My deployment for eight months to Antarctica would not have been so easy had it not been for a number of people and circumstances. These extra special things stick out:
- A whole heap of folks who delivered, moved, or let me borrow furniture for my room.
- Susie's feather bed.
- Kristi, from Starbucks, for gifting me three pounds of coffee beans!
- Sara, for taking care of my car for me.
- Laura who put aside a box of stuff in McMurdo with my name on it.
- Kris who organized a box of supplies for me with her shuttles crew in McMurdo.
- Amanda who shopped in LA for the digital camera I couldn't find in any store in Bellingham and brought it to the airport for me when I flew through.
- Paula, Lynn, and Janie who all worked it out so I had a few extra packing days in the U.S. before I flew out.
- The woman at Horizon Airlines who put 'priority' tags on my bags so I wouldn't be without them for the flightless winter in Antarctica (although, she didn't check my third bag properly which had me running around LAX for quite some time).
The coyote who lent his fur for my parka.- Laura, for meeting me in Christchurch; and spending time with Kaska and seeing Char!
- The people at the CDC who let me go through gear issue right away rather than coming back to the airport a few hours later.
I also recall a handful of strange experiences.
- Being intercepted between immigration and customs by four customs agents who had pegged me, specifically, for questioning.
- The interesting assertive man sitting next to me on the airplane.
- My Hotel So room woke me up with lights and television (and put me to sleep, too).
- Flying in the C-17 with only four other passengers.
- Being in McMurdo when everyone else seems to be leaving.
- Having a room to myself on station.
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