Goodbye, 2023

In 2023:

My car was stolen
I bought a new car
I became a great-aunt
I visited Oklahoma for the first time
I went to Guatemala for the first time
I took 2 trips to Mexico

I learned how to make chiles en nogada

I went ice skating for the first time

I visited the Ice Castles in my area

I wrote a letter of recommendation for the first time (weird)

It was the year of the Xbox saga (which is resolved)

I was released from my calling as Relief Society secretary

I was called to work in the nursery

Which seems like kind of not a lot for a whole year. But it has been a year. 

favorite Christmas traditions

Going to Albuquerque (although I'm always sad to not see everyone else)

Making calendars

Decorations

Christmas breakfast

Chair soccer and volleyball, which means bruised knees

Playing lots of board games

Viewing luminarias and lights

Tracking Santa with my nephews

Taking "Christmas light art" pictures while we look at the lights

Caroling and general singing

The Christmas program in Church

Prepping for Santa

Treats

Christmas reading

Taking pictures of the gift opening

a tradition I'd like to add: tacos for Christmas dinner

My favorite things (on the Christmas tree)

I really like decorating for Christmas. And every year, I have that moment of joy in which I pull out the Christmas ornaments and see all of my favorites. I mean, I like them all or I wouldn't put them on my tree, but then there are the faves. Here are just a few:

The penguins: 

I love a Christmas penguin. There are actually 3 of these, but I'm not sure where the 3rd on is hiding.

The Snowmen:

These two are very small, and I don't remember where I got them. I'm pretty sure they were a gift. But they are adorable!

The sloth:

This one is a gift from my niece and really, no explanation about why I like it is needed. 

And where there are sloths, why not llamas? This is a gift from a friend, from our Peru trip last year. 

My puzzle ornament, a gift from my grandparents decades ago.

More traditional, this ornament is from a set. There are 2 of these, 2 smaller balls, and a bell. If I remember right, my sister gave them to me.

Olaf, a souvenir from Disney World the year that Frozen 2 came out. Actually, we watched Frozen 2 in Disney World. There was a huge store full of ornaments, and these were the obvious ones. Once I saw them, I knew. 

Because an archivist

I have archivist hands!!!!!

No, I am not wearing white gloves (most of the time, that's not actually the best for handling records). I mean, I have paper/folder/box cuts all over my hands.* Which makes me so happy! 

I know, that sounds weird. But my first archivist job, I was working hands on with big complex collections. I loved the complexity, and I loved handling the records and creating order out of chaos. With my current job, usually there's not enough in the donation to have chaos that needs ordered, which makes me sad. I miss that part of things. Describing is fine, but processing a collection is the BEST, and this week I was in our center in Mexico and I got to dive in and do some of that** and I have paper cuts and archivist hands and it's awesome!!!!

Happy sigh. Merry Christmas to me. 

*And by all over, I mean 4 or 5.

**reprocessing, really, which is not as fun, but close.

Clown hair

I went to get my hair cut yesterday. I like the results of a haircut, but the process is taxing. I have to sit in a chair with only a stranger for company and try not to be too introverted for an hour. Compounding the problem is I know nothing about hair other than I have it on my head and ya gotta take care of it and stuff. 

Yesterday, the stylist noticed I have natural curl. Which, yes, I do. But I never had natural curl when I was a kid (as a baby, yes, but then stick straight, and somewhere, some curl came back), so I'm used to straight hair. I've gone through a couple of periods of wearing it curly (not tight curls, mind you). But it always takes so much product and who wants crunchy hair? For peanut butter, acceptable, but I don't like it for my hair. 

Anyway, when she asked, I said go ahead and style it curly and she showed me how to style it in a way that isn't crunchy at all. It mostly looked lovely, and I debated buying some of the product she used, but then I remembered a couple of things:

1. There is always one spot that refuses to behave and it drives me crazy! It curls wonky, or it starts with a curl then goes straight. It seriously drives me nuts and I keep messing with it all day long and honestly, I don't need that in my life. And the odds that I'll chill out? Not good and I'm realistic enough to know that I should focus my "let's make a change" energies on more important things.

