PolarSweeP: Another week 11.12.06

Life is good here and continuing to go by quickly. On Mondays the six day work week seems like it will never end but then all of a sudden it's Saturday night again and it starts all over. Today I slept in until 11am after a very late night, went skiing and am now enjoying company and a latte at the coffee house.

We are lucky to have a super "rec" department here who manages to keep us very busy throughout the week and on the weekends. Last night we had "Freak Train" which is a talent contest including everything from stand up, singing, skits, you name it. One of my good friends Etosha, at practically the last minute, decided that "yeah, I could do a Tina Turner lip-sync act." So we through together an outfit in about 20 minutes, complete with Crazy Mike's Beaver fur hat from Russia, and picked "Rollin' Down the River" as her theme song (I feel bad for Tina Turner that a beaver fur hat so closely resembled her own hair). She nailed it! Her performance had the whole bar lit up and she ended up winning the grand prize of $300! It was great and we were all so proud of her especially since "she wasn't sure if she should do it!"

Thankfully, partying isn't the only thing that we do down here although, I can't speak for everyone. Last week my roommate Tracy and I rented X-country skis from gear issue and skied the Cape Armatage track which takes you out onto the sea ice, around the Cape Armatage Horn and to the Kiwi's Scott Base. I can't believe I grew up in the state of Wisconsin and have never x-country skied before. It was great and I can't wait to invest in a pair of my own. Hopefully Bob and Mary can give me a few pointers! Since going out last Sunday, we've managed to get out 3 more times, including today. Between skiing and dodge ball, I think I have permanently pulled the muscles of my inner thighs!

Last week, temperatures finally climbed into the 20's. I ditched my "big red" and started wearing only a fleece around town. Things have cooled down a bit since then and temps are back into the single digits. Today the high was 8 degrees with clear skis and little wind, perfect weather for skiing. Looks like it will stay that way through the week. If anyone is interested in tracking the weather and temperatures for McMurdo I've learned of a reliable site...weatherunderground.com

There is a house on station known as "hut 10" which is reserved for higher ups and even senators or politicians who have visited McMurdo. Usually this is where departments will host parties each month but as individuals, we are allowed to use hut 10 for personal use once during the season. Friday night I reserved hut 10 and had friends over to relax, sip wine, look at pictures from home and watch a movie. Jared had a great idea which was to have everyone in our circle sign up for one night over a block of time so that we could all move in for a couple of weeks! It felt good to escape dorm life for a night and relax in an actual house.

It's Sunday night and I'm having a hard time deciding whether to stay here in the coffee house and watch the movie "Constant Gardener" playing at 7:30 or go to the science lecture on the ice burg B 15. There is so much going on here. If you get bored than you probably don't have a pulse!

Outside of Hut 10...