Still pluggin' away

Well, my voice is holding out after even more days of solid talking about how to do this job.  There has yet to be any emergency response turnover, which is a bit disconcerting, but I guess the priority is just to get winterovers turned over and out of here (and off the payroll).  Flights have been pretty sparse the last few days, but we’ve got a Herc scheduled to arrive at midnight tonight.  We’ll see… 

No plans yet, but I got a gift certificate for HanmerSprings last night at the winterover medal ceremony.  I also got my third lapel pin and the third winter silver bar device for the Antarctic Service Medal.  It was a pretty succinct affair, and roughly 25% of folks on the crew didn’t show up.  Three folks had already departed the station.

"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."

~John Wooden

Puff pastry all day long

Yup, it's turnover time here at Pole.  We have not done a bit of emergency response turnover, but I have had a couple solid days of running through my science position with my new supervisor and the replacement technician.  I'm not scheduled to leave here on Nov. 3 (weather providing).  I have yet to package my boxes, since the post office has not been made available to process that for folks on my scheduled flight.  I still need to have my travel sorted out as well, but some of that is my fault as I haven't committed to a date to depart Chch yet.  All in all, it hasn't been that weird having new folks show up here.  I guess I knew what to expect.  Things feel a lot different with the station and program right now, and it will be interesting to see how the coming seasons go for folks still here/in the mix.

“We have no future because our present is too volatile. We have only risk management. The spinning of the given moment's scenarios. Pattern recognition.”
~William Gibson, Pattern Recognition

Beginning of the End (Take 3)

At last a skier (LC-130 aircraft) finally arrived at Pole with 29 passengers.  How would you feel if your community experienced an instantaneous 58% population increase?  None of the winter crew went out on this flight, and will have to wait until the next one…whenever that is (likely Tuesday). 

The conditions are supposed to deteriorate into a pretty nice storm for a few days, so who knows when exactly the weather gods will smile upon us again.  All we can do is ritually sacrifice a few FNGs and hope for the best.  Regardless, the pool of faces and voices will now be diluted from the pond of winter, and there will be plenty to do to get turnover completed and maybe actually start to figure out how much vacation-type travel will get done (if any) on the way home before I find myself in Christchurch.  This year certainly has been different than the others previous...

“Thick as autumnal leaves, or driving sand,

The moving squadrons blacken all the strand.”

~Homer, The Iliad 

MUAAHAAHAAHAA!!!

Yup, it's the season to strain the equanimity of some of our more fragile denizens of South Pole.  All flights are now cancelled for today and that first Herc has already been cancelled for Pole tomorrow.  Flexibility and resilience of mind are certainly required to avoid losing "it" at the end of a (summer-) winter here.  I usually find it a pretty entertaining part of the season for just that reason.  Stay tuned!

"Too much sanity may be madness and the maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be."
~Miguel de Cervantes

Maybe visitors tomorrow

Late-breaking word is the first Herc is to arrive tomorrow with (as I write this) 29 passengers.  I don't believe anybody is currently going to go out on that flight.  But, there is still time to win a ticket on the annual Plane of Shame!  Whether they actually arrive tomorrow will remain TBD, for me at least, until they're on the ground.

Cleaning house

That plane did arrive and take back off for McMurdo the other day (photo below).  In the time since then we have had a Twin Otter crew arrive, spend one night, and then take off for McMurdo.  We also have had a Basler here the last couple days that is waiting for weather to clear at the Davis Australian station before it heads there, with a planned departure early this afternoon.  If things go as planned, we will have another Basler/Twin Otter arrive here from Rothera today.  Weather is supposed to deteriorate at Pole for late today and the next several days, with higher winds/lower visibility, so it is uncertain whether station opening with the first LC-130 flight from McMurdo will happen on time.  No sweat on this end of things; it happens when it happens.

Cleaning has been eating up a lot of time the last several days.  Monday was the big station-wide MEGAMOUSE cleaning, though some cleaning had been going on the week previous.  I have been working on a lot of straightening up in the science lab, and finally spent some time cleaning my berthing room last night.  I currently do not have to change rooms to make space for an incoming summer person, which is different than years previous, but I wanted to have only touch-up cleaning to do since I will have to wait until the last minute with packing since I will need some of my stuff right up until the post office opens for winterover outgoing package mail.  I prefer to carry as little with me on the (however circuitous) long road home.  Some of the cleaning of public spaces always has to be done right before folks arrive, since those areas easily look dirty with minimal traffic.

I'm still hanging in there on the whole "what's next" on the travel and career (including astronaut candidate selection) fronts.  Patience is definitely a virtuous skill I've been forced to hone doing this sort of deployment, and I think it is probably a good skill to have with how uncertain life is in general so much of the time.  I'm not really beset by any uncontrollable cravings for food, as usual, but there are definitely some movies I'd like to see from the past year (dollar theater, here I come) and yet to open.  It will be interesting to see what seems remarkable or different in the world once I return yet again.  The

“Finally, there is this to be said for seasonal work of any kind.  Whenever the hours tend to drag, the customers become tiresome, you have that most wonderful event of all to look forward to and comfort yourself with: termination day.  End of the season.  Out of work again at last and free to starve or thrive, as you make it, in your own style."

~Edward Abbey, Cactus Country

Up in the air

With short notice I got pulled into Comms here at Pole to support flight communications early this morning.  A Kiwi Herc and C-17 intended to go to McMurdo were both delayed due to weather.  But, there is currently a Basler on its way here from Rothera Station on the peninsula.  By the time I'd left we had yet to establish radio contact with the aircraft.  There was also supposed to be a Twin Otter arriving today here at Pole, but it has delayed departure for at least a day due to weather concerns.  Things a starting to look a lot like summer will be here shortly.  I'm definitely ready to get new people here, do turnover, and leave.  Greater adventures await elsewhere.

“Inveniam viam aut faciam” / “I shall find a way or make one.”
~Seneca