Snow Day!!

Current Conditions
Temperature: 15F
Wind Chill: -6F

More of a half day, really. We had a fantastic storm roll in last night, which drove most of the area into Condition 1. Except, of course, town. There is a running joke around here that when bad weather rolls in, town is inevitably spared so that we can all still work. Those of you who've been here will appreciate this:

No joke. Been that way all day. Which means I can't go up to Arrival Heights for my daily rounds. Instead, I have time to post this blog. And I have something to write about. Bonus!

Last night was pretty bad: Condition 2 in town, whoa! Blowing snow completely filled the spaces between buildings. Even the streetlights were obscured to a general orange-ish glow. It was fun to stand out there for a few minutes, and wrestle in the snow. On their walk to Dorm 209, Brody and Katie disappeared into oblivion only 20 yards from the 155 doorway. Surreal.

Town is definitely looking more Antarctic today. The weather's been coming and going all day, and I took a couple shots during a calmer moment. Here's my workplace, Crary Lab:

I like this view of the snow-blasted firehouse, with a sunny Ob Hill in the background:

I still haven't asked anyone what that strange vehicle on tracks is. I'm assuming it's a very odd fire engine.

In other news:

We passed the equanox a couple days ago, so the sun has set at the South Pole, and it is up for less than half the day here. In the late night quite a few stars are visible, though the sky is still clinging to a deep blue.

Even with the population drop, the days are still just packed:
Monday: Volleyball
Tuesday: Risk!
Wednesday: Volunteer at the library
Thursday: American Night at Scott Base
Friday: Free for now (soon to be Open jam night)
Saturday: Party
Sunday: Recover, hike, watch Deadwood

We still have some amazing musicians here. Two bands played on Saturday: Level 5 and Muschknuckle (who you may have seen on the Today Show). I'm not much into their pop-cover-band style, but a lot of folks eat it up. Before the main acts, I played a couple songs with Shawntel on the violin, which was way cool. She just plays by ear and feel, so it's full of soul. Next, Kish and Russell joined in for a half hour of improv that was fantastic. More on that later...

On Sunday morning, every door was graced with a small basket of candy. I'm not sure who the Easter bunny was, but they were creative. In the absence of actual baskets, they took the paper hats that are used to cover your hair while working in the galley, flipped them over, colored them, and added a basket strap.

I had my first Dining Attendant duty last week. In the winter, everyone on station takes a turn working in the galley for half the day. This includes washing dishes and pots, and general galley cleaning duties. It was a fun change of pace, though I certainly wouldn't want to do it everyday. I think it will be once every few weeks.

All for now!