There are few times in the summer that McMurdo is truly quiet, but Sunday morning is one of them. This is the only day the local workforce gets off every week, so no aircraft are flying, no administrators are administering, and the worker bees tell the queen to buzz off. As you might expect, part of this equation is that Saturday nights tend to be the wildest; nearby Scott Base had a “skirt” party last night, where reportedly close to 50 men competed for “prom queen”. None of us have seen Jani since about 7 pm last night, and I won’t be surprised to see a few people show up at brunch with their kilts in disarray.
It won’t take long for the activity level to increase. On top of all the usual Sunday stuff (brunch, chapel services, fancy dinner, and the Sunday night Science Lecture), there’s a 10k race from Scott’s Hut to Scott Base and back at 9 am, a garage sale at the store at 11 am, and the annual arts and crafts show in the late afternoon. The latter is always worth a visit- there are some exceptionally talented and creative people in McMurdo without a ton of outlets for their energy. There’s a few pencil holders and knit scarves straight out of 3rd grade shop, but many of the remainder are pieces that truly belong in an art gallery.
Frenzy at the McMurdo store’s annual garage sale. See if you can spot the Chaplain tripping someone.
Meanwhile in my position as “Fearless Leader”, there’s a lot of second-guessing going on. You’d think that after being involved in this project for 30 years and leading the field teams for 25, it would all be cake. But Sunday provides just too much time to think. Here’s the key facts- There are still two flights ahead of us in the line to get to Shackleton Glacier Camp; they can’t fly before Monday, so the earliest we could fly is Tuesday, and we need two flights of our own. Meanwhile Brian and Lindsay are arriving in Christchurch today and due to show up in McMurdo on Tuesday. The coincidence of all those things means keeping plans A through Z in my mind, and continually re-prioritizing them so we can spring into action when any new information comes along (such as Monday’s flight schedule, due to be released late this afternoon).
On top of that, I have personal priorities to re-evaluate. Our original plan only had Duck and I in the field for about 12 days, about 4 of which are already gone. If our delays continue to the point where my replacement (as well as Duck’s) is ready to fly, do we stay in McMurdo, letting Brian and Lindsay go into the field in our place and saving USAP a flight? Or do we stick to the original plan, leaving Brian and Lindsay cooling their jets in McMurdo for a week or longer (given the constant risk of delays)?
Sigh. It sounds like a platitude, but the only strategy that works right now is to be patient, and avoid too much fidgeting with your cards until the dealer throws you a new one. None of these decisions have to be made in an instant. So I’m hanging in there and looking for the dozen small things I can do to help make those decisions easier, like making lists of things to do if plan C-delta goes into effect. I’m sure that sounds horrible to some but my propensity for that kind of multi-level planning has been really helpful in this business.
Let me close with an anecdote that reveals a lot about McMurdo, and definitely pleases the rascal within me. One of the things that irritates a lot of people in McMurdo (particularly scientists) is what I’ll call “idiot signs”- posted notices about personal behavior that most of us would associate with 1st grade rather than a cutting-edge industrial/scientific workplace. It’s particularly bad in our dorm (203A), where many of the scientists are housed (so the average academic achievement is closing in on PhD level). There are signs telling you to wash your hands after you defecate, to throw used paper towels in the trash can, to not pee on the floor, to not flush fabric down the toilets, to clean up the sink after you shave, to not set the shower temperature high enough to scald, to turn off the light when you leave…….. you get the drift. But lately a hero has arisen- someone clearly pushed to the point of rebellion. A few days ago one of the signs was gone, and over the last few days more and more have gone missing. This morning I counted 12 empty rectangles on the wall, frames of tape serving as testimonial to the now-absent signs. Only one sign remains, a tough bastard attached to an interior stall door with multiple layers of tape. Rage on, my champion- only one battle remains. Be brave. Just don’t flush any razors down the toilet, okay? I really want to keep using the indoor plumbing for as long as I can.
-posted by rph from McMurdo