the weekend before is a lot

Whew. I’ve had quite the weekend! As usual with my life, I do not feel rested at all before heading back into classes. I’ll be hosting two friends from California for a few days and then my father for another few days. Next week I continue working at the Archives Research Room, but I’m also starting a Digitization class. Days will be full, nights will be fuller.

My weekend began with meeting my mother’s very-long-time best friend, Joyce! She’s from Ann Arbor and everyone really wanted me to attend Ann Arbor for library school, but I didn’t feel like studying the GREs when I was working 5 part-time jobs in 2011. Joyce and her partner, TJ, drove from Ann Arbor to Madison whilst on vacation. They went to Ian’s Pizza because they love it and it was a happy support during the protests here.  In the evening, after we went to rent a car, they met us at the Old Fashioned — which is the first place Derek and I visited when we got here and the first place we had cheese curds.

Joyce and me at the Old Fashioned

The next day, we woke up at 4am and left around 5:30am for East Lansing, Michigan, where MSU is located; the wedding was in MSU’s Horticulture Gardens (beautiful!) and the ceremony was in the MSU Union (really cool). I didn’t have a great car ride; they make me anxious. There were some absolutely beautiful and huge and menacing thunderstorms, though! We arrived later than we wanted to, so we didn’t get to take a nap. Our nap was a shower to wake us up and a 5 hour energy drink. It mostly felt wonderful to be out of the car! And then we were off to my good friend’s peaceful and lovely wedding.

Green Cab was too busy to drive us to the wedding. We showed up in a Shaggin’ Wagon. Seriously.

Chrissy and Derrick — married!

Dinner and dancing, followed by a cupcake.

Me and the beautiful bride :)

We left around 9pm, we were so tired. Chrissy and Derrick had a lot of great friends and family there, so understandably didn’t get  a lot of time to chat with us. (the last 3 weddings I’ve been to were exactly the same in that regard!) It was really just a gift to be able to witness their marriage and then celebrate it afterwards. They did a great job with planning — it really seemed and looked effortless, and for that I commend them! I’ve known Chrissy for over a decade and I’m so happy to see her happy. Derrick is a great guy, too!

We passed out in our hotel room, woke up just in time for a free breakfast, and then headed back out to go all the way home again.

Moar driving!

I was supposed to switch with Derek right before Chicago because I did not feel like dealing with annoying Illinois tolls, but drove us all the way past O’Hare. We went to an “Oasis” to eat and walked around to stretch our legs. It was over 102 degrees in Chicago! I was not jealous of living there in summer. We got back in town by 6 or so, and decided to treat ourselves to a movie, so we saw the Avengers. (I liked it just fine, but don’t really get why it was so big to so many people. Comics just aren’t for me, I guess) We exchanged our rental car for our old P.O.S. car and drove home. SLEEP.

Today has been fairly relaxing. We tried out a new place to us called Monty’s Blue Plate Diner. My french toast was okay, but not as good as I thought it’d be! I loved the atmosphere there though and want to try a lot of new things on the menu. It’s in the Atwood area, which seems a lot more spread out and not as busy as I thought, but it’s a nice area. If we ever move, I think I’d like to move to that part of town. Today I also uploaded a lot of videos, including old ones. Another big, but quick, storm came in, and I watched it while on our porch for a long time. I love Midwestern spring/summer storms. (I could do without the humidity though!)

Well, that’s my long 3-day weekend. I’m very tired, but I really loved being “unplugged.” It’s something I wish I could feel I could do while in my own home, but when I’m in my apartment, it means there’s always things to do, and they almost always require my computer’s internet connection. Le sigh.

How was your three-day weekend?

and scene

Well, I am done with my first year. I went out celebrating last night, and came home to hear very bad, very sad news: my best friend’s father passed away. We talked and cried together and I can’t imagine what it’s like. I have been thinking about my own parents all day.

It is also strange because I feel incredibly far away from it all. And my celebrating and my worries over my paper felt foolish in comparison. There’s always time to put perspective on things, I suppose.

