Winter Over (VII)

Richard W. Frank

Winter Over (VII)

Things are settling into the normal brain-freeze mode here again at Camp Sunshine. Chuck flew out last week as did our station manager. The fact that the corpse left came as no surprise, but the fact that our fearless leader fled without notice leaving a rambling and crazed e-mail to the 154 people left behind for the last five months of darkness was interesting. Let's see.....the man responsible for our sanity and well-being cracked under the stress of losing a friend and left us........here........in Antarctica.....with way too many copies of "the Shining" and "the Thing"......nooo problem.

Actually, the rote repetition of day-to-day life in the same place is somewhat of a relief after living on boats for sixteen months. The hardest thing for me is weaning myself off the net. The medium is changing the world, in the most fundamental way since Gutenberg, and we are here to witness it. Another positive aspect is that “The Man” is footing the bill for the countless internet hours I have spent. We have a computer in the galley office with a Pentium processor that gives us a quicker download time than a 28.8 modem. I have the key, and I wake up at 1am in order to expand my horizons with pages dedicated to the "Dukes of Hazzard," Pooh, Nihilism (though I question the dedication of any nihilist that takes the time to create a webpage), and Veuve Cliquot. I was obsessed with plug-ins for a while, and each day I choose a wallpaper for the enjoyment and edification of the rest of the galley staff.

I ultimately decided not to create a webpage. My rational was that I had absolutely no reason to further confuse and crowd the net with a presence that would not in any way improve or edify a browser. I know who I am, as does the people I care about. ‘Nuff said. [Needless to say, my thinking has changed since this letter]

The novel is taking shape, and the winter is passing with merciful quickness. It is already the middle of May. By October I shall be winging my way to the start of another adventure. The idea is a three year (or more) trip around the world starting in New Zealand. Australia will follow as will Papua New Guinea, Irian Jaya, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mainland Asia, Russia, India, overland to the Middle East, then Europe or Africa. This is the first time I have a significant chunk of money, and I am bound and determined to make the most of it. If I spend about $20 a day I should be able to go at least three years before I will have to work to support myself. By then, other things should fall into place. I feel a bizarre sense of going through motions that have already been determined. At least I will be able to avoid working. Without debt, no matter what happens I will be my own man. My freedom awaits as surely as the date circled in my calendar.

Rich

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