- A lot of people flew in.
- A lot of expensive gear and instruments were issued
- A lot of "Science" got done
- A lot of gear was returned
- A lot of gear was returned broken, dirty, or not returned at all
- A number of pee bottles not belonging to myself were washed
- Winter started
- A lot of people flew away.
Season Done.
Of course, there were also periods of ridiculousness and drama that come with working for a company that has just taken over a huge contract that they know nothing about, but that is to be expected I suppose.
For people who may not be familiar with camping conditions in the very deeeeep South one piece of equipment that is as essential as a stove to make water or a structure to break the wind, is a pee bottle. A pee bottle is just that. A bottle that you pee in. Most of the pee bottles we issue are just normal 32oz plastic nalgene bottles. They are actually identical to the plastic bottles we issue as drinking water bottles. The only difference is that we tag "P" with a giant fat sharpie, on all sides of the pee bottles. Pee bottles can both prevent and create tent/sleeping bag accidents. After a proper amount of practice and "in field" use, a person knows they have reached the expert operator level when they can successfully use their pee bottle while partially zipped in their sleeping bag and still laying down. A successful use would be defined, of course, as a fluid exchange that completes without any spillage, without too much splash back, and where the total quantity of the exchange doesn't overfill the bottle. Conversely, a person knows they need to spend some time getting to know their pee bottle when they fail to complete the exchange or complete it, but complete it without "successful" results. An unsuccessful use isn't limited to one of the three things listed above going wrong. That is a limited definition. There are infinite actions that could make the difference between success and failure.
The life of a pee bottle is as follows:
- Pee bottle is requested by a person
- Pee bottle is issued to a person
- Pee bottle is used by the person
- **Pee bottle is washed by the person who used it**
- Pee bottle is now clean and dry and put back on shelf ready to be reissued
Purpose of * Asterisk*
The washing of the pee bottle can often be a controversial and dramatic thing. Often times the process goes without incident, but sometimes there are issues. Nobody ever really likes washing their pee bottles. We often hear many comments where people say things in extremely sarcastic tones like "Oh yeah I can't wait to wash my pee bottle" or "I'm just doing my favorite thing...touching pee with my hands." My reaction to these comments, sometimes voiced and sometimes not, is always "Really guy/lady? I feel so bad for you, maybe I can just do it for you. You think you like washing pee now, you should try washing it when it isn't yours, what a delight." The smell of a stranger's old dehydrated dark pee is not something I need to experience multiple times a day. It is, however, an experience for the senses that I feel every person listed on the "Pee Wall of Shame" should be subjected to.
The pee bottle washing station is partially shown here below the pee wall of shame
The "Pee Wall of Shame" is a list of pee bottle offenders that is posted above our pee washing station at work. When people return from the field, often times their gear is returned directly to our building. We give people 24 hours to come in and deal with their pee bottles before they are subjected to the public ridicule that is the Pee Wall of Shame. As a person washes out their own pee bottle, they can read the list of past offenders who didn't wash their pee bottles. It might sound silly but some people actually fear being put on the list. Enough so, that it motivates them to come and take care of their bottles before the time limit is reached. There are no exceptions or exemptions for anyone. Rules is rules no matter who you are. If there are justifiable circumstances that prevent a person from physically being capable of coming in, a case can be pleaded, and a decision will be reached after in depth discussion.
Another common way to make the Pee Wall of Shame is to tell us that "you didn't use your pee bottle" when, in fact, you did. Similarly, telling us that you already washed out your pee bottle when what you really have done is dump out the old pee and rinse it with water, is an action that will get your name posted. We are all experts when it comes to the smell test. This allows us to conclude whether or not a bottle has actually been properly soaped and bleached or if you are trying to sneak it past us. Coffee drinkers shouldn't even attempt the psuedo wash or denial of use strategy to get out of cleaning their bottle. The fine tuned sense of smell is an unexpected and probably non-transferable job skill I've picked up.
Below is a picture of this year's wall of shame as. There are a few controversial names on the list, but I assure you that any questionable name on it was intensely discussed before going up. Just because a person is on the wall of shame, doesn't mean that myself or anyone else dislikes that person, it just means that at least one of us has smelled your dark fermented pee.
Wash your pee bottles!
The 2012-2013 summer season Pee Wall of Shame
The 2011-2012 Pee Wall of Shame. Tough year for 'unknowns'
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