Wednesday, December 15, 2010

No News Is Good News?

Hmm, this is going to be a really boring post. I don't have anything to report. The season is coming along and has been pretty uneventful. Christmas and then the rush to the end of the season are coming up soon. The two winfly months make the season feel MUCH longer. I can't believe it is almost Christmas. It really doesn't feel like it; I guess I need to get my "It's a Wonderful Life" fix soon.

I'm a little worried about the Korean conflict and how it might affect my travel plans. Maybe it will turn out for the best, as I can't see many people wanting to travel to the area unless they are on business. Hopefully, flights and accomodation will be cheap.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Ob Tube

I made it to the Observation Tube last night. The Ob Tube is a large metal cylinder with plexiglass viewing ports on it that gets placed in a hole cut into the ice. It allows you to look at sealife under the ice/water. There were a lot of krill and some odd spherical swimming creatures in the water. It was a beautiful clear day, so quite a bit of light shone through the ice. The line was pretty long, so I didn't take any pictures. On the way back, there was a seal surfacing in one of the melt pools for air. I tried to grab a movie of it, but my camera just caught a big, blurry mess. It was a shame, as the seal was only about fifteen feet away from me.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Hut Ridge Loop

My Iceberg trip got cancelled, so I spent part of my Sunday out hiking. Man, I am so out of shape! I did manage to finish the hut ridge loop for the first time, though. Many people were out hiking because it was so warm on Sunday; it actually hit 30F! I dressed lightly, and I still sweated up a storm. If this weather persists, we will probably see a lot of wildlife again this season.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Tired

This season has been crazy busy. Thus far, I haven't really done any recreational activities. Tomorrow night, I am heading out to an iceberg trip. That should be good!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Balloon Launch

From Antarctica: 2010-2011 Winfly/Mainbody


I was walking from one building to another for a service call, and one of my co-workers noticed a balloon launch out on the ice transition. This one was from the Concordiasi project.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Boom!

Of course, my batteries run out on my camera when I get the chance to catch the blasters at work. They are blasting out the bollards (the anchors for the tie-downs for the boats) on the ice runway. I heard that the first couple were pretty spectacular. Anyways, one was scheduled for today, and I went out to go watch. The weather went con 2, so I couldn't see a whole lot, but I heard the boom and saw a puff of yellow stuff float up. It wasn't spectacular, but it was entertaining nonetheless.

Lack of Photos

Unfortunately, I haven't seen anything that I didn't see last season, so I have a dearth of pictures. Hopefully, I'll run into something new as the season progresses. The days are getting longer now, so I think my shot at Southern Lights has passed. If I want to see any, I think I'll need to winter, but I don't see that happening.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Wait. What?



Coldest day in MacTown, yet. My teeth hurt when I smile outside. I had to break out my Carhartt bibs.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Earthquakes

New Zealand is still seeing aftershocks from the big 7.5 earthquake earlier in the week. Thus far, there have been no casualties, and I pray that it stays that way. Our people in the CDC have reported that they are safe, which is very good news.

Privacy

This season is a totally different experience from last season. I actually have some semblance of privacy, and I know where I'm going. The crazy thing is that I will be the only returning Computer Tech when the Winter over leaves. That means that I'll be the one with the most on-Ice experience, and I've only had one other season. That said, IT work is the same the world over, so there aren't really any surprises. I'm feeling a lot less social this season, but that might just be the Winter overs rubbing off on me. I feel much more comfortable this season, but less excited about being here. I think I'm really looking forward to my travels in Japan and Korea.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Ready to Roll!

I did my snow school refresher and Dry Valleys training yesterday, so I am ready to go to a field camp if necessary. I'm excited, but I am not sure I'll luck out two seasons in a row. Who knows, though.... This is supposed to be the busiest season ever in terms of Science projects and grantees coming through. The NSF is also opening up new field camps around the continent and even close to base.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Argh!

