I'm writing this first post from an elevation of 9,300 ft above sea level. Pretty high up. And the only thing that I can think is "Stay Awake. Stay Awake. Stay Awake." The reason behind this mantra is that I am here to acclimate before I begin my first 5-night shift at the summit of Mauna Kea. The Gemini North Observatory is nearly 14,000 ft high. At that altitude the oxygen levels are 20% less than down at sea level. That doesn't sound like a lot, but it can cause havoc to one's system if not properly acclimated. Altitude sickness is a very real possibility and Gemini pays their operators to come a night early specifically to begin to adjust to the lack of oxygen.
However, I'm also trying to stay awake until 3 or 4am, and my body and mind are fighting me. Jet lag has been dragging me down in the evenings and I fear that even if I do get to sleep late I'd also wake up 3 or 4 hours before I want to. The goal is to be able to stay awake a full 12 hour shift at the summit for 5 nights in a row.
......
Let me get some back story into this before going further. I've loved astronomy and telescopes since I was a kid. I majored in Physics & Astronomy at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, observing the university's 32" telescope at Dark Sky Observatory. I then stayed for an Engineering Physics Masters degree, putting together a remote, robotic telescope for use with a global network of telescopes searching for Gamma Ray Bursts. Lastly, I stayed in Boone teaching Astronomy and Physics labs while I figured out what I was going to do next.
I saw the job posting on the American Astronomical Society website, a post looking for a Science Operations Specialist for the 8.1 meter Gemini North Observatory on top of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. Essentially, it's a telescope operator position, where I'll be moving the telescope around the sky and taking the data that I'm told to. All the time monitoring the scope and all the instruments for errors. And, it's basically the dream job I've always imagined doing.
I applied for the job on a whim not sure what was going to happen. After spending a lot of time and money into dozens of applications for astronomy PhD programs earlier in the year and not having any of them work out, I was seeking some faculty position that I could do while I figured out the next step for me in my career. I was looking into PhD programs in Science Education, but didn't get too far before this opportunity happened.
To my surprise, they asked for a phone interview, which I didn't think went very well. That weekend, though, I was drunk and gloating after I had just won a blue ribbon for Best Bass Fiddle at the Johnson County Old Time Fiddler's Convention (aka Laurel Bloomery) when I saw a late night email from Gemini saying that they'd like to fly me out there for an on-site interview. Free trip to Hawaii? Hell yeah. And so I came for the interview, thought it went okay but not stellar, and again was surprised when offered the job a few weeks later. This wasn't something I could say no to, and so I signed the forms, resigned from my department, and flew to Hilo, Hawaii, the base of operations for Gemini North Observatory
The hardest thing for me to leave behind is the Old-Time Music community I so desperately love. Although I've only been playing my bass for a little more than a year, I've made huge strides and progressed to a level of playing I didn't think possible. The reason this is strange is that I play a washtub bass. That's right, the kind of bass you see in cartoons of hillbillies and such, with string connecting a stick and a washtub, that a goofy man in overalls plucks the hell out of. But, there's a stigma to the washtub because all but a few people just hit the string for a low bass note that helps drive the rhythm of an old time string band. It works well if you know what you're doing, but some people don't and so there's a bit of taboo against the washtub bass in the old time community. I've gotten turned away from jams before, just for showing up with a metal tub and stick. However, I actually note the bass. Pulling on the stick, I adjust the tension to change the pitch of the note. And what started as just the 1s and 5s of a chord, after a few months, turned into full bass runs. I've placed in several competitions and have made an odd reputation for myself. Few, if any, play how I do.
The mountain life of the Western North Carolina mountains that I'm leaving behind is one I've loved since day one of moving to Boone. And moving to Hawaii, a tropical island 5,000 miles away from there, truly does make me sad. I didn't want to leave that. But, I'm still young and the NC mountains aren't going anywhere. I can go back. In the meantime I'm going to find the little old time there is out here and also take up the banjo, bringing some of that culture out here to a place whose own culture is reemerging with great strides.
......
Having just arrived on the island on Sunday, after not sleeping for 3 days, the jet lag has taken it's toll on my sleep schedule making it extremely hard to pin down. And now that I'm about to do the exact opposite of what I've trying to get my body to do and stay awake all night while sleeping most of the day, I fear my circadian rhythm won't find it's beat until 2 weeks from now. So, I'll be jet lagged way longer than people normally are. Yay.
Anyway, I'm realizing that this first post is pretty damn long. I could talk about all of these topics in extreme detail for way too long, so I'll stop this here. I'll add tidbits of info in future posts, but the problem with me and blogs is that my mind has so many topics that I'm trying to suss out, that it's hard to write about just one. My next post will be about getting here and the first few days of this job, so prepare yourself for the excitement of me filling out W-2s and setting up my 401a.
