Anyway, somehow it appears inevitable that I spent a good chunk of time working in Antarctica, even though my first time going there was random at best. In 1992, when I was working in Oakland/Alameda at the Naval Supply Center/Naval Air Station Alameda for Laidlaw Corp. as a field chemist, one morning at 0730 my manager walked into my office and asked me, "So, Dave, you want to go to Antarctica?" Looking up from my desk stacked with paperwork (after not enough coffee) I hazily replied, "Of course, I'd love to work in Alaska. What's going on up there?"
"No, Dave, South Pole. We're bidding on a contract there..."
More later, Dave
PS: Of course, I accepted the offer and began my career in the USAP.
You never know what's gonna be in the news these days.
Mark Furnish is an old friend (and yes, my manager) from way back in the heyday of Hazardous Waste Management: ANTARCTICA. In the video below Mark explains the nuances involved with processing, recycling, and transporting all of the waste from Antarctica (specifically, McMurdo Station/South Pole) back to the CONUS. The bottom line here is that we should all do our best to recycle and reuse all that we can.
Like many of the folks who travel to Antarctica and parts thereabouts, I was lucky to meet Sir Edmund Hillary. He was at McMurdo Station in summer 96/97, and gave a great lecture in the old Galley about what it was like leading a traverse to South Pole and helping to establish the New Zealand station, Scott Base. My one anecdote about Sir Ed is that when I went to greet him after the lecture we shook hands. In my hand I was holding the St. Christopher medal that I've had since third grade, and still wear everyday. This St. Chris has been all over the world with me, and I've sometimes loaned it out to friends to guarantee their safe travels. I also have a Kiwi 5 pound note that he graciously autographed for me. It's not often that you get to meet a living legend such as Sir Ed, and my world is much richer for our brief encounter. He was a great old soul.
Every now and then something happens which reminds you that life is short, and that you need to cherish every moment that you get on this good, green/blue/white Earth. Last night, while driving a friend home from the Cake/Lovemakers concert at the Warfield, Gwen and I were hit by a driver who was looking for street signs while blazing around downtown SF at 40+MPH, running a red light, and auguring into us on the passenger side. We're all OK, but it could have been bad. A foot or more into the intersection and I would have definitely been in the hospital. As it was, our VW Golf had to get towed out of the intersection, and my sis and her beau came to pick us up at the corner of Page and Gough. Finally, we all got home to reflect upon another close call, and with a hearty helping of gratitude, began 2008 with a nice bottle of champagne. The photos here are a reminder to myself of all of the wonderful things that can happen in life.
We're leaving in a moment to meet friends and see Cake and the Lovemakers at the Warfield in SF. Hope you all have a great time this evening, and best wishes for the year ahead. What a year it's been.
Hi All, I received a much unexpected kudo from Raytheon in the mail yesterday:
Greetings, Please accept this coin, pen, notepad, and safety kit as small tokens of appreciation for making the 2007 winter one of the safest seasons the U.S. Antarctic Program has had. Your awareness of hazards and eagerness to continually improve the work environment is critical for everyone's safety.
Just as the emperor penguins work together to protect their young, we too must work together to protect each other.
Sam Feola Program Director, Raytheon Polar Services
Hi All, The last few weeks have been filled with many small adventures, including the picture at left, where I took Gwen's nephew Damon fishing up at Lake Cuyamaca near San Diego, and last night's venture up to the Marine Mammal Center near Sausalito, where Gwen and I assisted with the care and feeding of a few pinnipeds. As most people are now aware, there was a fuel spill in SF Bay a few weeks ago, which sent approximately 58,000 gallons of low-grade bunker fuel into the Bay, just in time to mess up the crab season, migratory bird season (there are few things more sad than a bird flying thousands of miles only to be caught in a layer of oil) and the general atmosphere of what I consider to be one of the best places to live in the world.
Well. The best way to deal with this sort of disaster is to help, when you can. So we went to the Marine Mammal Center to assist our friend Lia with care and feeding of some seals . None of the seals there were victims of the spill, but help was needed, nonetheless. We had a nice time, and lo and behold, I ran into a veterinarian there who knew another vet from Santa Cruz (Dr. Dave Schuman, D.V.M) who was my temporary roommate at Palmer Station back in April 2007, where he assisted with anaesthetising seals for Dr. Dan Costa's work. A small world, indeed.
Gigantor was my favorite cartoon when I was a kid way back in the 1960s. Posted below in four parts is Episode 1: Struggle at the South Pole!
