A quiet night, a stack of books, a tuna melt on rye

I may have mentioned it here before, but it has become one of my un-official duties at work to illustrate the lab calendar with funny and unusual holidays. Since I've spent most of the last four months out in the field phoenix_silaqui has been filling in for me. But today I got to retake my rightful place at the white board. And, so, you all get a picture.
( January )

Next for Meme-y goodness we have:
"Beneath the cut is a list of 99 survey questions I could potentially answer. But 99 is a whole lot and I'm too lazy for that. So instead, look through the list and give me up to five questions you most want to see the answers to (or just pick a couple of random numbers), and I'll answer them. If a question has a strikethrough, I've already answered it for someone else!"

( The List )

I want to post something here because I want to get back into the habit, and yet I'm having a difficult time thinking of anything to say.  Grrr.  I even have a back log of things I could talk about.  Round ups of Gally or the Jane Austen festival in Hammond (no really! who holds a Jane Austen festival in Hammond Louisiana?) but somehow it seems to late or something. So right now:

1. I've been working in the lab, training (and a suppose now working) as a historic analyst.  It is kind of awesome but I spend an ridiculous amount of time going "I know this is something but what is it?"  Such things are usually miscellaneous pieces of rusted metal hardware which are kind of difficult to describe.  
2. Results from classicwho20n20 came in today.  I actually did rather well and the results were pretty well distributed, which I like to see.  Sign ups are now open for round two.  I've already signed up, so next I need to determine which era I'm going to focus on this time.  Do I go with the DVD I'm itching to watch or the person for whom I have the next largest number of DVDs.  So Many Choices. 
3. I'm also well into my swap package for the Doctor Who swap with the Odd Ducks on Ravelry.  I'm centering my package around a specific episode, so my large item isn't obviously Who related.  I'm a little worried that my spoilee will be disappointed with it.  I think it's really pretty though.  Also green and silver --- ish.   I also got a notebook in the mail today that I was going to modify for the swap.  It is much smaller than I expected. 
4. It is also kind of weird to be discussing one of my fandom with people who are fans but are not in fandom.  I'm constantly brought up short by things people on the tread don't know exist.  It kind of makes me feel obsessive, which to be fair, is probably true. 
5. I was asked to play a hand bell solo which is kind of freaking me out.  I can just about keep track of my two bells and which one is in which hand.  I'm not sure how I'm supposed to keep track of an entire melody line.  Also the director keeps say that he is not worried, but we haven't even sight-read through it yet.  I think he might be in for a surprise (and not one of the pleasant sort).
6. I got a text message last night that said "your husband know cuz he going to."  Rather amusing because I have no husband and therefore can be certain that its a wrong number, but it could have been rather upsetting otherwise. 

That went rather better than I hoped. 

So, I could use some outside opinions.  When I got to start spending more time in town I went and joined my church choir.  That's what I do -- I'm in choirs.  The four years of this job were the longest I'd ever gone with out some sort of organized singing group. 

Anyway, I usually sit next to the same older lady.  During my first couple of weeks she asked what I did and when I said I was an archaeologist she said that her niece and nephew were archaeologists out of Notre Dame.  Now, I'm sure most people have this kind of conversation all the time "My son's studying to be a teacher."  "My cousin is a lawyer too," but really not so much with the archaeologists.  She also told me they were coming down in November for some conference and her brother is throwing them a party. 

Now I'm invited to the party.  Here's where I need the advise.  This could be a great thing.  There will be professors from at least two different universities (possibly others who are attending the conference, but I know of two for sure) and it should be a good way to meet people.  That whole networking thing.  On the other hand, I suck at meeting people and cocktail parties and the like.  It should be no pressure but I would feel terribly pressured to make my invite worthwhile.  Also, I kind of feel badly that my path of invitation is rather tenuous.  All I know about this woman is she sings alto and attends St. Charles Ave Presbyterian Church.  She knows the same things about me, plus that I'm an archaeologist, so it's not like I'll have a friend introducing me around. 

What would everyone else do?

1.  My arm hurts -- mostly because I have a rather large bruise (which is disporportionately un-purple to how much it hurts) right above me elbow.  I love when I get take away reminders of a lesson learned.  This time: cut a hole in the plastic tarp before trying to poke the datum stake through it.  If you can't do that, make sure your center of gravity is such that when the datum stake finally pokes through the tarp you don't topple over into the unit.  And above all, make sure that toppling over into the unit does not make you fall directly into the big plastic bucket.  Er. yeah. 

2.  I should remember to post about exciting excavation units when they happen and not well after when the unit has gone back to being much less exciting.  I found a point!  And then there was another point and a scraper and a feature that may not have been a feature but which I got to fill out a feature form anyway!  it was pretty great. 

