h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It's Day 2 in the sleep-deprivation exercise they call 'employment'.

I hadn't intended to stay up to follow the results of the US election, but my boss kindly arranged that for me. I especially like the way he didn't announce it too early. I don't like to spend my evening worrying about these things beforehand, and I thank him for considering this. I was in my dressing gown and at the foot of the stairs at around 10:30pm last night when he made the call.

* * *
{Garish ringtone}

"Hi Bob."

"Oh, has it?"

"OK, I'll dial in and manage that one."

"No, you get some sleep - don't worry."

"Yeah, e-mail updates every hour - don't worry."

"Bye."

{Kicks stair-post a fraction of a second before realising I'm barefoot}
* * *

Well, the upshot is that I was still managing it at 7am when Bob came back online, fully rested.

Hit the bed soon after, only to hear the phone agan at 9. I honestly don't know who it was or what I said to them, but I didn't get any more calls before I was woken at 1:30pm by a squadron of Army Chinnook helicopters practising urban low-flying manoeuvres over the house. Not that this is relevant.

[Amy P]

Did you set up the garish ringtone specifically for your boss's number, or is your phone's ringtone garish by default?


Geggs

*blows raspberries at Icy's boss, as she can't do anything more useful*

That's no fun at all.

Hi Geggs,

I've no idea how to set up personalised ringtones, and I'm not sure he'd appreciate the tune I'd choose if I did.

Do you partake in this exercise?

I don't, but I know how I could if I wanted to.


Geggs

That's another great definition of the difference between knowledge and wisdom. I was planning to write about that on a future journal.

Do you ever get tempted to just force him to stay up, too?

Frequently.

Oh, he's done it again tonight. If I'm lucky it could be over by midnight, but I'm not holding my breath.

I'll just think of the overtime.

Maybe it's time you officially started working nights.

Do you get paid overtime ? Or at least time in leiu, or at least time off the next day.

I'll get overtime for it, which is just as well, as the basic's pretty poor.

I know medics work long hours, Z, but you get access to all those other perks like free drugs

Oh, and working nights wouldn't work, as I'm covering 24x7.

If computers didn't fail all the time I'd be OK.

24 hour on call is rubbish when this happens .

I do shifts but when I call a consultant in I know that they have to be awake for the whole of the next day. I always have a secret stash of redbull cans to hand out when that happens.

Off to bed at 12:40. This is a result.

Redbull; my favourite I'd be no good at those jobs because I fall asleep at 10pm while waiting for Newsnight. Alarms or loud noises don't work.

I'll pass on the Red Bull (seriously, what is that flavor *supposed* to taste like?). But back when I would work nights at Mission Control, downloading digital images from the Shuttle, I got a taste for chocolate covered coffee beans. I did make the mistake of eating them like candy one night though. Man was I wired. I felt like 10 amp motor on a 30 amp circuit.

Currently on 5th consecutive post-midnight workday. It's currently 12:45. Something took down the network for a few minutes this evening, and I'm managing a large bunch of people trying to find out why. No red bulls here

Cor

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