Patience
I've yet to retrieve any of my photos from Europe from Dad, but I'll link them and tell the story when I get them. I do, however, have some photos I took today to woo people into my house: That House
Once I got back, an interesting situation slowly came to light:
I had originally applied to a part time internship kind of position at the PRI. This position has been listed on their website since I was in Taiwan, but didn't open up until August. Once I arrived and started volunteering, I heard things about digitizing the Zinsmeister Collection and awaiting grant approval. This should have been my first clue.
Because I would be paid from monies from the Nation Science Foundation, I knew they couldn't promise me the job. And that's what they said, but furthermore, that they were required to post the job. Another clue that managed to catch my attention enough to confuse me, at least.
The manager had been on maternity leave and, understandably, kept putting off meeting with me. My first day back from Europe was her first day back, too. When asked about the position, she told me I was "on her radar" and to be patient, which was frustrating because that is what she had told me two months before, saying she would meet with me before I went on my trip.
Then, she posted the job and it all came together: The Zinsmeister Grant includes funds for a full time, serious Collections Assistant position. So either it didn't occur to the folks at the PRI that I'm probably not psychic and therefore couldn't have known about the job before it was posted, or they didn't want to waste my awesome talents on a part-time deal. Probably the former. So I'll probably have more and stiffer competition for the job, but if I get it, everything will be much more awesome than I had hoped.
The weekend after I got back, much of the house joined an annual camping expedition/party at Finger Lakes National Forest. We played volleyball, stayed up late drunkenly singing songs, and went skinny dipping.
That brings us to this most recent weekend. On Friday the PRI/Museum of the Earth hosted it's 4th annual Summer Symposium. Researchers and professors from all over talked about all kinds of paleontological things all day long. And there were sandwiches. It was awesome. I learned a lot about the research that my friends are doing and talked with several pretty big-deal paleontologists. After all the talks, posters, and tours were finished, we had a barbecue for which I was the grillmaster. The pre-formed still-frozen patties and gas grill were challenges, but soon I was getting compliments and being brought beers.
The next day we met early at the museum again, and around coffee and bagels, I noticed the ammonoid expert (John) was wearing a U of I Museum of Natural History shirt that I also own! He's from Illinois and has been collecting all over Iowa and knows a bunch of my old professors.
After breakfast, Carlton Brett led everyone on a field trip to several sites between Cayuga Lake and Owasco Lake. The geology around Ithaca is actually quite similar to eastern Iowa's (Devonian shallow inland sea). I tried to hear and absorb as much information as I could, but everyone was collecting like crazy and it was hard to stop the frenzy to listen. Of note, I collected an mold of 390 million year old driftwood; an incredibly detailed cast of a bryozoan with the cast of a snail sitting in the branches; and, an item that turned even the most experienced collectors green, a lovely blastoid. After half-seriously trying to trade me for it, Carl and John encouraged me to donate it to the PRI's collection. I may eventually do so, but I'm gonna hang on to it for a bit.
This weekend made me feel much more involved with the PRI and paleo-community around here, but, unfortunately, not with my potential bosses. They didn't even seem to care much about my fossil finds! Oh well, I'm still pretty optimistic.
I took yesterday to recover a bit, but today I got some shit done. In addition to writing this, I baked some bread and, for the first time ever, tortillas, which turned out really well. I also swept my room. Since I've been back home I also finished watching Twin Peaks and reading Thus Spake Zarathustra (which was a trial, but the fourth part was particularly good), and am now watching The Office and reading nothing.
Once I got back, an interesting situation slowly came to light:
I had originally applied to a part time internship kind of position at the PRI. This position has been listed on their website since I was in Taiwan, but didn't open up until August. Once I arrived and started volunteering, I heard things about digitizing the Zinsmeister Collection and awaiting grant approval. This should have been my first clue.
Because I would be paid from monies from the Nation Science Foundation, I knew they couldn't promise me the job. And that's what they said, but furthermore, that they were required to post the job. Another clue that managed to catch my attention enough to confuse me, at least.
The manager had been on maternity leave and, understandably, kept putting off meeting with me. My first day back from Europe was her first day back, too. When asked about the position, she told me I was "on her radar" and to be patient, which was frustrating because that is what she had told me two months before, saying she would meet with me before I went on my trip.
Then, she posted the job and it all came together: The Zinsmeister Grant includes funds for a full time, serious Collections Assistant position. So either it didn't occur to the folks at the PRI that I'm probably not psychic and therefore couldn't have known about the job before it was posted, or they didn't want to waste my awesome talents on a part-time deal. Probably the former. So I'll probably have more and stiffer competition for the job, but if I get it, everything will be much more awesome than I had hoped.
The weekend after I got back, much of the house joined an annual camping expedition/party at Finger Lakes National Forest. We played volleyball, stayed up late drunkenly singing songs, and went skinny dipping.
That brings us to this most recent weekend. On Friday the PRI/Museum of the Earth hosted it's 4th annual Summer Symposium. Researchers and professors from all over talked about all kinds of paleontological things all day long. And there were sandwiches. It was awesome. I learned a lot about the research that my friends are doing and talked with several pretty big-deal paleontologists. After all the talks, posters, and tours were finished, we had a barbecue for which I was the grillmaster. The pre-formed still-frozen patties and gas grill were challenges, but soon I was getting compliments and being brought beers.
The next day we met early at the museum again, and around coffee and bagels, I noticed the ammonoid expert (John) was wearing a U of I Museum of Natural History shirt that I also own! He's from Illinois and has been collecting all over Iowa and knows a bunch of my old professors.
After breakfast, Carlton Brett led everyone on a field trip to several sites between Cayuga Lake and Owasco Lake. The geology around Ithaca is actually quite similar to eastern Iowa's (Devonian shallow inland sea). I tried to hear and absorb as much information as I could, but everyone was collecting like crazy and it was hard to stop the frenzy to listen. Of note, I collected an mold of 390 million year old driftwood; an incredibly detailed cast of a bryozoan with the cast of a snail sitting in the branches; and, an item that turned even the most experienced collectors green, a lovely blastoid. After half-seriously trying to trade me for it, Carl and John encouraged me to donate it to the PRI's collection. I may eventually do so, but I'm gonna hang on to it for a bit.
This weekend made me feel much more involved with the PRI and paleo-community around here, but, unfortunately, not with my potential bosses. They didn't even seem to care much about my fossil finds! Oh well, I'm still pretty optimistic.
I took yesterday to recover a bit, but today I got some shit done. In addition to writing this, I baked some bread and, for the first time ever, tortillas, which turned out really well. I also swept my room. Since I've been back home I also finished watching Twin Peaks and reading Thus Spake Zarathustra (which was a trial, but the fourth part was particularly good), and am now watching The Office and reading nothing.