Happy New Year !!!

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

I must mention that the Christmas Caroling was excellent. Two of our Jano's, Lavonne and Lan participated. I was able to hear them at Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, and they sounded beautiful. Kudo's for sharing the joy!

I was in the the Smoking Lounge and observed one of our female Jano's defeating one of our male Jano's in a wrestling match. While I won't mention names as to not embarrass anyone...I would encourage everyone to stay on the good side of anyone they might know whom is named after a tree.

Today, at ICESTOCK, our very own Jano's Justin, Sparky and Nathan will be the opening act. Adam will be on stage later as well. Make sure to hoot and hollar for our fellow Jano brothers and sisters; after all we are representing!

Oh, I was asked if graveyard has a gang sign...well, YES we do. However, if I were to show it to any one other than a graveyard teammate, I would be in danger of gang violence. AND yes we have gang nicknames...why? BECAUSE WE ARE FRICKIN GANGSTER, day shift better just respect. Highway 1 and Crary are our hood and we will cap anybody with our 9mm if we see them leaving dishes or trash lying around. Word Up!

See if you can identify the graveyard gangster with their cute lovable gangland moniker. Momasita C or Queen B; G.B. or Gangsta B; Phattie or Fatty (no, it is not Carlton); and High-C. Don't ask me to tell you who is who, cause I would just have to cap ya. Mudda Bucka

Anywho, I just wanted to share the love and wish you all the best. Have a great time at IceStock and be SAFE! Flash me a gang sign if you dare...and NO Chelsea, the middle finger is not a gang sign!

PS: Chad, don't forget I know where you live!!! Mind your P's & Q's stud, or me and my homies are gonna pay you a gangland visit, gangster style, wearing hoodies and speaking unintelligible sentences, flashing our 9mm's and our skua bling; you get the picture!

Love you all,
Carlton

(If I have offended anyone, please blame Jeff for starting this blog; without that action I wouldn't be posting. As always, I remain innocent!)

It's no fun when you go home alone.......

I sit here at Christchurst and search all the places.... i look at the crowds and try to find familar faces.....the crowds are laughing and having a good time ....but to me their all strangers...and no friends of mine ...my friends are at Mcmurdo , doing what they do.....damn i miss all their faces and i know this to be true...when you make friends in a place as harsh as the '' Ice'' ....your friends stay with you forever ....and forever for life............i am heading home because i have to but i will always remember the time that i met some of the toughest , hardest working, life loving, fun having people, on he face of the planet.........there is a saying that ''You have to go to the Ends of the Earth to find a better deal".........well let me tell you....i have been to ''The Ends of the Earth''..........and you will never find a better bunch of people ..........God i miss them .........but i will never forget then................''See you all down the road''..............Your friend Always........Eddiebear

Glad it's finally over...

Well, the Jano Olympics were something else...it appeared a good time was had by all; and that was the point. I didn't mind losing the fitted sheet folding competition to such fabulous fitted sheet folders; way to go.
Chad was outrageous the way he tossed that bag, he is a natural. I was impressed with his TP stacking as well, he better get ready to stack blocks for his upcoming baby. The PPE beauty contest was great too, all three looked safe, Safe, SAFE!!!
All in all, it was a great time. The judges were fair and just and the events were well balanced. Great job fellow Jano's.

PS: If it ain't against the rules, it ain't cheating.

TEAM VACPAKISTAN ROCKS !!!

Hello Again

Sorry i took so long to write again, i finally got the knots loose and was able to untie myself, boy some people can not take a joke.
Things are going well here , we stay pretty busy work wise , and when we do get our day off we tend to live it to it's fullest...what i like most about this place is the fact that we are all part of a family and mcmurdo is our house ...if one of my fellow workers had a wild night ..i will be there with an asprin and a bottle of water...if one of my fellow workers WANTS to have a wild night ..i will be there with a beer and a smile ...if one of my fellow workers comes up to me and says '' I am in some really deep Do-Do... i will be there with an understanding ear to listen ..or a mop to help clean it up...we watch out for eachother...some day this will end and we will all go home to those we love...and miss us...even Jeff , he will go back to his little ranch home and relax ...him and his pet goat, Little Nervous...........may we all live our lives as we should ......helping those that need help..........Always..Eddiebear

"It is amazing how much you can accomplish when it doesn't matter who gets the credit. "

How do you write a blog about people you don’t know? You can’t you have to get to know the people you are writing about. We did a survey this week, full of dumb questions. Every one asked “what is the point of these stupid questions”. What is the easiest way to get to know people? You ask questions, you listen to the answers. With the people that have turned in the survey we have learned in one day we take out 144 trash cans, in one week we sweep 1996 steps, in a month we scrub 2640 toilets. That is for the half of the crew that has submitted the information.

