The Harsh Condiments Win the Boondoggle

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Happy Halloween everyone! Here are two photos from last night's halloween party on station. It was a really great party with lots of creative costumes. We did really well, and the "its a harsh condiment" (a pun on the saying "its a harsh continent") won the best group costume. This means we get to go on a snowmobile boondoggle to the room with a view. The room with a view is situated somewhere between Mount Erebus and Scott Base and supposedly has an amazing view (hence the name). Anyway I hope that we can schedule the trip before I leave for Thailand.

Our cargo has not arrived yet. It should come down on the next C-17 flight on Weds. A few people from New Harbor came back today so there are people around the lab, and its nice to have some extra company.

Romeo (the underwater camera unit or Remotely Operable Micro-Environmental Observatory) returned to us on a helo a few days ago after being deployed underwater for the winter. The camera took about 2 months worth of photos before the light source (which was a last minute MacGyvered piece of equipment using a salt shaker and epoxy) fell into the mud. Basically this camera was not meant to winter over the past season, but we decided we should leave it under the ice over the winter to see what would happen. Overall it performed well besides some problems with corrosion. I was able to download all 4500 photos from its memory card and Joe Mastroianni put them into a timelapse video....

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Photos

"Its A Harsh Condiment"
Best Moves Mayo, Heiny Ketchup, "saucy" steak sauce, Mustard Gas, Kikkoman soy sauce and tabasco (yours truly) won the best group costume in the 2005 McMurdo Station, Antarctica Halloween Costume Contest!

Sandwich and Jefe
Mustard and Tabasco. Who could ask for more?