To each their own. body on frame SUV’s are a dying breed; I don’t care for the feel of the Wrangler and I can’t afford a G-Wagen at the moment, so its the Toyota for me. And I could have spent a lot less if I didn’t want Lunar Rock, but here we are. I like dumb cars, which is why its going to be parked next to a RWD…

Coming off an incident that ended with an LR4 I owned being seized by the police (check vin numbers yourself folks, even when buying from a dealer), I was shopping for a new SUV. Spent a lot of time looking through “modern” options with the hopes that the new 110 would be a contender. I was on the fence having seen…

Neat, I always wanted a car laid out like my hot tub.  

Well, it was a NASA funded study so they’re seeing what they can do to get ahead of it. Some UV exposure and proper socialization go along way, but there’s really no replacement for being in civilization.

I spent the winter down there in 2017 and participated in a similar study because why not. The testing consisted of self reporting, saliva swabs, and some basic cognitive testing. It was all fine and dandy at the beginning, spirits high, reaction times quick, and decision making still intact. Around month 3-4 things…

Possibly unpopular opinion: This is good. I have a C63s that splits daily driving duty with another car in Texas and it always has murder on its mind. Is it fun? Yes. Can I let anyone used to driving regular cars behind the wheel? No. Merc’s 4-Matic system gives you the option to have all the fun, or keep things from…

Drew, I never made it to the South Pole, but I spent most of 2017 at McMurdo Station. Even in the dead of winter there are no pajamas to be found. It’s still too hot there (inside obviously) and everyone is constantly fucking each other, so really they would just get in the way.

9 hour work days. My job was uhh... not at advertised... so there was a lot of downtime. The bed is not comfortable, think standard dorm twin XL. Time outside depends on the job. I sat at a desk so I went outside mostly just to move between buildings, although I had some extended periods helping out on other peoples…

Look up the USAP website and follow links for jobs. Its mostly contract work.

Try this link.

Tourists do go there, and even make it as far as the pole from time to time, but actually working on a government research station comes with a certain amount of getting told not to talk about stuff, be it some the research going on on station or things to do with ones work (think government servers and communications…

No problem. They make some really nice jackets. I was gonna get a lighter weight one of my own, but I knew I was moving to Texas afterwards and I’d never get much of a chance to use it.

My office routinely got too warm, but I couldnt keep the door open and had 5 equipment racks of electronics running 24/7 with no extra cooling. But most of the time living areas were 65-70 degrees. Warehouses could be chilly.

Its exciting for a couple weeks, and every once in awhile theres something that takes your breath away, but you do get numb to whats around you. which is a goddamn shame.

I had a cushy desk job running the broadcast equipment.

No, unfortunately. :(

Its quite the piece of machinery. That said, I should have worn ear protection while I was shooting that picture. I know better, but it slipped my mind.

Every American going down to the ice gets issued a red Canada Goose parka, affectionately named “Big Red”. I rarely wore mine unless I was going to be out for an extended period of time.

Everyone has their own preferences, but they issue you some before you go down, and then you supply base layers and personal preference items yourself. When I was going outside in winter to shoot photography (not strenuous, so I would dress heavier) I would wear the following (issued items have a *):

Nah, I’m not gonna say its never happened, but generally taking a piss outside was verboten. Cant contaminate the environment. If you’re not near a bathroom, you better have a “P bottle” (standard 20 oz nalgene with a “p” written on it in sharpie) nearby to go in. Easier said than done for half the population.