2. The odds that I'll be able to style it as well as the stylist are slim. This one did seem pretty easy, but also for me, it would be time consuming. And would it ever look as good?

3. I like running my fingers through my hair. I don't know that I remembered this so much as I realized it. And, curly hair isn't super conducive to running your fingers through your hair, at least not my curly hair. Doing it just turns my head to frizz.

4. Most importantly, when I let my hair have curl, I feel like I'm wearing a clown wig. I feel like my hair is huge. And it doesn't matter that I know it isn't--I feel like it is and it makes me super self-conscious. Also, I look like a bit of a stranger. I'm not used to myself with curly hair and it's weird to me to see myself that way. And since it's my head and my face and my me, and I just don't love it and go nuts feeling like my hair is huge and someone else's, I don't see any reason to wear it curly.

And so, I didn't buy product. It's good to know how to style it in a simple, non-crunchy way. Maybe I'll try it some day. But for now, straight is fine with me. 

An ordinary

Today's ordinary award goes to the guy who saw that my grocery bag was tearing and kept tabs on me until I got to the other side of the store to get a new bag and helped me double bag the groceries. And the clerk who helped double bag the other bag at the same time. And both of them who wished me a good night and the first guy who, as he was loading stuff onto his delivery truck as I walked out wished me a good Thanksgiving.

10 steps to going in circles

It seems like the last couple of weeks at work have been that kind of busy where there are a lot of different things to get done. Some weeks, it's busy but busy with processing collections. But this is the busy with a little bit of everything. Which I don't mind, it just seems like to get one thing done, I have to do five other things first.

For example, I needed to research Florianopolis. But, before I could do that, I needed to return some collections which were either overdue or I'd hit my limit. So, before I could do that, I had to review those collections for whatever I had them for, which involved doing two or three other tasks, and those tasks opened another task can of worms. 

I think I finally got a handle on everything, so hopefully this next week will just be busy with processing collections. Which will seem like a nice respite (although now that I am thinking of it, I don't think that will happen, and it's Saturday, people!!!). 

At the very least, maybe there won't be such a domino effect for getting anything done.

Saving time is nonsense

Yesterday, I was working in the nursery at church and one of our kids was not doing okay. His parents mentioned that ordinarily, he would be taking a nap at that time but with daylight savings, it had disrupted his schedule.

This poor little kid was in tears and while I love a good snuggle, I'm sure it wasn't what his parents were expecting when they went to church that day. 

And all I can say is, why are we still doing this daylight savings time nonsense? Why?! Someone pointed out that people just hate change, but that's only a good argument for getting rid of it, so that we don't have to change twice a year.

And if nothing else, let's do it for the children. 

Head, shoulders, knees, and toes

I spent most of the day working on a DIY home improvement project, which involved a lot of kneeling, apparently, because my knees feel bruised. They don't look it, but they are definitely tender to the touch.

This begs the question: Is it that my knees are old? Or is this something that also happened to me as a kid, if I spent a load of time kneeling? I honestly don't remember. It seems like it is probably a universal thing: knees just don't like all that pressure (I don't blame them). But, it could just be that I'm old? Older? As in, not 10? 

So I need some kids to help me out. And I guess teenagers, some 20-somethings, and some 30-somethings. And some 40-somethings, and I don't count because I didn't have any kind of measures in place for a science experiment. We need our participants, and we need to measure how long they are kneeling, any breaks (15 minutes on, 5 minutes off, or whatever). Then, at the end of the kneeling time, we need to measure the diameter on the knee that is tender, and also for how long it is tender. Then we tally the results and can determine if it's an age thing or not.

Or, you could just have your kiddo tell me if they get tender knees after kneeling for a while, and we'll call it a day. 

Deck the Halls

I am so ready for Christmas. 

Usually it starts to hit me in mid-November, and I can hold off until Thanksgiving to decorate and such. 

But this year, I'm ready for it now. The songs, the food, the wrapping paper, the decorations. I'm up for skipping Halloween--although my great-niece did look adorable in her costume! And I always love the pics of the nieces and nephews in their costumes, so I guess we can fast forward to the day, and then skip on over to Christmas! Maybe a really quick dip into Thanksgiving on our way. 

