Pride of Scotia and Clandestine Pilfering

Cool! As I was driving up to this plane on the apron yesterday to deliver passengers, I noticed that the Air National Guard from Scotia, New York, had this great little saying (Pride of Scotia) on their plane. It made me smile. Wow, I never thought I would be involved in airport operations. They are super serious out there and I can't move anywhere without permission from MC-1 and the Guard. I have to drive a certain route on the airfield or I can get in big trouble. Still, it is pretty nifty getting up close and personal with all the planes!
We are all knitting preemie hats for a charity in the office. This is my contribution.
I know, horrible picture, but it kind of shows how exhausted we can get working 12 hours a day! Also, this was kind of an experiment with Photoshop. Scott is a whiz at it but I get bogged down in all the artistic blurring you can do ;-)

Shuttles photo shoot on a Delta!
Fun, eclectic group!


Thinking of my precious Elizabeth and Benjamin.

So, Scott and I were sitting at breakfast trying to think of weird things about Antarctica.

-Scott thinks it is funny that we've adjusted to telling time from the small movements the sun makes in the sky. It's always daylight, but the sun does do a little circle.
-Scott also notices that people get REALLY upset when Frosty Boy (ice cream maker) is on the fritz. It strains terribly, making knocking noises as it tries to keep up with 1100 people who want their apple pie (made from canned apples lately - ew!) a la mode.
-He is amused how there is a sort of black market down here. Technically you can't get anything special in terms of gear or food, but somehow bread makers show up in offices, fresh sushi comes out at the parties, and some people get Gortex mittens. It's all who you know. I was given the task of throwing a pizza party for shuttles next weekend, but I know no one on the "inside," so I have agents out there trying to procure ingredients. Donna, a coworker, just came up to me and whispered that she is getting 3 pounds of whole wheat flour and a few Tablespoons of yeast. Her payment - a Delta ride. All my coworkers have been instructed to gather fresh veggies in tiny increments from the sandwich line, so no one will suspect. Too funny. I'm all about this kind of clandestine pilfering!
-Rules seem to be only for newbies. Technically the best road for skate skiing is closed, but the people who have been here 20 years and more ski it every day.
-Ha! Skuas (big ugly sea gulls) have arrived, and they are snatching people's sandwiches and cookies when they leave the dining hall. Pretty funny to watch.
-Sometimes you are walking along, and you see a car drive by, and you wonder foolishly for a moment where they are headed. There is no where to go, even though this continent is 1.5 times the size of the U.S. Also, when you are zoned out in your dorm bed, sometimes you swear you hear a dog barking.
-There are no cobwebs, no flies on the windowsill, no ants, no fruit flies. The utter lack of insects is strange.
-The quietest moment I ever experienced was out on a hike the other day. No leaves rustling, no birds tweeting, no machinery, no cows mooing, nothing. Not even the wind. Just dead silence. Weird.
- Somehow all this starkness makes music, movies, and books especially interesting and precious.
-Probably the weirdest thing of all is how we all move around this cold little town without a second thought that we are in the most isolated of places. Everything is so normal that you have to sometimes remind yourself where you are. We get used to the fact that there are no police down here, no weapons, no drugs, no homeless people, no want or lack of any kind of basic necessity, no need to worry about leaving your camera and money in your Big Red, no need to lock your dorm room (although we do anyway),
-No one has quit yet, and I haven't heard of any firings. Pretty good for such a large group.

Things I don't like:
-no bathtubs, no time to shower
-grumpy old-timers
-not enough healthy food
-only enough time in the day to sleep, eat, and take a quick walk or run
-I miss trees, dogs, and all the animal sounds we hear in Montana.
-I miss the kids!!!

Things I do like:
-the perpetual sunlight is energizing!
-the desserts and homemade breads here
-the great rapport we have in shuttles
-knitting is fun again
-life really is simple here. You don't have to spend a lot of time figuring out what you should do about this or that.
-sitting with Scott and talking about our days at dinner :-)