It was just a classic textbook example of RLs ongoing bout with altitude sickness and the psychology involved with it. Paranoia and hysteria are just some of the observed symptoms. Any RL thread is bound to be chock-full of such insights on how over-oxygenated or under oxygenated blood influences the brain, judgement and creates a mentality that is irritable to the extreme.

It's actually quite sad the observatory doesn't take better care of their staff who spend more hours at that extreme elevation and watch out for this sort of thing. The macho nature of most high-altitude employees is, "I'm ok. I'm already acclimated" --this when it's apparent to everyone else that there is serious impairment. The cheap nature of the observatory means they dont want to cough up the dollars for the machines which balance the level of oxygen in a facility and compensate for the reduced density of the atmosphere at their elevation. OF course if RL mentions something then it's like "Fine. You're fired. We'll hire someone else who can handle it." Naturally, such just propagates the problem.

It is annoying to listen to you talk about things you know nothing about... First of all, I work maybe 2 days a week at high altitude on average. We have access to portable oxygen bottles that we can wear on a belt to alleviate some of the difficulties of working at altitude. (The cost of the oxygen system was in the tens of thousands, but due to the positive response of employees I think it will be expanded). People that work solely on the summit are given a 4 day work week because the commute is so long and the conditions are so harsh.

You clearly are ignorant about the conditions I work under, and the work I do... You slandered an organization you know nothing about. You have a problem with those that actually do things and it is clear you have done nothing... Do you think you could ever be taken seriously by people that actually do the work?

I have never been worried about being fired from any job, in fact I was asked what I wanted to make me stay at my last job when I decided to leave. I dont beg for jobs- I choose what jobs I think I would like. So far I have had a hell of a lot of fun, and done a lot... If I stop having fun and believing that I am doing something worthwhile I will choose another job... (I think I have a few more years at my current job before I will feel like change). I have given up any ideas of planning my career- I had great ideas of how my professional life would go, I had it all planned out... NOTHING went as planned, random chance has given me better options than I had ever dreamed possible. So I have stopped planning my future, so far clumsy stumbling through life has been far more successful than any plan I could make.

I visited Hawaii twice years before I moved here... each time I thought "I would love to live here- but there is no way I could get a job here with my skills" Then I stumbled onto an add for my current job. I told my family that I would be moving to Hawaii before I even sent in my resume-

I have gotten offers to do FAR more boring things for much more money but I never even considered the offers. I could never work on something that I didnt fully love and believe in. The institution you slander has kept me because it is fair and decent and professional, so I will work damn hard to pay them back. I have done things I feel very proud of... Fixing a six million dollar laser on the fly is an incredible rush.

So, Your attempt to portray me as someone slaving away to keep my job is pretty silly- I do work hard, but only because I believe in what I do... I look at work as people paying me to have fun... I am very good at what I do... If I ever feel that I am just working for others I will quit and find a new job. I get to see things that are amazing long before the rest of the world. I love my job... I see the results of my work in science magazines...

So far I have yet to feel like I have a 'job'- I honestly enjoy what I do... The people that pay me are really paying me to have fun- and since I love what I do, my employers get someone willing to put in major overtime to make the system work.

When I feel like I am actually 'working' without achieving my own goals I will move on. So far I have had great satisfaction with the results of my work- I have my name on quite a few papers on a variety of subjects... I know it sounds silly and fake, but I only want to do work that I feel does good for the human race.

So, what have you done?