(no subject)
Why do I love Big Dead Place? Because of shit like this:
Alcohol in Antarctica
Alcohol is known for its antifreeze properties. Add some to your washer fluid and you can drive across Montana in winter without fear. This is the property mainly used by winterovers to justify their intake. Other alcohol properties, like 'facilitating socialization', are just bullshit; who would want to socialize with a bunch of people insane enough to spend a winter cut-off from the world anyway?
Boondoggles
You might be surprised to find that you are not the only person willing to be flown into the stark wilderness to test your mettle against whatever nature throws your way. Your sincerity and enthusiasm are appreciated, but try to remember that for all the familiar shock of institutional carpeting, pickup trucks, and plentiful loveseats, almost every person you meet would not blink an eye at being sent into the middle of nowhere at a moment's notice. But that doesn't happen every day. Especially if you work in the Galley. If you go on one of these trips, or are one of the scientists attending one of these field camps in their very brief existence, many people would like to hear about your experiences, but none of them think you are particularly tough. Save that routine for when you return to the States, or for when you talk to any of the NSF-sponsored journalists from the big media. They eat that shit up.
If You Almost Die or Something
If you almost die or something, either at a field camp or by industrial havoc in town, people will be quite fascinated. Restrictions on 'complaining' or on 'acting all badass' may be safely discarded, within reason.
The Winter Psych Eval
Though taking the Winter Psyche Eval is an inevitable condition of your employment and, as such, may invoke pre-test jitters, we have shown that those jitters should stem only from the consequences of failure rather than the legitimacy of the evaluation itself. The eval is a sham, and if you pass the test you will go on to inhabit a remote polar base with such a motley ensemble of control freaks and psychopaths that you will wonder why anyone even bothers with evaluations in the first place.
Frequent Flier Miles
You may believe that you are only going to Antarctica for one season. Though that may be true, it is not. Antarctica will pierce you in the heart, and even if you don't come back, you will think about it off and on, probably for the rest of your life. North America to New Zealand is one hell of a long round-trip, so do yourself a favor and start a frequent-flier account so that when you do come back, you will accumulate free airline tickets.
I don't need to write a book. Somebody already wrote it.
Alcohol in Antarctica
Alcohol is known for its antifreeze properties. Add some to your washer fluid and you can drive across Montana in winter without fear. This is the property mainly used by winterovers to justify their intake. Other alcohol properties, like 'facilitating socialization', are just bullshit; who would want to socialize with a bunch of people insane enough to spend a winter cut-off from the world anyway?
Boondoggles
You might be surprised to find that you are not the only person willing to be flown into the stark wilderness to test your mettle against whatever nature throws your way. Your sincerity and enthusiasm are appreciated, but try to remember that for all the familiar shock of institutional carpeting, pickup trucks, and plentiful loveseats, almost every person you meet would not blink an eye at being sent into the middle of nowhere at a moment's notice. But that doesn't happen every day. Especially if you work in the Galley. If you go on one of these trips, or are one of the scientists attending one of these field camps in their very brief existence, many people would like to hear about your experiences, but none of them think you are particularly tough. Save that routine for when you return to the States, or for when you talk to any of the NSF-sponsored journalists from the big media. They eat that shit up.
If You Almost Die or Something
If you almost die or something, either at a field camp or by industrial havoc in town, people will be quite fascinated. Restrictions on 'complaining' or on 'acting all badass' may be safely discarded, within reason.
The Winter Psych Eval
Though taking the Winter Psyche Eval is an inevitable condition of your employment and, as such, may invoke pre-test jitters, we have shown that those jitters should stem only from the consequences of failure rather than the legitimacy of the evaluation itself. The eval is a sham, and if you pass the test you will go on to inhabit a remote polar base with such a motley ensemble of control freaks and psychopaths that you will wonder why anyone even bothers with evaluations in the first place.
Frequent Flier Miles
You may believe that you are only going to Antarctica for one season. Though that may be true, it is not. Antarctica will pierce you in the heart, and even if you don't come back, you will think about it off and on, probably for the rest of your life. North America to New Zealand is one hell of a long round-trip, so do yourself a favor and start a frequent-flier account so that when you do come back, you will accumulate free airline tickets.
I don't need to write a book. Somebody already wrote it.