I went out last night to stargaze and try to catch Auroras around Hut Point. The weather was supposed to be great for it. Anyhoo, I went out from about 8:15pm to 9pm, and I didn't see much. The starts were great, but background light from town kept me from getting a good look at anything. I gave up because I was getting cold. A group went out around 9-ish and came back with reports of amazing auroras. Grr! I'll have to keep my eye out and see if I can catch something. Next time, I'll need to bring a hot drink.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Con 2, but Warm

All day today has been condition 2 weather. High winds and low visibility have been the norm for today. It is really neat to walk around in blowing snow that prevents you from seeing more than a few feet in front of you. I can't say it is very smart, though... :P

Friday, August 20, 2010

Second First Day

I flew in on the C-17 yesterday, and I am back at my work center. I thought that six months of doing nothing would have dulled my brain a lot more, but I seem to be back in the swing of things. I have Sunday off, so the timing was convenient. I feel good about this season despite not knowing what I intend to get out of it. I do like the fact that I got here when it was still dark for part of the day. I will be taking some pictures, but not a lot. Winfly is really, really cold. With wind chill, the temperatures are -47F, which is about 157 degrees colder than my last locale.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Cheech

After many hours of travel, I made it into Christchurch yesterday. We got in late in the afternoon, so we had plenty of time to look around. Unfortunately, something on the plane didn't agree with me, so I had to spend the afternoon dealing with that. The weather here is a little cold and rainy. Despite all that, I find myself in a great mood and look forward to winfly (Winter Flights). Those flights are starting earlier this year, so the previous flights had to use night vision goggles. The pilots on my flight shouldn't need them, though.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

On the Road Again

Hmm. Somehow I thought packing would be a lot easier this time, but I can't seem to find a slightly larger duffle. I think I am going to make do with what I have and end up shipping some things to myself. I'm also unsure about what to do about my global ready-bag that I will use after the Ice. Japan and Korea will require much the same clothing that I'll be wearing on the Ice, and I'm not sure my funds or timing will allow me to stay too long in New Zealand, Sydney, or Hawaii this time. Hmmm.

Oh, I also found two small holes in the bottom of my duffle, and I just patched it with black duct tape. I know that it is really not classy or presentable, but I don't want to spend a stupid amount of money on a fancy duffle.

Friday, May 21, 2010

And One More Time!

I've gotten a couple of emails wondering what I was up to. I've been in and out of Houston for the past month or so. I don't really have anything interesting to account for since I left Hawaii. Being home and having privacy has been great. Of course, seeing my family again has been good. I've been madly trying to catch up with all of them since I've been back. Anyways, I have good reason to keep up this blog, as I've received an offer to return to McMurdo for the Winfly/Mainbody seasons. It's not South Pole or Winter, but I'll take what I can get. I should deploy again around August 21st. In the meantime, I need to rush to PQ and cram all the things I need to get done before I leave again. It does feel like I just got back, though...

Monday, March 15, 2010

Where's My...

If ever there was a bad time to forget my camera at home... Well, ok. I can always return here, so maybe not that bad. I made it out to Kekahaka Kai state park. The road in was unimproved, so I parked my car at the entrance and walked in. This was a good decision, as the view of the cooled lava flows was well worth it. Also, the transiitioon from lava field to beach was rather dramatic. The water on the Northwest part of the big island is crystal clear, so the view of the marine wildlife was perfect. I walked out to the second beach, and it was much nicer.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Grr!

I drove out to South Point today to try to get to Puu Mahana green sand beach. I couldn't find the way there and kept running into "keep out" signs. I'm going to have to do a little more research...

Friday, March 12, 2010

Hello Hawaii!

I actually made it back out to the art gallery and finished out the rest of the exhibits, which worked out well. I discovered that I like aboriginal art on bark.

I made it to the Big Island yesterday after 15+ hours of travel. There was this young boy screaming bloody murder on the flight from Sydney to Honolulu, so I didn't get much sleep. I was really loopy when I got here.

Today, I just got in my rental and drove. I was a bit nervous driving it yesterday, as I was really tired and hadn't been behind the wheel in four and a half months. I'm really comfortable with it now, but there are a ton of tourists on the road who:
1. Don't know where they are going
2. Use their high beams all the time
Did I mention that it is a convertible mustang. Nice!

Anyhoo, I didn't plan on it, but I ended up on Punalu'u Black Sand Beach . I drove on to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. I didn't plan on going to either, but they day was perfect!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Stick a Fork in Me

I'm done. Yesterday, I took a tour of the opera house and then moved on to the art gallery. Midway through one of the earlier exhibits, I just couldn't process anymore sightseeing, so I hopped a ferry to Paramatta and just wandered aimlessly for a bit before having dinner and going to bed. Today, I planned on staying in and uploading pictures all day, but they needed to replace my door. I went out to the botanical gardens again and sat for a while then walked out to Circular Quay again.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Toranga Zoo

The weather service was off again, so I made it out to the zoo. It is about the same size as the Houston Zoo. It was a pretty good time. I took tons of photos, but I think many are out of focus, as the animals seemed very active.