How do you read a blog about a group of people you don’t know? You can’t you have to know them. If you don’t know who you are reading about there is no reason to take time to read it.

This is the first part of introducing the people of the Jano department. No one person is more important then the other person, no one person works harder then the others. We all do are part to help each other out. We are a team if we lose one, and then our team is incomplete. We don’t complain about it, we just change are schedule around to get the job done.

This is the first part of the crew.



This person has been described as a true gentleman. He is a savvy individual that has earned the respect of many with in our department, with his easy going personality and intelligent commentary. Soon to be a new father, Chad is valuable player to the team.

He never has anything serious to say. Always trying his best to make people laugh, smile and like him. And we all do just that. If there is something that needs done we can count on Eddie to get the job done.

She is the department smile. Not a day goes by that she doesn’t make a statement that will surprise you. If you’re having a bad day, talk to Chelsea guaranteed she’ll make you smile.

A team is only as good as their leader. Always having something positive to say about you, statements like “big fan and you are a rock star”. You can tell when you talk to her, she truly cares about your safety. With out Keri this department would not run the way it does.

Mr. Olympic, Mr. Competitive he is the one always trying to win. If it’s not folding fitted sheets at the Jano Olympic, it’s bowling the best at are fun day at the bowling alley. When it comes to doing Jano work Carlton is a true winner.

She’s not seen much, only once or twice a day. She works in a dungeon, but she does it with pride. She is an adventurous spirit that lives free and has traveled excessively. If you call her Barb instead of Caitlin she might shove you in a washing machine.

He’s been here the longest. He knows the ins and outs of being a Jano. If we have a question we can go to him to get the answer. With out Steve our vacuums would never get repaired.

With being the newest member of our team she has cut the work load for all of us. LaVonne has made our job easier.

Always helping others out, he is a true team player. He has discovered a world of cool people hidden in the depths of a frozen continent. He work hard, play hard, and interact willingly. Adam has a good view of life and living, the same views we all should have.

Watch out what you say to this person she might just run you down. With good work ethics she will not stop until the job is done. With her sarcastic answers, Cedar always has something to say, but it is always worth listening to.

She is always going above and beyond her duty as a Jano. She also spends her lunch hour working in the store, always with a friendly smile on her face. Tiffany is a strong member of the Jano family.

With the personality she possesses, she is the life of the party. She has her own style and she makes it work. It’s always fun to have her around. She is one of a kind. With out Sparky, the job would be boring.

Coming together is a beginning.

Keeping together is progress.

Working together is success.

By the way...

First and foremost, I need to retract what I stated about our drinking, dancing comrades. A friend of mine informed me that a seminary student shouldn't be calling anyone hot, except God or his wife/girlfriend; and that it could even be construed as sexist. I did not mean it offensively and would restate it as so: "Our co-workers, freed by the consumption of spirits, danced liberally; each a artistic expression of grace and wholesomeness." (I mean it too.)

I volunteered today to cover Chad's duty in the laundry and boy am I glad I did. I was able to share with Caitlin and Tiffany some of the fitted sheet folding skills I have learned over the years. They were floored with my sheet folding skill set. Here is a excert of their reaction to observing me whilst folding.

Caitlin: "Oh my goodness, I've never seen such grace and perfection expressed in the simple act of fitted sheet folding!"
Tiffany: "I can't believe it, I never knew fitted sheet folding could be so beautiful!"
Caitlin: "His hands, they are flying like a conductor leading an orchestra..."
Tiffany: "Yes, yes; and each fold is like each instrument playing it's unique sound..."
Caitlin: "Culminating into a glorious perfection of fabric manipulation."
Tiffany: "Resulting in a folded fitted sheet beyond our imagination."
Caitlin: "I can't believe that I have been fortunate to witness this with my own eyes."
Tiffany: "Let's keep it a secret and have him come and fold a sheet for us, when we need to be happy. "
Caitlin: "Sigh"
Tiffany: "Mmmm"

At that point I dared not fold another fitted sheet before them, lest they went into a euphorical trance. I had shared enough...which is all I really want from my sheet folding. Yes, I am not in it for the glory or the fame; I simply want to share love and help achieve world peace. And if I can do that with my folding, then God bless me I will fold until I can't fold any more.

Peace!

Credit where credit is due!

Hey Jeff,
Good job on the Jano Olympic flag, how kool.

SuperLaundryGirl, you think I'm embarrassing myself now, wait until the showdown. lol Not to worry, I will impress all with my improved bedding gear dispersal idea.

Leigh rocks!

