12.30.2003
UNTITLED
Written by: Jeff (fellow DA)
I lie here in this quiet corner of the world
This humble room
Is dark now and silent
Its 2 am
But the sun is out
Outside
Nothing moves
inside
the world races
Somethings I forget when I am here
a memory defeated by endlesness
an imagination succumbs to infinite white expanse
no human footprints
stomping round me
snow falling
on the deserted buildings
like something needs to be covered
without noise
without masses
inescapeable to me
demands
and reports
inescapable
here I forget
in antarctic solitude
without repoire
too subtle for subtlety
impossible to impress
silence to be revisited when im dead
look and walk and forget
I imagine the moons surface like this
Cratered harsh of crevasses
Raw jagged peaks
Of indeterminate distance
Misty breeze blowing thick like a ghost parade - t-rex and friends
Somethings I forget
As the wind howls past
And my fingers at my ears
Keeping me warm
Pushing the earphones in tighter
So the music comes in louder
Like electrolytes birthing in my brain
Infused and light
crying daily
This is a prayer for the children of america
Innocent like a god-driven cold snow
(you never couldve seen it coming)
Somethings I forget when I am here
Its 2am
In this quiet corner of the world
But the sun is out
in Amalfi its tommorow morning
a seaswept morning
capucin monks slowly walk up the steps
of the cathedral
their heads bowed
In Santa Elena its yesterday
capucin monkeys jump from tree to tree
In the cloud forest
Mike is at the library in irvine
Reading passages
as anna sleeps away in the holy land
uncertain about joining the army
my plane almost went down
over the mediterranean
the girl I was sitting next to said shanty shanty
I said let it be
brittle teenage fingers on cold metal
roxana rides the tube home
wide eye
wide lens
the world at her feet (a rainbow filters her dreams)
its 2 am
the sun is out
its raining over the lake district
where thom is on a dreary tuesday country drive
i am here at the bottom of the world
idealism unchecked
Marienne is there
drifting in india
inebriated by Something
with dirt around her ankle and in between her toes
moi aussi
mon amie
my dad used to play the beatles
in his 87 accord
it never made up for the wrong
but it was so right
(especially im only sleeping)
somethings I remember when I am here
my toes froze
on this last walk
on a cliff bearing the wind beating
I stood tall overlooking miles and miles
of dried ice death valley planet
and shouted into the empty alititude
because gustav told me I should yell a wish
at places like this
I hope antarctica is in me forever now
when I need to remember
or forget something
because im not coming back
to this miserable continent
to this brilliant quiet corner of the world
in my room I sit quietly
in the most tender of solitude
somethings I remember when I am here
Written by: Jeff (fellow DA)
I lie here in this quiet corner of the world
This humble room
Is dark now and silent
Its 2 am
But the sun is out
Outside
Nothing moves
inside
the world races
Somethings I forget when I am here
a memory defeated by endlesness
an imagination succumbs to infinite white expanse
no human footprints
stomping round me
snow falling
on the deserted buildings
like something needs to be covered
without noise
without masses
inescapeable to me
demands
and reports
inescapable
here I forget
in antarctic solitude
without repoire
too subtle for subtlety
impossible to impress
silence to be revisited when im dead
look and walk and forget
I imagine the moons surface like this
Cratered harsh of crevasses
Raw jagged peaks
Of indeterminate distance
Misty breeze blowing thick like a ghost parade - t-rex and friends
Somethings I forget
As the wind howls past
And my fingers at my ears
Keeping me warm
Pushing the earphones in tighter
So the music comes in louder
Like electrolytes birthing in my brain
Infused and light
crying daily
This is a prayer for the children of america
Innocent like a god-driven cold snow
(you never couldve seen it coming)
Somethings I forget when I am here
Its 2am
In this quiet corner of the world
But the sun is out
in Amalfi its tommorow morning
a seaswept morning
capucin monks slowly walk up the steps
of the cathedral
their heads bowed
In Santa Elena its yesterday
capucin monkeys jump from tree to tree
In the cloud forest
Mike is at the library in irvine
Reading passages
as anna sleeps away in the holy land
uncertain about joining the army
my plane almost went down
over the mediterranean
the girl I was sitting next to said shanty shanty
I said let it be
brittle teenage fingers on cold metal
roxana rides the tube home
wide eye
wide lens
the world at her feet (a rainbow filters her dreams)
its 2 am
the sun is out
its raining over the lake district
where thom is on a dreary tuesday country drive
i am here at the bottom of the world
idealism unchecked
Marienne is there
drifting in india
inebriated by Something
with dirt around her ankle and in between her toes
moi aussi
mon amie
my dad used to play the beatles
in his 87 accord
it never made up for the wrong
but it was so right
(especially im only sleeping)
somethings I remember when I am here
my toes froze
on this last walk
on a cliff bearing the wind beating
I stood tall overlooking miles and miles
of dried ice death valley planet
and shouted into the empty alititude
because gustav told me I should yell a wish
at places like this
I hope antarctica is in me forever now
when I need to remember
or forget something
because im not coming back
to this miserable continent
to this brilliant quiet corner of the world
in my room I sit quietly
in the most tender of solitude
somethings I remember when I am here
12.27.2003
THE END IS NEAR
2003 is just days from being at a close, and all signs point to the nearing end of the summer season here at McMurdo as well. None too soon for me. From atop Ob Hill this afternoon I saw the ice edge and the Coast Guard ice-breaker approaching -- making way for the oil and supply tankers that will dock the first week of February. Strange and exciting to see the alien vessel approach, chomping its way through the ice that has seemed more like land than sea.