A funny thing... Taronga Zoo keeps leopard seals, and there were a ton of small children scurrying about. The leopard seal was bobbing up and down in the water keeping track of many of them. The kids laughed and asked what it was doing. I didn't want to mention that they were about the same size and coloring as an emperor penguin, seal, or full-grown adelie... That is the leopard seals main staple. Ok, it will eat krill if it has to.

Friday, March 5, 2010

All Things Work Out

Today was a beautiful and sunny day, so I went to both Manly and Bondi beaches. I like Manly Beach better.

Rainout

Yuck. The rain is here. I spent my morning riding around the harbor hoping that the cloudcover would clear. I stopped off at the Olympic Center that was constucted for the 2000 games. It is massive, and it seems to be mostly maintained.

If the rain continues into Monday as predicted, then I will be visiting the opera house and thee art gallery. After that, I'm not sure what to do. Hopefully the weather will clear sooner than expected.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Different Skillset

Today was my first full day in Sydney. I actually arrived around 5:30pm local time yesterday. To be honest, my last few months have been spent in wilderness mode, so a return to city-life was a rude awakening. The survival skills required here are a far cry from what I've been relying on. Sydney only has a population of four million (about the same as Houston), but the population density is much higher. It feels somewhere between Austin and New York City. Anyways, I spent my first night walking around so that I could adjust to the much higher traffic patterns.

Today, I bought a green travel pass, but I haven't actually used it yet. The weather is supposed to be stormy until Monday, which is a bummer. I want to try and make it out to Bondi Beach, but I'm not sure what the weather holds.

I should have tried to make it out today, as the weather turned out to be beautiful after a light rain this morning. Nevertheless, I had a good day. I started out to look form some info at the Vistor's Center at The Rocks. I had a light breakfast while waiting for it to open. I had a coffee and muffin, which cost me $7.50 AUD, which is about $8 US. Yes, eveything is ridiculously expensive here. Anywayss, the Visitor's Center was nowhere near as impressive as the iSite in Christchurch. The staff was very helpful, but you can tell that Sydney is a working city and does not rely on tourism as much. Oh, all the people walking around in office clothes also gives that impression as well.

Oh, back to my day... After the Visitor's Center, I wanted to head to the S.H. Ervin art gallery. It is very similar to the Menil in Houston. Before I found it, I ran into the Sydney Observatory. The view of Sydney from Observatory Hill is very edifying as well as beautiful. The observatory itself was very well-executed as a historical and educational exhibit. As a History of Science major, I was rather enthralled. As a quick aside, the next Transit of Venus occurs June 6, 2012. That is the event that sent Captain James Cook down to these parts. The information on navigation and cchroonometry is also very interesting. I may try to make a night tour if the weather clears.

From the observatory, I continued on to the Ervin. The current exhibit was of a local artist, Nicholas Harding. The exhibit was entitled "Drawn to paint". Like the Menil, the Ervin grants a very intimate experience with the artist's work. Unlike the Menil, the actual architecture of the building interfered with my interaction of some of the pieces. At times, I would be distracted by light slipping through a window opposite a piece and reflecting off the piece's glass frame. At other times, thee position of a column would prevent me from achieving an alternate viewing angle. Nevertheless, I really liked the exhibit and the venue. My favorite piece was "Robert Drewe (in the swell)" 2006.

From the Ervin, I dropped in to take a quick look at the Botanical Gardens and ended up staying much longer than expected.

This is a really long post, so I'll stop here. With continued poor weather, I plan on visiting the opera house and the Art Gallery. La Traviata shows tomorrow at the opera house. I would really like to attend, but I don't have anything to wear.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Meh.

