:TESTO:
I bottled the buckwheat-heather Hart (or "Heorot," for the vikings in the house) brew last night, and I think it's my best yet. It's got the dark robustness of  Thunder (my early buckwheat), without its harsh edge or cloudiness, and has the smooth full-mouth texture of the well-aged Midnight Mead (my first brew ever, and the only other I've done with heather). It's delightfully drinkable, and produces a more subtle (complex?) buzz than your standard beer-and-wine fare. I can't imagine how fantastic it'll be when aged a few months.

I've also decided that since I won't be getting to Mars anytime soon, I'm going to go to Antarctica, either next year or the year after. The recruitment season appears to be Jan-May, and working through the contractor Raytheon appears to be the only way to get down there, short of being a scientist. Pfft.

Looking at this year's openings, there are a few places I might fit in. Positions are advertised for  help-desk lead and network engineer, although the second is slightly beyond my current expertise, it remains a possibility. I'm given to understand that positions for galley slaves and housekeeping and generalist support staff are also somewhat common, although draw a larger applicant pool. There's also a steady need for carpenters and suchlike, I could see myself spending a summer or two apprenticing at some practical trade to build up the necessary experience for those positions... that's more of a stretch. But I think I might do just about anything to spend a season on an alien continent.

Am I serious? Quite probably. My plan is to keep on doing things on the other landmasses, but to keep applying at every chance for Antarctic work, always staying flexible enough to pack up and hit the ice should the opportunity strike.

Why? Nobody I know has ever been there. It's a world in a bubble, it's Mars, it's a science fiction story. It's an adventure that would be just mine, and it's a frosty kick in the pants to get me back into the weird (wyrd?) before I risk becoming a career anything. :ENDTESTO: