On the off-chance you weren't already aware, I'm one of those people who quite enjoys winning. To make matters worse (maybe better? unclear...), I particularly enjoy winning at things that were never really competitions to begin with.
Exhibit A: Walking to work. No one really challenged me to walk 30 blocks each way. I just decided "hey! I like walking! hey! let's walk to work!" and that's how it went. Except for today. Today, Philly has decided to redefine the word "blustery." Currently, my 13th-floor-windows are bending and making all sorts of reassuring noises. So, walking to work was....interesting. Any rather sane person would have stepped outside today and decided "I don't want to get blown away today, so I'll just take the bus that's right across from my building and costs nothing." But no, somehow, I've decided that the weather has now challenged me, and taking the bus is some sort of failure. Welcome to Casey vs. the Weather, version 2010. I'll let you know when the weather backs down.
Otherwise, work was far less nap-inducing today, and I discovered that reading the census can actually be quite amusing.* [*Note: only actually amusing if you're the kind of person who considers Colonial Williamsburg to be like Disneyland and read things like "The Founding Fathers and YOU!" as a child.]
Which brings me to the AHFOD. I spent most of the day looking at people's occupations, so I decided to make a game out of it (I'm an only child, it's what we do). SO, I picked the top three jobs I'd like to have, but they basically became the three jobs that made me stop and go "....really??" And, though clearly subjective, I believe this still qualifies as a "fact" since you'll be learning three fairly typical jobs of the 19th century (and some awesome new words). The jobs are as follows:
1) Topper -- the 19th century way of saying seamstress. I mostly just picture making top hats all day. And, really, what sounds more fun than that.
2) Huckster -- an awesome, old way of saying peddlar. I kind of just like the word, but I could get into haggling.
3) Butter -- I kid you not, this was what the actual job listing said. I have no idea what this job would entail, but I want it.
On that note, I'm off to begin my first official night of thesis-ing (one can only hope). Tomorrow after work, I'm going straight to a 76ers game to celebrate two of my friends' birthdays, so I'll post sometime this weekend and report on my brand new Friday project -- I know, contain your enthusiasm.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
In which the archives can make you go cross-eyed.
Summary of today: looked through pages and pages of the 1860 Federal Census, ate lunch, looked through pages and pages of the 1860 Federal Census, took a 2 minute nap with my eyes open, looked through pages and pages of the 1860 Federal Census.
Yes, it was indeed as exciting as it sounds. Let's just say I ended the day with a caramel cheesecake cupcake.
Some background: Wednesdays and Thursdays are my print department days (they deal with all archived things print related -- lithographs, broadsides, paintings, maps, architectural plans, photos, etc), and I'm helping them with a project for a database of Philadelphia lithographers (fancy name for printers). My small, rather tedious mission is to find these guys in city directories and censuses from the 1800s and figure out when they were born, when they died, whom they married, how many dozens of children they had, etc. Mostly, I get to look up guys with names like "Hiram Arms" and wonder why we don't name kids Hiram anymore (or "Arms" for that matter...).
Which brings me ever so quickly (hooray for actual brevity) to the AHFOD! Since I was already amidst the censuses and rather curious, I looked up popular girls names back in the day. I don't know quite know what I was expecting, but I suppose I was hoping for names like "Gertrude" or "Millificient." Lo and behold, however, Mary was the most common girls' name in the United States. And it stayed that way from 1801 until 1962, only to be eclipsed by Elizabeth. That's 160 years, people. We really need to get more creative.
On that note, I'm off to celebrate Restaurant Week (3 course meal, swanky restaurant, relatively cheap) with a friend tonight, and then mentally prepare myself for the census-ing that will be tomorrow...and by "prepare" I mean watch Modern Family and Jon Stewart.
Yes, it was indeed as exciting as it sounds. Let's just say I ended the day with a caramel cheesecake cupcake.
Some background: Wednesdays and Thursdays are my print department days (they deal with all archived things print related -- lithographs, broadsides, paintings, maps, architectural plans, photos, etc), and I'm helping them with a project for a database of Philadelphia lithographers (fancy name for printers). My small, rather tedious mission is to find these guys in city directories and censuses from the 1800s and figure out when they were born, when they died, whom they married, how many dozens of children they had, etc. Mostly, I get to look up guys with names like "Hiram Arms" and wonder why we don't name kids Hiram anymore (or "Arms" for that matter...).
