Rollin' Along

So this last week has been quite taxing, I started my shift work, which is 5:30-6:30, but I get Wed and Sat off and that helps alot. I was working from 6-6 before doin training and just getting used to the process. This job is a lot different than being a janitor last season. It requires a lot of team work and hardiness. It is so bloody cold out there and the wind is brutal. I do really enjoy driving the tractors, or loaders as we call them, very much. We use radios for communication and that is supprisingly fun as well. There is something reminiscent of Smokey and The Bandit for me, using call names and codes, such as "What's your twenty?", which is code for where are you right now. It's funny we all have nicknames on our crew, my co-worker Seth, whom I mentioned before, with the last name of Turner, he is Cargo Turner and I am Cargo Hooch. If anyone does not get the connection there was a film with Tom Hanks and his screen name is Scott Turner and this dog, Hooch so hence we are Turner and Hooch! Its ok with me that I get to be the slobbery dog, but hey he is a very smart dog in the movie so I got that goin for me. I have included some work pics one is of me waiting to unload a plane, which is nerve wracking and my coworker is unloading the plane, then I turned around and took a pic of the front of a C130 Hercules, pretty cool shot. The bosses say that if you hit a plane you are on one back to the States so of course we all are very delicate with plane approach and grabbing the cargo, however, imagine tryin to be delicate with a 5-ton loader handling fine china, suffice to say we do it and it so far has been going well and the bosses are all impressed with our work. One of the other pics is of a boss of mine, Bear, the pic explains itself. He is a very relaxed and cool boss and friend as well, with a great sense of humor. The other pics are of shots of the mountains and Mt. Erebus, the active volcano from the ice runway where I currently work. And last a shot of Erebus takin through my goggle lens to give it a tint pretty cool and my first hike of the year with a very cool woman I have gotten to know, Maria.

The day shift social life is quite nice as well. I was on nights last season so its good to be getting both sides of the coin. I feel like Im making a lot more friends than last season mainly because Im able to see that many more people during the day. I have been enjoying my roommates company as well, they are good guys. Ill tell more later about them when I take a pic of the three of them. I have met a few woman that I am interested as well but I am not trying to have anything in terms of a relationship at this point but we shall see, as most of you all know Im a hopeless romantic so it is difficult to supress the urge. Well time to run off and go listen to the science lecture about Penguins, Ciao till the next time

Full TIlt Boogie!

So the weekend was awesome, (Dad, Mom and all who are older do not read any further). So I am the man of men supposedly. It started off with me getting a chance to cook for the 40-60 folk that attended the ATO department BBQ. I made steaks and chicken breasts or at least I marinated them and my boss and I cooked them. They were a hit and that kicked off the night, next was the cargo beer chuggin contest between the Kiwi's and the US teams, it constisted of two teams of five, the first four drink one beer then the anchor (me) drinks two then the other four drink one more. So of course the Kiwi's started off strong and were one man ahead goin on two, then it came to me, thank you high school for all those good years! Yup I drank two beers in ten seconds, it was pretty gross really but hey someone had to beat the Kiwi's! So I put em' down quick style brought us back and put us in the lead for good, yes we beat the Kiwi's! I got so many congratulations I felt like I was the quarterback who just won the game from behind, but in some sick and twisted way! The Americans nominated me for all beer drinkin contests in the future, we'll see. Anyway, after that I had to go home and shower for the big dance, 70's style, Oh Yeah, some of you have seen the outfit before some not, nonetheless, all I can say is polyester baby! The other fella is Mike my roomie and co-worker, very cool guy. So 10'oclock rolls and time to boogie, Mom and Dad you might have had me just about 10 years too late! According to the consensus of attendee's, I was the most in era goer! They said I was a genuine Travolta, sorry Dad have to say this one goes to Mom, my boogie down production goes to her and well maybe a little to you for style, but the rhythm, well nuff said. So it was a smashing success of a weekend and now I have become the talk of the town, but hey Im just bein me. So I feel I deserve I can strut my stuff. Anyhoo, that was the weekend and well let's just say Sunday was a very slow day! But hey I earned it once again in a sick and twisted way, now Mother this is a once in a blue moon occassion so do not worry! Now onwards!
So today was the first day of shifts, 6 to 6, could be rough at times but for the first day it was awesome. It was 30-45 below all day long and was so pumped to play in the tractors and get things moving I was not even cold at all. I get so clothed up every morning and have so many more clothes it would be hard to get completely frozen, just think the movie The Christmas Story, yup I'm the kid who's mom dresses him up in so many layers of clothes that my arms don't go down, but hey my ass is warm and that is what counts!
The morning started off beautiful, so I took a picture of the mountains and some of the dorms. Then after workin in the "yard", the place where we stage all the cargo before it goes on planes, I went to the runway to wait for a plane to come in it was even colder out there bout 50 below, oh yeah baby that's Antarctica for ya, nothin like freezin your snot as soon as it comes out the ol' noser! Soon I'll send some snotsicles pics but they were not the best today but still pretty crusty! Hope your all enjoyin the commentary but Antarctica is not for the weak in anyway, shape or form, even when it comes to dribblin snot down the face! Ok I'll stop now. So after gettin the plane in and on the ground it was go time for the cargo team, that's me and my crew, pics will soon follow, for now just know we kicked ass today, nice and smooth and most of all safe!!! It was sooooo exhilerating I can't even describe it. I was so pumped up the whole time getting things all set and ret! Just another day in paradise, FULL TILT BOOGIE style though that is what cargo is all about, not for the slow, lazy folk but the hard ass workin folk! So I feel bad ass right now sorry, but hey that is what I guess what comes with the territory! Anyhoo, this was just Monday wonder what Tuesday will be like! Till the next time, Ciao.