I finished my first year with three large papers under my belt, lots of projects, a low opinion of introduction courses, a great many new friends who are wonderful wonderful wonderful people, the ability to say I completely & easily made it through an warm Midwest winter, many achievements, and many plans. I created a podcast with the help of fantastic and creative people (we are recording our next one tomorrow!). I got to work at the Wisconsin Historical Society with extremely fascinating serials of all sorts — have you ever read a magazine all about dolls? Or jukebox collectors? Or the Harden-in-ing family? I began planning to volunteer at Circus World, which is just … not anywhere I ever imagined working and I love it. I landed a TAship, a job in archives public services, and an amazing internship opportunity at WPR. I’m proud of myself and I love who I’m at school with (for the most part). Mostly, I made it.

And thank you Mom, and sometimes Dad, for letting me ramble on the phone, either completely upset over my assignment or completely bragging. And thank you Cally the cat for often walking by meowing while Mom was on the phone so I could hear your adorable voice again.

Rest in peace, Ray Sousa.

spring break was not actually a break, just sayin’

I am currently very unmotivated to work on a draft of a big paper that is due in a week (at 7am — isn’t that a funny time?). I sent out an SOS text to my friends and now I would like to share some of their wise words. Please notice how much books and food figure into our salvation:

• Think of all the starving kids in Africa that can’t get a decent education. They just wish they could write huge papers. But they can’t … so do it for them.
• Start now – do 2 hours. Take a break. Repeat.
• Promise yourself a giant pbj when done. (note: Ah, a girl after my own heart) Block the Internet, or go work in a cafe without access. Make tea. Promise yourself a drink when done. Give yourself 20 pages of a pleasure book for every one written of paper.
• You can do it!
• Join the club. Though mine is sort of going ok at the moment. The sooner it’s done, the sooner you can stop worrying about it? That’s good motivation for me.
• You can do it!!!!!!!! You’ll feel so good about yourself!!!!!!!! Work for an hour and then reward yourself with a break!
• Hmm. I did it so that I 1) allowed myself a half-hour of TV for every five pages and 2) Put a fun book or magazine in the bathroom. I also promised myself mochi and a glass of wine at the end.
• You can do it!!!!! :D
• Weeelll … I’m completely free this evening and would LOVE to have some funcraftingtime and/or other activities with you … BUT only if you get some work done!
• Pretend they’re gonna hurt Elijah Wood unless you give them what they want !!111

I love my friends.

Here is what I’ve decided to do: For every 5 good quotes I find for the paper, I get a dance party (to probably “Super Bass” or “Blame it on the Girls”). For every hour of work, I get to read 20 pages of a pleasure book or magazine. For every 5 pages completed, I can watch an episode of Mad Men. The Internet, including email and Words with Friends, will be completely blocked by LeechBlock. And if I stick to this, I can craft tonight after dinner!

What motivates you?

Post-Thanksgiving

I’m happy to report that I am at home and not taking part in Black Friday — actually, I think I am going to try and make all of my gifts this year! This coming from someone who in the past has not been very crafty, save for that stint in art class before middle school …

Unhappily, I am home instead writing an Issue Briefing. Maybe I should become a consumerist American.

The real reason I’m here open to this particular page, though: HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Derek and I spent the holiday together … Our first one when it was just us. We both missed our families and California, but we’re very thankful to spend it together. We played board games for most of the day and took a walk post-dinner, pre-dessert. (It’s really not that cold outside yet; the Midwest is lulling me into false temperature comfort)

We had a really wonderful meal. I didn’t want to cook anything from scratch this year because I just didn’t have time, but we still did a great job! We actually bought everything from Trader Joe’s. To start, we had cinnamon buns. Then while playing a board game called Elfenland (and we dearly missed playing with our friends Nicole and Daniel) we ate tons of crackers and goat cheese with pistachios. I also had a banana for good measure. Haha. Then we drank some wine while playing the Game of Life. For dinner, we had a stuffed tofurky roast! Both of us really liked it — and Derek isn’t even vegetarian. For sides, we had salad and garlic mashed potatoes covered in gravy. For dessert, we had delicious pecan pie. This might be my first time not having pumpkin pie, which I LOVE, but we also bought a pumpkin spice cake to have over the weekend. Oh, and we also played Monopoly on my computer, but the AI was beating us to a pulp, so we surrendered by turning off the game and forcing the AI into bleak nothingness of cyberspace.

