the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc.

Looking at culture and trying to define it for myself brings up some interesting thoughts. First, I truly believe that individuals can be defined more clearly through their culture than they can through their race. This is significant for me because lately I have found myself rejecting the label “Caucasian” when referring to my own race, as I have no knowledge of any ancestry from the Caucuses. The other popular choice seems to be “White”, but that conjures immediate images, not of race, but of the culture of suburban America.

Image: who needs variety?
lars hammar

A few days ago, I started what will be a few weeks of airports/airplanes and hotels/chain restaurants en route to Taiwan. My current leg of this journey has me visiting the mainland U.S.A. to say goodbyes to loved ones and close friends. So, right now, I’m in the suburbs of Salt Lake City, UT and I’m realizing that the more time I spend away from this type of setting, the more I loathe being around it. It seems that the culture of suburbia is to consume. The preferred method of self expression is to show off what you have purchased. Secondary to this, it seems that producing large numbers of offspring and getting them involved in as many things possible, i.e. soccer, dancing, hockey, this team, that team is some sort of pinnacle of success in this culture. Making up for one’s own empty existence by trying to live vicariously through your children? Is that what this behavior is all about? There appears to be, perhaps three different hairstyles amongst the women in suburbia, and the only acceptable choice for the menfolk seems to be a short-cropped haircut and goatee (yes, this is STILL popular?). Caked-on make-up seems to be very definitive, and don’t even get me started on the [complete lack of] fashion exhibited in suburbia. It is the cult of the soccer mom. This is a culture demands its followers become wage-slaves. An existence that I am happy to be free from and have no desire to return to. It would appear that I am in the minority in rejecting this type of lifestyle, so I suppose I probably have it wrong, but in the end, I can say that I have truly found happiness in rejecting the pursuit of consumable goods and placing freedom at the very top of my list of personal values.

This brings me back to the question of race/culture. I guess I still don’t know what groups I belong to, but I damn sure know which ones I want no part of.

As I was trying to get more in touch with why I feel this way, I was reminded of the story of the Red Box. If you’re in the U.S. you’ve likely seen, or even used one of these at the supermarket or fast food establishment. It’s called “Red Box” and it’s a little automated video rental kiosk. The concept is really pretty neat – you swipe a credit card, rent a new release movie for…I dunno, I think $1/day. You can return the DVD to any Red Box anywhere! Yep, seems pretty neat. And cheap! So, the last time I was back in the U.S. I rented a movie from one of these things. All went well with the rental but when I tried to return it, the machine was on the fritz….stuck in some sort of infinite computer loop or something. I was actually standing in line behind another person for quite some time. I just figured the guy was a luddite and couldn’t figure out the overly complex task of inserting an object in a slot, but alas, it wasn’t him, it was the stupid machine – just sitting there, not doing anything. He finally gave up and when I stepped up to the machine it was displaying some sort of error message. I found the manager of the fast food establishment and asked for help. My rudimentary Espanol skills tell me that he was trying to inform me that it wasn’t his problem – the machine didn’t belong to the restaurant and that in order for my problem to be resolved I would be required to speak to some cretin in Bangladesh or Tallahassee. I called, I was put through a series of voice prompts that resulted in yet another infinite loop. No matter what I said I was always met with a response of “oh, so you’d like to become a member” or “did you say you’d like to make a payment?”. Yes, seriously. This went on for what seemed like forever. Finally, through some sort of incomprehensible electronic sorcery, my call was routed to a never-ending queue to speak with a real live human being. The music that was looped in between assurances that my call “is very important” caused my ears such pain that I prayed that Lawrence Welk’s orchestra would appear and those goofy tap dancers from his show would ram the heels of their stupid little tap shoes so deep into my ears that I would be relieved of hearing such atrocities for eternity. No such luck, only more nerve-racking music that Satan himself must have orchestrated in a bid to drive normal people into homicidal rages.

After being on hold for something like 6,546 days, I was finally connected to a real human who, surprisingly, happened to be extraordinarily congenial and was able to tell me that their systems had crashed or something and that I would have to wait to return my DVD and that the system would automagically know that I wasn’t able to return it on time and, furthermore, I wouldn’t be charged for the “extra” day. I was quite relieved by this news but at the same time my level of annoyance had gotten really out of hand. Even if I figured that my time was worth minimum wage, I could have just purchased the DVD and been better off economically than to have spent the time I spent trying to turn the stupid thing back in…and that’s only counting the time at the kiosk and on the phone and no time driving back and forth from the stupid thing.

Now, to most people dealing with this type of thing on a daily basis an experience like this surely seems quotidian but to me who has become accustomed to problem resolution being done in a very personal manner and quite timely…well, this experience became another huge frustration and an unbearable vexation and representative of everything I seem to come to Antarctica to avoid. Seriously, my biggest frustration here is when the coffee runs out and as amped up as I get about things like that, the resolution is so completely simple and easily managed that I feel fortunate to not have to deal with impersonal solutions to problems.

