Earned The Paycheck Today

Ugh, I feel like someone sucked out my blood and tilted me on a swivel-table until head-rushes nearly blacked me out. Oh wait, that actually happened. FOR FIVE HOURS. I'm too headachy to describe it... suffice to say larger humans handle it better due to higher plasma volume. However, TILT tests are fascinating and I'll journal it some other time when my brain isn't pulsating.

Hockey-Chica Mrs. L asked, “[Along with the no-sunlight-rule], any other restrictions?"
Yes, but nothing unreasonable. We are such adaptable creatures, and it's stunning how quickly you stop "missing" things when focused elsewhere. I have few sundries here, as we cannot have any extra vitamin E or A from lotions, lip-balms, etc. We have toothpaste and shampoo, but no hair products. I didn't bother with cosmetics. No medications, no herbals, no sleep aids or painkillers except Tylenol upon request.

Any deviation from ingestion/absorption rules can alter or taint results. That is the highest aim: CLEAN DATA.

I haven’t seen anyone violate protocol; folks here seem to balance having fun and taking the science seriously. Oddly, it's like having an exciting new assignment and a complete vacation from the outside world – all at once! As I look at it, this is my occupation right now. I am on NASA's payroll as a contractor, so this is how I am "making a living" as far as the IRS is concerned. I want to put in as good an effort here as any office job or client contract, because this data is what NASA uses for development in real-world scenarios.

Today was my first “bad day.” The testing made me ill and one of our brethren just went home, which bummed everyone out, staff & analogs alike. But even on bad days, I’ll try to remember the goal as written simply in my project prospectus: “Information in this study will help plan future space flights.”