Posted by 
Emperor penguin pair in courtship ritual with chick, Aptenodytes forsteri.
Dawson-Lambton glacier, Weddell Sea, Antarctica (November)
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for awhile, you are well aware that the Official Antarctica Blogger contest ended nearly 12 hours ago today. What is more, you probably know that I ended up in third place with 2218 votes. I am quite disappointed with how I did and feel that I’ve let you all down. But regardless of how I feel about myself, there is one thing I don’t doubt for one minute: you all were magnificent. Many many dozens (hundreds?) of you spent countless hours helping me make phone calls and send emails, and unasked, you generously wrote and published sweet and amusing essays and announcements on your blogs and facebook pages, you tweeted and retweeted hundreds of clever and funny messages in 140 characters or less, made a couple very cute videos, and you seeded my Antarctica URLs to dozens of news and social networking feeds. You were there when I needed you, and you all came through for me in a myriad of ways. It was you, every one of you, who made me worthy of such an amazing opportunity.
I want to send out special thanks to my bird breeding and bird watching friends for giving me that initial exhilarating boost in votes immediately after I registered so long ago, my long-time friends and allies on Craigslist, particularly on the JobsForum and WiFo/HoFo (especially Patrick, who was the main coordinator and inspiration there) who helped to maintain the momentum; my colleagues, friends and the support staff here at ScienceBlogs and at Nature Network who so generously supported and advised me and who helped me achieve the early lead in this contest; my many friends in Finland and in Seattle and elsewhere; that anonymous person who posted my essay to Reddit, thereby giving me roughly 300 votes and numerous “reddit fist pumps”; the many dozens of you who re-tweeted my numerous (and probably tiresome) requests for yet more votes (you know who you are!); DarkSyde for supporting my Antarctica official blogger bid on DailyKos; and most of all, I thank all of you, my readers, who loyally stuck with me even as my writing suffered due to the many emotional and time demands that occurred this summer either by chance or as a direct result of this contest.
Tomorrow is a new day, and already, I have three book reviews I am working on for you, and I am going to be asking for scientific papers once more so I can get back into translating scientific research about those things that I care about most in this life: science, nature, and the environment.
Here is a list of everyone whom I know of who supported me publicly. If you do not appear in that list, please do let me know so I can add you;
This cute video created by my Swedish friend at The Sneer Review.
Dan!, author of Molecular Fossils who wrote a rather funny entry asking for your votes.
Janet Stemwedel, my colleague and the author of Adventures in Ethics and Science, wrote an inspirational essay appealing to her readers to vote for me as the official Antarctica blogger.
Another colleague of mine, Dr. Isis, publicly supported my bid to be official Antarctica blogger on her blog, On Becoming a Domestic and Laboratory Goddess.
Rooth MacMillan, a competitor in this competition, asked her supporters to change their votes to support me.
Andrew Evans, another competitor in this competition also asked his supporters to change their votes in support of me. We have become e-friends as a result of this contest.
Andrew Alden, another Antarctica competitor, also asked his supporters to transfer their votes to support me as Official Antarctica blogger!
Joe Decker, yet another Antarctica contestant, also endorsed me to be your official Antarctica blogger! We have become e-friends as a result of this contest.
The Off Yonder blog included a link from the top of the text area in support of my bid to go to Antarctica.
My Danish friend, Kristjan Wagar, also supported my bid to go to Antarctica.
Richard Carter at Friends of Charles Darwin created this cute and offbeat video in support of me;
My ScienceBlogs colleague, Steinn Sigurðsson (another real scientist) and author of the physics blog, Dynamics of Cats, also endorsed me; Blog Your Way to the South Pole.
Eva, my friend in Toronto and author of Expression Patterns, endorsed me to be official Antarctica blogger.
My colleague, long-time friend and anti-woo medical doctor, Orac, who writes the wonderful blog, Respectful Insolence, endorsed me to be your official penguin whisperer. He’s delightfully cranky in real life, too.
A reader whom I met in real life, Glendon Mellow, endorsed my dream to be your official penguin whisperer in this inspirational essay published on his blog, The Flying Trilobite.
My good friend, Bora Zivkivic, author of A Blog Around the Clock, endorsed me several times to be your official Antarctica blogger and again, here.
My fellow SciBling and friend, Ethan Siegel, a brand new shiney professor at Lewis & Clark College and author of Starts with a Bang!, endorsed me as your official Antarctica blogger.
Rick MacPherson, author of Malaria, Bedbugs, Sealice & Sunsets, supported me for your official Antarctica blogger.
