Sunrise 10:40 AM Sunset 3:15 PM
As you can see from today's statistics, the days are getting very short. Just last week sunset wasn't until almost 4:30PM. Not that we see much of the sun these days anyway. McTown is like Palmer Station in that they are both on the south shore of an island, backed up against mountains and glaciers to the north. Since the sun is riding in the northern sky more and more as winter comes on about the only time we see it is late afternoon until sunset. There have been some awesome sunsets, as you can see from the photo at the top.
Aside from work, there is a lot going on down here. Bingo, Trivia nights, Spanish, folk dancing, and fencing lessons, yoga three or four nights a week, another regimen called zumba that combines dance and exercise, science lectures . . . I'm not sure if there are still organized indoor soccer and basketball games, but there is dodge ball every Friday night. There is a photo club, a writers group, a craft room several nights a week and any number of DJ's hosting shows on the local radio station. Those are just the normal weekly/monthly activities. Special events come along from time to time.
On the 17th, the station store hosted a fashion show. They finally got all the new stuff that came down on the ship unpacked, tagged and displayed in the store. There are at least a dozen new sweatshirts, two dozen new hats and too many new design t-shirts.
It was quite a production with a runway for the models to parade up and down and all sorts of lighting effects.
I personally didn't make it to the show, I was probably busy doing laundry or something, so these photos are from the public computer files.
That's Kelly, Jack and Melanie modeling some of the new shirts. I think Jack may have a new hat on; I haven't taken the time to do much shopping since the show.
I do wish I had been there for this. I'm guessing Keri was describing the hats Bob and Dave are modeling. I know nothing else Bob is displaying is available in the store, including the gangsta shirt, bandanna, shades or the bottle of tequila in his hand. Maybe the show was to show people the new wares; maybe it was just another opportunity for people to dress crazy and drink heavily. That's what a lot of the activities seem to be about. Take this weekend. It was our monthly two-day weekend. One of the shops put on a Death and Taxes party Fri. evening. Didn't make that one either, but I had an excuse; I was at the foreman's meeting until 10PM. (The only thing that makes it the foreman's meeting is a bunch of foremen meet up most Fri. evenings at the Southern, our BYOB bar.)
Yesterday, once again the heavy shop gang held the monthly horseshoes tournament and barbecue. Somehow the soda ran out about half way through and there was beer leftover. A committee will be formed to investigate.
This morning, there were breakfast burritos, bloody marys and mimosas at Gallagher's bar - even though the bar wasn't open for business. The servers work for their tips, so everyone tries to make sure they earn it.
You may have heard a week or so ago about some activity on sun. Biggest eruption or something that's happened in fifteen years. That translates to auroras. Again, I'm borrowing from the public files; I have neither photographic equipment to go aurora chasing nor the inclination to stay up until 5 AM to catch shots like the one above. Actually, I'd be more inclined to get up to catch one at that hour than to stay up . . . . Speaking of which, it's getting to be a little late again. See ya next time . . .