Which brings me ever so quickly (hooray for actual brevity) to the AHFOD! Since I was already amidst the censuses and rather curious, I looked up popular girls names back in the day. I don't know quite know what I was expecting, but I suppose I was hoping for names like "Gertrude" or "Millificient." Lo and behold, however, Mary was the most common girls' name in the United States. And it stayed that way from 1801 until 1962, only to be eclipsed by Elizabeth. That's 160 years, people. We really need to get more creative.
On that note, I'm off to celebrate Restaurant Week (3 course meal, swanky restaurant, relatively cheap) with a friend tonight, and then mentally prepare myself for the census-ing that will be tomorrow...and by "prepare" I mean watch Modern Family and Jon Stewart.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
In which I already fail at being brief.
Today was hands down my favorite day at work so far. Three reasons.
1) I started a super fun new project that consists of me looking at the collection of paintings here and writing mini-descriptions and interpretations for the website. Unclear if I'm actually knowledgeable enough to be doing this, but they trust me, so...I'm going for it. Which leads me to point two...
2) Today was one of those days where I pretend I'm smarter than I actually am. Every Tuesday, there's a colloquium where two fellows (out of the about 10 doing research here) present what they've been working on, ask for feedback, and talk about how awesome their forthcoming book will be (which will, indeed, be very awesome and read by at least the twenty of us in the room...success!) Nevertheless, this was my second one of these, and I've decided the best mode of attack is to cross my legs, sit up straight, casually drink my coffee, and nod when seemingly appropriate. I seem to fit in just fine. Goal for next week's meeting: speak. I'll let you know how that goes.
3) I made a new best friend. He doesn't know it yet...but we're gonna be pals. He's kind of the archive master here, and knows so much (and has been here so long) that I think he was best friends with Ben Franklin at some point. I work outside his office, and he's the go-to person for my Friday project (more on that on...Friday...). As soon as he discovered that our historical interests are pretty much the same (print culture), he took me into his office and sat me down. After a conversation that literally lasted two hours, he says: "Here, read this book for your project on Friday. My wife wrote it. It's pretty good."
I walk back to my desk, book in hand. Five minutes later, he comes out of his office...
"Do you need some reading for the train?* Here, take my first book. I wrote it in 1985 before I knew anything. I think most of it's right."
Best friend.
*Note: He thinks I take the subway to get there. I'll have to somehow bring up my intense walking habits soon.
Last but not least, the AHFOD (awesome historical fact of the day, in case that super cool acronym hasn't caught on...): This old cooking book (from 1810ish) and plaque were sitting on my desk all day long, so I felt the need to report on it. It's a cookbook for "coffins", which at first I thought was just plain bizarre, but later discovered that "coffin" is the old school way of saying "pie." Much less creepy. The name changed sometime in the mid-1800s...thank goodness. And as a sidenote about pie (and about one of my favorite writers), Mark Twain's favorite food was huckleberry pie (coincidience? I think not..) and he would typically eat half a pie a day. Fun party fact!
Till tomorrow!
Casey
1) I started a super fun new project that consists of me looking at the collection of paintings here and writing mini-descriptions and interpretations for the website. Unclear if I'm actually knowledgeable enough to be doing this, but they trust me, so...I'm going for it. Which leads me to point two...
2) Today was one of those days where I pretend I'm smarter than I actually am. Every Tuesday, there's a colloquium where two fellows (out of the about 10 doing research here) present what they've been working on, ask for feedback, and talk about how awesome their forthcoming book will be (which will, indeed, be very awesome and read by at least the twenty of us in the room...success!) Nevertheless, this was my second one of these, and I've decided the best mode of attack is to cross my legs, sit up straight, casually drink my coffee, and nod when seemingly appropriate. I seem to fit in just fine. Goal for next week's meeting: speak. I'll let you know how that goes.
3) I made a new best friend. He doesn't know it yet...but we're gonna be pals. He's kind of the archive master here, and knows so much (and has been here so long) that I think he was best friends with Ben Franklin at some point. I work outside his office, and he's the go-to person for my Friday project (more on that on...Friday...). As soon as he discovered that our historical interests are pretty much the same (print culture), he took me into his office and sat me down. After a conversation that literally lasted two hours, he says: "Here, read this book for your project on Friday. My wife wrote it. It's pretty good."
