Frozen Dishes : life after the ice
Friday, July 30, 2004
Friday, oh happy day. This is especially a good one, becuase this is a two day weekend for us. A rare treat. There is a BBQ scheduled and that is alwyas yummy. The first improv practice went well. Although even before we started we lost a potential member, leaving us with 7 players. He said he felt he was already too busy. (he plays in the band) Stage fright is more likely the reason, but that's cool, you gotta do what you gotta do. So, I've been hot on the recruiting trail this week. I'm pretty sure two guys are in as well as a third that is on the fence. They are coming Monday to check it out. It would be better to have a few more minds there to generate ideas for the games. No big plans on this glorious weekend for me. I'm thinking of having a mellow night tonight, seeing as towmorrow night will most likely be a long one. We should start to see the first hints of the returning sun late next month. That is always excitng, but I will miss these lovely night skies immensely. Saw some great auroras Tuesday night, even with the moon out. They were the most active ones I'd ever seen. Amazing things. Speaking of amazing, how about the ice cream machine? It's on the verge of another hassle free week. Will miracles ever cease?
Monday, July 26, 2004
Tonight is the first practice for the improv group. Hopefully people won't get too frustrated with it. It takes time to work out the timing and of course not everything is funny. A good weekend for me. A fun no cussing party ($300 was collected), lots of dancing later that night in the bar and I enjoyed a mellow Sunday. Some folks made sushi for everyone at Sunday dinner. It was yummy, even with our limited available ingredients. That made me excited to have it again in NZ. Looking forward to getting back there. But that is still a few months away so I don't dwell on it too much.
Saturday, July 24, 2004
Saturday at last. A good friend of mine organized a no cussing day today. If you are caught swearing you must kick a buck into the collection plate. If you go off on a rant you are then required to cough up $5. The money will then be used to fund a party tonight. Keep in mind this event is taking place for the most part on a construction site, so the money is already pouring in like rain. Should be a grand bash. Lunch was free cussing hour, so the lunch room was filled with sailors.
Sunday, July 18, 2004
Well, I think I've managed to assemble a south pole improv group. Including myself we are eight strong. Tomorrow night we are meeting to talk about the whole scene. It's weird for me to be in charge of it, but I'm the only one with experience. In mcmurdo I was fortunate to be with people that were veterans of improv and really good at it. I learned a lot from them and hopefully will be able to pass those lessons on. A few folks think they will bail out, but once they get into it I think they will enjoy it enough to stick it out. Or at least I hope so. I know the show at the end of the winter will be a huge hit with the community. It's always funny, even the bad stuff. Especially here where people are starved for something new.
Saturday, July 17, 2004
Tonight I joined the prestigious 300 club. Anyone crazy enough can join. The initiation is thus: wait until the ambient temperature is -100 or lower, get into a sauna that is cranked up to 200 degrees, stay in as long as you can stand it, put some boots on and then head out to the pole naked. Crazy, yes. Fun, hell yes. Of course one must be careful to cover up any vital areas with a hand and it's recommended that you cover your mouth too. It was -102 when I made my dash to the pole. I had a tad bit of trouble finding the pole in the dark even with my headlamp, but eventually I located it, ran around it and headed back in. Good times down here.
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
Well, I didn't get a seat at the poker table. They had seven players when myself and another showed up. If one more person had shown up we could've had two atables of five, but alas no such luck. A bummer, but now I feel rich with my $200 in my room. Had a fun night of pool playing instead. Although I played horrible pool. Probably a good thing I didn't gamble that night. Today is a cold one. The temp has been hovering around -96 all day. Makes for some chilly walks outside. Good light show today and yesterday though. Made a movie Sunday. It was a horror flick about a doll that killed the people she ran into. Fun stuff. Nothing much to pass on, so I suppose I'll go back to work.
Saturday, July 10, 2004
Finally the weekend is here. Tonight there is a high stakes no limit poker game in the bar. You have to buy in with $200, but you can cash out at any time. I figure I'll set aside $100 and see how far the other half takes me. I don't feel like losing $200 and I don't feel like playing all night either. Sunday we are making a movie. It's been a while, so I'm really looking forward to it. Lately I've been trying to get an improv group together. It's a totally fun thing to do and the community always enjoys the shows. This is something I experienced while in McMurdo. So far not many people want to do it. All I need is a group of 4 - 6 to make it happen. Well, time to clean the ice cream machine and put it to bed for the weekend.
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
Last week was a long one for me. I managed to do the impossible for someone spending a winter in Antarctica. That was to get sick. After the last plane leaves taking with it the last of the summer crew and any germs the winter community is safe from new bugs. So, once any lingering sick works its way though the station you can't get sick. At least that is the theory. I went to bed Tuesday and was quickly assulted by a fever that lasted most of the night. The next morning I went to medical and had my temp read, it was fine. I was then told I wasn't sick, because it is impossible to get sick in the winter. That is all and good, but I still felt off. I worked the day, but towards the end of the day I didn't feel all that spectacular. Luckily a good friend offered to take my shift on Thursday so that I could get some rest. I took her up on the offer and stayed home with the chills and a head that flet like it might explode at any instant. Watched a lot of videos and tried not to move too much as that would cause my head great pain. But, I wasn't sick. I ended up taking Friday off as well. Even though I wasn't sick I did manage to solicit some sudafed from the medical staff. Felt better Saturday and was able to attend the 4th BBQ. After dinner I danced at the bar. It felt great to be out of my room at last. Went on a long hike with some friends on Sunday which was great to stretch the legs out. Even if I'm not, at least the ice cream machine is still in perfect health.
