A bit of randomness

Here's some pictures from the other day when it was Condition 2 in town. I have some video, but the internet is so slow down here I can't upload it, so you'll all have to wait till I get home to see it.



We call the trucks Red (whatever number) because for whatever reason, that is what airport crash trucks are called everywhere (or at least in the US). The military calls their crash trucks 'Blue' and then whatever number. Don't ask me why, cause I don't know. Red 1 is hard to get in and out of, but at least the tracks are wide enough to crawl up on. I just have to be careful swinging in and out of it. I get out the same way I get in...standing on the tracks. The Navy spec'd it out in 1991, so it's really not that old. I get to be a driver because they let me. For these, I don't have to take a class or anything, unlike the trucks in town. We do have spikey things we can strap on our boots. They help give you a little more grip on the ice, but it tends to make getting in and out of the trucks a little harder, because they slip on the metal and plastic runners on the smaller trucks. And we try not to wear them in town cause if you have to go into a building they'll rip up the floors a bit.

It's actually quite warm today. Right now it's up around 2 or 3F, and it's supposed to get up to about 10F or so, but the best part is that there is no wind. When there's no wind, it's actually quite pleasant, and a bit warm if you're standing in the sun.

I'm hoping to find out about Burger Bar soon. I finally returned the email, and told the guy in charge my schedule and stuff, so with luck, I'll be working there soon. It'll probably only be one night a week, if that, and it's only for about 2 or 3 hours a night, so the actually money isn't that great, but I hear the tips can be pretty good, and since you're only working with one other person, it's easy to split. Someone said they got $15 one night, and that was their cut, and it was during WinFly, which has a lot less people than we do now.

I am not at the South Pole. The geographic South Pole is about 850 miles or so from here, towards the middle of the continent of Antarctica. It's much colder there (today it is supposed to be about -50F there), and drier. Yes, in fact, there is an actual pole...it is a candy-striped pole with a big mirror-like ball on top. I hear there is a game where people strip naked and run around the pole, and they have the 300 club (usually in the winter, when it's much colder) where they wait till it is about -100F, and then you sit in a 200F sauna for as long as possible, then run outside and do a few laps around the Pole.

I'm told there are some good parties for the holidays. Halloween is the biggest party around here, and they usually have a good meal for Thanksgiving, though it is normally on the Sunday after, since that is most people's day off. Christmas I think there tends to be smaller parties, with the different departments doing stuff together. I know the fire department does a Secret Santa thing. On New Year's Day, they have a thing called IceStock, which is a big party outside and they set up a stage and all the different bands on station play, like Woodstock. I think that's pretty much the end of the parties, because people start going home after that.

Today is a pretty laid back day. I had a day off yesterday, and last night I went down to Scott Base again, just to get out of town. Then I came back and was pretty much a bum and stayed in my room watching movies. I slept pretty late today, but this afternoon one of the A-shift guys and I are going to take a walk down to Hut Point. I wanted to go up Ob Hill, but last weekend he was coming down from there and someone was above him and accidently kicked a rock down, and it hit him in the head. He didn't go to medical, but I'm pretty sure he had a concussion. So we're taking the easier route today. It'll be neat though, because there actually is a hut out on Hut Point, that the explorer Scott (I think) used as place to stay when he was trying to get to the South Pole, and it still has a seal carcass outside. The thing is over 100 years old, and still has almost all the skin. I'll take lots of pictures.

Tomorrow is the Halloween party, and I'm supposed to help set up for it. I still don't know what I'm going as, but I think a lot of people don't dress up, so I should be ok.