Or maybe I just need a couple of days to rest up. Because I'm exhausted. So maybe a couple of napping days and then we skip on over. 

Because you gotta have Christmas energy.

Fall

 

Whoopsie

I kind of accidentally learned how to make chiles en nogada last week. 

I know. How do you accidentally learn how to make anything, let alone chiles en nogada?!

Well, it started with a deal made who knows how long ago between my boss and a teammate, who weren't my boss or teammate at the time, in which the teammate promised the boss chiles rellenos. This was followed by what must have been at least several years of ribbing for not delivering on the promise. 

Fast forward to last year, when I found out that one of the reasons there had been no chiles rellenos was because Teammate needed a place to make them. Which I mentioned the next time ribbing was happening.

And so, this year, during the training seminar, there was an offer of a place and so the chiles rellenos were going to happen.

The place ended up being mine (which is fine--it was only for the cooking, not for the eating) and the chiles rellenos were switched to chiles en nogada (they are more fancy), and long story short, I now know 3 ways to roast chiles, how to make en nogada, that pomegranate seeds do not last very long, and it's a good thing because I have roughly 4 pounds of meat filling in my freezer, so all that info will come in handy. 

Just goes to show, accidents happen.

The plot thickens

I was just driving my niece home, and on the way we passed "Friendship Manor." Which, first, how is this the first time I've noticed Friendship Manor? I've driven by it probably dozens of times! 

Second, that is setting a high bar, my friends. Yeah, sure, we all hope that someday we'll have our own little friendship manor. But to put it on the door--you gotta meet that expectation now, buddy!

But, most importantly, that is just a murder mystery waiting to happen. It practically writes itself! "Three friends moved into Friendship Manor, thinking they'd finally found their refuge from the world. But then disaster strikes when one of the manor's 'friends' is killed. As much as they'd like to think it was a random burglary gone wrong, the real friends quickly realize not all is as amicable in Friendship Manor as they thought. One of these friendships may have soured into hate--hate that was strong enough to kill."

And then it sells on Amazon as an eBook for $2.99 and cozy murder mystery readers everywhere feel satisfied. 

The end.

RIP summer

On my way home today, it happened. I knew that it was coming, but it still seemed so far away. I thought I had more time.

But, no. 

I should have known from the darkness when I wake up, from the earlier sunsets. All signs that the time has come.

And tomorrow, I think I am going to have to wear socks. 

The freedom of summer, the openness of sandals, and the luxury of not having to match my socks to my outfit is all over. 

So long summer. Thanks for the memories. 

Theories of change

I don't know how widespread this is, but I, at least, have heard this "being sculpted" metaphor for change: the changee is the stone, and is being sculpted, with pieces chiseled off until they are just the right shape. As far as metaphors go, it's not bad. There's something inspiring in the idea that we are each becoming a masterpiece.

That being said, sometimes I feel more like I'm a blob--maybe of clay, but a little oozier?--and the artist is trying to shape one side but then the piece just bulges out somewhere else. Smooth that little bit into place, and the original side starts sagging. It's like whack-a-mole. There's always another flaw to fix.*

And sometimes, maybe I'm more of the mulberry bush that needs pruning. Sometimes, I need a LOT of pruning, and sometimes more of a trim to keep things under control. I wonder if mulberry bushes ever reach a state--or even if any of their branches reach a state--where you don't have to keep on trimming. If they are anything like life, probably not.

Life seems to be a constant race to maintain equilibrium. And that being said, change is probably more like a mulberry tree than a sculpture, at least on the scale of day-to-day. But I do think there are sculpture moments in life, as well. We have experiences that just change us: we leave home for the first time, go to school or get our first adult job, get married, have a kid, or maybe just have some of the crazy things like an illness or a job change, etc. that just change us. Hopefully. Seems like a waste if we go through those things and come out exactly the same. 

So, wherever you are at with change in your life, be it a blob/mulberry bush/marble sculpture moment, hang in there. And if you are feeling blobby, don't worry. Even blobs can become beautiful sculptures. 

*which, isn't as horrible as it sounds. It's possible that each flaw is a little smaller than the last. The overall arc is improvement. It can just feel tedious at times.