Yesterday I watched the ice runway move in preparation for the ships -- dragged piece by piece across the ice, and parading through town to Williams Field on the permanent ice near the New Zealand base. Quite an operation.
Last week I skiied out to the temporary ice runway for dinner, knowing it would be my last opportunity to do so.
Along the road I encountered a molting Emperor Penguin! (Erik just got in from a run and reports that the penguin is still in the same spot, looking pretty ratty--only half of his feathers are left.)
Out at the runway -- one of the Air National Guard LC-130 fleet -- they fly (almost) daily to the Pole.
The runway galley.
Complete with 8-foot Santa for the holidays.
(last 2 photos courtesty Erik Paulsrud)
+ + + +
I also spent my last Friday painting with the seals at Hut 6. There's now a 2-foot -deep, 8-foot-wide moat all the way around the hut: it's sinking. Arthropods (like little shrimp) are swimming all around. The water inside is so close to the floor that the seals pop up and hang out inside. One greeted us at the door last time we were there.
This is one of my favorite fire-fighters, Jeff Jolly. He assists the divers on Fridays.
We climbed in through the roof to avoid getting our feet wet.
Self portrait on the roof.
Mural in an early stage of development.
This is Kevin -- the diver who asked me to paint the mural. He's pulling up a 6' diam. net from 300 meters below. They pull plankton to feed the fish (the ones I'm painting, the ones they are doing anti-freeze research on).
The payoff. Along with the plankton are various sea creatures, including one jellyfish that has flashing dayglo stripes.
+ + + +
Now the end is really near, I'm tired. Descriptions will now be limited to one action verb, one adjective, and one noun.
See Silly Santas.
2003 is just days from being at a close, and all signs point to the nearing end of the summer season here at McMurdo as well. None too soon for me. From atop Ob Hill this afternoon I saw the ice edge and the Coast Guard ice-breaker approaching -- making way for the oil and supply tankers that will dock the first week of February. Strange and exciting to see the alien vessel approach, chomping its way through the ice that has seemed more like land than sea.
Yesterday I watched the ice runway move in preparation for the ships -- dragged piece by piece across the ice, and parading through town to Williams Field on the permanent ice near the New Zealand base. Quite an operation.
Last week I skiied out to the temporary ice runway for dinner, knowing it would be my last opportunity to do so.
Along the road I encountered a molting Emperor Penguin! (Erik just got in from a run and reports that the penguin is still in the same spot, looking pretty ratty--only half of his feathers are left.)
Out at the runway -- one of the Air National Guard LC-130 fleet -- they fly (almost) daily to the Pole.
The runway galley.
Complete with 8-foot Santa for the holidays.
(last 2 photos courtesty Erik Paulsrud)
+ + + +
I also spent my last Friday painting with the seals at Hut 6. There's now a 2-foot -deep, 8-foot-wide moat all the way around the hut: it's sinking. Arthropods (like little shrimp) are swimming all around. The water inside is so close to the floor that the seals pop up and hang out inside. One greeted us at the door last time we were there.
This is one of my favorite fire-fighters, Jeff Jolly. He assists the divers on Fridays.
We climbed in through the roof to avoid getting our feet wet.
Self portrait on the roof.
Mural in an early stage of development.
This is Kevin -- the diver who asked me to paint the mural. He's pulling up a 6' diam. net from 300 meters below. They pull plankton to feed the fish (the ones I'm painting, the ones they are doing anti-freeze research on).
The payoff. Along with the plankton are various sea creatures, including one jellyfish that has flashing dayglo stripes.
+ + + +
Now the end is really near, I'm tired. Descriptions will now be limited to one action verb, one adjective, and one noun.
See Silly Santas.
12.16.2003
FIRSTS
>>> First Emperor
First photo of bathing beauties in Antarctica with an Emperor Penguin.
Debbie -- fellow DA and photographer from Philly.
We immediately sent 6 DAs out with one of the shuttle drivers for a look when we found out that there was an Emperor Penguin out at the ice runway. He was the first of his kind (we've seen Adelies) to wander in from the ice edge, now 8 miles away. He's now been more or less in the same spot for over a week -- so we made a special trip out for the photo shoot.
If it melts completely, there will most likely be innumerable Emperors and Adelies right outside of town, and even killer whales if we're lucky.
Flying solo with Mount Erebus in the background.
>>> First Person to Fly a Home-built Single-engine Plane Over the South Pole
You may have seen a story in the news about Australian Jon Johanson who was "forced" to land his RV-4 plane here when it ran short of fuel. Johanson flew over the South Pole after travelling 5,880 km in just over 24 hours from New Zealand. His plane is shown here with Kimber, another DA.
