Merry Christmas!

And a very happy Chranukkah, Festivus, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Hanukkah, and New Year!

As a holiday gift, I present to you a video of last week's Cyclocross race. This was my first ever attempt to ride a mountain bike, much less race one. And I'm proud to say that I achieved my goal and finished within the top half of the finishers! (Allow me to clarify: I achieved my goal, which was to make it out of the race alive. Barely. I somehow happened to place well too.) I hope my clumsiness brings you joy on this special day, as it has brought so many of you so much joy in the past.*

(If the video doesn't work, or for higher resolution, try here)

With stockings full of holiday cheer,
pepe


*See for example: trying to catch a frisbee on a bicycle; "freestyle rock diving" in Brazil; and countless attempts at dribbling a soccer or basketball, only to end up flat on my face.

PS - Antarctica is largely void of seasonal decor...but not entirely! Our room is the one with the palm tree.

Adventures in the Touch Tank

Lately, I've been craving some fresh sushi. Of course, such a delicacy is never served in the galley, so I headed down to the local aquarium to find my own. What I found was the delicous Cockroachus Giganticus, or the Giant Sea Cockroach. At least, that's my best guess at its name.

I dipped him in soy sauce and prepared to gobble him up...

...when suddenly I was attacked by an enormous sea spider (real name)! These guys are the size of your fingertip normally, but grow to enormous sizes in Antarctica.

Eventually we reached a truce, and I hobnobbed with the remaining sea creatures peacefully.





yours,
pepe

The Bazaar

Several weeks ago, I signed up for the annual arts and crafts fair, hoping to exhibit and possibly sell some jewelry of my own design. There were three problems: (1) I had nothing to exhibit. (2) I'd brought few supplies with which to make anything to exhibit. (3) I'd be displaying my wares amongst ten other jewelers, all far more experienced and entirely prepared. Thus the past couple weeks have been a rather frantic test of my creativity and resourcefulness. (I can't take all the credit: mom and sis saved the day by picking out and shipping down a bunch of fantastic stones!)

Leading up to the show, some crafts were displayed in the store windows, including a set I made with copper wire from the power plant dumpster. This turned out to be exceedingly popular--a night shifter set her alarm to make sure she'd be first in line to buy it!

Perhaps most interesting was how poorly I predicted my audience's aesthetic. What I considered my finest creations were touched a lot, but went unsold. What does this mean? Wrong price point? Yet my trail flag earrings--which I thought were rather unspectacular--sold like hotcakes.

In addition to jewelers, the show featured knitters, painters, potters, and photographers. And customers. Lots of customers.

My humble booth.

Definitely an interesting, eye-opening experience...but perhaps not my calling. As nice as it was to take peoples' money, the pressures of production and salesmanship took much of the fun out of this otherwise enjoyable (if expensive) hobby.

In other news, my roommates and I finally completed the legendary "beeramid."

It toppled over soon after completion.

Flight of the Penguin

This week, I finally got a spot on a coveted "Delta trip" out to another of Scott's huts at Cape Evans. While Cape Evans and McMurdo station are both on Ross Island, an overland route would entail crossing crevasse-riddled snow and glaciers: dangerous indeed. Instead, one can simply drive between the two points over the frozen ocean! That makes for a nice flat drive with opportunities for wildlife sightings.

Pictured below is the rugged "Delta Two" (for two axles)--an articulated vehicle that can be outfitted as a tanker, flatbed, or in this case, bus. The articulated design has an interesting side effect: the human cargo can't communicate with the driver, except by radio! (Yes, I count this towards my goal of utilizing every form of transportation on earth.)

Many Weddell seals were spotted, including one up close. Seals, it seems, are quite lazy when they're out of the water. Then again, it can't be easy living further south than any other mammal--perhaps they've earned their rest.


The hut itself was a lot bigger than the first, and full of many interesting artifacts. It's currently being restored by a small team of kiwis.

Scott's desk, including his stuffed penguin. (This discovery has made me much less self-conscious about my own habit of sleeping with a stuffed seal.)

Rumor has it penguins will frequent our area later in the season. But for now penguin spottings are rare, and the experience is very much built up and coveted. Luckily, we happened upon a flock of five on the return trip, and the experience did not dissappoint.

The clan of Adelies was spotted way off in the distance, but curiosity brought them to within twenty feet. They leisurely waddled up in their adorably awkward way (waddle... waddle... lay on belly and slide... waddle...), and then simply stood around as if we were all waiting at the same bus stop. But the best part was when we finally boarded the Delta and began to drive away. Terrified by the gigantic orange monster, they turned and fled at top speed (waddle!waddle!waddle!), flippers flailing overhead in a manner that was hilariously anthropomorphic.

What a place.
pepe