Couch Potato.

I had no access to movies or television in Antarctica, so I have been a total couch potato lately, catching up on favorite shows/movies, and discovering some new ones. 

Our most recent obsession is a show called Coal, which documents the successes (and failures) of a start-up coal mining business. It's pretty much a man show, but it's really interesting to see how hard the coal miners work, and how dangerous the conditions are. Being claustrophobic, I admire those people for crawling into a dark hole underneath a mountain. I would just start crying, I think. The show is extremely entertaining, with the thick country accents and hilarious personalities. It's also heartbreaking though, as the Appalachia region is extremely poor (check out this site). There is definitely a need out there, and after watching the show, I'm really interested in opportunities like this one to help meet the needs of those living in rural Appalachia.

We also watched Voyage of the Dawn Treader. That book is one of my all-time favorites, but the movie was pretty good. I cried. (Go figure).

...and that's about all that's been going on lately in the Wall household. Pretty exciting stuff.

Ship Offload.

One of my fellow McMurdo-ites made this awesome video depicting the annual ship offload. I wasn't there for this event, but I'm glad I get to see it on here! Check it out.

Home Sweet Home.

I have been so terrible at writing since I left the Ice! New Zealand was an absolutely incredible experience and I just wanted to enjoy my time there, without worrying about my cyber-life. :) 

I spent 5 days by myself on the South Island, which was a wonderful time of relaxation and rejuvenation. I stayed with a wonderful family who was so gracious to me, feeding me fresh veggies from their garden (I think I almost squealed when she set fresh cucumbers down on the table!) and driving me to the city center to catch my Arthur's Pass shuttle when I looked at the wrong bus timetable. 

I had some great conversations with random people. I spent two hours on a wharf in Akaroa talking to a "pom" (the Kiwi term for British people) about life and travel and currency...? I talked to a tiny Kiwi woman at a bus stop about the devastation from the 2011 earthquakes. My favorite conversation though was when I sat next to two highly entertaining Kiwis on the flight from Christchurch to Auckland. They were so excited to go to the System of a Down concert in Auckland that night, invited me to go drinking with them before the concert, and were delighted with the fact that I went to Antarctica and insisted that I show them all my photos. Also, they bought me a Diet Pepsi. I liked them a lot.

Auckland was wonderful as well, mostly because I got to see people I hold very dear to my heart! Mike and I spent our week on the North Island with Brooke & Travis Scott, and their adorable little girls. For the past three years, Brooke and Travis have been working towards establishing a church in central Auckland. It was wonderful to talk to them about their experiences ministering in a different country to a different culture -- especially in a city where prostitution and abortion are both legal. We are so excited about what God is doing in them and in their community. We even got the chance to go to a Sunday service and chat with some of the members of their church; it was so encouraging to see their ministry in action and to meet some of the cool people that go to there. Brooke and Travis are pretty stellar people, and we thoroughly enjoyed spending time with them. (Mike really liked it because Travis also loves Lord of the Rings and allowed encouraged Mike to watch all three EXTENDED versions while we were there.) I was dying to get home by the end of the trip, but I couldn't help but shed some tears when saying goodbye to Brooke, who has been a huge part of my life. I am so thankful for her. 

I think my eagerness to get home cursed my long flight from Auckland to L.A., however. It was bumpy -- really bumpy, to the point where I couldn't even fall asleep because I was practically jumping up and down in my seat. Also, tuna salad was an option for our in-flight meal. I'd like to meet whoever came up with that idea, given that tuna reeks and that the plane is full of recycled air. I was already having trouble sleeping, and the tuna burps/coughs from the woman behind me didn't help. So, I arrived in L.A. a zombie, had a super short 6-hour layover in Cali, and...

....now I'm in Denver, with my husband who is sitting on the couch, shirtless, trying to convince me that I would like Celebrity Death Match while wearing a blanket as a cape.

Sounds like home.

Musings.

I leave the Ice in 5 hours, and it's a bittersweet feeling.

Much more sweet than bitter....like 99% sweet and 1% bitter...but I do feel a certain sense of sadness to be leaving.

I have words for this sadness - lots of words. But right now I don't have time to write them all down, or to eloquently compose the emotional insanity that I am feeling right now: Excitment. Stress. Nostalgia. Eagerness. More excitement.

I'll be on the South Island until the 22nd of February, then I'll be in Auckland until March 3. I will post when I can, update when I can, but mostly I am taking this time to relax. To decompress. To re-insert myself into normal society. To think. To enjoy. To simply be.

Can't wait. :)

TiltShifts.

Ok, so my life is changed. I found this website that simulates tilt-shift photography, which is used to make an image appear miniature.

I had a ton of fun with these, they are so cute!

Mini McMurdo

Mini Ivan

Mini Stanley

Mini Bean

Mini Coors Field

Obviously some photos work better than others, but it's fun to experiment on all different types of pictures!

Now, back to work...

Fire in the Hole.

Yesterday I walked across the ice pier to get onto the NBP.

Today it got blown up.
(I totally jumped because it was so loud. And also, sorry for the sun glare. It's a little intense down here.)

Nathaniel B. Palmer.

The Nathaniel B. Palmer (NBP) is one of the NSF vessels that is used primarily for scientific research on climate change, geophysics, biology, oceanography, etc. It operates year-round and actually has ice breaking capabilities (The reason the USAP doesn't use it as our ice breaker is because it isn't qualified to escort the fuel tanker). Anyway, the NBP docked at McMurdo a few days ago for a crew change, so we got the luxury of being able to tour the boat!

Like I already said, the NBP is used for scientific research. The tour guide talked about the science they're working on, but the only words I really understood were "ocean floor sludge" and "radar." Seriously, no idea what the dude was talking about. Oh well. Here are the labs on the boat:

The "morale" section of the boat was way more up my alley. They have a cute little eating area, with rails that can be pushed up on the sides of the tables to prevent any plates from flying off when a big wave hits.

They also have a sauna, which they intelligently promote as a "safety item," for when people go overboard and need to be thawed out after becoming hypothermic in the icy Antarctic waters. Which obviously happens like, ALL the time. So...they have a sauna.

Only 72 people max are allowed to sail on the NBP. Why you ask? Because their lifeboat can hold only 76 people. When they first mentioned the lifeboat, my oh-so-cultured mind immediately thought of the dingy little boats in the movie Titanic. So when I saw the lifeboat, I thought to myself, "Dang! Nice lifeboat! I'd totally be ok in that thing!" However, apparently it is not as cushy as I thought it might be. Even though the boat is covered and seemingly unsinkable, there are a few minor issues: 1) There is water for only a few days. 2) There is no toilet, only a bucket. 3) You are forced to take seasickness medicine as you enter the boat, which for some people only makes them sicker. 4) You are strapped into your seat on the boat which makes you feel every single wave.

Basically, what I'm saying is that you would be strapped into a small floating windowless pod (hello, claustrophobia), with the swirling odors of 72 people's vomit and excrement (hello, disgusting), with no food and only a little water (hello, pain).

So then I decided that didn't sound so good and I'd rather just die in a Titanic lifeboat.

My favorite part of the tour was going up to the Bridge, where all of the controls are to steer the boat. It was very cool, and absolutely beautiful.

My second favorite part of the tour was the fact that there is a workboat on the NBP called the Cajun Cruncher. The NBP was actually built in Louisiana, and since I was born in Cajun country, I was pretty excited.

Here are just a few more random shots I took on the boat. 

 Pretty cool stuff.

Peace, Love, and Leonardo DiCaprio.