I went to Aoraki, which is also what european settlers call Mount Cook. In terms of the historical and cultural significance to the Maori, I found it quite fascinating. However, as a natural phenomenon, I was a bit underwhelmed. Unfortunately, I have just come from Antarctica, so my expectations are ridiculously high. I think I'm also just a bit overwhelmed with new experiences, and I'm about ready to get home. I hate to say it, but I think I might have to soldier through Sydney. Hawaii will be awesome, though.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Too Much Sun

I looked at myself in the mirror today and resolved to stay indoors until nightfall. I'm a little stir-crazy even though I had a lot of practice doing nothing for the last four months. Anyhoo, I'm going out to Lake Ruataniwha after the sun sets so that I can stargaze. I booked passage to Mount Cook tomorrow, but the bus schedule only allows me to be there for exactly two hours. Hopefully, everything times out well.

Glacier-fed Lakes Are...

Blue. I tried to book accomodation at Lake Tekapo yesterday, but I couldn't find anything. I decided to pick the next stop along the intercity bus route, which is Twizel. Twizel is the closest city to Mount Cook. I want to book passage to Mount Cook, but my internet connection is not cooperating. It's just as well, as I need to give my feet a rest. I walked about 22km today on the Twiizel River Walk. I'm a little disappointed that such a short distance took me about five hours. Also, I found out that the Twizel River has a Didymo infection. This made the river an ugly green instead of the usual clear water. I stopped short of Lake Benmore, as I wanted to make sure I had enough daylight to make it back. I may walk out to Lake Pukaki tomorrow, but I will probably just head to the smaller Lake Ruataniwha. I have plenty of pictures, but no bandwidth. That should change when I get to The Big Island in two weeks.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Maybe Too Light

For next time, I need to remember to pack a bag for when I get off the ice. Christchurch hit 80 today, so I decided to get some shorts and t-shirts. I think I need to switch over to trail runners and flip-flops exclusively because my feet are sweating badly and my boots are suffering from it. Peeeyew! I'm ready for Sydney and Hawaii now. I hope it is warm when I get back into Htown.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Taylor's Mistake

I decided to head out to the beach today, but hanging out on the beach all day didn't really appeal all that much to me. I decided to head out to Sumner and do a walk out to Godley Head defense battery. That didn't pan out because the bus stopped short of where I needed to go. I ended up taking a track off of Evans Pass Road to Taylor's Mistake Beach. The beach was nice, and the Heritage Trail on the way back had some nice views.

On a nerdier note, I'm very happy with my Cradlepoint PHS300. It could have a better battery life, but that deficiency may have been from my four months without use on the Ice. Vodafone charges me by megabyte, so unless I make my way into free Internet, pictures will still have to wait.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Funky Supermarkets

I have visited the Pak ´N Save a couple of times, and I´m not sure what to make of it. I haven´t found anything like a grocery store here in Christchurch. There are either small convenience stores or the Pak ´N Save, which is like an HEB warehouse type of grocery. Kiwis seem to have a LOT less selection than what you would find in the States. Anyways, the point of this post was originally to say how addicted I have become to this Gnutlla knockoff made by Pam´s. I like the hazelnut twist, which is your standard gnutella, but it has something white and sweet mixed in with it. Anyhoo, it is guuuud.

I did laundry today, which was expensive, like everything else in Cheech. I´ve seen and done a lot of cool stuff, but I´m already looking forward to being home with my own stuff.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

So Out of Shape

Ok, so I think the Routeburn Track is definitely out of the question, as these day trips at Arthurs Pass have firmly established that I am out of shape. On the other hand, I'm having a blast here. I got in around 5:30pm last night, so I just went up Avalanche Peak as far as I could. Today, I did Devil's Punch Waterfall, Bridal Veil walk, and a good chunk if not all of Bealey Valley Track. I might have stopped short of the end of Bealey Valley, as it was pretty rainy all day, and I didn't want to stay out late in case I turned an ankle or something.

I have to pay per megabyte, so I am holding off picture uploads for a while.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Lyttelton and Aorakoa

I caught a ride with a couple of friends from MacTown out to Lyttelton and Aorakoa today. It's the first time I've made it out of Christchurch. I've spent most of the first week off of the Ice saying my goodbyes to friends that I hung out with while on the Ice. I'm ready to try and make it out to the Routeburn Track now.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Back in Cheech

I flew out of MacTown on the airbus, and I'm back in Christchurch now. I have had an amazing season, and I am going to do my best to enjoy myself. This is the first time since my childhood that I haven't had work or school in my life. It is definitely going to be weird.

