Back in Dubbo for a week now - a city of endless straight lines and unforgiving heat - these first 10 days of re-entry spent in a seesawing fever/fugue state brought on by the lightning fast onslaught of influenza picked up on Day 1 in Christchurch. No, it wasn't Coronavirus just a vicious flu and … Continue reading processing…
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…
downtime…
The last 3 years have been a blur with the seemingly constant travel, new experiences and endless motion being both the best and the worst thing about it. When did 2019 become a thing? Last time I had a real sense of 'normal' it was 2016 and I was fleeing the '9-5' drudgery of an … Continue reading downtime…
Correction…
Well dang! Turns out I won the New Zealand Antarctica tech job but didn't get a place on the boat for the Australian Antarctic Division this season. So no Davis Station for a third season in a row or last voyage on the Aurora Australis before she retires. What happened? So much for my plans. … Continue reading Correction…
F* that!
Now where were we up to... Hmm... Oh yeah, I remember : Hobart, working a normal 9-5 IT Service Desk job as an experiment to see if I can become a mindless worker drone again. As an experiment, it was a complete success. Mission accomplished. The conclusion? A solid 'Nup'. Now don't get me wrong … Continue reading F* that!
careful what you wish for…
Well that was fast! Recent travel plans are now put on hold temporarily to brush aside some dusty cobwebs and explore a dim light shining through a slim crack of opportunity; looking to gain a tentative fingerhold back at the Antarctic Division in Hobart. I've been 'home' in Dubbo just under two weeks now and … Continue reading careful what you wish for…
so hot right now…
36C (96.8F)... Ya know I gotta say it. It's so bloody hot today. 39.1C in Hobart last Friday was bearable - a sleepy city by the ocean, cooled by the sea breezes (even it it was a chokingly hazy breeze, thick with the smoke of countless wildfires burning Tasmanias forested areas to the bare earth). … Continue reading so hot right now…
homeward…
There are monsters in the Southern Ocean still. They slide past silently in the night, hunting packs of brooding giants cloaked in mist , stalking us from the distant hazy horizon. Closer, icebergs lit from within glow an electric blue; taller than apartment buildings – some larger than city blocks even - tower above us. … Continue reading homeward…