LIVE from New Mexico (Part 3)

Some of you may have noticed the subject of the New Mexico update series is a little different than usual i.e., "LIVE from New Mexico". Usually when I send out updates I am writing about events that have taken place in the past. The nature of the work I am doing right now places me in front of a computer while events are taking place, so with the exception of my sight-seeing tour on Monday, if something happens here I am able to begin writing about it in real-time, hence "LIVE from New Mexico".

Along those same lines, I've mentioned that there is quite a bit of downtime associated with my particular duties out here. Seeing as how I just floated into another waiting session, I'd like to pontificate a bit on this topic and introduce you to a couple more lessons I have learned this week.

Lesson #1: Nothing is Quick
I don't know if it's the nature of the experimental environment I'm in or just the fact that this is a government operation, but nothing here happens quickly. Some of it is process driven, a result of the data collection process. For example everything has to be photographed. New target? Photograph it. New projectile? Photograph it. New moon? Photograph it.

Not everything can be excused in the name of science though and many of our delays are the result of competency—or lack thereof. Today the first shift managed to squeeze off four rounds of tests; second shift barely managed two. We were all set to go for one of the tests when someone realized, did the photographer take the pictures yet? A minor detail and like I said, nothing happens quickly. In fact, I'd say everything here takes AT LEAST an hour. We forgot photography? There goes another hour, and since it's almost time for lunch, we'll resume after the break. There's another hour.

Lesson #2: Schedule? We don't need no stinking schedule!
One could postulate that one reason why things take so long around here is because of the schedule. Schedules with the government seem to be more of a rough suggestion rather than a rigid requirement or even a guideline. For example, tonight we were supposed to get in four tests on second shift. Completing those tests tonight would have allowed me to do some prep work for the following morning's activities. That means I could have arrived a little later in the morning and taken advantage of some additional sleep time. That was the schedule.

What actually happened was equivalent to taking a family picture. All night we tried to get everyone into the same room for the photo. When everyone finally assembled, someone discovered a stain on their shirt—an hour went by while they changed. Everyone reassembled and somebody wouldn't smile; another hour to convince them. We finally got everyone presentable and happy and saying cheese and the batteries in the camera were dead—you guessed it, another hour. Finally everything was ready. The whole family was pressed and dressed, the camera was charged with fresh batteries, even the disgruntled relatives were smiling. The photographer clicked away, the flash went off and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. By then no one had the patience to wait around and try it again without the lens cap on the camera. So much for the "schedule".

There are more lessons, but it's time to go and now I don't get to sleep in. I'll write about them after my nap. Expect it to take at least an hour.