A beginners guide to looking cool in McMurdo:
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| McMurdo cool circa 1967 |
One of the most intimidating aspects of going to a new place is trying to fit in and not look like the odd one out. As a Grantee or 'beaker' in local terminology, we are automatically placed in the 'uncool' category in McMurdo. Note that we are referring to being socially cool and not temperately, the latter of which everyone can be considered cool. Here are some tips for rocking the 'semi-cool' look, as lets face it, true 'cool' is reserved for mountaineers only.
Dining. The pinnacle of the differentiation between cool and uncool is the galley. The spirits of newcomers are commonly crushed and the coolness of the veterans are reaffirmed during meals. This brings us to Lesson (1): Never sit at a two person table in the galley. This is uncool. Lesson (2): Never pause while walking through the galley to find your group, choose a clockwise or counterclockwise loop and stick to it! Lesson (3) Feel free to wave and point to an imaginary person in the distance to give the impression you know more people. The more people you know the cooler you are. However if they catch you, this will make you forever uncool.
Bragging. You've climbed a big mountain. Big whoop. Everyone else has and most people here have climbed nastier and gnarlier things than you. Don't brag.
Parties. Saturday night and there are not many people in the bars. Why? Well, all the cool people are at parties elsewhere. Go find one!
Dress code. Bunny boots are the most uncool thing you can wear. Period. Wear less clothes than you actually need. This will make you both kinds of cool.
Now go out there and be cool!
Added note from Christine: The geologist pictured here is John Lewis, Colorado College (!!) Geology professor who supervised Texas Tech PhD student John Wilbanks in the 1968 season. Larry Gould himself (first American geologist to arrive in Antarctica) helped arrange the opportunity for John, after Gould came to Colorado College to present an IGY lecture.
Funnily enough, I now teach at CC. And Larry Gould is the person who inspired me to go to Antarctica, too... but by then he was 92 years old and I was a grad student at U of Arizona! Gould founded the Carleton College Geology Dept where Fawna and I both got our undergrad geology degrees!! All one interconnected geology family...
Dining. The pinnacle of the differentiation between cool and uncool is the galley. The spirits of newcomers are commonly crushed and the coolness of the veterans are reaffirmed during meals. This brings us to Lesson (1): Never sit at a two person table in the galley. This is uncool. Lesson (2): Never pause while walking through the galley to find your group, choose a clockwise or counterclockwise loop and stick to it! Lesson (3) Feel free to wave and point to an imaginary person in the distance to give the impression you know more people. The more people you know the cooler you are. However if they catch you, this will make you forever uncool.
Bragging. You've climbed a big mountain. Big whoop. Everyone else has and most people here have climbed nastier and gnarlier things than you. Don't brag.
Parties. Saturday night and there are not many people in the bars. Why? Well, all the cool people are at parties elsewhere. Go find one!
Dress code. Bunny boots are the most uncool thing you can wear. Period. Wear less clothes than you actually need. This will make you both kinds of cool.
Now go out there and be cool!
Added note from Christine: The geologist pictured here is John Lewis, Colorado College (!!) Geology professor who supervised Texas Tech PhD student John Wilbanks in the 1968 season. Larry Gould himself (first American geologist to arrive in Antarctica) helped arrange the opportunity for John, after Gould came to Colorado College to present an IGY lecture.
Funnily enough, I now teach at CC. And Larry Gould is the person who inspired me to go to Antarctica, too... but by then he was 92 years old and I was a grad student at U of Arizona! Gould founded the Carleton College Geology Dept where Fawna and I both got our undergrad geology degrees!! All one interconnected geology family...
The geologist pictured here is John Lewis, Colorado College Geology professor who supervised Texas Tech PhD student John Wilbanks in the 1968 season. Larry Gould himself (first American geologist to arrive in Antarctica) helped arrange the opportunity for John, after Gould came to Colorado College to present an IGY lecture. Funnily enough, I now teach at CC. And, incidentally/coincidentally, Larry Gould founded the Carleton College Geology Dept where Fawna and I both got our undergrad geology degrees!! It's all one happy family...
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