Summertime

Someone has their ducks in a row

A dragon sunset

And the silver lining

The August blue super moon

 

A bit of sunshine on earth

Inertia

I got word that I need to renew my lease on my apartment this week. Which, was weird because for the first 5 years, I had no lease, I just paid month-to-month. Then they remodeled and I moved and signed a one year lease, but that was about 3 years ago and I've never been asked to renew, so I assumed it was month-to-month, but apparently not. 

Anyway, no biggie, but it did get me thinking, briefly, about whether I want to move. And I was reminded that I am a person who generally thrives on inertia. 

I'm not saying I am never proactive. There are lots of things, especially where people are involved, or when cars get stolen and I have to buy a new one, where inertia just doesn't cut it. 

But some things, like "should I move or not," are strongly dictated by inertia. I mean, moving is such a hassle. I'd have to find a place, I'd have to pack, and unpack, and wherever I moved to I'd probably have to drive to work, which sounds awful. 

Whereas, if I do nothing, I can focus my energies on everything else that isn't content to remain the same. 

The laws of physics are real, and sometimes you just have to accept it. Embrace the inertia.

Papercuts

I cannot take credit for this title. That goes to a podcast, Hello Internet, in which Brady Haran would occasionally list his papercuts. No, not the actual thing. But those little things in life that aren't really a big deal, really, but just drive you crazy.

So, today's papercuts are brought to you by unasked for "improvements" to software. Like Chrome's new location for downloads (who asked for this change? Was it you? Because I just can't even). Or Adobe Reader's new design, that apparently they are rolling out randomly. I got lucky today because another co-worker finally got the updates. And couldn't find anything. And I was just so glad someone could feel my pain.

Another papercut is certain companies who think they are doing you a favor by delivering a package before the date you requested they delivered it. Early is not always better. I frequently choose the delivery date because the earlier date (that, yes, you did give me in the list of options, and I DELIBERATELY didn't choose it) doesn't work for me. And yet they still look at what I CHOSE, and say, "This girl is dumb and doesn't know what she needs. We know so much better, even though we don't know actually know her at all, and even the data from our algorithms isn't knowledge of her, it's knowledge of the choices she makes when we choose what she gets to choose from. So we're going to deliver it on the earlier day, because surely she just made a mistake when she chose a later date."

There you have it folks. My papercuts for the day. Lucky problems to have. 

I was not prepared for this

I know I'm new to the role of "management" and am still learning. But one thing I was not prepared for is how very 1 step forward 3 steps back it is. In the days of just being an employee (ah, beautiful days. Many good things about them), I finished work and it was...finished.

Now, somehow, for every piece of work I get done, I seem to have 3 new pieces of work to do! One task really ends up being the first step of a process, rather than a task that can be completed and really be done. 

Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but I think to an extent it is the nature of being in a role with more responsibility. The work I deal with is the work that is more complex, with more pieces to address. And that's okay. I generally like the challenge of the work I'm doing, and the variety in my day to day work. 

But every now and then, I do miss being able to be done with a thing. 

Ruins, an owl, and a rare elevated view

These are from a trip to Chihuahua, Mexico, I took at the end of June/early July. I liked having a more realistic view of what that part of Mexico looks like. (I think it just gets painted as a desert with nothing there, which is obviously not the case). Chihuahua is the home of Paquimé, an archaeological zone that was home to the Mogollon. And no, I had never heard of them, but the ruins are very different from others I've seen (and I've seen a few in the last year).  Very labyrinthine. 

We also visited a couple of cemeteries, which might sound weird, but cemeteries (or panteones) are really interesting places. I enjoy a good cemeteries. These ones were sparse on the shade, but really interesting, and I made the acquaintance of an owl who missed the memo that it was his bedtime.

Finally, we drove up to the tops of the hills and got a great not-quite-aerial-but definitely-an-elevated view of the area. I don't get chances to take shots like that often, so I loved it. 

Chihuahua reminded me very much of home. Which just goes to show that national borders are really arbitrary compared to the actual terrain they cross. That definitely stuck out a lot on this trip. But I enjoyed Chihuahua, and enjoyed seeing a different part of Mexico. 