Enjoy your Red Box DVD kiosk, your ATMs, your self-checkout, drive-through banking and dining where something ALWAYS goes amiss. Bask in the glory of 64 channels of shit – several of which seem to have some screaming jack ass purporting to be reporting the news. Enjoy all of those modern “conveniences”. I think I’m going to go to some unknown beach that barely has electricity and where “agua caliente” as an amenity isn’t something you can take for granted and is a selling point at some (but not all) lodging. I’m going to the beach to live the “sandal life”.

“The water is turned on for 2.5 minutes for you to wet your entire body. Then it is turned off while you then soap yourself quickly. Then the water is turned back on for another 2.5 minutes for you to wash off the soap. You have to be quick because you don’t get a second chance.”

And from what I gather, this is part of the daily routine. I just can’t muster up any sympathy for him. Antarctica contains 70% of the earth’s freshwater and 90% of the earth’s ice. The B-15 iceberg alone, which made news in 2005, contains more than 1000 trillion gallons of water. That is an amount completely unfathomable to me, but by the estimation of leading glaciologists familiar with B-15, that is enough water to cover all of the land on earth with .5 inches of water – or 5 inches of water on all of the agricultural land on earth. And B-15 is but a sliver of the total mass of ice on the continent. Here at the South Pole, the ice is two miles thick and goes on for as far as the eye can see in all directions. The point I’m driving at here is that there’s a hell of a lot of water in this “desert”. Unfortunately, that water is locked in ice, and it takes heat to get it. It costs a great deal of money to generate the heat required to melt ice. Therefore, every person on station is limited to two two-minute showers per week. Believe me when I say that a two minute shower is very much less than satisfying.

My heart bleeds for you Mr. Thai Prisoner.

Will work for ski pass!

*I don’t really get what the big deal is about Cuban cigars, but I can get ‘em(well, not today but..) and you can’t so neener neener

There hasn’t been much activity on here since September; partly because I’ve been extremely busy. Work has been very hectic and I’ve managed to fill my free time up with things other than writing/blogging/surfing. I have weekly Spanish group, sports leagues, a Wednesday night radio show with Marsha (we DJ a show called uncommon ground which revolves around our distaste for each others musical interests), going to travelogues, hosting a travelogue, teaching juggling and practicing juggling. Also, it seems like less of an adventure being here this time. Nothing is new, fresh and exciting so I don’t feel compelled to write about it. That is about to change, however. On Monday, I am scheduled to go to WAIS. WAIS stands for West Antarctic Ice Sheet, it’s a deep field camp and I will be there for two weeks (give or take) filling in for the camp mechanic who is currently gone. Very soon after that I will be off to Pole for the winter (provided I pass the psych eval and don’t bail out at the last minute). I’m actually getting very excited about being there for the winter.

The Russia gig is starting to lose its appeal. The process for getting a security clearance has become arduous and that is compounded by my being in Antarctica. One step of the process is submitting a set of fingerprints and there is no fingerprint ink or law enforcement here and I’m running out of time. If I don’t manage to get it done in the next few weeks, then mail will stop moving until I leave in November. Also, much of the contact information that I have provided in the questionnaire for people who can verify my employment and residence here will have changed so I will have to fill the questionnaire out again. Anyhow, I am starting to think of alternate plans if I don’t get my security clearance done. Taking a year off to chase snow and surf is very high on that list.

I haven’t taken many pictures this year, but if you want to see some good ice pics check out Aeon Jones on Flickr.

That’s about it for now. Maybe I will be inspired by something at WAIS or Pole to write about.

On another note, I have done some reflecting about the past year. Marsha and I have had an absolutely great year. We’ve travelled 3 continents, surfed in Mexico, visited no less than 3 world-heritage sites, visited ancient ruins, witnessed the beginning of a revolution and been to Antarctica – TWICE! I’ve skied in 2 countries, toured 13 (or so) western states with my kids and I’ve just done some amazing things. I am very grateful for the freedom that I have to be able to do all this stuff. Here’s to another amazing year!

A few updates since my last email, just to let you all know what’s
going on and to answer a few questions that I have gotten from some of
you.

first, new photos can be found at
here

there are some aurora australias (southern lights), some of the
sunrise/sunset (there really is no differentiation between the two,
just a few hours of pink in the sky and then dark again) and some
other interesting stuff from my first few days here. ‘Ivan’ the
terrabus is what I rode in from the airfield to the station. I
thought it was pretty cool. The aircraft pictures are all of C-17
globemasters, which is what I had the privelige of riding on. Much
better than a C-141. There’s also one of a firetruck outfitted with
‘mattracks’. They don’t work any better here than they did in
Yellowstone or other places, but….they still use them. Keeps
mechanics employed I ‘spose.