I wasn't so overwhelmed by the smells, but darkness at night did surprise me.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Pradagonia/Patagucchi

I bought a lot of Patagonia underwear, which I found ridiculously expensive at the time. After being in the underwear for these four months, I have to say that I don't regret paying the extra money at all. It is light, resists odors, and stays dry. It has met or exceeded expectations. That said, my REI gear has held up equally as well, and I probably could have gone with some lesser known brand. I think that brand-name items just take some of the research time out of the equation, which helped with my short deployment notice. For the most part, everything that I brought with me has performed well. My $16 Walmart wranglers were my best buy. I beat the crap out of them.

The one disappointment in my gear bag was the Smartwool socks and glove liners that I bought. They say that they resist odors, but they smell awful when wet. The issue-gear socks that are Wigwam-branded, pure wool performed much better even though they were much bulkier. From my past experience with Wigwam, I think I'll stick to buying them after the Smartwools wear out. Oh, I'm also very happy with the Wigwam sock liners that I bought as well as my very excellent Montrail GoreTex boots that only cost me $86.

In terms of hats, my $10 watch cap from an army surplus store was very good. Well, it was good until the wind picked up. I had to break down and buy an Outdoor Research windstopper hat. It looks silly and makes me feel like I'm putting a shower cap on every time it goes over my head. However, it holds up exceptionally well in strong winds. The combination of watch cap for inside or combined with big red and the OR cap for windy days without big red covered pretty much every situation.

Finally, the standout value was my North Face Apex jacket. Yes, four or five people here had the exact same jacket, but it is great. I got last year's model on closeout for $65, and I've been wearing it a LOT. It is a very versatile jacket that keeps out very stiff winds.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Resupply!

I think I forgot to mention that the NAVCHAPS (the U.S. Navy CargoHandling and Port Group) arrived a few days ago. Basically, they are Navy guys that fly around the world loading and unloading cargo from large supply ships.

From Antarctica


Anyways, the reason they are here has arrived today. The Tern brings in all the stuff that is heavy and/or not time-sensitive. Much of our computer equipment arrives on vessels like the Tern. The containers on the deck are called milvans. They conform to specific military standards in terms of size and function/design. The Tern usually marks the ending of the season, and redeployment flights vamp up next week (I'm on one of them on Monday).

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Countdown to Redeployment

The Paul Buck, the fuel tanker, has left. The Tern, the resupply vessel, will come in around the 1st of February. My season is over in ten days and a wake up. My Hawaii plans are pretty much set, and I believe that will probably be the cheapest leg of my journey. Sydney seems very, very expensive. I'm trying to stay spontaneous for my New Zealand trip, but I'm probably going to be on hiking trails and huts for most of it. Hostels are a good way to save money, but I really am pretty tired of dorm-style living and no privacy.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

On the Paul Buck

From Antarctica

On Saturday, we installed a computer on the Paul Buck. I got to take a look around and snap some pictures. The Buck has a crew complement of around 36 people, and is operated by civillian contractors employed by the Navy.

I received my redeployment itinerary today, so I now have hard dates on when I will travel. I'm actually kind of anxious about it, as I step into the unknown again.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Now We're Cooking with Gas

From Antarctica

The Paul Buck made port today. Fuel offload operations should begin tomorrow. I think they said something like 328 gallons per minute flow through the hoses from the ship into the tanks on station. It is an awesome process that I can't quite get my head around. MacTown will always use diesel and gas, but hopefully, the wind generators will alleviate some of the load soon. Hilary Clinton's visit to New Zealand to christen the generators was diverted due to the Haiti quake, but I believe that they should be "officially" running soon.

Cato, Noooo!

From Antarctica


I got the jump on the Minke whales. Unfortunately, my weak photography skills really didn't document the encounter well. Someone mentioned that they were much larger than expected, but I didn't really have any preconceived notion about the whales. I haven't seen a whale outside of captivity before, so I was really excited to see them.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Much Less Shaggy

Oh, thanks goodness! I got a haircut today, so I am not all crazy mountain man looking now. I still have this crazy soup catcher on my face, but that will go just as soon as I get off continent, maybe even sooner. Went out again last night to try and catch the Minke's, but no go. I'm heading over to Scott Base tonight for American Night, so maybe they are lurking in the water over there.