backwards and forwards!

so here are some pics from the flight here and the first night here on the ice. As well as my toys that i play with everyday. I really feel like the big toys are becoming second nature to me. Im loving the fact that most of the training is over and now its time to go to work everyday and get'er done! So tonight is the 70's party, the shake yo booty and get freaky night, all's fun down here, as they say, work hard and play hard! Ciao

So it has been about 8 days of being back on the ice. I feel like i completely have sunk into my normal usual self! That being the overtalkative, always happy and totally satisfied person that i would like to think that i have become! Not as if i ever was not that person before but down here i feel like i truly am seen through a pure set of eyes, i.e. no pre-conceived ideas about me. We all want to erase that self that seems to trail us forever. I have always been proud of who i have been throughout my life but it is that self that people seem to have this idea of who you are through those experiences you had with them and especially those self-conceived ideas that our personal culture places upon our psyche! I dont know all i feel is that too many times that i put this pressure as we all do upon my idea of who i am and what i have become, i guess it is that human nature part of what we create within ourselves. All said i do have this sense that every person here is really appreciating what i have to offer as a person and a friend and maybe one day as a lover! After my magical experience in Thailand with Katy I see the part of myself that i want to be in the forefront at all times, that self that see's the power, grace, charm, humility, passion and joy in life, others and of course most importantly myself! This is not to say that i was void of this before but she reminded me that it I need to make sure that is there all the time and that i want to always make sure that my happiness stays in a forward motion. That being said, we all know that we will have times of unhappiness and moments of despair that is when it is most important to remember these ideals.
Enough of the rant, so the basic idea of season so far is COLD,COLD,COLD, and EAT, EAT, EAT that is it. I have been feeling like a Hummer, i get nine miles to the stride. I eat so much food and then burn soooooo much more it is crazy. Last season I ate food cause I could, ya know the Turer way, now this year it is I have to eat to keep up with the cold and the burn o' calorie. I have just finished most of my training and it's full tilt boogie. I'll tell ya I love driving the big yellow tractors and to top it off I get to talk on the radio I'm the veritable Snowman talkin to the Bandit, of course we can't say" Breaker, breaker this is the Snowman what's your ten twenty", well that's fine with me cause just having the opportunity to do this in the first place is good enough for me!
Funny thing, I just took a break from this writing and went to watch a wonderful "local" blues man Toofless Sean, great guy and awesome blues guitarist, at the local smoking bar,yuck, but nonetheless it was a great show! However, I had my first taste of what the McMurdo bad side can be, I spoke with a friend earlier today about a young lady that is with us here and was inquiring about his intentions that could or could not be intimately based, simple questions, but I myself have grown fond of her. He had responded with vague answers and no straight shots. So I just figured that life would proceed and I would discover what they were in the somewhat near future. Later, when I went to the Toofless show I was questioned by the woman in question, she apparantly had learned about my questions to this "friend" and she made me feel kinda like a jerk for even asking them in the first place! I know that this is something I should not feel, I believed that I was speaking to him in confidence, I guess not! It goes to show that high can always be re-lived! That is aspect of this place that I wonder about. Why is it that when a man or woman for that matter is inquring to someone that they believe is in confidence that turns out to be not so true! Really in the end that is everywhere so it is not as if this place is unique in that sense I guess it just seems that everything here is highly sensitized, sometimes over sensitized.
So this is the end of my first big blog, I feel that I could keep writing and writing but I need to finish my wash and go to bed. On a happy note I just found out that the Daily Show and the Colbert Report is now shown down here, which is quite odd since both of these programs make a mockery of the very institiutions that are providing the programming, fine by me! Till the next time Ciao!

Time for round 2!

so ive finnaly made it down to frozen world once again, i was able to have two free days in Christchurch, New Zealand that was a nice bonus. With those two days off i went with some new friends up to a ski hill in the mountains and was able to ski for the first time in almost two years! It was amazing! The first time to ski above tree line all day long!