Gathering of the Fuelies

A word from Alex Morris, head of Fuels and Josh's boss: Greetings one and all. the time draws nigh to a gathering of all Summer 09-10 Fuelies. Just as a quick reminder, all of you should have tickets or be in process of getting ticketed. If not, please call me ASAP! You will be arriving in Denver on Sept. 23^rd for DJ’s 40^th birthday training and deployment. OSHA training will occur the morning of the 24^th at 7:30am. Shuttles will be provided by the hotel and Raytheon. After we all go through LOCK OUT/TAG OUT training, we’ll shuttle back to the hotel for Fuelie Training. The 25^th is another full day of training (ethics, Raytheon’s tactical assault systems, IT INFOSEC completion for those you who haven’t done it yet), and a heap of other stuff. Training on the 24^th and 25th ends at 5:00pm. (There are a few businesses close to the hotel that offer food and beverage service if there is anyone interested in such.) We all return on the 26^th for another morning of fun in the saddle and then we all get on busses and head to DIA for the commencement of our Antarctic adventure! Whooo hoooo! It is this last point that I wish to specifically address. Below is word from the head of the Deployment Specialist Group (DSG) concerning the increase in weight allowances when flying to McMurdo. It has gone from 75 to 150lbs. The international weight limit still remains 140lbs, but if you have a lead ballon collection that you’ve always wanted to bring to McMurdo, this is the year to do it. see you folks soon! alex 720-568-2266

Antarctica Gear!

Just bought a SmartWool crew top! Anti-microbial so it doesn't stink (as bad). Need to get a couple more of those, but I've got a start. Sticking with the SmartWool theme, I bought myself a pair of SmartWool pants to wear under my carhartt's, coveralls, etc.

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Also bought a couple pairs of mountaineering socks from Cabela's,
And last but not least, my big splurge: a GoLite women's softshell jacket.

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One of the things that Antarcticans consistently report regretting not bringing down is their own cold gear (NSF issues you some, but it's, well, borrowed goods.) Almost outfitted; good thing I won't be able to spend my paychecks b/c this gear is costing me a pretty penny.

Three Weeks to Deployment

I got my deployment itinnerary a few days ago and will be leaving on Sept. 23 for the Ice. I know that three weeks is going to fly by. It's hard to believe that it will actually be happening. I sometimes have to stop and consider how fortunate I am to have this opportunity. At 19, and with only two years of college credits, I'm very lucky to be going down to the work on the ice.

We're Physically Qualified!

After running back and forth to Boise nearly every weekend this summer, numerous doctor visits, dentist visits, failed faxes, mailed x-rays, and phone calls back and forth to HR for paperwork, Raytheon informed us that we are "Physically Qualified to deploy to McMurdo Station." I thought this day would never come!

Our First Piece of Antarctica Gear!

Today Josh and I found a steal on backcountry.com in their luggage sale section. On sale for half the MSRP, we bought two Patagonia Black Hole duffel bags, each holding 90L of stuff (hence the name "black hole"). It always feels weird to make big purchases online, but the shipping was free and backcountry always has great stuff. It also feels weird to buy the same bag in the same color as my boyfriend which makes me feel like I'm part of this weird cookie cutter couple thing, but whatever, black was the only color in stock. They should be delivered to my Boise house by Tuesday. Then, the packing tests begin!

USAP email: "recent changes"

(edited for length) This e-mail is being sent to all RPSC and NANA employees and alternates deploying to McMurdo and South Pole. SYDNEY You will deploy through Sydney this season instead of Auckland. This is lame for us because it puts our arrival in Christchurch at a much later time, and eats up our free days before heading to the Ice.

• Participants with non-U.S. passports must obtain a transit visa before deploying. Apply online at www.australianvisaonline.com/#australia_transit_visa; there is no charge. If in doubt, contact an Australian Embassy or Consulate.
• Wait until Sydney or Christchurch to purchase duty-free liquids, aerosols or gels (LAGs). LAGs purchased at LAX will be confiscated in Australia. Non-LAG purchases are allowable. Really?! But I wanted to buy my allowable 2 handles of premium Scotch! ;)
• Leaving the terminal is in violation of Australian law. This won't affect us much, as our layover will only be a few hours anyway, not long enough to get out of the airport to see anything.

