Today is 6 months from when my vacation starts. Not my actual trip, that is tomorrow, and not the cruise that is the 22nd, and not landing on Antarctica, that is sometime next month (pending weather, as they like to say in the fine print). But I am going to revel in today's 6 month mark. Partly because I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now, but mostly because it is snowing today (in APRIL!, in VICTORIA!) and I need something to get through this ridiculous winter (yes, I see the irony).
Anyhoooo, no shopping to report although my friend Carolyn lent me some waterproof pants. They are about 12 inches too long but I will make them work. That's what tall boots are for, to hide excessive hem.
Here's a question to ponder: what time zone is Antarctica? I mean, the south pole is at the bottom of all 24 time zones so which one is THE one? Turns out, each station just picks the time zone of their home base. So, the bits sort of close to New Zealand and Australia use time zones from that side of the planet. The peninsula, where we will be, uses Argentina time zones.
But we'll be on vacation and it will be daylight all day, so really, what is time?
Or place for that matter. Here is the map that came with that sunlight graph - this is the location of Vostok Station
In research news, I read a book called The Birdman of Antarctica about a guy who signed up for a season counting Adelie penguins near the McMurdo Station. Their camp was where Cherry camped from "the worst journey in the world' which I never managed to pick up again. I may be spurred to read more.
I went to a ballet (Ballet Hispanico hosted by Dance Victoria). It was a dance version of Eva Peron's life story. It was really good but not exactly biographical, more suggestive of the occasional choreographed cough with a lithe swoon. But it made me remember that there is more history to be learned than just Antarctic history. Biography of Evita on its way.
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