October 8th

Started off the day with a stroll through the botanical gardens in the rain. Then received NZ$230 cash from my employer to make up for the fact I had to spend an extra day in New Zealand. Life is hard. Visited the Antarctic Centre (www.iceberg.co.nz) with co-janitor Tiffany. I figured it would be good to learn something about Antarctica before I head there tomorrow. I didn't realize how big penguins grew. It's freaking amazing.

I learned its -25C today at the station I am heading to tomorrow morning. Watched a video of folks skinny dipping in the Antarctic waters in the middle of winter. Enjoyed an expensive meal out with several of my coworkers and went to bed early for the big day tomorrow. I'm anxious to see what this whole Antarctic thing is all about.