So...Many....People

Before I start in on today's post, just a quick message to let you all know that the rest of the Polar Plunge pics (and video) will be up by later this afternoon. All are work-safe and mostly child-safe (some mild cursing may be present).

Now, then. Yesterday the NavCHAPS came in. As did the Kiwi Army cargo handlers. Combine this with field camps emptying out over the next 2 weeks, and you have the station at beyond max capacity. And evidently, they aren't generally fed, because they were reportedly lined up outside the galley at 4:45 pm, when the galley doesn't open till 5pm. At 5 minutes after 5pm last night, I walked into the galley, and it took all my self-control not to turn around and walk out again. The place was swarmed. I have never seen that many people in the galley at any given time EVER. And the seating area was nearly completely filled. I was lucky enough to grab a seat at an upper table with some other firefighters, but if I had been a few minutes later, I wouldn't have had a seat. If it hadn't been so cold outside, and my food wouldn't have been ice cold by the time I got there, I would have made myself a platter and gone straight back to my room to eat.

Now I know how the winter-overs feel at Win-fly, and how the Win-fly people feel at Mainbody. And it's not even all the people. I mean, the 1200 people that are normally here at max capacity isn't exactly a small amount. But they are people who at least look familiar. Even if you don't know the names, after 4 month you know most of the faces (some of them may be unfamiliar since they've been at field camps, but at least you saw them for a few days before they headed out). Now there are a bunch of people here who's faces are totally unfamiliar, and there are TONS of them. It's very disconcerting, and enough to give the majority of us here the willies. I know several people who took trays of food up to a friend's room upstairs from the galley, or to the closer dorms to eat rather than brave the hordes of people. And of course, with the hordes of people, you have an increase in sound. I didn't think it would bother me too much, but the increase of people noise in the galley is just as bad as the hordes of people.

So yeah. There are now way too many people here, and they are here for 2 weeks. After that, things will empty out quite a bit, since we will be starting to send people home. Not that I'd complain. Most of the people I've talked to have had a similar reaction to the sudden influx of people over the past day.

Yeah, I'd definately be one of those anti-social, hide-in-my-room-for-a-week winter-over people at the end of winter. Not sure if I'd come close to stabbing someone with fork for making me wait in line, but I definately would not be a happy camper.