McMurdo is a place of many rules. Some of you may recall our run-ins during R&R in January. After putting our stuff in our new temporary rooms in building 155, we met in the galley to wait for dinner to be served at 5:00pm. We were all prepared to encounter some 'local' who would inform us that we were sitting at HIS table. Naturally, a group of 8-10 just-wintered-over Polies would not abide this provincialism, and some of us even relished the thought of such a confrontation. However, this situation did not develop. So with point-of-order #1 accomplished (dinner), it was onto item #2: A shower. McMurdo does not melt ice for fresh water; they desalinate the plentiful sea water. Thus, there are no bathing restrictions like there are at The Pole; turn on the hot water and soak. Once I was done, I though about taking another shower just to take advantage of this amenity, but decided to move on to the evenings activities.
I met up with the rest of our crew in one of the dorm rooms, and The Plan was to hang out there until 7pm when the bars open. I made it to about 7:00 when I started falling asleep. The rest of the guys headed out, and I went to bed. 10 hours later, I am writing this entry.
McMurdo is pretty dead at 6am or 7am on a Sunday. Mostly, the population seems to be grave shift workers finishing their Saturday night duties. We'll see what unfolds as the day goes on...I haven't yet talked to any of my South Pole brothers to see what they have planned. Whatever it is, it's just a time-killing maneuver until we board the C-17 northbound to Christchurch, New Zealand tomorrow.