The rumor is that he planned to land here, as his plane wouldn't have enough fuel to get him to Argentina, (his supposed final destination) with or without headwinds (the reason he claimed he didn't have enough fuel). We have a policy against tourism here, so he camped out for a few days out on the ice in fuel huts. At first he was heralded as a renegade hero, and we all felt bad that the US and Kiwis wouldn't give (or sell) him the 150 gallons of fuel he needed to return.
Eventually we lost our love -- he turned out to be pretty arrogant. He pissed in one of the fuelie's water bottles one night -- and it's pretty warm now, so he had no excuse; he was pretty un-apologetic and gruff with our management about his lack of contingency plan. In the end he was able to buy fuel from a woman pilot with a fuel cache here when she cancelled her trip to the Pole.
Just another guy with a list.
>>> First Ever Antarctic Cyclo-cross Race
Erik raced (and came in second in his heat; 5th overall) in the first-ever cyclo-cross race here in McMurdo this past weekend. Since no one hurt themselves (there's a BIG focus on safety here), they'll probably do it again.
>>> First Sighting of Santa in Antarctica
Santa kicked off the Christmas season with an early trip to Antarctica just in time for the galley holiday party. He still has plenty of time to get back to the North Pole to pack the sleigh for his Christmas trip, so no worries.
Here's Santa asking Sandwich if she's been naughty or nice.
>>> First Emperor
First photo of bathing beauties in Antarctica with an Emperor Penguin.
Debbie -- fellow DA and photographer from Philly.
We immediately sent 6 DAs out with one of the shuttle drivers for a look when we found out that there was an Emperor Penguin out at the ice runway. He was the first of his kind (we've seen Adelies) to wander in from the ice edge, now 8 miles away. He's now been more or less in the same spot for over a week -- so we made a special trip out for the photo shoot.
If it melts completely, there will most likely be innumerable Emperors and Adelies right outside of town, and even killer whales if we're lucky.
Flying solo with Mount Erebus in the background.
>>> First Person to Fly a Home-built Single-engine Plane Over the South Pole
You may have seen a story in the news about Australian Jon Johanson who was "forced" to land his RV-4 plane here when it ran short of fuel. Johanson flew over the South Pole after travelling 5,880 km in just over 24 hours from New Zealand. His plane is shown here with Kimber, another DA.
The rumor is that he planned to land here, as his plane wouldn't have enough fuel to get him to Argentina, (his supposed final destination) with or without headwinds (the reason he claimed he didn't have enough fuel). We have a policy against tourism here, so he camped out for a few days out on the ice in fuel huts. At first he was heralded as a renegade hero, and we all felt bad that the US and Kiwis wouldn't give (or sell) him the 150 gallons of fuel he needed to return.
Eventually we lost our love -- he turned out to be pretty arrogant. He pissed in one of the fuelie's water bottles one night -- and it's pretty warm now, so he had no excuse; he was pretty un-apologetic and gruff with our management about his lack of contingency plan. In the end he was able to buy fuel from a woman pilot with a fuel cache here when she cancelled her trip to the Pole.
Just another guy with a list.
>>> First Ever Antarctic Cyclo-cross Race
Erik raced (and came in second in his heat; 5th overall) in the first-ever cyclo-cross race here in McMurdo this past weekend. Since no one hurt themselves (there's a BIG focus on safety here), they'll probably do it again.
>>> First Sighting of Santa in Antarctica
Santa kicked off the Christmas season with an early trip to Antarctica just in time for the galley holiday party. He still has plenty of time to get back to the North Pole to pack the sleigh for his Christmas trip, so no worries.
Here's Santa asking Sandwich if she's been naughty or nice.
12.04.2003
It's seriously snowing and blowing, and I'm scheduled to be at work in a half hour. It's "Condition One" outside -- the most serious weather category, during which no one is allowed to leave the building they're in without an escort from the firehouse or the Search & Rescue Team. Erik's here too -- his boss sent everyone home in anticipation of Condition One, so they didn't get stuck in the Waste Barn.
Normally, neither wind nor sleet nor snow will keep a DA from their duties -- we're required to report to work no matter the weather (conveniently, the weather condition usually changes at meal times so that people can come to the galley from their work centers). But, I just got a call from Katelynn, our efficient and spunky admin telling me to stay put -- on order of the firehouse. Snow day!
So, we're here, all cozied up, reading and drinking earl grey tea and snacking on Thanksgiving leftovers. Heaven.
I just read in "Science News" (a flimsy science journal) that the black hole in the center of the Perseus Galaxy emits sound waves -- a B flat to be exact -- 57 octaves lower than middle C. Though, I don't really understand how sound waves can get out when light can't even escape the gravity of a black hole.
Bummer! Delma, my not-so-spunky boss, just called to tell me it's Condition 2 (funny, the weather looks the same now as it did 15 minutes ago!), and to report to work :(
Thanksgiving hike -- day before the storm hit. The winds were so strong that they held me up when I leaned into them.
"Rollcage" Mary, with McMurdo and Observation Hill in the background.
The storm from inside the Waste Barn (where Erik works).
Digging out McMurdo General Hospital.
