Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Begin Year 11.
Well that was Year 10. Some good times and some bad times.
Me and Buddy.
Wonder what this coming year will bring?
Friday, July 26, 2013
I almost missed the airplane, I was late getting to the airport. Luckily, I had checked in the day before so they let me on. We took off at 5:40 AM on Wednesday.
6D.
We climbed up above the clouds and I tried to remember when was the last time I was on a plane- probably last April when I went to TN and NC.
Sun rising above the clouds.
Wednesday and Thursday were spent at the National Archives in Riverside, conducting research for work. It was surprisingly exhausting and nerve-wracking. One archivist decided she didn't like me and yelled at me three times. The third time I shouted back, "I have no clue what you are talking about!" She was made because of the way I was turning over documents. It was insane. She stared at me angrily for the next few hours. Her replacement was a nice nerdy guy and we talked archaeology.
I finished early on Wednesday, exhausted and hungry (I worked through lunch). I had an unfortunately enormous salad and enormous onion rings at a place an archivist recommended. Then I started back to LAX. Traffic became ridiculous.
Hollywood?
My plane didn't leave until 9:45 PM so I decided to go to Hollywood for supper. I found a nice parking spot a block away from the Star Walk and mingled with the tourists.
These are the Days of our Lives.
The only good meal I had was at an Indian fast food place there along the Walk. Cauliflower and potato- I think Aloo Gobi[?].
Hollywood sign.
I drove to the rental car place, checked it in, got on the bus, discovered my cell phone was still in the car, rode back and retrieved it.
Airplane.
I killed time at the airport. A handsome man was nearby and I wondered why he trimmed all of his arm and leg hair off.
Man.
Back home at midnight, was tired most of the day. Did genealogy research for a woman tonight. Buddy is hanging out with me. It is the first cool night in a couple of months, thanks to the monsoon rains.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Outside the office window, the hawk lands on the fence and looks for someone to eat.
When they get in fights they squeak loudly.
Hawk.
When it isn't around, the little ground squirrels scamper around. I'll be working away, thinking about broken dishes and bottles and trying to figure out what they mean, and the sudden movement catches my eye.
Baby ground squirrel.
Sometimes there will be two of them, fighting over the mesquite pods that have been shed from the trees.
This one is a female.
Nom, nom, nom.
I'm hoping the hawk doesn't eat the little ones playing outside my window. There are certainly enough of them that get hit by cars (they run out into the road very stupidly) that the hawk could eat instead.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
My buddies.
They are always waiting for me when I come home from work. If I am sad Joey comes up and head butts me until I forget whatever troubles I may have. Today's trouble, the fridge is dead and I get to go Sears and spend $500 on a new one. Yeah!
They are always waiting for me when I come home from work. If I am sad Joey comes up and head butts me until I forget whatever troubles I may have. Today's trouble, the fridge is dead and I get to go Sears and spend $500 on a new one. Yeah!
Joey.
Snowball.
Puff.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
So yeah I'm still around. Life is strange how you can think one thing and be so completely wrong.
Buddy comes in every night and spends 2 or 3 hours hanging out with me. On July 4th he was terrified of the fireworks and sat on top of me for a while, which he never does. He likes his wading pool and gets in and walks around to drink some water and cool off.
Today I am at home with a broken fridge. Debating on whether to get a new one or attempt to repair this one, which dates to 1999. I wish I had my grandmother's fridge from 1947. That would totally fit my kitchen.
Buddy comes in every night and spends 2 or 3 hours hanging out with me. On July 4th he was terrified of the fireworks and sat on top of me for a while, which he never does. He likes his wading pool and gets in and walks around to drink some water and cool off.
Buddy.
I was sent out to the water plant to dig pits, which I did very well. It was very, very hot.
And muddy.
The day it was 110 I had to come home an hour early because the tomato soup I had for lunch kept making repeat visits.
Too fucking hot.
I rescued a lizard from a wheelbarrow. It let me rub its little scaly head before running away.
Lizard.
This portion of the site probably dates to the San Pedro phase of the Early Agricultural period, from about 1200 BC to 800 BC. The pit structures were oddly shaped (in the next phase they tend to be round, whereas these houses were oval). Their weren't many artifacts. I was sent to uncover a bone found during the cutting of a pit and discovered it was an awl, used to poke holes through leather or help in basket weaving.
Deer bone awl, about eight inches long.
We hired Eric, who was one of my field school students. Here he is on the first day of work as a paid archaeologist.
Eric.
It was good to be outside and away from my desk, even in the heat.
