2022 eh. So far this year has had some interesting developments (completely out of the blue) which required some emergency mental gymnastics, mildly Machiavellian plotting and 'wake the fuck up' decision making. The short story is that I'll be staying in New Zealand for the forseeable future. Long term. Permanent resident this year if its … Continue reading regrowth…
Category: Antarctica
compulsive vagrant…
It struck me the other day (mired deep in an existential funk, sulking about mortality and life choices) as I packed my duffle bags for yet another relocation, that being homeless by choice rather than by circumstance is actually a bit of a luxury. Especially in the pandemic era we are living through with its … Continue reading compulsive vagrant…
Porridge …
Welcome back to reality, motherf@cker! It's expensive! (Warning - the following contains a LOT of 'I" statements cos I'm too lazy to write properly at the moment and my thoughts are still a bit wobbly from what I'm hoping is T3 and not early onset dementia.) Yes I'm home, or at least closer to home … Continue reading Porridge …
firewalls…
After 6 weeks battling new IT infrastructure, servers and Internet shitfuckery I'm finally able to get back onto WordPress and hopefully catch up with what the Hell's been going on here since arrival in early October. Oh joy. The urge to write has not overtaken me lately but I'm going to make more of an … Continue reading firewalls…
gone baby, gone…
So it's 'Take 3' tomorrow morning for myself and the Scott Base crew's 9am C17 flight to Antarctica, courtesy of the good ole USAF. We were supposed to leave Friday, then Saturday, then Sunday...weather delays are part of the fun (unfortunately). Disinfected buses collect us from our managed isolation facility at 6m and will shuttle … Continue reading gone baby, gone…
exodus…
After 5 months of stress, anxiety and dislocation with uncertainty and isolation my bedfellows every sleepless night since March, I'm finally on my way out of the dumpster fire that is Australia 2020. Unfortunately not on a ship (so the Exodus analogy ends here) but rather a grumpy and sour Qantas flight to Sydney and … Continue reading exodus…
Spamdemic…#4
One key aspect of solo travel is knowing when to call it - when to blow that "full time' whistle and head home. To be able to read the signs around you, look at your motivations, assess the risks and take action. I've hammered this point to fellow travelers over the years; now to take … Continue reading Spamdemic…#4
long stare…
It's actually a thing; Polar T3 Syndrome - usually attributed to a lack of a specific hormone that's repurposed in the body- diverted from the brain to the body as a response to the cold and darkness of an Antarctic winter. The less obvious symptoms are forgetfulness, poor concentration, grumpiness, depression/ anxiety and a few … Continue reading long stare…
November?
Well dang it all to Hell. I'd just finished tappity-bloody tapping this post out on my widdley piddly iPhone screen - my cramped and decidedly not touchscreen friendly fingers frantically tapping out my innermost thoughts and secret desires (tucked safely in my room having a slight sulk and feeling sorry for myself) when the WordPress … Continue reading November?
Round three…
Well this is a very different Antarctic experience for me... Since we last caught up, there have been a few slight changes and course corrections life wise, but after almost 5 weeks training in Christchurch and a whirlwind tour of New Zealand in that time I've finally arrived this week at New Zealand's Research Station … Continue reading Round three…
Man Down! 