Dinner

I have decided to start posting a daily photo of what I had for dinner. This, I hope, will generate comments and speculation. Both on the quality and consistincy of my dinners as well as to satisfy any doubts about whether or not I am eating well.

Tonights dinner was a fine New York strip steak with potatos and a salad. yum.

Life on the Seventh Continent

Life here is not so different than at home. Except that its pretty much always -20 outside. And you live in the same building that you work in. And you eat chicken every day.

When I was first researching this trip, I had a mental picture of M.A.S.H. only always covered in snow. Definitly not multiple bars, giant dining hall, movies, central heating, gyms, saunas, and all the rest.

Getting used to the idea that you are in one of the most secluded places on the planet (and there ain't no way your getting off in under 6 months unless you lose a leg) is alot easier to take if you have a sauna to stretch out in after a big fat meal of chicken, a workout, and a shower, to be followed by a movie and a cold beer.

I have really only had one moment where it was a searing releazation that I was really on the south end of things. Then I went to dinner and I was fine.

Every day there is something to do here on base. You could keep yourself busy untill 11 every night easy, so the problem really becomes making sure you get enough rest and taking time for yourself to keep your sanity.

Fortunatly the dorms are pretty quiet all of the time, at least this drom, so getting away just in your own space is pretty easy.

Last night I went to Southern Exposure, the "real" bar on base. They have a hand shuffle board that is really cool, a nice pool table, and of course drinks and music.


New video and photos are up as of today on utube&flickr

Man on the street

Several people have asked me if I am going to do interviews with my youtube site. This, I say to myself, is a swell idea.

So,
if you have a question (presumably about Antarctica) that you would like me to ask to random people,
silly er serious

please e-mail them to me.

ada312b@yahoo.com

thank you

Videos

I now have videos on the web, check em' out at:

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=fanciful

more photos are up at the flickr site as well

Chicken

We have chicken in everything.

The pasta,

The salad,

As the main course,

I wouldn't be suprised if it turned up in my bed to wish me a good morning.

Yes,
Lots of chicken.

Well, already the second day down and the concerns I had yesterday are aliviated.
The routine is not so hard to master, and I feel like it is already becoming second nature.
Kind of nice to be back in the kitchen. Now let's do the best to dillute myself to keep up that attitude.

Anyway, the newest photos are up at flickr. It's an exciting VIRTUAL TOUR set, as per request of my parents.

DA'n

Today was my first day reporting to the galley. All in all it was very overwhelming. Always with kitchens, it is that way untill you figure out where all your shit is. Untill you get your little routine.

The sooner I slide into that groove, the happier I will be.

Everybody I work with is a little quiet and reserved. It seems like they are all feeling somewhat the same way I do.

Right now Erin and I are trying to stay up late to get adjusted to the time zone here, never really had a chance to catch up in chch. We are zombies right now, waiting for our laundry to get done, then its the sheets for me.

I now have Flickr

Check out my album of travel pics at Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thetestychef/

Then bookmark that sunuva.

ICY ICE NICY NICE

Yes indeed, it is very,very nice.

We arrived here on the freakin' 7 continent at about 12:45 our time(that's 5:45 SPT, only one day earlier). Getting off of the plane was unreal. It is one of those things that will be burned into my brain untill I go senile. Nothing is like here. Except maybe the north pole. But that isn't even a real continent. So unbeleivably desolate. The landing field was this massive plain of snow and behind it in the distance is this massive range of mountains in a line. The sun was just setting (12:45pm) and the yellow red glow was streaking throught the clouds illuminating them. Twilight here this time of year lasts about an hour and a half. Today was a condition 3, which means it was nice.

We came in to the mess hall, which is where I will be working, had 1 more briefing, met with our department supervisor, got our room assignments and set about getting, uh, settled.

My boss Sally is cool, a frisky little woman, very nice.

My roommate Jessie is very down to earth, also very nice.

My room is right across the hall from the sauna, showers and in the same building that I work in, which means that I don't have to suit up every day to commute, and that's nice too.

nice nice nice
now some photos...

No worries mate

Now in NewZeland!

Christchurch is a beautiful city, very english, everyone is very friendly. I feels a little weird to be the one with the accent, people giving you weird looks or constantly saying, "excuse me?". Yesterday we arrived in the country through Auckland, the POE and then flew down to Christchurch (aptly named, there are about a hundred churches and half of the stores are closed on Sunday) where we spent the remainder of the day wandering around and looking at the sites and shops. There is this little coffee shop right down the block from where we are staying with a nice little patio area where a cup of tea or coffee (they have amazing coffee here) buys you a front row seat for people watching or soaking up the spring sunshine.
Yes its spring here, to give you an idea, the camelias are blooming and some cherry trees are blooming, everything else is pretty much bare.

We felt like real tourists yesterday, we were taking pictures of what would be considered the native pigion, which is actually more of a petite seagull, except its call sounds like a screaming baby, we mistook a power box for a trash can, and tried to flush the toilets by poking the only thing that looked like a handle, which was actually the part where the water came out.

I have pictures to come, no opportunity to download them here, that should be in a couple of days at the earliest, the soonest we will fly out is tomorrow, but we are all praying that we will be delayed here in chch for at leat a couple of days.

I'm off to the Clothing Distribution Center (CDC) to get outfitted for big fuzzies.

Bye-bye

It is my last day on Bainbridge before I make the big flight on down. I am trying to take in everything, to burn as much of this place into my brain as possible. All my stuff is out of my house except what I am bringing down with me to the ice, my room has an echo now.

Today I am busy downloading a bunch of tv shows from itunes and later I am going to hang with my friends from the island for one last time. We had a gong away party on Sunday that was a big ol fun drunken time. Colin's parents are a couple of party animals, they busted out the grappa and limonada, and proceeded to get smashed.

It will be in the 50's when I get down to Christchurch, chilly, early spring type weather.

I will be posting the first travel photos as soon as I figure out how to load them onto the site.

Disaster averted

Like my father is fond of saying, "Look for the easy fix."

As is the situation with my I-pod issues. It turns out that all my little friend needed was a change in some fairly simple settings, and it was happy to do as I bid. Now I am happily downloading from any source I wish, and now am faced merely with material to load onto it. Needless to say, I no longer feel like a total idiot. Which is good, because I was going to slit my wrists if I couldnt find a way to watch movies on it.