My long-time friend, Chris Clarke, author of the blogs, Coyote Crossing and The Faultline, and the wonderful book, Walking with Zeke.
A friend whom I’ve not yet met, LadyMin, endorsed my dream to go to Antarctica, on her blog, LadyMin’s Garden.
A reader of mine who lives in Sweden and writes the Sneer Review endorsed me and also gave my virtual nekkid penguin icon a shirt to wear (see the image at the top of this page).
The Reef Tank, a blog for whom I’ve done some writing, endorsed me.
DarkSyde invited me to write an appeal to my fellow Kossians to vote to send me to Antarctica at DailyKos.
Snowball the dancing cockatoo voted for me, too (but lacking his own blog, he only sent a tweet)
My friend to whom I owe so much, Henry Gee, endorsed me on his Nature Network blog, I, Editor as well as on his personal blog, Cromercrox.
The lovely Karen at The Beagle Project, wrote several kick-ass endorsements and requests for votes.
As mentioned already, Friends of Charles Darwin, who also sent the most amusing tweets requesting votes.
A longtime loyal reader, Mike Haubrich, who also writes his own blog, Tangled up in Blue Guy.
Weird Science, a blog with the Sunday Mercury, also endorsed me.
My long-time friend, PZ Myers, endorsed me at Pharyngula.
My friend, colleague and one of my several online crushes; Abel Pharmboy who writes Terra Sigillata.
My friend, former colleague and another one of my online crushes, John Lynch, a simple prop.
My good friend, former colleague, new author (and yet another online crush!), John Wilkins, author of Evolving Thoughts, endorsed me several times.
My friend and colleague, Afarensis, endorsed me several times with some really inspirational essays (and again here and here too!). Another crush: seriously, how can I not crush on someone who admires me so?
Here’s an amusing request for votes from my friend and colleague and another of my online crushes, PalMD, who writes the wonderful medical blog, White Coat Underground.
My friend and colleague, Greg Laden, author of Greg Laden’s Blog, provided many endorsements, often daily, in support my dream to be official penguin whisperer.
My friend and colleague, and champion karaoke performer, Razib, author of Gene Expression, endorsed me to be your official Antarctica blogger.
My friend and colleague, and very staunch supporter, DrugMonkey has endorsed me several times, and also provided much-appreciated support and discussion behind the scenes.
My loyal reader, teh Bard of da intert00bz, Digital Cuttlefish endorsed me with several of his beautiful poems. Moochas smoochas! I’ve also got a crush on you!
Fellow parrot pal and former colleague, Sheril Kirshenbaum, The Intersection endorsed me several times.
My shy but loyal reader who also writes the blog, ACW, endorsed me.
My Seattle birding pal and long-time friend, TravelGrrl, endorsed me on her blog, Realist at Large.
My friend and colleague, Sandra Porter, author of Discovering Biology in a Digital Age, thought I’d do a great job as the official penguin whisperer.
The amazing ScienceWomen supported my dream to be your official penguin whisperer.
My very good e-friend and another long-time loyal reader to whom I owe so very much, The Ridger, author of The Greenbelt, supported my dream.
A mystery reader, Sporula, also supported me!
A reader whom I met by hosting a number of issues of the medical blog carnival, Grand Rounds, RL Bates, MD (author of Suture for a Living), also supported me.
An internet friend and reader, Miss Cellania, also supported my bid to become your official Antarctica blogger.
My most excellent e-birding pal, Empidonax, who writes A DC Birding Blog, supported my dream to be your official penguin whisperer!
My good friend, co-speaker (at the NC science blogging conference) and former Scibling, Kevin Zelnio and crew at Deep-Sea News. Okay, I admit it; he’s another one of my online crushes.
Last but not least, my best friend — whom I married a few weeks ago — Bob O’Hara, author of the Nature Network blog, deep thoughts and silliness, endorsed me several times and he also made numerous LOLZCheezBurger images with cute captions for me to use. I can hardly wait until we are together again (hopefully, he’s still speaking to me after learning about all my online crushes … ahem!)
October 1, 2009
October 1, 2009
October 1, 2009
October 1, 2009
October 1, 2009
October 1, 2009
October 1, 2009
October 1, 2009
October 1, 2009
October 1, 2009
October 1, 2009
October 1, 2009
October 1, 2009
October 1, 2009
October 1, 2009
October 1, 2009
October 1, 2009
October 1, 2009
October 1, 2009
October 1, 2009
October 2, 2009