Sundogs and marathons

So today, turns out, there is the South Pole Marathon. note capitals. This is for all those people who feel like running 42km in temperatures between -25 and -40C, on snow. Which I would imagine is very similar to running on soft sand, at altitude. That would be probably be the fittest people I am ever likely to meet. I believe the winner came in at about 4 hours 3 minutes. I saw the second guy, at four and a half hours. Me not running the Sydney marathon, which is flat, temperate, and at sea level, seems pansy in comparison. So. Anyone want a running partner? Highly unfit but willing to improve. Elo? Lauren? Martha? keen? we could have an awesome international team happening....

Yesterday, the weather was ice crystals. I had no idea what that meant, but it sounded sharp and spiky. Turns out, it's just sparkly, and very very pretty. Also, it is perfect weather for a sundog. Up until yesterday, the only time I've ever seen that word is in the Terry Pratchett book dark side of the sun - Elo, you'll know what I mean. Turns out, it's not that. We saw a double sundog - think a circle of double rainbow, all the way round the sun - outside the dining room windows, raced outside to have a look at it, and discovered that it was reasonably pointless to try and look directly at the sun. I didn't have my brain on enough to take a photo, although I suspect there are much prettier ones on the interwebs anyway (try here) We also saw an almost-double-sun,  the sun was up as high as it can get, but also looked like it was just rising. I remembered to take a photo this time - more importantly, I remembered I could reduce the exposure time, and actually got a photo that wasn't entirely white..

I figured I should actually mention the people I'm working with, too. We're on a joint project - us from UNSW make the power system that runs an observatory for some lovely fellas from the university of Arizona. It's a TeraHertz observatory, called HEAT. They are Craig, Abram (Abe), and David. Craig and Abram are somewhere around 40, David is I think around 25 - I haven't actually asked any of them. All three are really nice ( I suspect you'll here that a few more times in the next paragraph). Craig is the boss (heh), and is everything that a boss should be. He never criticises, he's always ready to help, he knows everything that's going on, and tells you, and he works silly hard, doesn't sleep, and is somehow always in a good mood. but mostly he's just really really really nice. He's about my height. His partner in crime is Abe, who is probably seven feet tall, longest legs I've ever seen (Craig reckons it's three of his steps to two of Abe's - I reckon it's probably more like two to one..), has a terrible sense of humour (the kind I like), and cheers us up by telling us such things as he has a box of truffles (the chocolate kind) waiting for him at home.. the only chocolate here other than the things the kitchen cooks are m&m's, which I think have often expired. David is a PhD student, beats me in every game of gin that we play, and for lack of a better description, is really nice. He does a bit of the programming and a bit of the electronics, and has a few sensors of his own going in, I believe. The only problem is that Craig and David are about the same height (heh. Craig David..), and when they are dressed in jeans, and the standard issue big red parka, goggles, beanie and face mask, it is a little difficult to tell them apart..

In terms of progress, today I finished the engine electroncis plate, and I think all there is left to do is to exchange the wavesculptor thermocouples on the engines, which will probably take an hour or so. Getting the old ones of will be some sort of magic trick, I think. After that, I thiink that the power generation system is done. Done, done and done-ski. There are a few experiments that UNSW would like to run, too, so those need to be checked and setup, but they are not vital to anything, really - more of a would be nice.

On that note, it looks like mild panic has set in, and Michael has asked Craig to extend the length of my stay. So I may be here a little while. I don't know how much longer as yet, possibly the 10th, possibly longer. I don't hugely see the point - I have had a whole lot of practise at making cables, but in the case that something does break, the majority of the people here are elec people with far more experience and knowledge than me. Unless there's something that I don't know about. So, on that note, I am just going to have a chat with Craig and see what the reason was :)

The other thing is that all the people here are friendly - I know I'm only here for a short time, so it's the honeymoon period, but I'm OK with that. I just want to write down their names so I don't forget.. - there's Nils and Dale, from the University of Colorado, who work on the South Pole Telescope. I haven't yet seen either of them grumpy - although most of my time in their company was spent being pleasantly drunk in McMurdo, waiting for our flights to here. Dale reminds me a little bit of solar car Jared. Best conversation was the one in which he (an American from California) declared that he didn't have an accent. Lots of fun. Also Brian, who's from a different uni, also starting with C, also working on the South Pole telescope. Sorry. Vague. Also lovely. A lot quieter than Dale.. :)

Adam, the welder, who enlightened me to the fact that there is a climbing gym here (yesterday, so I haven't been yet), and who will be playing in one of the bands at the new years eve shindig in the gym tonight.

Casey and her husband ( I can't remember his name, and it's been too long to ask.. argh...) who are seriously lovely. I'm guessing they're around my age. In real life, Casey studied a degree similar to social work, but it also sounded like it included a fair bit of psychology as well, and her husband is a civil engineer, specialising in structures. Before they came here, he was working on nuclear reactors. Here, they are kitchen/general staff. When they go back home (Colorado), the current plan is to buy a boat and learn to sail, and then come visit me in Sydney :) awesome, awesome people.

There is Guy, a 40-something French-Belgian, pronounced Gee (not jee), who works for a company that monitors seismic activity everywhere on earth, in the hopes of catching out unauthorised nuclear testing (I think. I'm probably oversimplifying). He works our summers down in Antarctica, and the northern hemisphere summers in alaska, greenland, the arctic etc. That seems to be a fairly common schedule for a lot of the people here.

Lee, I think is a grad student, possibly a postdoc, from Madison, Wisconsin (I'm learning a whole lot about US geography here, by the way),  and works on various weather stations - he has never been here for longer than three days - except this time, and he's attempting to teach me how to play Cribbage. I THINK he's mentioned all the rules now. It's a bit like cricket really. lots of little tiny rules for specific situations.

Pretty sure there are a tonne more, who will be mentioned in time, when I remember names.

Alright. Done talking. (I know. Miracles never cease)

Ciao!