Apparently the Jano Olympics may be postponed...all the better. Now maybe I can have some real fitted sheet folding competition. Not to mention Leigh's choragraphic masterpiece of sychronized mopping; oh and I can't forget Cedar tossing that laundry bag like throwing a rock at a Skua. Nathan will cover most the rest. With this combonation, Backpackistan is destined for Victory...other contestants need not even show up. I'm not concieted, just convinced.

Well, back to reality; congrats on all you who have gotten to do Happy Camp. I sure am envious and hope I get a chance as well, yea buddy.

What?!

Carlton you're embarassing yourself.

Hello...

This is Eddie , and the real reason im here is because this is where '' The Wittness Protection Plan'' , sent me ...they said Hawaii was full this time of year........it's pretty much the same as Hawaii, lots of white stuff that could be mistaken as sand, plenty of ocean..it's just a question of mind over matter........Anyway , it's great to be in the real ''Land Down Under''.....you all take care in the land of the sunrise and sundown..........Hasta Luego........Eddiebear

Why blog???

I am not much for blogging, but it is a great way for a large group to share information. I managed SharePoint 2007 for the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation, it has similar features and allows instant updates; I was amazed how quickly we were able to network with such a potent tool. Hopefully, this blog will be similar.

By the way, Simple Green has nothing on So Sure, the KING of chemicals. Yep, I'm a So Sure man. lol

I was a private party the other night and observed some of our coworkers dancing...I don't know if it was me or what, but I swear the more they drank, the better they danced. lol They were all hot, HoT, HOT!!!

Speaking of HOT, when it comes to folding fitted sheets, Caitlin is not. I, Carlton will reign as master folder at the Jano Olympics...I say this, so others can be prepared to console Caitlin and Tiffany, when they see me do what I do and how I do it! (Hey, don't hate me because I'm beautiful!)

Anyway, kudo's Jeffy for getting this up and running. Later all

Where we live, eat and play

November 15, 2008

To whom it may concern,


You are about to read our first journal. This journal is written for many reasons. The main reason is for the families back home to see what we are doing day to day. The other reason is so next year we have something to look back on. First part of the post will be for the families, second part will be boring work talk.

I am writing from Antarctica. We are in a world that not many people know much about. This is McMurdo station, our new home. The big white building almost in the center of the picture is 155. This is the heart of our town. Inside is the galley, store, computer lounge, dorm and many offices. Most of us sleep in this dorm. To the left is a group of 12 buildings these are all dorms. The pink building to the right of 155 is Medical. The blue roof below that is Gallagher’s this is one of 3 bars on station. Don’t worry they serve none alcoholic beverages, because here at McMurdo we don’t drink. If you believe that I have some ocean front property in Ohio I would like to sell you. The big grey building is the Crary labs the science lab. This is the reason were here, to support science.

Now that you see were we live let me tell you what we do. We work for a company called NANA, contracted out by Raytheon to do all the dirty work. NANA takes care of the housing side of the operation. We are a small group of people within NANA, 22 people to be exact. We are different nationalities, we have various beliefs. Half the group is male the other half female. Then we have Eddie were he falls into both categories. We all have many ways we are different but we all have at least one thing in common. We all chased our dream and it brought us here. Except for Eddie he came for the surgery (enough jokes about Eddie). Even though we are a small group of people, we came here for a job. We are the janitors of McMurdo and it’s not a glamorous job. Yes we scrub toilets, we sweep floors and tons of trash, and we do it with a smile. Why, because were here in Antarctica. We are proud to be were we are. We are proud to do what we do. We work hard, long hours, long weeks, short weekends, and with small checks.

We didn’t come here to get rich, with money. The memories of this experience and the friendships we will acquire will last a life time. For generations our families and our kids will be looking at our pictures, wishing they could go were we have been. In years we will look back at this time of our life and be amazed that we were at Antarctica, and that is priceless.

Follow us on our journey. Let us be your eyes to a world not seen. Read our stories, feel our pain of being away. See what we go through at McMurdo. Support us in what we do. You might not like the fact that your little girl, boy, husband or wife traveled so far from home. Doesn’t mean that you can’t help them get through it. Love them for who they are, love them for what they are doing. Tell them you miss them. With out your support it just makes this a lot harder to deal with. And please if Eddie has a family please take him back we don’t want him here any more.

______________________________________________________


Todays weather: mostly clear, -10c/+14
What was for lunch: Hot Dogs
What was for dinner: Chicken Parmesan with Marinara sauce

Our family is now complete. The last Jano, LaVonne flew in yesterday, today she will start working. Jeff and Nate were off for Sunday run. The station is running out of simple green, we just ordered the last 5 gallons