BAGGAGE ALLOWANCES The NSF increased the baggage allowance on Mainbody flights between Christchurch and Antarctica. This is the combined checked weight of your ECW gear and personal luggage. (Save room for about 5 pounds of ECW gear.) Carry-on allowance is the same as for commercial flights, that is, it must fit inside the test box. Most airlines charge for one or more bags or for bags over 50 lbs (22 kg). Please check your airline’s website for estimated costs and be prepared to pay at the counter. You will be reimbursed for commercial baggage fees from your home to Denver as long as you follow the guidelines below and submit all receipts. (You can do that at Orientation.) RPSC covers baggage costs from Denver to Christchurch as long as you follow the guidelines below.

• • Commercial flights (Home-Denver-Christchurch):
  – up to 2 bags, no more than 70 lbs (32 kg) each, plus carry-on
  • Ice flight (Christchurch-McMurdo):
  – up to 150 lbs (68 kg) of checked luggage, each bag no more than 70 lbs (32 kg), plus carry-on

CURRENCY EXCHANGE Travelex offices at the Auckland airport and in downtown Christchurch (Cathedral Square and Colombo/Armagh Streets) are the only offices that waive currency exchange fees for USAP participants. Present the USAP Travelex letter in your travel folder and your passport. This is pretty neat, considering usually you get screwed as a foreigner with currency exchange. Luckily, as of today the US dollar was worth about 1.48 New Zealand dollars, so I'll have a little more cash with which to purchase schwag and souvenirs. Thank you, Deployment Specialists Group Raytheon Polar Services Company 7400 S. Tucson Way Centennial, CO 80112-3938 1-800-688-8606 prompt 2 303-790-8606 prompt 2 deploy@usap.gov

Wisdom Teeth (Josh's this time)

Yesterday I (Josh) had my wisdom teeth removed at about 8:30 am. The surgery went really well, better than I expected in fact. Fortunately the surgeon who did the extraction was the same dentist that I've been seeing since I was a little kid, so felt pretty comfortable going in. After I got home and my face started to regain feeling, I had quite a bit of pain in my jaw, but the miracles of hydrocodone quickly got rid of that. Today it hardly hurts at all, but I'm still having trouble eating anything but liquid food. I just gummed down a bit of cheese, and although difficult, it didn't hurt at all, so I may try making myself some real food tonight.

My teeth hurt like a biiiiiiiiiiiiitch

I'm popping hydrocodone like Dr. House after he had a fight with Cuddy and some kid took his cane. Well not really, but that's what I feel like. Last night all I dreamed about was all of my current posessions being put in my second grade classroom at Garfield Elementary, and looking for my hydrocodone prescription. It was weird, becuase yesterday I was getting by with just Ibuprofen, but last night I felt like my jaws were in a vice.

PQing

Well today I had my physical and dental exam, and will be getting my wisdom teeth out next week. So far the PQing process hasn't been too hectic, although I did forget to get my TB skin test while at the doctor so I will need to go in and get that done. I will be moving up to Stanley, Idaho for the summer this Saturday so it will become much more difficult to come down for doctors visits after this week, although it will be great living in Stanley.

Not-So-Wise Teeth

If this post sounds rambly, it's because I'm on prescription drugs and it's late at night. As part of the PQ process, I got my wisdom teeth out today. I have what you might not call a "phobia" of needles, because I can get shots without completely flipping out and punching the nurse in the face or rampaging through the clinic (as I've heard from other horror stories) but my brain and needles don't really agree. It's some lingering vestige of childhood, a memory of unpleasant experiences with needles but no concrete reason for fearing the pain. As a result, I was given a Valium to take a half hour before the surgery. I think I was so freaked out that it didn't do much, but the nitrous oxide they gave me right before they put the IV in my arm sure did. The nurses said the actual extraction took only 10 minutes (did I imagine that? 4 wisdom tooth extractions seem like they would take longer than that) and most of the time was spent bringing me out of the anaesthesia. Josh was the best nurse ever, stopping by the pharmacy on the way home to pick up my hydrocodone (which I was told I should be excited about, but it's not that trippy...just takes away the pain) and we stopped at WinCo to get some bottles of Bolthouse Farms smoothie drinks. Knowing that I couldn't eat solid food today of course made me crave it incessantly, but after a fruit smoothie that Josh made and some slightly pureed chicken noodle soup he blended up, I at least had enough food in my stomach to assauge the nausea that hydrocodone causes (p.s. not fair at all.) As a self-evaluation, I feel like I'm healing quite quickly and nicely. The combination of hydrocodone, ice, and ibuprofen has numbed the gaping holes in the back of my mouth to a dull soreness; very manageable for me. I'm also very drowsy, and sleep will aid my healing. We'll see how I feel tomorrow, but I think it's going to turn out much better than I had expected.