Hello everyone. I'll start off by apologizing for the delay in any updates since I know there are a few of you out there who have been wondering what I've been up to over the last month. Time is flying by, and I didn't even realize how long it had been since my last post. While I've been down here, I have also been trying to keep a personal journal, and I keep getting surprised by how the time between entries is slowly increasing as well. I'm not sure why time seems to be moving by so fast, the day to day is nothing extraordinary. Work is the constant to my whole schedule, and when your working from 7:30am to 5:30pm, fitting in meals, and then making sure to get enough sleep to avoid burn out, it doesn't leave a lot of time for much else, but that doesn't mean it's all work and no play. No dull boys here. 

I guess the first thing to cover is that Thanksgiving was celebrated, turkey and stuffing was eaten, and parties were had. Due to our light employment numbers at the water plant, the three of us who operate were required to forgo some of the holiday festivities to keep the water flowing. Typically, any federal  holiday here is rewarded with an extra day off either the day before or after your normally scheduled day off, but we shifted our schedules around a bit and took the time throughout the following week. It's amazing how a single extra day off can help you to recuperate. 

The station has calmed down significantly over the last few weeks as all of the researchers and support staff have traversed through the station and are off at there numerous field camps all over eastern Antarctica getting their summer research completed. We are heading into what is know as "the gap," where travel to and from McMurdo basically stops do to the ice runways becoming to soft to land any kind of large aircraft. The warmer weather has been nice, and we actually got above freezing for the first time this week. I can even walk to and from work in just a sweatshirt, as long as the wind isn't blowing. Even though the weather is starting to warm up, the ocean is still frozen over, however you can see the soft spots starting to form from shore. Open water can't be too far away, as some of the local sea faring birds have showed up on base. No penguins yet, but they are on their way from what I understand. The seals have also been a persistent sight off shore, lounging in the sun.

Speaking of sun, there is a lot of it. Even as I sit in my dorm lounge and write this now at almost 9:00 at night, the sun is blaring in over my shoulder through the window. It's actually slightly disorienting at times, and I am starting to miss sunsets and stars. I'm trying to bite my tongue however, because come May, the darkness will be in full effect and it's the sunrises that I'll be missing. I've already put in a request for a room transfer for the winter so that I will at least have a widow to star gaze and watch the arouras out of. 

The station is currently abuzz with planning for the holidays. There is the expected Christmas dinner and New Years parties, but the big event that I am looking forward to is the annual departmental softball tournament which occurs on Christmas day. Games are played from around 7:00am to however late in the night it takes, and one team is crowned champion for the year. I have been recruited to play for the utilities team, and the team to beat is the fire station (typical). It should be a fun day and I am very much looking forward to it. Then, on the weekend most closely landing to New Years is the annual Ice Stock music festival. An all-day party and music extravaganza that has been going on yearly here since the 80's, and is widely know as the most exclusive music festival in the world. All of the bands are made up of people who work down here, and from what I understand, there are a lot of people who get employed here just so they can preform at this festival.

Here are a few photos from the last couple of days:

This first one is the view of McMurdo from the summit of Observation Hill. The cross was erected in honor of Robert F. Scott who was one of the early explorers and one of the first people to make it to the south pole. When he reached the most southern point on the planet in December of 1911, during what would be his final expedition, he found a Norwegian flag already planted there. He was beaten by Roald Amundson by about a month, and neither he nor his team survived the return trip. 

These two photos are of a couple of true locals. They are called skuas, and are basically giant, brown, fluffy seagulls. They can be fairly temperamental around gawking humans from what I've heard, but these two didn't seem to mind having their portraits taken. Down here, there is a large commitment to reuse of things like clothes and shoes. If there is something you need and don't have, there is a "thrift store" on station, but because these birds are scavengers, the thrift store is called the Skua. You have to be resourceful to make it down here, just like these cute birds.  

Well that's all for now. Hope everyone reading had a great Thanksgiving!