Shifting gears

Hello everyone! We have reached a milestone with the detector - again.  All detectors are on, functional, and streaming data. We are done with repairs!!  I am especially pleased that we were able to locate a few troublesome light leaks on the veto system (my detector), and one of the veto detectors that seemed not to work came alive after plugging in the cable. That helps tremendously....

So now I can shift gears from gluing, cabling, fixing, and worrying to examining the ground data as we take it, and learning care and feeding of the instrument in flight mode.  I am looking forward to exploring something that looks like science instead of nuts and bolts.  It's all fun.

Random art shot

Meanwhile, I have resolved to take a hike or exercise each evening. Two nights ago (as you know if you read my blog regularly) I hiked up Ob Hill. Last night I hiked the Hut Point loop, which goes by one of Sir Robert Falcon Scott's huts he set up for his ill-fated expedition of about a century ago as he sought to be first to the Pole. You history buffs know he lost spectacularly, dying in the process only about 30 miles from here, on the Ross Ice shelf (same ice I am on right now at LDB!), along with his men.  Some may say he deserved it - he brought PONIES for a slog to the Pole, through ice and snow!  There feet poked right through the snow, and they were not cut out for the extreme cold temperatures. Amundsen skied, brought dogs to haul his gear, and made it to the Pole and back, eating the dogs as he went. Brilliant! 

Tonight I'll go to the gym. I am making up for all the desserts I have been eating, and I have to get in shape for next week's Turkey Trot 5K. Sounds easy, right?  Well, there's a 500 foot peak we go over (twice!) on that little trot. Plus, the temps may be in the teens with subzero wind chills.  We do serious exercising in Antarctica!

Leave 'em right here

In other news, I have sorted my trash again. Recycling is big here.  McMurdo's only export is trash.  Every spring a cargo vessel drops off goodies for the next year and loads up with trash from the past year.  There are 10 categories of trash. Some are obvious, like glass and plastic, but seem arbitrary, like paper towels. There is a special category for items that may be reused, called "skua" after the pesky seagull-like birds that dive bomb anyone foolish enough to walk around with food out in the open. There are several bins that have very special labels, and they are my favorite.  The best are glitter, unicorn horns, dreams and urine soaked pants.