The boring parts of my job

I know, it must seem glamorous. According to my blog I lead a very exciting life of meeting distinguished visitors, flying out to the dry valleys by helicopter, whale watching from the Crary lab and cruising on ice breakers. Well it's true. However, it's not all about hobnobbing with Admirals, Generals, Prime Ministers and penguins. Today I faced the job I dread the most for the whole season. I inventoried all of the chemicals that we will store here over the winter. I'm the last one left in McMurdo from the LTER team. I think we had another great season. I have a week left now and I am cleaning up and getting ready to go, making lists, returning things, packing, and so on. At least now that everyone else is gone, I can see what is left to do.
I just wanted to point out for careful readers of my blog that if you look back at the pictures from early January compared to now, things have changed. The day of the penguin invasion, Jan 7, the sea ice was still solid almost everywhere. Where those penguins were running, they would have to swim. We have lots of open water in Winter Quarters Bay and around Hut Point. It changed quite a bit this month. I promise I will take some more pictures of McMurdo before I leave. The sun has not set yet, but it is lower in the sky. The first sunset will happen in about a week, of course it will rise again a few minutes later. It has been getting colder and windier, which makes it feel like it's time to head to New Zealand. Many people are leaving. My turn is coming soon.