Different kinds of smart

I just survived buying a new car, an accomplishment on par with climbing Everest. It was seriously a process, and I feel like I had to navigate the 3 dangers of the car dealership*.The final stage was having a concierge walk me through all the bells and whistles--aka buttons and tech--on the vehicle. And I just have to say that I miss the good old days of when a car was neither smart nor dumb. It was just a car. 

My new vehicle is essentially a bunch of computer chips held together by a frame and wheels. Given that the basic function of a vehicle is to move a person from point A to point B, it really seems like overkill. For example, it has a 'smart glass' windshield. Why does my windshield need to be 'smart'? It's a windshield, not a rocket scientist. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, really.

Anyway, it got me thinking about how we define smart. In the society I live in, smart is understood in a fairly one-dimensional, non-inclusive way (primarily defined by a gpa). And I think now that same society is applying a one-dimensional understanding to objects, too. Like "smart cars" and other smart appliances. Yep, I guess it's one kind of smart. But there's also a kind of smart where you have a windshield that is just a piece of glass and doesn't require a computer technician and deep pockets to repair or replace. Or the smart that is a washing machine that does what you tell it instead of it sassing you and doing whatever the heck it wants. 

Technology does a lot of good things, and I always enjoy finding the ways it can intelligently improve my life. I really like my car, perhaps in spite of the tech (although there are a couple of  features hat make a lot of sense and I will enjoy using).

But maybe there's more than one way an object can be smart. 

*akin to the dangers of the Fire Swamp in Princess Bride, in case the reference didn't make sense.

Something suspicious

I like fruit snacks. It wasn't a thing I had when I was a kid (maybe that novelty is part of their attraction?) but I have definitely made up for the lost years of my childhood and have even discovered which ones I prefer. But when I eat them, I can't completely escape the niggling in my mind that tells me they are just softer gummy bears with a smaller serving size. But one is a candy and one is a "snack", and they get to go in different aisles of the grocery store. 

Same with muffins. They are basically undercover cupcakes, but one is a breakfast food and the other dessert. Once you start to think about it, most of the breakfast aisle  has been invaded by desserts. Pop tarts?  Fake pie that you put in the toaster. Cereal bars? Closer to candy bars trying to keep a low profile. And there's a whole line of "snacks" that are desserts in disguise. Someone is definitely trying to subvert my breakfast (and snack) diet!

On the bright side, it does make me feel slightly less horrible about how often I skip breakfast. 

Travel conundrums

I can travel for 2 weeks to another country with a backpack, a 22 inch duffel bag, and my camera bag. 

But when I travel 2 hours to visit family for a weekend, I end up with a trunkful of luggage. Which seemingly makes no sense. 

Here's the thing though. When I travel to visit family, there are kids involved. Which means I gotta pack their favorite books and their favorite games. 

And who knows what else.

Being a favorite aunt has its costs, my friends. 

A bright red tomato

Nope, not talking about produce from my garden. Or the store. It's me. I'm the bright red tomato.

I was outside all day yesterday and I kind of forgot that I am pigment impaired when it comes to my skin. I mean, I didn't forget, obviously, I just forgot that it bodes ill for me to be in that much sun. 

I also forgot that it takes a while to notice just how sunburned I am, so what I thought was just a tinge of red ended up as a much more painful, bright red (and I swear swollen) burn on my legs and arms. And neck. If I get skin cancer, it will be because of all the sunburns on my neck. 

Fact. I do not make a good tomato. Fact. I have blindingly white skin. Fact. Life is much better with my very white skin than when I do an impression of a tomato.

Don't forget the sun is hot and it will burn you. 

Suitcase living

I've done a lot  of travel in the past year (you may have noticed). On my last trip, I spent two weeks with a 24" suitcase and had a bunch of stuff I didn't even use. 

Then I came home and had the realization that I have a LOT of stuff. And I can survive with a lot less.

Of course, you do have to account for the fact that there are a lot of things you don't need when you are traveling that are very handy other times. And even a lot of the stuff I have for every day living, I maybe don't use it all the time but when I do, it's super helpful. I don't play games every day, but I love having them for the times I do want them. And I don't typically have time to workout when I'm traveling for work, so I don't take my sneakers (unless I want them for hiking ruins). Definitely not going to travel with my piano.