FRESHIES!!!
due to the fact that I’m near the end of the longest logistical chain
in the world, and things don’t grow to well here, fresh
fruits/vegetables/eggs are a rare treat. They come in on the plane
when it comes. I came during a period called WINFLY. It’s a term,
borrowed from the military, which is a bastardization of winter fly
in. Basically I am part of a skeleton crew who is here to get things
ready for “main body” which happens in October. I didn’t realize it,
but the last plane came in last friday and then left, basically
isolating me from the rest of the world. No mail, no way
out…nothing, except a few fresh greens that will be eaten soon, then
nothing until October.

Gear issue:
Extreme Cold Weather (ECW) gear was issued in Christchurch N.Z. on the
way down. There is lots of stuff available, but a visual of the basic
issue is <a href=”http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/greatplainsbigfootcom/detail?.dir=c2d0&.dnm=1a62.jpg&.src=ph
“>here:

the first hallmark item is what we call “big red” Its a thick, heavy,
down jacket. the specifics can be found here for all my gear junkie
friends here
it is a pretty nice parka, very cozy.

also included in the issue are “mickey mouse” boots (standard G.I. ECW
boots), expedition weight poly-pro undergarments, Wigwam heavy wool
socks, polar fleece jacket, balaclava, stocking cap, a vast
assortment of gloves and mittens, goggles, sunglasses, insulated wind
pants, insulated carharrt bib overalls, carharrt jacket, julbo
sunglasses.

I have moved to a different room so I don’t have to share with the
Andrew the cross-dresser and his girlfriend.

The water in the toilet/sink/whatever doesn’t spin any differently in
the southern hemisphere than in the northern. That was all just an
urban legend, and I’m pissed about it! The legend is based on the
coriolis effect..if you’re bored and wanna read up on in it..here ya
go
There have been some scientific questions thrown my way, currently,
there are no science lectures being presented so I am unable to ask
questions, but they will start in October and I intend on going and
asking. I want to learn as much as I can while I’m here.

We run on New Zealand Standard Time, which is 18 hours ahead of
Mountain DST. Currently we only get a few hours of light each day but
soon it will be light all the time so time really isn’t relevant.

No special shots were required to come here (except tetanus). There
isn’t a problem with malaria, etc. No mosquitos to spread it I guess.

Day to day life is pretty ‘normal’. My schedule just changed a bit, I
will be working five 11 hour days and then get 2 days off. I’m not
sure what I will do with myself for two days, but I guess I will
figure it out. The job itself isn’t too unlike any other job, just
that it’s in Antarctica. The commute is the worst of it. I walk 3
minutes, uphill, into the most brutal headwind you could possibly
imagine. Some days the wind chill has been -80 degrees. It’s
painfully cold. I work both inside and outside. Outside work really
isn’t that bad. Over the years people have engineered ways to keep
the misery to a minimum. Inside work is actually worse. Bringing a
frozen piece of equipment into the shop and then crawling under it to
fix it usually results in getting a shower of ice cold greasy water.
Food is still good. The kitchen does an amazing job given their
limited resources and the demands of institutional style cooking.

Well…that’s about it for now. Keep those emails coming folks! It
gives me something to do.

Later,
Will

Some of you weren’t able to view the pics I sent, some apparently have
file size limits on your inbox, I won’t be attaching any more pics in
emails, rather, they will be posted to a yahoo photo album. The two I
sent last time can be found at:
here
I’ll let everyone know when new pics are posted.

So, most of what I’ve been doing so far has been safety type training.
The normal boring crap that one would expect. That and heaps of
paperwork. I have most of that behind me and had a mostly full day of
work today. I worked outside most of the day getting two pieces of
equipment started. It was a balmy -14 with a windchill of about
-40…not too bad by Antarctic standards, but pretty freakin’
miserable still. Getting something started in those conditions is
pretty tough. All of the shop service trucks are equipped with Herman
Nelson heaters (The military style forced air type), so you put the
heater hose in the engine compartment, put tarps around to hold the
heat and wait for everything to heat up enough to start…Not too
tough, it just takes along time to get anything done. My gear seems
to be decent enough at keeping me warm, no complaints there.

I live in the same building that has the dining hall and the beer
store, life is good! The aerobics gym is a short walk from where I
live, I’ve been getting there in the mornings.

The food is excellent. We’ve had things like salmon/spinach salad,
mediterranean cous-cous, pad thai, pork stir-fry, and many other good
meals. There’s even an ice-cream machine of all things. The tool
room at the shop has thermoses, so if you have to go out, you can take
coffee or other hot items with you. All in all, I’m pretty happy so
far.

If anything exciting happens, I’ll make sure to send a mass email out.
Until then, Later all. I hope you’re all staying warm!

Will