I am in the second day of recovering from having six teeth -- half of them wisdom teeth -- pulled or cut from my gums. Some of the teeth needed to go; the rest just did not need to go to Antarctica.
It seems they are really picky about ensuring that people are in good health before they send them off to the bottom of the earth. Since medical care in Antarctica is somewhat limited and evacuation to New Zealand is expensive, gets in the way of the work going on and is at times made impossible by the weather, it seems a wise policy. The good news is that I passed the most demanding physical I've ever had. The bad news is that those six teeth did not. Some were removed not because they were causing a problem but because they might eventually cause a problem.
Now, after about two months of filling out paperwork and subjecting to tests, I feel like it is really going to happen.
In late August, I will travel to the Denver area for a week of preparation. We will plan, as well as we can, what we will write about during the summer season. Then, about Oct. 1, we will fly to New Zealand for orientation and to receive our extreme cold weather gear. Next stop will be McMurdo Station. On your globe, look due south of New Zealand, and you will find it. My assignment runs until about mid-February, when most folks pack up and leave before getting stranded for the long, cold, dark winter.
That's it for now. More details as we go along.
Thanks for hitching up with me and be sure to leave comments and questions.
Oh, one more thing ... I have already set the clock to reflect the time at McMurdo.
1 comment:
I saw that movie and enjoyed it. I don't know how accurate it is, but I do know there would not have been all that daylight in the dead of winter.
No, that would not have been at McMurdo because it stays open year-round. I suppose it was a research station somewhere. Almost certainly, they would have evacuated to McMurdo.
Post a Comment