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Antarctica 2012--2013 Part 7

There's not much time for recreation when you're working 12+ hours per day.

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Antarctica 2012--2013 Part 6

Photo of me by BICEP2

Sundays has brunch instead of breakfast or lunch--just like old times in college. I got a made-to-order omelet with olives! People tend to be a bit more relaxed on Sunday or so I am told.

To get to work we had to put our ECW back on and walk 1 km from the Elevated Station to the "dark sector," where the CMB experiments are. The first time was quite difficult, partly because I was still acclimating to the altitude, and partly because I was carrying the box of scientific equipment. I didn't feel too cold, but the temperature was only -10 F and there was no wind.

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Antarctica 2012--2013 Part 5

Photo from Channukah party

I was already getting cold standing outside the station so I was happy to head inside. First they showed us a 10 minute briefing video, and then they sent us to lunch. It was cafeteria style with a few options including vegetarian. So far quality has been good, but not amazing.

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Antarctica 2012--2013 Part 4

People here work in shifts so the dorms are permanent quiet hours to allow everyone to sleep. So I got up (Dec. 7) quiet as a mouse in the dark. After breakfast I tried to visit the balloon facility, but apparently I walked right past the pickup location and missed the bus. So that plan was a bust. Instead I hung around town and played tourist.

In the afternoon the wind started picking up so I cut short my photography expedition. The best shots were the landscapes, I think. The only really attractive building is the chapel on the coast.

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Antarctica 2012--2013 Part 3

Eventually.

We recruited another CMB colleague and had dinner at The amazing Brewers Arms. For dinosaur eaters the options included wild ostrich, kangaroo, and venison. The beer and vegetarian pasta were good too. Dessert was a date cake a la mode. Rating of "tasty."

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Antarctica 2012--2013 Part 2

Surprisingly, given how the trip had gone so far, the SuperShuttle to the airport was exactly on time. Everyone on it was going to Antarctica so we shared advice, worries, and troubles. I wasn't the only one missing luggage.

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The Story So Far

[Note: This is the first in a series of posts adapted from emails I wrote while traveling to the South Pole for research in 2012--2013.]

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