![\"alex-minako-and-jani-listen-to-james-smaller\"](\"https:\/\/artscimedia.case.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/111\/2016\/12\/01201021\/Alex-Minako-and-Jani-listen-to-James-smaller.jpg\")
Alex, Minako and Jani listen intently while James shares some wisdom.<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n 9:15 AM and it’s time for Snowmobile School! \u00a0 James Meinert taught the course which was basically an overview of all the parts we don’t want to fail. \u00a0James has been a superb aid to our work, \u00a0because under his tutelage we’ve had an absolute minimum of failures. \u00a0We didn’t do any actual riding today; \u00a0 that’s for tomorrow’s shakedown. \u00a0We did check out helmets though. \u00a0It goes without saying that all ANSMET personnel wear a helmet whenever on a snowmobile. \u00a0We’d wear two if we could.<\/p>\n About this time, I\u00a0played a quiet practical joke. About half way through snowmobile school when the room was getting warm, \u00a0I casually pulled up my\u00a0sweater to reveal what looked like a tribal tattoo covering my\u00a0entire right arm. \u00a0Everyone tried really\u00a0hard not to stare. I tried not to crack up. \u00a0It was James who finally couldn’t handle it anymore, just stopping his lecture and saying “that just ain’t right- is that Henna”? \u00a0I peeled off the sleeve and everyone laughed, some looking very relieved. Frankly I think I make a totally radical hipster biker guy. \u00a0 Maybe not.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Brian struggles with some problems. He was told there’d be no math.<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/div>\n At 10:30 AM\u00a0we headed over to the food room above the Cargo floor\u00a0at the BFC. \u00a0each tent pair (myself and Alex, Jani and Minako, Brian and Jim) filled a box with a basic 24-hr food supply, \u00a0plus a little more. \u00a0I handed out samples of my personal blend of Trail Mix (rich in peanut brittle) and Tanka bars (buffalo bits for the discriminating connoisseur). Poor Brian was perplexed- \u00a0first off he’s surrounded by food that he’s not supposed to eat yet, \u00a0then he has to do math \u00a0(“if Jim has two juice boxes and Alex has 4 juice boxes and Minako takes two away and Jani adds three more and Ralph drinks one when nobody is looking, how many candy bars did Jim hide?”)<\/p>\n After that we broke for lunch. \u00a0Fried shrimp and french fries and corn chowder and carrots. yum!<\/p>\n At 1 pm the newbies went up to the field safety classroom for AFS (Antarctic Field Safety), the 3-hour referesher course that everyone (really everyone, even John Schutt) has to take. \u00a0Brian and I already had it so we were excused. \u00a0During the course they talk about cold injuries and other hazards, \u00a0and go through the standard “survival bag” that accompanies most field parties and vehicles in Antarctica. \u00a0The tents are different, the stoves are different, and the priorities are different for us, \u00a0but we’ll point out these differences and correct the deficiencies in our own survival discussion later tonight. \u00a0Unfortunately the AFS course ran over almost an hour, \u00a0so that slowed us down.<\/p>\n About 4:45 pm we assembled at the BFC again to test stoves, pack kitchen boxes (pots, pans \u00a0and utensils) and go through our safety backpacks (holding harnesses, first aid kits, climbing tools and a few other things). \u00a0We finished that up, and…..<\/p>\n 5:30 Dinner, yum! \u00a0 I had a Bahn Mi burger- evidently a thing in Vietnam? \u00a0Whatever, it was delicious. \u00a0And I had asparagus as my vegetable, so now my pee smells funny. \u00a0That’s got to be against the treaty somehow.<\/p>\n 7 pm- \u00a0 Our second safety lecture of the day, this time from Brian. \u00a0This was an informal discussion about some of the specific things we care about in ANSMET that aren’t covered in AFS school; \u00a0we focus on the defining specific\u00a0risks we face and the actual procedures in case of emergency, rather than risk mitigation.<\/p>\n Talkin’ troubles- a discussion of the specific hazards facing ANSMET field parties. <\/span><\/em><\/p><\/div>\n At 8 pm I snuck out of that discussion and called John and Duck at Elephant Moraine. \u00a0They sounded horrible (they both have chest colds) but the weather improved enough today for them to go out and do a little hunting. \u00a0They said they got 11 meteorites, \u00a0two of which they think are tiny stony-irons of some kind and another is a carbonaceous. \u00a0They still have a lot of work ahead of them and they’re hoping for some fine weekend weather to finish it off. \u00a0 After that phone call I went over to weather (the forecast for our shakedown tomorrow is good) and then back to the safety discussion, which we finished up about 9 pm.<\/p>\n That’s it for today! \u00a0 We probably will\u00a0not post anything to the blog\u00a0tomorrow because we’ll be out of town, and sunday may be too busy. \u00a0Don’t worry, we’ll be safe and having fun. We’ll post a review of the shakedown as soon as we can after we finish.<\/p>\n -posted by rph from mcmurdo<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Our schedule for today is quite full; \u00a0we’re trying to take care of tasks more suitable for two days than one. \u00a0 The day began as it almost always does for ANSMET in McMurdo, \u00a0with the group gathering for breakfast about 7:15 to confirm the day’s plans.\u00a0 Here’s how things went.<\/p>\n At 7:30 AM\u00a0the group was in the Crary lab so the new folks in town could get their computers authorized for WiFi, and 15 minutes later they were on a safety tour of the building. \u00a0They learned not to drink seawater or let the Faradays out of their cage.<\/p>\n![\"fake-tattoo-s\"](\"https:\/\/artscimedia.case.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/111\/2016\/12\/01202755\/fake-tattoo-s-300x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"brian-tallies-food-list-smaller\"](\"https:\/\/artscimedia.case.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/111\/2016\/12\/01201116\/Brian-tallies-food-list-smaller.jpg\")
![\"cimg0094-small\"](\"https:\/\/artscimedia.case.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/111\/2016\/12\/02032157\/CIMG0094-small.jpg\")