hsapiens | I seem to be an archaeologist for pay again

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I seem to be an archaeologist for pay again

I won't say that it's an entirely done deal but I had a 2.5 hour meeting today with a good friend (whom I owe a really nice meal out and undying gratitude) and the board of a local archaeology non-profit. They need someone to be in charge of field labs, who can program in VBA, and who has experience as a material culture analyst. It has been a reeeeeeeeally long time since I was paid to be an archaeologist but I appear to meet their needs. It's contract work, which is not something I've enjoyed in the past, but the work that the foundation is doing is fascinating and it would be working for the public good so I am willing to reconsider.

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WOOT!

WOOT SQUARED!

Add my WOOT as well. :)

Thank you! I'm pretty excited to return but I'm still worried as I haven't done this work since I was 25.

I'm adding my YAY! to the WOOTS *G*
(had to actually go make a yay icon before I commented ;)

Kermie!!!!!!!!!!! I'm honored to occasion a new icon. You have no idea how appropriate it is; I'm particularly partial to frogs and toads. :)

Good luck! I hope this works out well for you.

Thank you. :) I hope it's a bright new beginning.

How wonderful! Hope it works out. : )

I hope so, too. Right now, it's going to be money/hours that are the sticking point. I'll have to continue looking for something more stable but it seems as if the foundation is hitting a growth spurt and could well have more steady employment for me in the future.

Yay! Hope it works out well!

Thank you! :)

Awesome! I hope it works out for you.

Thank you! I have my fingers and toes crossed. :)

*Does VBA stand for Very Boring Archaelogese?*

Yee-haw!!!!!

Pfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffft! Couldn't it mean Very Buff Archaeologist? They could be looking for someone to splash Daniel Jackson across their webpage? ;)

I heart you.

It sounds promising so far!

Doesn't it, though? :) :)

w00t!

With cheese! It was about time for me to have some good news.

Wow, that sounds fantastic! Crossing fingers it works out.

Thank you. :) I never wanted to stop being an archaeologist so I'm doubly excited.

YAAAAAY!

:) :) :) :) It feels good to finally have some good news. *g*

*Very* cool! Can you talk about what it is they're working on?

Definitely I can talk about it. That's one of the things I *love* -- it's all about sharing information. I can't tell you how different that is from the last two places I worked.

CARI has several sites working right now. The largest and most promising is the first plantation ever in Texas, the Bernardo Plantation. They have an active dig in Freedman's Town that the Rice Field Methods Class is helping to dig.

Both of the principals are particularly interested in documenting African American history in the region as fleshing out our understanding of the African diaspora. (One of the principals, Carol McDavid is a recognized expert in this area.) I'm really excited about this because the Bernardo Plantation has mega-huge Texas history associated with it (it's where Sam Houston took delivery of the Twin Sisters). The Texas military bunked in the slave quarters during the Texas Revolution. Happily, the dig will not be ignoring the history of the slaves in favor of the sexier military stuff, as has often happened in the past.

Anyhow, ultimately the purpose is to document a comprehensive history of both those who "made history" and those who did all the work that made history. The emphasis is particularly on involving the community and sharing what we learn and the process. The foundation also takes on smaller side jobs as needed, but happily they do not constrict their work to an artificially defined area as often happened when I worked in Cultural Resources Management, which is the commercial side of archaeology.

From the discussion, I got the impression that the foundation is a lot more like working in academia than in the marketplace. Now, if they can just have enough work and money so that I can afford to *live* off of what the money (and by that, I mean pay my bills, my insurance premiums, a retirement account...all those things I have to keep in mind at age 41.)

ETA: I forgot to mention the other really exiting thing about Bernardo -- there have been Clovis points and mammoth found not too far down the river so there's a serious chance of encountering the world that makes MY blood sing: paleoindian!

Edited 2010-02-19 13:47 (UTC)

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tejas.livejournal.com - 2010-02-19 14:59 (UTC) - Expand

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hsapiens.livejournal.com - 2010-02-19 15:43 (UTC) - Expand

that's cool. hope it works out for you

Thank you! :)

Woo hoo!!! I hope this turns out to be an amazing opportunity for you. :)

Thank you. :) I was overdue for some really good news. Now, if I can just cobble together enough work to earn a real living, I'll be ecstatic. I'll have to continue looking for full time traditional employment but even if I do get a regular job I could still work on nights programming and the weekends in the lab. I don't know how long I'd want to work days, nights, and weekends but the prospect of getting back into archaeology has me excited.

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la-directora.livejournal.com - 2010-02-19 15:07 (UTC) - Expand

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hsapiens.livejournal.com - 2010-02-19 15:52 (UTC) - Expand

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la-directora.livejournal.com - 2010-02-19 18:15 (UTC) - Expand

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hsapiens.livejournal.com - 2010-02-21 05:19 (UTC) - Expand

Awesomesauce! Congrats!

Thank you! It's a relief to have options -- and this one is such a juicy one. WOOT!

\0/

:) :)

I hope it is as fun as it sounds like it could be!

I think the fun is a given. Now, can I afford to continue living a life that I've come to enjoy (roof, medical insurance, electricity, a cadre of expensive vets for the dog, travel, a retirement account, etc.)? That is the part I'm unsure of.

YAY!

With a cherry on top! :)

That is awesome covered in awesome sauce.

Indeed, it is. I had no clue that there were jobs available in archaeology. Now, if I can just make it work financially, it'll be perfection.

Just cruising by and saw this. Glad you are getting some good news in your life <3

Thank you! I had a really hard year starting with Hurricane Ike in Sept 2007 and culminating in being laid off from a boring but steady (ha!) job. So now there's a real possibility that I can return to my first love.

Keeping my fingers TIGHTLY crossed until it's a done deal!

Thank you. :) We're in a holding pattern until they get word about 2 different grants. They're very optimistic about getting them (hence the talking to potential contractors) because the Texas Historical Commission and the State Historian are involved in supporting the grant apps but until the grants are announced, we're in planning stages.

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janiekins.livejournal.com - 2010-02-23 04:06 (UTC) - Expand

{{{hugs}}} This is older and I'm behind on my flist, so I hope this works out for you.

Thank you! I'm eternally behind on my f-list so I completely understand the sense of being late but believe me, there's no such thing as late good wishes. :)

We have reached an agreement but it's contingent on their getting a couple of grants and those will be announced anytime in the next month. *fingers crossed*

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aizjanika.livejournal.com - 2010-02-27 03:09 (UTC) - Expand

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