Antipodeans

(Photo from the Antarctic Sun News Letter)__________________________________________________"IS there anyone anywhere so foolish as to think there are Antipodeans - men who stand with their feet opposite ours, men with their legs in the air and their heads hanging down? Can there be a place on earth where things are upside-down, where the trees grow downwards, and the rain, hail, and snow fall upward?"

Lactantius Firmianus
(Tutor to the son of Emperor Constantine) 303 A.D.
__________________________________________________Antipodeans, that's us, upside-downers for sure:

- LACTANTIUS: "What do you mean the moon hangs upside-down, that it travels in reverse, that it hides for weeks at a time?"

- MIKE: "Well, it does. Would you care for a drink, Lactantius?"

- LACTANTIUS: "What do you mean each day here is a year long?"

- MIKE: "Actually, that's only really true at the poles. Here we get almost 5 months of day and 5 months of night. How about that drink now?"

- LACTANTIUS: "What do you mean rain can't fall upside-down because it NEVER rains?"

- MIKE: "Well, it did used to rain upside-down here, but that was something like forty million years ago. Rum, Scotch, Tequila?"

Yup, that would be a fun conversation. This week we acted "antipodean" just for the heck of it. . . We celebrated Christmas in July:


Well, some of us did. It's a tradition down here apparently, though I'm sure it would have annoyed Lactantius to no end. Then again, it was snowing outside the chapel, and everyone showed up wearing parkas, so it didn't feel all that strange. About 30 of us had a traditional turkey dinner, decorated a plastic tree, and sang carols with Antarctic gusto. A good time was had by all.

In other news, this is my 173rd day on the Ice. Just over a week 'till I reach the half-year mark. Hard to believe. In some ways, it seems like I've been here for years. Then again, every week brings something new. Several people have asked when I'll be coming home. My nearest guess is mid-October. I'd like to "take the long way home" so to speak, so any suggestions would be welcome. Australia is on my list, and I'm considering Japan and Hawaii, but nothing definite. I'm slated to fly out of here the first week of October.

The earth is about 24,000 miles around. Ross Island is only 2000 miles shy of being as far from home as possible. I could fly in almost any direction, and get closer to home:) Where would you visit on your way back?

ANTARCTIC EXPLORER OF THE WEEK:
"Eli the Ice Man" is a bit of an enigma. He's quiet, highly intelligent, and seems to enjoy cheap New Zealand beer. Eli helps us run the weekly science lectures on Sunday nights. I have no idea what his job here is. Guess I should ask him sometime. Regardless, he has (with the help of this picture) become our. . . Antarctic Explorer Of The Week.

Stay cool:)
Mike

UNITED STATES ANTARCTIC PROGRAM

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