Ianto's diary

[likesthecoat]

I used to think love meant forever, but I know better now. I can't offer anyone forever. Even if I offer someone the rest of my life, who knows how long that will be. Or won't be.


I hate feeling torn in two. I hate John thinking I'm only biding my time.



I hate knowing he's right.

Comments

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

Aren't you a geologist? How does this affect your job?

That would be telling, now wouldn't it?

I used to do geology. And though I'm still technically a geologist, my job's a bit more complicatedthan it used to be. Currently, the program rather likes people who are either very firm in their atheism or fairly certain that God exists.

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

That would be telling, now wouldn't it?

Rather the point, that.

Currently, the program rather likes people who are either very firm in their atheism or fairly certain that God exists.

That must make for some interesting workplace conversations.

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

For the most part, the split is scientist/military (scientists in general being atheist and military not), so the conversations were already interesting. Usually, unless it comes up on a mission, people keep their beliefs to themselves. Those who don't...well, they're "special". Actually, I only know of one person in the program who looks down on people for not agreeing with him. But he does that with everything, not just religion.

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

Interesting. And I assume the organization is such that very few people are both science and military, and all the resulting complications that would come from that.

[rockscientist.livejournal.com]

Actually, we've got quite a few military scientists. The main team (for lack of a better term) has one. She's kind of the lead scientist actually. At least in matters of engineering or astrophysics. But I tend to think of them as military. It's the most all-encompassing role. If you're military, even if you're also a scientist, you tend to see things from a military perspective.

As it happens, the colonel (the woman I mentioned above) is Catholic.

The complications that arise generally come when people start stereotyping. I've been called a grunt on more than one occassion. (No matter how many times we try to explain that only Marines are grunts. Airmen are zoomies or flyboys.) And it's common practice to refer to the scientists as geeks. It's usually in good fun, but sometimes people think the stereotypes of those names really do fit, and that's where we run into problems.

Us vs. Them is never a good idea in a close working environment.

[morethanteaboy.livejournal.com]

Us vs. Them is never a good idea in a close working environment.

It's never a good idea in any environment, I'd say.

It sounds like your team has a fascinating mix of people. We're a much smaller sampling of humanity--I don't think any of us are particularly religious, though G. and I both observe Welsh saints' days. (National pride. You understand.) So it's not come up, really, about how God fits in with what we deal with on a day-to-day basis.

(We don't confide in each other that way very often anyway.)