Chuck donated to the MS 150! Now, one look at Chuck and you would think he is just another Southern Red Neck (this is NASA Chuck I am talking about-not Kim’s Chuck). But he’s a really nice and friendly fellow. Chuck says I should put more photos on my blog. So, here Chuck, just for you, is a picture of my MS 150 Team Captain Mug! Whoo Hoo! Now you know why I don’t put so many pictures up-I just don’t have interesting material! But look, you can see my hands that Chuck licks **AHEM** I mean likes so much…..

Dana donated to the MS 150! Dana and me go way, way back. Being the mother of my best friend, and being so closely linked to my best friend, she bridges the lines of mentor and friend. When I was but a bright-eyed 10-year old, she was little more than one of those “mom” figures, but her household was so different from mine she instantly inspired awe. I don’t know if she ever had a full-time job, but she probably works more than anyone I know. She is a project woman, whether it being gardening or sewing or canning or whatever. The cool thing is that she doesn’t do anything halfway. Instead of just sewing a hat, she sews hundreds, labels them, markets them and sells them. Cool lady.

Where would my fundraising be if it weren’t for Tom? Last year he was my number one contributor! Yea!
We could all learn from Tom. He is the kind of guy who makes the most out of every situation. He seems to be far busier day to day than I could ever imagine being, yet somehow he manages to be vibrant and uniquely attentive throughout the whole day. Although his expansive vocabulary sometimes leaves me wondering what he is talking about, Tom is one of the most refreshing and pleasant NSF’ers to talk to in McMurdo. He also plays a mean hand of….Uno!
Thanks, Tom!

Rebecca worked with me last mainbody in Antarctica. She hails from Boulder (I think) and is still working on the ice now in the winter. When I think of her I think of pirates. She made an image for herself by sticking a pirate-type flag on her parka and shaving her head, but take the image away and there is more person there (unlike many other people who are easy to point out). She has a certain dark coolness to her, a dry humor, a sharp intelligence, and creativity. I remember interviewing her for the job over a year ago. She was someone I really wanted to hire, but couldn’t put my finger on it as to why. I just had a hunch. And she turned out to be so cool! There seems to be so much complexity to Rebecca. I imagine I could talk to Rebecca every day for years and still not have peeled away the outer layers of her onionskin persona.
Thanks Rebecca!

Light night in my boxing class I participated in sparring for the first time. It was hard to think on my feet, but it went well. Most of the people I partnered up with were also beginners, so I felt almost like we were trying to do a dance in which no one knew who was lead and who was follow. Now, in practice we are supposed to hit light and not actually hurt anybody. So, you can imagine my surprise when I woke up in the morning with 15 bruises! 15! One of them is on my eye! It doesn’t look like a traditional black eye, though. It looks more like an eye hickey. Add that to the 4-inch scrape I got on my knee from falling off my bike yesterday and I really look a mess!

Julie donated to the MS 150! Julie is on the ice now in the winter, doing the housing supervisor job. For the past 6 years Tom’s been the winter housing supervisor so it’s been a long time since a new person has stepped up to the plate. This has been great for me because Julie occasionally uses me for a resource and asks my opinion about janitor tasking. I get to find out about what is going on in winter and it helps me feel more vested in my job.
I don’t know much about Julie. I only really talked to her in the hectic days just before I left the ice, but she comes across as a sweet yet stern, flexible but organized kind of person. She has a lot more self-control than me, and I admire that. She is a person I would love to get to know better and hang out with.

I am riding my bike on a neighborhood road, approaching a 4-way intersection. I decelerate slightly, to make sure I have a clear way strait through the green light. A car approaches in the lane on my left. It has no turn signals on. Just as I enter the intersection, the car on my left makes a sudden right hand turn. I brake as hard as I can without throwing myself over the handlebars and, by some miracle, my front tire stops just centimeters away from the oblivious vehicle. How many times must I endure this scenario before I have to pick up the remains of my own bloody carcass off the pavement (the driver in question felt bad and really wanted to help, but he had to rush off to work so he could make enough money to put gas in his behemoth of a car, code named “Operation Iraqi Freedom”)??????
I have a request to EVERY ONE WHO DRIVES. I understand if it is too much for you to look out for cyclists on your right when you are making a right hand turn, even though they have the RIGHT OF WAY. However, if you are going to do this, PLEASE, oh PLEASE, at least USE YOUR TURN SIGNAL!!!!!