I walk back to my desk, book in hand. Five minutes later, he comes out of his office...
"Do you need some reading for the train?* Here, take my first book. I wrote it in 1985 before I knew anything. I think most of it's right."
Best friend.
*Note: He thinks I take the subway to get there. I'll have to somehow bring up my intense walking habits soon.
Last but not least, the AHFOD (awesome historical fact of the day, in case that super cool acronym hasn't caught on...): This old cooking book (from 1810ish) and plaque were sitting on my desk all day long, so I felt the need to report on it. It's a cookbook for "coffins", which at first I thought was just plain bizarre, but later discovered that "coffin" is the old school way of saying "pie." Much less creepy. The name changed sometime in the mid-1800s...thank goodness. And as a sidenote about pie (and about one of my favorite writers), Mark Twain's favorite food was huckleberry pie (coincidience? I think not..) and he would typically eat half a pie a day. Fun party fact!
Till tomorrow!
Casey
Monday, January 25, 2010
Fancy meeting you here.
If you've ever called me and gotten my voicemail, you are well acquainted with my rather pointed (and completely unintentional) plea to leave a brief message after the beep. Though I've considered re-recording it, it's just as amusing listening to my friends tease me about it whilst leaving messages that are not, in fact, brief. Makes listening to voicemail all the more exciting. So....why do I bring this up. Well, I've decided that, in honor of said voicemail message, I will make this blog one thing, above all else: brief. Either out of sheer laziness at the end of the day or out of my intense desire to edit all things I see, the posts will mostly be recaps of adventures or random, pithy anecdotes. And, of course, I promise to bring you one awesome historical fact of the day (or AHFOD), for your random learning pleasure.
On that note, here's a summary of my adventures in Philly so far:
1) Moved into my beautiful 13th floor room, attempted to befriend my suitemates, failed all 6 times. Will try again later.
2) Started work at the coolest (aka nerdiest) place in the world. Have thus far encountered a mortar bomb from the revolution, a piece of George Washington's hair, and a plethora of smart, kind, interesting people. Note: the first two things were in a storage closet, the last thing was not.
3) I've taken to walking everywhere (big surprise), including my 30-block-each-way walk to work, which is the new highlight of my day. It's nice to unwind, listen to music, and, let's be honest, the competitive side in me enjoys telling people I walk 60 blocks a day, uphill both ways, in the snow. (picture of said walk below)
4) I take Mondays off to work on my thesis and do research. How is the research coming you may ask? Please note the day of the week today. Please note what I have chosen to spend my morning on instead.
On that note, I will leave you. And if it isn't apparent, I'm having a blast, and am absolutely loving my time so far. And last, but certainly not least, your awesome historical fact of the day...
AWFOD: The archive at which I work has an actual mummy's hand, gifted to Benjamin West (a Philly painter in the 18th century). This is one of the only completely random occult-esque items we have; why? in 1760, the head librarian was given permission to get rid of anything with "an offensive odor." Nevertheless, the mummy hand remained. True story.
Have a wonderful Monday!
Casey
On that note, here's a summary of my adventures in Philly so far:
1) Moved into my beautiful 13th floor room, attempted to befriend my suitemates, failed all 6 times. Will try again later.
2) Started work at the coolest (aka nerdiest) place in the world. Have thus far encountered a mortar bomb from the revolution, a piece of George Washington's hair, and a plethora of smart, kind, interesting people. Note: the first two things were in a storage closet, the last thing was not.
3) I've taken to walking everywhere (big surprise), including my 30-block-each-way walk to work, which is the new highlight of my day. It's nice to unwind, listen to music, and, let's be honest, the competitive side in me enjoys telling people I walk 60 blocks a day, uphill both ways, in the snow. (picture of said walk below)
4) I take Mondays off to work on my thesis and do research. How is the research coming you may ask? Please note the day of the week today. Please note what I have chosen to spend my morning on instead.
On that note, I will leave you. And if it isn't apparent, I'm having a blast, and am absolutely loving my time so far. And last, but certainly not least, your awesome historical fact of the day...
AWFOD: The archive at which I work has an actual mummy's hand, gifted to Benjamin West (a Philly painter in the 18th century). This is one of the only completely random occult-esque items we have; why? in 1760, the head librarian was given permission to get rid of anything with "an offensive odor." Nevertheless, the mummy hand remained. True story.
Have a wonderful Monday!
Casey
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)