We both got to chat with our parents on the phone. I sent out some messages to my friends. It was warm inside our apartment and smelled so good. It was perfect. :)

I am thankful, as always, for my friends and family. I am thankful for the chance to attend graduate school. I am thankful for our shelter and for our food. I am thankful for how hard Derek is trying in this very new land. I am thankful, as always.

a subject for a beloved place

I am one of those adaptable people, which I am grateful to be, and not just because I can put it on my resume (truthfully). It is also something to be grateful for when I have moved over 2000 miles to a place I have never been. And I have been riding on the excitement and general momentum of the entire program, of my peers, of being in a new place.

But, homesickness is settling in, just a tad bit.

Both Derek and I could feel it silently creeping in on us when we saw pictures and videos of Sproul Plaza and the Occupy Wall Street protests in Berkeley. One video of a boy named Honest (really!) explained how all of the protesters were looking after each other, and in the background was one of those wandering, slightly odd ladies of Berkeley. I’ve never actually heard her talk and I can’t say she’s homeless or crazy, but she is everywhere, and wears a variety of brightly colored clothes layered on top of each other. She’s a staple. Every city has those, but oh, Berkeley has so many.

By this morning, I knew homesickness had come because I looked down at just a pen I had from the famous restaurant, La Note, and I missed it so much. La Note probably gave me a lifelong love for brunch (mimosas) — and roasted tomato & brie sandwiches! My friend Sarah and I started to text each other about missing it, and missing Berkeley, and protests, and that culminated in the chant, “Whose brie? Our brie! I said whose brie? Our brie!”

Well, it made us giggle. And probably miss each other more now. (Sarah was the first person I met and befriended as a freshman)

I like Madison, but I am not in love with it yet. There is a lot to do here, a lot to explore, many good-sounding places to eat and nice people, but we have been too broke to experience most of those things. Nice people are free, at least!

I don’t think Madison will ever mean to me what Berkeley does. Berkeley was the first place I was forced to make a home for myself (or be miserable). At first, I missed home terribly. And then it got bearable. And then I just didn’t miss anything outside of my parents’ home. And then once I even got my parents to spend Christmas with me in Berkeley, because after spending years building a life there, the only thing I needed to make it complete was my parents (my cat would’ve nice too). I did have a few months of disdain for the city, but that was when I had come back from London and pretty much hated being in California at all. But I still remember the summer of 2008 when I was walking back from the farmer’s market, eating a sweet and juicy peach along Shattuck, the street my feet most often pounded — and I knew I was walking home.
I still think I made the right choice. I am very happy I am not in an all-online program. I’m very happy to always be around so many people. I’m learning a lot about myself. I’m learning a lot about the profession, and even write today after coming from a Wisconsin Historical Society tour in the morning and a LIS Professional Panel in the evening (morning = free donuts, evening = free pizza).

But I can’t wait for the day I will step out of Downtown Berkeley BART and onto Shattuck, with no idea where to go first.

Parades! Potlucks! MetaDiners! Coffee Dates!

I have a personal, unshared journal that I write simply in Notepad on my computer, dating back to 2005. Tonight I wrote, “GAH. I can’t tell if I’m overwhelmed or just not imbued with a super sense of creative lyrical textual ecstasy.” Oh, so pretentious.

I really did not expect to be this active with my program. I don’t mean to say that I thought I’d drift through, not attend any meetings, not bother to meet people, and just try to power-through for the end goal: a degree that is required for so many job postings. However, at Berkeley, I definitely did tend to show up to the first meeting and not the rest — it was even an Activity on my Facebook profile, back when Facebook organized it like that. I tried out clubs like Cooking Club, which seemed like such a fun idea but wasn’t once I met the people.

In a little more than the last week, I’ve been on many outings with classmates and to a lot of meetings. I am rarely alone. I try to go to the SLIS Library to read but really just end up talking to friends more … which I can cleverly mask as “networking,” right? On my calendar, the time between work and school looks so gleefully free, perfect for finishing that last article! Oh but no no, it is never the same every day, and there is always someone new to laugh with.

The MetaDiners has probably been the source of most of my socializing lately. Two weekends ago, some of us took a tour of the Capital Brewery in Middleton. This last Saturday, I planned to go to Green Thumb Farm but was too wiped out from a parade — but someone was able to go! That post should arrive shortly. Also on Saturday, about 10 of us went to Brasserie V, famous for its choice of beer. My favorite part of the night was my Organic Strawberry Ale. Um, delicious? Tonight about 8 of us met up at a cafe called Barriques – a place that beautifully mixes a mocha with peppermint schnapps and serves it up in a socially appropriate mug to drink during the day whilst studying. Tomorrow, we are heading to Nerd Nite to attend … well, imagine a conference, late at night, at a bar, that presents on things like werewolves.

