CHRIS HAS A HAPPY BIRTHDAY

ABOVE: (top) Chris was kind enough to share his birthday cake with others. (bottom) Chris and others, taken in 1997 around the time of his 40th birthday, also in Antarctica.

Chris turned 50 today. We had a cake at midnight -- lunch for those of us on the night shift -- and there's a party planned for later today. It was quite an undertaking to get a cake. Luckily, ANDRILL's McMurdo contact, Leslie, was able to procure one for us. Thanks, Leslie!

Chris also spent his 40th birthday at McMurdo Station. I wonder where he'll be on his 60th -- here again?

CONDITION 2 AT MCMURDO, CONDITION 1 AT THE DRILLSITE

ABOVE: (top) Yesterday’s weather report for McMurdo, showing most areas under Condition 1. Under Condition 1, no travel is allowed, and all persons must be accounted for.

The weather changes constantly at McMurdo, and can go from being relatively benign to deadly very quickly. Here, the weather is classified into three categories. McMurdo residents are kept informed of the current conditions through the McMurdo intranet, a television weather channel, and a scrolling sign in the main building. We’ve been in Condition 2 for the past 2 days. It’s been much worse at the drillsite, where they’ve reached Condition 1. The drilling and core recovery has continued through this, but it’s not been possible to deliver core from the drillsite to McMurdo. As a result, we’re not too busy now. The downside is that we’ll have an awful lot of catching up to do when conditions improve.

The three conditions are defined as follows:

Severe Weather Condition 1 is issued when at least one of the following conditions is occurring or imminent: (1) Sustained wind speed greater than 55 knots, (2) Wind chill temperature colder than -100°F (-73°C), or (3) Visibility is less than 100 feet.

Severe Weather Condition 2 is issued when at least one of the following conditions is occurring or imminent: (1) Sustained wind speed 48 knots to 55 knots, (2) Wind chill temperature -75°F (-60°C) to -100°F (-73°C), or (3) Visibility is 1/4 mile to 100 feet.

Severe Weather Condition 3 is issued when all conditions exceed criteria for Condition 2.

Until yesterday, we'd been almost continuously under Condition 3.

If you want to see what Condition 1 is like, I recommend this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz2SeEzxMuE

I hope I don't experience it!

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

We’re living in dormitory rooms eerily reminiscent of my undergraduate days. The rooms are simple: two twin beds, a desk, a nightstand, and closet space for two. Separate bathrooms for men and women are down the hallway. Each building has a lounge with a pool table and television. We get a few TV stations, including the armed force’s network. Two other stations play movies (without commercial interruption!) around the clock. We are in one of the nicer dorms. Apparently there are others with four to a room!

Noise is an issue, and it’s been hard to get a good night of sleep. This is mainly because lots of people wear boots, and the clomping echoes down the hallways. Those of us on the night shift are often awakened by dayshift people who can’t seem to resist stopping by the dorms during the day.