Fuel Tanker Offload

Today being the second day of tanker offload, and having gotten up at 4:30 this morning, and having worked for 13 hours today and 13 yesterday, and this being a Sunday (my regular day off)...I am tired.

My job for tanker offload has been "tank dipper," the person that uses a dip tape to measure how much fuel is coming into the fuel tank.  Every 1/2 hour I climb to the top of the tank, open the dip port, dip and call in my reading to Control, in the Fuels Barn.  The view from on top of the tanks is amazing; I can see the channel in McMurdo Sound where the icebreaker cut through to allow the fuel tanker to dock at the ice pier.  Sometimes you can see whales, and yesterday when we were connectin ghte hoses to hte boat, a seal swam up next to the pier where we were standing.  He puffed out his nostrils at us, realized that we stunk like fuel, and swam away.

Josh and I got to board the tanker yesterday morning and take fuel samples from the bulk tanks on board, which was exciting.  Tanker has been a great time for me; not only do I get to work with the Fuels department (which is the department I'd hope to apply for when/if I come back), but I am doing an important job, where I am utilized and needed and relied upon.  Fuels runs a tight ship and they have a very complex system of valves, hoses, tanks and pumps that require constant attention, and even the normally less-than-thrilling amount of intellectual stimulation that provides is vey satisfying.  My body has proved itself suited to manual labor; I can deal with being cold, I make sure to keep snacks and water nearby, I don't strain my muscles or get too sore--- but my brain feels like it's locked in a prison during the workday.  My saving grace for the 2nd half of the season has been free NPR podcasts, which keep me from going totally brain dead, but that's nothing quite as nice as working with a group of people to solve a problem or execute an operation.  I hope I can find a job like that in Boise.

After tanker finishes (later tonight), we get two days off--one to make up for our missed Sunday and one as comp time for our 13-hr workdays.

After that I have about a week and a half of regular GA work (some of which may be working on the supply vessel offload) and then I redeploy on the 12th of February.  I am SOOOO excited.  So excited to be home and unemployed.