New Season of Challenges!

I haven't written in a while since I have been busy working and just enjoying life as it is here in Antarctica.  Things are going well and getting back into the routine of life and work here has gone well.  Last year being my first year here everything was new and exciting, this year that isn't the case so it has taking some getting used to the feeling that I am now here for the money and not for the excitement and adventure of working in Antarctica.  I have talked with a few ice vets here and they all have agreed that the second season is the hardest as of right now I have to agree with them.  Though working 12 hour days has helped get into the groove of things. 

As for life down here this season it is different than last season for the above reason but also due to some changes made both by the NSF and the contractor Lockheed Martin.  All staff that is scheduled to be here longer than 98 days have been moved into what is called the upper case dorms.  These dorms sleep 2 persons to a room and are suites so you end up sharing a bathroom with your neighbors.  In each room we have our own sink.  These rooms are smaller than where I lived last season and I hate saying it are not any nicer than what I had last year.  I sort of wish I was able to still live in my own room, but housing down here has been a problem so I can't complain when they are trying to work on solving the problems.  Other changes have been hiring few staff members to work here.  This has helped the housing situation but has caused problems in other areas.  Working on nights, some of the food options that we had last year have gone away due to the staffing issues and population issues.  My breakfast choices are more limited at night than in the mornings here so I usually end up having dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner.  The food has gotten somewhat better but certain items just don't seem appealing waking up and eating for breakfast.  The bars close earlier here which hasn't effected me working on nights but we will see how things change as the season goes on.  Our equipment that we use for work has been in short supply because of the staffing cuts.  Fewer mechanics have been hired on so getting equipment repaired has been challenging along with just the preventative maintenance that goes with equipment as well.  Normally we have 9 loaders 4, delta and 3 5-ton trucks to help build and move cargo with.  As of right now we only have 5 loaders working and 3 deltas running for moving cargo.  2 of the loaders are always at the airfield for flight operations so it has taken some juggling of equipment to make sure that cargo is safely handled and transported.  

Last season we had cargo teams of 6 all season long, this year we are teams of 4.  In the end I don't think that the loss of 2 members on a team will be that bad for the rest of the season but I also feel that we have gotten lucky this year.  Right now the LC-130's that do the bulk of the flying down here for transporting staff and cargo to the South Pole and the various Field Camps have been having equipment issues.  So fewer flights have been flying on a daily basis which has allowed us to build ahead for future missions.  This could be a blessing in disguise for us or it could be bad for us.  By being able to be ahead of the game with fewer staff it makes things look like it is working, but on the other hand maybe it really isn't.  Only time will tell.  I am glad that we are finally building cargo cause it helps for shifts to go faster.  

Well that is all for now.  I haven't taken any photos this week.  I will try to get some tonight and post them later on.  Hope all is well with everyone who reads this.  As always if you have any questions or comments I would love to hear them.