Halloween at the South Pole

Last night was a good night to be at the South Pole. It didn't really feel like Halloween all day...no road side pumpkin stands, no leaves changing color, no jack-o-lanterns, or Halloween impulse aisles in the stores...but we made the best of it. I wore the same costume I've worn for the past 4 years or so, a flapper outfit. It was one of the more planned costumes, since I was warned in advance that Halloween is big down here. Lots of people put together last minute costumes, made up from the skua bins and shacks around station. Skua, named after a scavenger bird found in coastal areas in Antarctica, is how a lot of stuff at the station is recycled. When people leave the ice, they drop off stuff they don't feel like lugging back home in skua bins. Then, people on station go skua bin diving for the stuff. I was very impressed by some of the skua costumes--a sock monkey, a skanky woman in drag, a gypsy, a "cereal" killer, a gardener, Kurt Russel from "The Thing", a ninja, and even a sperm cell were some of the highlights. We had to walk about a quarter mile in about -50F to get to the party, which meant I had to hike up the skirt to get my insulated Carharts on over the costume. I had my big blue boots on my feet and my costume heels hanging out of my parka pocket. Besides the crazy dancing, the highlight of the night was probably when I decided to run outside through the snow to an adjacent building to the closest ladies room, which I did in nothing but my little black flapper dress, boa, and heels. Funny sights at the South Pole...