Last week was a mostly quiet one at the South Pole station. With winds blowing up to 40 knots for the early part of the week, people were trying to stay indoors. One of the generators at the power plant was being serviced, so everyone was invited to check that out. They also celebrated “Christmas in July,” with Secret Santa and White Elephant gift exchanges, which included the oft-learned lesson that the largest box doesn’t always contain the largest present (here it was mostly bubble wrap). But IceCube winterover Kathrin received a very nice handcrafted mug in the exchange. Outside, the moon had been around, but it set, leaving the auroras bright enough to be visible again. But this won’t be the case for long, as twilight is soon approaching.