But in terms of a lot of other things, yeah. It's just a lot of stuff. 

I think that's probably okay up to a point. I mean, as long as I know what is needed and what is just nice and what is just an absolutely ridiculous waste. As long as I'm not spending more than I have, and I'm taking care of the future and not just the present. And, I also want to be thinking about whether something is just going to end up in the garbage. I'm not always good at it, but there are a lot of things beyond my control when it comes to caring for the planet, and one that I can control is how much I buy that maybe I don't need. (Even then...there is definitely something magical about having a Harry Potter wand in your hand. Do I need it? No. But it does make me weirdly happy. And what is life if you can't have things that do nothing other than make you happy once in a while?!)

I definitely don't think we should all adopt suitcase living. It's super disorganized, for one thing, even with packing cubes! But, it is a good reminder that maybe I need less than I think I do. 

Whatever happened to buckles?

I've been looking for new sandals, because it's finally getting warm here and you know what I'm feeling really nostalgic for? 

Buckles.

I haven't thought about it in years, but in junior high, I had a pair of sandals that--brace yourself!--had buckles. I LOVED those sandals (not just for the buckles).

Now I'm looking at sandals, and they all have velcro. And not just for the strap at the ankle. Like, everywhere a buckle should be. Which, aesthetically is just not cutting it. And, velcro gets stuff trapped in it, and it's never positioned in the right place, so there's this huge bit of extra strap sticking out, with velcro on it. So inelegant and just...sheesh. Why all the velcro?!*

Buckles are not that complicated. They get the job done. They look so much better. 

I miss buckles.

*Also I'm not 5. I act like it maybe, but I'm not.

Did you graduate?

A few weeks ago, a co-worker told me about attending his 6th grader's 'graduation.' He lives in a fairly small town and it was pretty funny to hear him describe everyone in tears watching the kids say their goodbyes to elementary school. For a small town where everyone knows everyone, I imagine there is a stronger sense of community that would make one teary-eyed seeing the town kids grow up.

But, as one who didn't grow up in a time where there were lots of graduations, I admit, it seemed a bit much in a way. 

Then a few days ago, I saw some headline about a celebrity's kid 'graduating' from pre-school. Yes. Pre-school. Friends, we have definitely crossed a line when we are having preschool graduations. 

But just to be sure, I looked it up in the dictionary. And what do you know, the very first definition is "to receive an academic degree or diploma." 

Now, as far as I know, there is no Preschool diploma. And while I've been out of school for a while, I've heard nothing about a PS (Preschool) in any field. Pretty sure it still starts with a bachelor's degree.  

I suppose you could argue that under the second definition (to pass from one stage of experience, proficiency, or prestige to a usually higher one) some of these 'graduations' might count. But, I'd say it's a stretch. Definitely not something preschoolers are doing. I didn't do preschool, but is it really a significantly, notably different experience from kindergarten? Are they really that proficient in anything? And even for 6th graders, I'm not sure it counts. They might be changing the format of learning, or location, but the very fact that the transition from grade school to middle or junior high school varies makes me think it isn't moving from a stage of experience or proficiency to another one. For most of them, it is simply a result of being a year older.*

I'm okay with a school having a goodbye ceremony. I get it! These kids, be they preschoolers or 6th graders, have been a presence in your life! Celebrate, and give them a good send off! But it isn't really a graduation. So, maybe you can skip playing "Pomp and circumstance."**

*Oooh, maybe we should all graduate every year...oh, wait. That's a birthday. 
**And go for something way more fun. "Happy Trails". "Hit the Road Jack". "So Long, Farewell" from Sound of Music. Lots of options. 

I'm always on time somewhere

I can't be the only one who has this problem. I have 8 clocks in my house: kitchen stove, microwave, wall clock in living room, alarm clock, an actual watch, my phone, my tablet, and my laptop. (And I usually bring home my work laptop, which would make 10). That is a lot of clocks for approximately 500 square feet. The problem is, none of them seem able to agree on what time it is. 

Even if I set them off of each other, which I try to do, they always get off. And it's not just at my house. At work, we use atomic clocks and in one room it might end up being 3 or 4 minutes later than in another. It's as close to time travel as you can get. 

