![\"frenzy\"](\"https:\/\/artscimedia.case.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/111\/2016\/12\/10200910\/frenzy.jpg\")
Frenzy at\u00a0\u00a0the McMurdo store’s annual garage sale. See if you can spot the Chaplain tripping someone.<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n Meanwhile in my position as “Fearless Leader”, \u00a0there’s a lot of second-guessing going on. \u00a0You’d think that after being involved in this project for 30 years and leading the field teams for 25, \u00a0it would all be cake. \u00a0But Sunday provides just\u00a0too much time to think. \u00a0Here’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. \u00a0 Meanwhile Brian and Lindsay are arriving in Christchurch today and\u00a0due to show up in McMurdo on Tuesday.\u00a0 The coincidence of all those things means keeping\u00a0plans A through Z\u00a0in my mind, and continually re-prioritizing them so we can spring into action when any new information comes along (such as Monday’s\u00a0flight schedule, due to be released late this afternoon).<\/p>\n On top of that, \u00a0I have personal priorities to re-evaluate. \u00a0Our original plan only had Duck and I\u00a0in the field for about 12 days, about 4 of which are already gone. \u00a0If our delays continue to the point where my replacement (as well as Duck’s) is\u00a0ready to fly, do we\u00a0stay 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\u00a0the constant risk of delays)?<\/p>\n Sigh. \u00a0It sounds like a platitude, \u00a0but the only strategy that works right now is to be patient, and avoid too much fidgeting with\u00a0your cards until\u00a0the dealer throws you a new one. \u00a0None of these decisions\u00a0have to be made in an instant. \u00a0So I’m hanging in there and looking for the dozen small things I can do to help make those decisions easier, \u00a0like making lists of things to do if plan C-delta goes into effect. \u00a0I’m sure that sounds horrible to some but my propensity for that kind of multi-level planning has been really helpful in this business.<\/p>\n Let me close with\u00a0an anecdote that reveals a lot about McMurdo, and definitely pleases the rascal within me. \u00a0 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\u00a0that most of us would associate with 1st\u00a0grade rather than a cutting-edge industrial\/scientific workplace. \u00a0It’s particularly bad in our dorm (203A), where many of the\u00a0scientists 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, \u00a0to 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…….. \u00a0you get the drift. \u00a0 But lately a hero has arisen- someone clearly pushed\u00a0to the point of rebellion. A few days ago one\u00a0of the signs was\u00a0gone, \u00a0and over the last few days more and more have gone\u00a0missing. This\u00a0morning I counted 12 empty\u00a0rectangles\u00a0on the wall, frames of\u00a0tape\u00a0serving as\u00a0testimonial to the now-absent signs. \u00a0Only one sign remains, a tough bastard\u00a0attached to an interior stall door with multiple\u00a0layers of tape. \u00a0 Rage on, \u00a0my champion- \u00a0only one battle\u00a0remains. \u00a0 \u00a0Be brave. \u00a0Just don’t flush any razors down the toilet, \u00a0okay? \u00a0I really want to keep using the indoor plumbing for as long as I can.<\/p>\n -posted by rph from McMurdo<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There are few times in the summer that McMurdo is truly quiet, \u00a0but Sunday morning is one of them. \u00a0This is the only day the local workforce gets off every week, \u00a0so no aircraft are flying, no administrators are administering, and the worker bees tell the queen to buzz off. \u00a0As you might expect, part of this equation is that Saturday nights tend to be the wildest; \u00a0nearby 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.<\/p>\n