I was driving home from an exercise class last week when I heard on the radio something about a bedrest study than NASA is doing. They gave a website address and when I got home, I immediately looked it up.
As per the radio spot, which was more of news snippet of some kind (it certainly wasn't an ad), there's a human test subject study at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. I guess they test all kinds of stuff, but the reason this one interested me in particular is because they'll pay you $5000 a month for 4 months just to lie in bed!
Well, when I heard this, it got the old wheels turning and I'm thinking about the number of words I could write a day if I was confined to bed. OMG, I could write two books in four months! So of course I filled out their application form. They asked everything you could think of, and I'm a relatively healthy woman with a resting heart rate of 56 bpm, so I figure I'd make a good candidate. I have no allergies to anything, I'm not on any prescription medicine, I have no ailments... I haven't heard a peep from them since I submitted my ap.
Are my dreams of writing in bed for 4 months out of my reach? I don't know. There's no deadline mentioned. This could be an ongoing study. I have no idea how they choose their test subjects. But it just seemed like a cool thing for a writer to do. Want to give it a try? Could you stay cooped up in bed for 1/3 of the year? I think I could. Yeah. For $20,000? Yeah.
3 comments:
I think I'd go bonkers. I'll be very very interested to see if they respond to you, though!
I know, right? I think it would drive anyone bonkers, which is probably why they're doing the study. But it's a sacrifice I would make for my art. 8^)
Ooh, you know, I heard that being talked about on the radio the other night and wanted to look into it. :P
I'd probably go crazy (no ferrets!) but if they let you read and write while lying around, heck, I'd give it a try... for 20 grand? Why not? I might actually, you know, catch up on my sleep quota. :P
~Merc
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