Obviously, having disagreeing clocks is a problem because in one part of the house, I may think I'm on track for getting to work on time and then I take 10 steps and find out I'm running behind!* 

It also does just prove the fact that the measurement of time is just pretend. It is one of the many pretend things in the adult world, and as long as we all keep believing, it will work. Now, if we can all just believe that my clocks will agree...

*Not that this is why I'm running behind. I blame that on the universal law that a bed is never more comfortable than the 10 minutes before you have to get out of it and the hour after you have to get out of it. 

Off

Maybe it's due to the long winter. Or maybe it's the shift back to travel mode at work or having been carless for a couple of months while I wait for repairs. Maybe it has been slowly building--it's quite likely. Or maybe it's a more recent development, resulting from my boss and the other supervisor on my team being gone at the same time or the changing temperatures. All I know is it has been a really off week. I haven't been able to keep track of my calendar and my focus has been out the window. My memory is on vacation (I almost forgot to buy milk. I never forget I need milk!). It has definitely not been a week to brag about. 

Fortunately tomorrow I have an all day training that I am not in charge of, so I just show up, someone else walks me through it all, I don't have to figure out what to do or when, or be a problem solver. And then a three day weekend. Hopefully, I'll be able to reset and start next week on a better note. 

For the record

My state legislature voted this year to accept a new flag design. Which is great, because we have been one of those states with the seal on a navy blue background. Like 25 other state flags. 

But, some people aren't really keen on this and this past week I heard someone say basically that changing the flag was taking away our history. Now, I'm not a historian but I am an archivist and my life is historical records. So I feel a bit compelled to set the record straight.

First, our state flag has changed about 10 times in the last 100 years and in it's current iteration has only been around since 2011. So, what history are we saving? Because all the documentation about the flag? Not in the flag. And the history of the flag, also not discernible from the flag. Neither is the history of the state. It's okay that you like the flag, but is it history?*

Also, history is what happened, by a certain definition. It's in the past, it's gone. The only way we know about it is through the historical record (which includes more than paper!!). And the historical record is found in archives**. Which are committed to preserving the historical record in perpetuity. So, if we change the flag, it's okay. Our history still exists. You'd have to also have some arsonists on hand (and most archives have good fire suppressant systems) or some strings with the universe to cause some acts of God or something to get rid of history. 

Now, I will grant that the loss of the flag will be a lost of something tied to people's personal history. Totally get that. But you could argue that it is the same thing as getting rid of a favorite toy from your childhood. Which, there are probably some people who would consider that as erasing history***. Nostalgia is a powerful factor, completely understandable, and I think it is a legitimate thing to bring up. But it's not history, if my reasoning is on track.  

Again, I'm probably just sensitive about this because I am an archivist and most people don't know we exist. But now you do and I hope that it helps when things change around you and you feel like you're losing pieces of yourself. History isn't erased that easily. not completely. (And to keep history alive, write things down! Save your photos! keep your emails!)

*Also, you can keep samples of the physical flag. Not flying it doesn't mean it has to be obliterated. 

**And museums. And cemeteries and buildings and streets and even DNA! No shortage of historical records!!!

***Easy solution: Take a picture and write about it. It takes up less real estate in your house, but preserves the historical record.

Tikal

One thing that there is a lot of in Latin America is pyramids and ruins, sites of native civilizations. Which, to the best of my knowledge do not exist in the places my ancestors are from. But I really, really love visiting these places. It is incredible to know you are standing on a site that was a bustling city 2000 years ago, and to see how incredibly intelligent and advanced they were. It definitely changes the way you think about things. And I always want to come home and learn more about them. 

Also, Tikal is in a jungle. Like, a legit jungle. My second wake up call was from the howler monkeys. So, double the fun: ruins and monkeys!

 

Even in the jungle, there are motorcycles.

View from Temple IV.

Ruins that feature in a scene in Star Wars.

Close up of the one of the temples.

Main plaza.

Coatis playing.

Spider monkey.

Main plaza.

Main plaza.

One of the temples (don't remember which) in the morning mist.

Hiking in Tikal.

Palace of Grooves.

Palace of Grooves.

Palace of Grooves.

Palace of Grooves.

The Jungle.