Work and Play

Since today was my one day off (we don't call them weekends, here we just say "day") I thought I'd write a little bit about work and play in Antarctica. Just like any other small town, we need people in critical positions to provide the infrastructure for all of us to be fed, housed, and generally extremely well-clothed so that science can take place. This means we've got a power/desalinization plant, a galley, a medical clinic, a carpenter shop, a communications shop, a computer network, a boating house, berthing areas, and a pump house, to name a few. Everyone here has a job, whether you're a scientist, or a carpenter's helper. What's very cool here is that no matter what, each and every Saturday we have House Mouse, which means that everyone has to draw from a hat to see what they're going to be cleaning, whether it's the lab, the kitchen, the mats, the bathrooms, or you name it. Being here at Palmer entails lots of cooperation amongst all of us.

To be continued...