a goal to meet since I used to run that everyday and then some. With the altitude and the fact that I have to run on a treadmill, I'll stick with a conservative number. In addition to running though, I just want to get my body back to being firmer like before last winter here at pole.

F) Leave here with a one-year plan. I have nine months to figure out what I'm doing next. Last season I commited to coming back here early in the season, I just didn't tell many people. This year I won't know what's going to come down the pipe so early on. Whether I decide to jump into another job right away or travel for a year (I'm leaning that way now) or join the peace corp or just sit and collect unemployment while I drink beer with my friends back home, I at least want to say that I'm doing it because it's what I want to be doing rather than because I'm waiting for something external to come along and jolt me into action.

G) Watch as many movies as possible. This probably seems like a no-brainer at the pole, but I actually didn't watch too many movies last year. I love film and I want to get my hands on flicks that I haven't seen before. Whether it's in a lounge with my friends, in the galley with the whole station, or in my room alone, I want to watch loads of movies.

H) Donate my hair to charity. I've been ready for a haircut for a few months now, but I figure at this point I might as well have something to show for having my hair so long. When my hair reaches 10 inches in length, I'm likely donating it here. Until then, I will continue to deal with my shagginess.

I) Floss more. 'nuff said.

Um, I think that's it...

Here is a picture of the science support group at the south pole. Pictured standing from left to right is Cryo Nick, Rev Al, and Glenn, my summer replacement. Crouching is Paul. Lounging is CUSP Jason & Aurora Neal. Glenn did a great job filling in for me over the summer and just left yesterday. Jason & Nicolas will winter with me. Paul and Al are the boss-type people who will go home to Denver in a few days. Check out the shadows, they're already getting long which means we're getting close to sunset already. I actually picked that photo because it's the only one in which my eyes were open due to the sun being in our faces.

Now for the science guys in action. When the boss says jump, we just have to say how high. Obviously, I jumped way early here.


Pictures courtesy of SafetyNet.

I'm back at pole after a long trip down. Again. Weird, eh? Since I left Europe I have flown from Indianapolis to Denver to Los Angeles to Sydney to Christchurch to McMurdo to the South Pole. Along the way I have hiked, snowboarded, reconnected with old friends, made a few new friends, watched 5 movies, watched my team win the Super Bowl (oh yeah, baby), watched the sun come up in a vast garden, stared out the window while flying over the 7th continent, eaten out too many times to count, eaten out of a bag twice, eaten out of a can once, pet every dog (including my own) like it's the last time I'll pet a dog for nine months (because it was), made four cats purr, marveled at how much has changed during a year, marveled more at what was still the same, spent money as if it were growing on trees, and failed miserably at finding the right excuse to not come back to pole. Here's a more visual rendition of my journey.

But only if you click here.

And for those of you who still haven't figured out what calendar to use for '07, go to Greg's front porch. He's the only one who seems to have the whole thing put together.