Elliott Brack

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I went to Elliot Brack's funeral yesterday. He was a friend. And he was quite a character. He was one of the first people I met outside of work when I moved to Georgia. He was sort of a variation of the main character of Tom Wolfe's "A Man In Full". I used to say that Elliott and I had a 50-50 relationship. He told me what to do and I did it. His 50% was telling me. My 50% was doing it. He was a fixture at my church and involved me in all sorts of things. Including organization of our "Civic Breakfast" where we invited leaders from the community for information and opinions of the community. It goes on and on. There were 260 people attending his funeral. He will be missed. https://www.crowellbrothers.com/obituaries/Elliott-Earl-Brack?obId=48440319
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Today is Sunday. The day off for most people. I am working between 65 and 70 hrs a week. I don't have to worry about what is for dinner. I don't have to commute to work except out to the field. It is a managable lifestyle. You give up freedoms and privacy to be in the program. You gain insight, expererience and a whole lot more. Everyone here is a character. It is not uncommon to be having a dinner conversation with someone who is working as a General Assistant (GA) who has advanced degrees or has sailed around the world or both and more. Tales of ship wrecks, travel in Mongolia and life in remote Montana or Romania is all pretty much normal.

Today I donated my Grandfather's book to the McMurdo Library. It is a translation of Immanual Kant's "Anthopology from a Pragmatic Point of View" from the 1700's. As far as I know it is the only translation. It is a mix of personality profile, pyschology and philosophy from the author who brought you "Critique of Pure Reason" and "The Categorical Imperative", or as I might call it "Pitfalls of the Golden Rule".

The library is very eclectic as you might imagine. The book will be safe here and I am sure someone will find it insightful.

Good Quote: "He who is anxiously concerned over losing his life will never enjoy life"---Kant

I find that to be a good notion when you are leaning over the lip of a mountain top in Antarctica working on radio equipment. I am very careful. I am not very anxious. That only detracts the brain from the work at hand and being careful.

I noticed yesterday my flight weight is 33 pounds greater than my body weight. I am wearing 33 pounds of clothes out in the field.

The pictures are of the very crowded ramp on the Pegasus Ice Runway as I flew over in the A Star Helicopter and some Emperor Penguins shot by some other folk on station.

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