Proud to be an Antarctican

July 5, 2010 at 12:20 am (In Our Down Time)

Temps: -22 C / -8 F
WC: -32 C / -26 F
Winds: 9 kts
Pole: -69 -92

July Records
High: -4 C / +25 F (1956)
Low: -51 C / -59 F (1960)
Snow: 6.2″ in 24 hours (1966)
Winds: 102 kts / 117 mph (1984)

God Bless the USA(P)!

Happy Birthday, America! We celebrate your Special Day with much debauchery and very little dignity, but down here, we worship a different flag:

That of the Unites States Antarctic Program.

Oh sure, we Don the Red, White and Blue…

(Brooks in Hoop.)

(Patriotic finger bling with Cedar and Hayden — The Foreigner.)

…Use Our Patriotism to Humiliate Everyone Else…

…Show Off Our Trashiness…

(And what’s trashier than Kornhole?)

(Hey Everybody, it’s Guess Who Sports That Tattoo? . . . I won with over 50% correct, but I did cheat a little.)

(A closer view. Trashy!)

…Gorge on Food and Drink (four kinds of ice cream — thank you, Scientists; funnel cakes — thank you, Josie; cotton candy — thank you, UTs; beer — thank you, VMF; and a chili cook-off — thank you, Bradley, for making yours so spicy it gave me hiccups).

…Do Things That in No Way Fall Under the Category of “Safe”…

(Ahhh, the ole Twirl-n-Hurl. A McMurdo County Classic.)

(Human Jenga. Because there aren’t enough ways to die on this island. And because we’ll do anything the BFC girls tell us to do…”Here. Put on this harness and then stack these 10 boxes and stand on ’em. Don’t worry, we’ll catch you. Promise!”)

…Light Fireworks Bright Green Laser Beams…

…and Drink Copious Amounts of Alcohol. All in the name of YOU, America USAP!

At 8:00pm sharp(ish), Moose and Louie began the McMurdo County Live Auction. At the MCLA, money is no object. Mostly, because we have nothing else to spend it on. Secondly, people will pay anything for the comforts of home, which someone else has been hoarding all season long. And finally, the station manager had no idea how much money was thrown around at this thing agreed to match us dollar-for-dollar and donate to the Red Cross. So, people were ready to spend.

How much will the Budweiser go for?

Box of Cap’n Crunch — $60
Gallon of Chocolate Ice Cream — $30
Sixer of Miller High Life — $85
Shaving Mark Scowden’s Head — $300

Four Signs the Linemen Stole From the Firehouse — nearly $1000*
*each sold separately

The most expensive toilet paper on the planet.

Cedar, Bethany and I bought a delicious meal prepared by the lovely BFC girls, along with entertainment provided by the enticing Nathan Murphy for the low, low price of $50 each. Worth every penny for Murphy alone.

Where does all this money go, you ask? Well, somebody, somewhere, decided that, by law, we are no longer allowed to donate money to charity. So, instead of helping to support Blind Kittens or The Arts, we will use the nearly $6000 for an End of Winter Party. Seriously. We’re going to try and fly in Beyonce and Jay-Z, special!

Save your fork, there’s pie!

…in the face!

(Corrine…meet the Wrath of Keri.) She will also insult you or your mom for tickets.

Mostly, however, we celebrate the fact that, although I have gained 20 pounds since getting here in October (70% lack of fresh food and metabolism, 30% cookies), my ass doesn’t look all that bad.