3.  A short note:
Dear Colleges,
Lets not set off fireworks in the parking lot of the hotel. 

Thanks,
Me

4. The getting to know you (read lj stalking) challenge at drwholand is driving me crazy.  I thought that I was a better lj stalker than this (I do have a rather lot of practice), but I just haven't figured out the best way to go about finding the post where someone discuses their food preferences.  Boo.  Also, if those food preferences happen to be yours, and your here lj stalking me for the challenge, you should totally tell me about those food preferences in the comments.  No?  Well it was worth a shot. 

5.  I need to remember to resize (so they're less annoying to me) the pictures from my picspam for sorkinverse and then post it here.  I was rather proud of it.  And I never include enough west wing-ey goodness. 

According to the sporting/hardware stores in Tallahassee there are:

1. People who have to wear both prescription and safety glasses.
2. People who have to wear safety glasses outside and therefore like them to have tinted lenses
3. No people who belong to both of these groups.

Of these facts only two are correct.  I leave it to you to figure out which two.  However, I will say that phoenix_silaqui and I had to go on a hunt through at least four of these stores this morning and came away empty handed. 

Dear co-workers,

Let me start by saying, I realize that we do not have to do everything together.  In fact, when Nikki suggested going to Ruby Tuesday I was looking forward to grabbing a quiet, quick dinner and coming back to the hotel with out the huge production number that is a full crew dinner.  However, when you overheard us and expressed interest I welcomed you to come along.  When you answered "really so soon?" to our chosen time of 6:00 I agreed to move the time back to 6:30 despite being rather hungry.  When I came down at 6:30 and found that you weren't in the lobby I waited a full fifteen minutes for you to come down before hesitantly leaving. 

So, let me express my surprise at finding you all in the restaurant when we walked in close to 7:00, already finished your meal and waiting for your checks.  Knowing that we had been the original instigators of the idea, it didn't seem strange to any of you that Nikki and I were not there at the time you all met up? No one thought to give either of us a call to say you wanted to go earlier?  Really? 

If you all wanted to go alone, that is just fine.  Just let me know.  I'm not a huge fan of large groups myself.  But, when the crew as a whole has come up with and agreed on a plan, it is common courtesy to inform all members of the group about a change in that plan.  Otherwise, it looks like you are purposefully ditching people, and I thought we had left that behavior back in Middle School. 

Slightly less love than I had yesterday (but more than that at around 7:05 today),
Allison

You know what is not fun? Walking through a swamp all day only to come back to the hotel to find that they turned all the water off in order to install faucets in the rooms they are remodeling.  I've been sitting here for the last two hours dirty with twigs stuck in my hair and smelling like swamp waiting for the water to come back.  All I can say is it better be back with enough time for me to shower before I have to go to bed. 

Ugg.  I hate doing my time sheet mostly because I'm a big procrastinator who procrastinates.  I especially hate doing it now that there are all these weird out-of-scope charges that the powers-that-be have deemed too difficult for the average crew member to sort out, so I have to send my time sheet to every one on my crew so they can copy it.  Then I have to remind them of all the special charges that apply to some of them and not others, like who drove each day, who did paperwork, and who was sick and didn't come out.  I really wish management would start treating the crew members like the adults they are so that they could all start keeping track of their own schedules and not expect me to do it for them. 

Yesterday morning on the way to work we found a puppy.  Or, more accurately I suppose, he found us.  Right after getting off the highway this little black dog shot out after the first of our two vehicles.  They must have gotten a better look at the dog than I did and realized it was just a puppy because they pulled off to the side.  We weren't near any residential buildings and we asked at the nearest place of business and no-one had any idea were he might belong.  Pretty much everyone assumed he was dumped at the exit.  It was raining, so we took him back to the hotel with the goal of finding somewhere to take him today.  Turns out the nearest shelter is closed while they build a larger building. 

So Little Guy (as everyone is calling him so as to avoid giving him a name, although I can't help thinking of Robin Hood every time I hear it) got to come out into the field with us again today.  It was fairly adorable.  He would walk up to each shovel test with the person who was to dig that test and then wait there (often in the screen) until the next person walked up and he had somewhere new to follow.  All-in-all, we ended up walking around three miles.  Then we drove up to Shreveport with the intention of leaving him at the shelter there.  At that shelter they apparently only give the animals one week to be adopted before they are put down.  Now this puppy is super cute, well behaved, friendly with people as well as dogs, and not food aggressive.  He should be highly adoptable, but a week is still a very short time. 

Anyway, Little Guy is sleeping on my bed next to my computer as I type this.  The crew chief (who happens to have her own two dogs in the field with us right now) didn't feel comfortable leaving him, so he will be returning with us to New Orleans on Wednesday, where the logistics coordinator has located a no-kill shelter.  So if your is Louisiana (or the surrounding area) and are looking for a puppy, I've got the hook-up.  ( Picture of Cuteness )