I’ve been anxious for this day for about a week now, the Pre-Field Logistics Phone Conference Day. Logistics originated as a military term used to describe getting everything you need to the place where you will need to use it. I think that just getting this phone conference put together was an exercise in logistics management. And I guess as a teacher, I have some skills with logistics management, at least to the degree of I get the lab materials and paperwork to where I need them for my students. Of course, I do this within the same time zone. And thank goodness for that. I’m not sure I could manage getting it all done if the copier were say, a 4 hour time zone difference away from my classroom.
Claude Larson takes extensive notes as she is connected to people from around the world.
I am once again awed by the PolarTREC staff, as they coordinate a phone conference that spans from Fairbanks, Alaska to Finland, that’s a 12 hour time zone difference. It took some planning to be sure, but once on the line the work was far from over. As we discussed everything from communication systems out in the field, to gear, food and travel, I could hear the typing and whispers of Janet to Kristin. It was a very focused 2-hour phone conversation, with a lot of information and thankfully some clarification about what still needs to get done and what is well underway.
Surprisingly, I ended the conference feeling less worried about grizzly bears and more worried about commercial airline travel. Hmmm… I’m not sure what that says about me. Certainly, that must make you wonder about the content of the phone call.
At any rate, the phone conference shed some light on a couple of things. First, I have a lot to do and not that much time to get it done. Second, I have a lot of help from experts who will make my preparation a lot easier. Finally, I have the support of my family, which will become invaluable in the weeks ahead, as I roller coaster through feelings of excitement and terror. That said, please join me as I put my hands in the air and let go. Can you hear me screaming? Maybe not over the voices of Kristin and Janet telling me to keep my hands, feet and head inside the vehicle at all times.