30 November 2008 A Day of Work

It is Sunday and we are all working to try and make up for the time we lost due to the bad weather. I actually enjoyed the snow and wind but that might be because I grew up in Tennessee and snow falling was a special occasion. However, it can look pretty scary at times. The weather today is really nice. The sun is up in the sky, the wind is mild, and not a snowflake in sight.

We all met at 7:30am for our regular team meeting. The primary objective today was to try and get SCINI 2 in working condition. Bob, Francois, and Scott each worked on trying to get SCINI 2 able to conduct research. Stacy and I had lots of work to be done on the computer. The morning was fairly quiet in the lab with everyone focused on completing their tasks.

I took a small break to participate in a discussion group. I met a young woman from England by the name of Anna Barford. She is going to be the cook for the project going to Mount Erebus. That's the one that John Wood, another PolarTREC teacher, is a member of. Anna is actually working on her doctorate and is conducting discussion groups with teachers from different countries. Our group was small, consisting of Anna, me, and Shakira Brown-Petit. Shakira is the teacher from New York who is working with the Andrill Project. The discussion was about our views on equality in the world. It was quite interesting and Anna showed us some maps about poverty levels in the world that really made you stop and think. You can see these maps by going to www.worldmapper.org and you can even print off copies. It is interesting to realize how many things are results of inequality. I was a little sad by the end of the conversation but I also was a little hopeful. Any time people take the time to discuss an issue there is an opportunity to also try to develop ways to help improve that situation.

After another delicious brunch, I went back to my good friend, the computer.

Lately, I have felt like my fingers were attached to the keys on the laptop. I am anxious to go outside and do something. I would welcome the opportunity to drill ice holes. Alas, I have work that must be done. This includes putting together a PowerPoint presentation for our Live IPY event that will be this Wednesday, December 3rd. I really hope that a lot of you will be able to join us. Stacy is a really good speaker and SCINI is just so darn cute.

I did take a break to go to the annual McMurdo Craft Show. I was amazed at how many different tables there were. I saw jewelry, including bracelets made from old cargo straps (mine will be delivered later this week), knitted hats and scarves, painted ornaments and one lady painted wooden match boxes (yes, I bought some), and lots of pictures (prints and photographs). It was nice to get some mementos of my time here that were made by the people I see in my daily life here in Antarctica.

Well, I better get back to my laptop or I'll never see the outside world again. I'll leave you with another photograph from beautiful Antarctica. You can never get enough of this breath-taking scenery.