Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Lots of changes going on around here lately. Not the least of which is the weather. It's been bloody COLD here the past week, and it looks like today won't even make it into the 20's. Currently the temp is about 12F, with a windchill of -4F. Pretty cold for February, even in Antarctica.

The layout of town has changed temporarily as well. With the off-loading of the vessel well underway as of yesterday, certain areas of town have been fenced off, to make it safer for all. One such area is the large bus stop area called Derelict Junction. Right now, the taxis and shuttles are picking people up on the medical side of the galley. Not a big deal. The issue comes from those of us who live on the other side of the galley, on the other side of Derelict Junction. This includes me. This means that instead of crossing Derelict Junction and then the street to get to the galley, I (and everyone else who lives in the uppercase dorms) have to walk down the row of dorms to the end, cross the street, and walk up to the galley through what feels like a cattle shoot. It's only for a week or so, but coupled with the extra cold weather, it's a big hassle.

I was at Station 2 last shift, and didn't have to go to Pegasus. On the way back from Pegasus, the crews saw a lone Emperor Penguin walking across the road. Pictures were taken, and I will snag them if I don't get to see an emperor for myself.

People are leaving at an alarming rate. I know several people who left last Friday, some who left Tuesday, and more who are leaving this Friday or Saturday. Once the vessel support people leave (NavChaps and the Kiwi cargo handlers), the station will be quite empty. The amusing thing will be to see how they work out the issue of over-booked flights north. Of the last 3 flights north (the 3 flights after the last of the Hercs leave), the 19th has about 20 spaces left, the 21st (my flight date) is maxed out, and the 23rd (the last flight date) is over-booked by about 70 people. It will be interesting to see who they bumped and how early they bump them to. There is also talk of an extra C-17 flight some time in there, but that hasn't been confirmed yet, as far as I know. There is also the mounting problem of the South Pole, as the temps there have fallen significantly, and the Hercs do have a minimum flying temp. If the temps at Pole stay as low as they have been, they might start shipping more people out of Pole faster, and sending the Hercs home earlier. Which would enable them to bump up more of the firefighter's flight dates.

My roommate comes back next Friday, supposedly. I think I might be at Pegasus that day. From what I hear, they fly all the Polies to Pegasus on the Hercs, and they get off the Hercs and get right on the C-17 for the flight north. I'm not sure how true that is, since there would be an issue of checked/palletized luggage and such. We'll see, since I'm likely to be at Pegasus at some point in time next week.

It's hard to believe that there is just under 2 weeks to go here. The 21st still seems so far away, but when I stop and think about it, I have 7 days of work left, not counting today, and 13 days left on the Ice, not counting the day I fly. Weird to think about.