Also, the Adele vagrants are back out by Hut Point. The Oden came in and scared away the whales, so I guess the penguins figured it was safe to come back out again.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Tricky Whales

People have been spotting Minke and Killer whales off the coast of MacTown, but they are never there when I go look. Sneaky ninja whales!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Mugging!

I saw a skua totally own someone for their sandwich today. To my shame, I had a brief moment of schadenfreude. I hadn't seen a skua attack before, and I find that they are really hysterical! There's always this one skua that hangs outside of the dorm, and he is bold. He stares at you and gives you the "I can take you" look. I don't see how people forget that he's there.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

The Coolest Thing!

On Monday, we were "picking daisies". It's an activity where everyone goes out around the station and picks up little bits of wire, plastic, and other things. Basically, we clean up the station. It's not half bad, as the weather was beautiful, and the scenery was compliant. The Oden has been back and forth around the Ross Sea breaking up ice. I need to go out today again and take a look. It docked for a quick re-fuel, but I missed it.

From Antarctica


Today, I did the coolest thing in my life up to this point. I rode a skidoo up to 1,400 feet on Mount Erebus. It was really relaxing getting to get out of town and pilot the skidoo. I rode as a passenger on the way there and drove on the way back. I didn't see much as visibility today was not very agreeable, but it was still a great trip. I am really grateful that I was able to do that, and I look forward to more cool stuff when I hit New Zealand, Australia, and Hawaii.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

More Penguins!

I went out on Sunday morning to go and check out the icebreaker, The Oden. On the way, I ran into some penguins off the shore of Hut Point. Everyone says they are adelie, but I couldn't see them closely enough to tell. Also, my camera still doesn't have enough lens to see that far away. I believe that the Oden should be in today or tomorrow. There was a call for linehandlers, but it sounded like heavy work that I wasn't well-suited for. I'd like to volunteer, but I don't want to end up in the drink or be unable to lift the ship's lines over the pylons that anchor it at dock.

The sea ice has melted near Hut Point, so the sound of the sea is here. I believe that all sorts of wildlife will show up in town. I hear that there are now penguin vagrants hanging around Pegasus. Tim, one of the guys from ATO, said there was a penguin sleeping on one of his pallets. He walked up to the pallet, and it looked up at him and squawked. It must have been something like, "don't bother me now, I'm sleeping!"

From Antarctica

Friday, January 8, 2010

Pulling Cable

Man, I'm so glad I'm down here! I could be freezing my butt off in Houston right now, where it is supposed to get down to 25F. Our days have only barely dipped below freezing for the last few weeks.

I volunteered to help Telco pull cable today and yesterday. It's been fun and interesting, as I haven't seen this type of work being done before.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Arrival Heights and Cos-Ray

From Antarctica


I took a tour of the Arrival Heights Science building and the Cos-Ray buildings last night. It was a very interesting tour. Arrival Heights is an ASMA that has no historical or biological features in it. It does contain a large number of physics, meteorology, geology, astronomy, etc. instruments that are collecting data for short and long-term experiments.

Cos-Ray is the Cosmic Ray building that houses the station's oldest running experiment. It's collecting data about Neutron particles with lead tubes. It actually has a bunch of sites not contained in the Cos-Ray building; I think a bunch of them are set up around Antarctica and the world. A similar project is the IceCUBE project, but I think that one involves burying glass tubes into the ice.

Anyways, very interesting stuff.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Icestock 2009-2010

I had a great weekend. Icestock is the music festival held at McMurdo during the Summer season. Freezing Man runs this weekend, but I think Icestock is a little bit cooler. Icestock was held this Saturday (1-2-2010), and the bands ran from noon until 1800 hours. I had a pretty good time, and the weather was very nice.

From Antarctica


In this picture, I can't figure out where that door leads to. It's a door that doesn't seem to exist on my floor of the building, yet it is visible from outside. Maybe it is in a jano's closet somewhere. It might also be where they are keeping the aliens.

Oh, BTW, I saw Whiteout yesterday. It was playing on one of the movie channels. It was pretty bad, and is not honest about anything here. That said, it isn't the worst movie that I've ever seen. I had the unfortunate displeasure of viewing that the other day; it's name was Camille. If you can avoid watching it in this life or the next, you would be doing yourself a HUGE favor.