I am officially part of UW-Madison’s ALA student chapter, especially because I was recently elected Webmaster! (I was late to the meeting. Haha.) We had a roaring good time at the homecoming parade doing a book cart drill team. The theme of this year’s homecoming was Bucky Badger’s 100 Greatest Hits, so we all dressed up to represent decades as we did the routine to music from that decade. Also, yes, our mascot is seriously named Bucky, is seriously a badger, and Madison takes homecoming VERY SERIOUSLY. We represented the decades from the ’30s to the present. I got to be the ’40s, which was quite fun as I didn’t even have to buy a new dress! I just bumped my bangs up a bit, put on bright red lipstick, and wore my cardigan over the dress. I decorated my cart with book covers from the ’40s, including The Lottery and The Little Prince. The sides of my cart said “LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS” and “Hi sugar, you rationed?” Lastly, my wig entirely failed, and I kind of hope I never have to deal with wigs ever again.

This past Sunday, I attended a professional development oriented potluck at a prominent archivist’s house. It was great fun — he and his wife made a mean vegetarian enchilada! My classmates also brought a wide, great assortment of food to munch on. Then we sat down to hear a lot about the world of job hunting for archivists. Did I mention? I’m also part of UW-Madison’s SAA student chapter, which stands for Society of American Archivists, not Sexual Addicts Anonymous or Society of American Anarchists. At our next meeting I am hoping we can discuss a fundraiser to get all of us members out to San Diego in August for the SAA conference. It would be a dream!

Speaking of conferences, I’m officially signed up to attend the WLA (Wisconsin Library Association) conference for three days. All of my professors happily signed off on it and encouraged me to attend, even if I obviously don’t have anything to present yet. Perhaps I can speak to someone about my community archive ideas and podcast?

In the end, the good news is I am not feeling as overwhelmed as I once was. I am already feeling much calmer about the process of grad school. This might change once I get into classes that demand much more of me, but right now, I’ll take it.

Deliciousness Arrives at Brasserie V

A tour of the Capital Brewery, a leader in microbreweries!

ALA takes a break after the parade to float in the glamor of our fame. ;)

Image courtesy of Tanya Cobb, of SLIS. Here is ALA representing SLIS!

Image courtesy of Tanya Cobb, of SLIS. The 40s!

Validation

Today was such a nice day for me because I was validated by a professor in my program that I respect. There’s been two ideas swimming in my head lately — one for maybe 5 years? (Sarah will have to tell me if she remembers when I first told her this!) and the other for the last 2 or 3 months.

The first I’ve kept secret mostly because I didn’t want to be laughed out of the archive community, but today I went into my professor’s office hours and she gave me a name for my idea!: community-based archives. Mine would just be on a wide scale, I suppose. The very unofficial name is the People’s Archives, but I don’t like it because it sounds too Soviet and/or wishy-washy (it’s pretty funny that those can be in the same sentence). I wanted to save the things of everyone, I wanted to save them without having a person make a case to me why they were special enough to be saved in memory for the future. I never imagined it centered around one particular community, like the archives of farmers in Indiana, but as a private, nonprofit repository for all of the public. They would be charged a fee — preferably on a sliding scale so it is accessible to everyone — that would only be used for maintenance of the facility and of the collections. I could give each donor/giver their own archivist or grad student intern to work with him or her (or the whole family) one-on-one to process the collection.

A classmate and friend of mine gave a presentation a few weeks ago on an article in the news that related to archives. The article looped back to a personal connection for her, because this classmate’s grandmother sent her the article to read. My classmate has always received articles from her grandma whenever she’s away. She’d highlighted the article, and our professor joked that that was now part of the articles’ provenance. If this classmate grew up to do something big enough to get her archives in an institution, that institution would probably see newspaper clippings as dispensible. They can be found elsewhere. But the newspaper clippings are specifically meaningful for her, and only her, and that forms the narrative of her, and therefore her archives. If she were given that special attention from the archivist, to collaborate together, those clippings would be saved.

Items would be digitized as well as saved, and put up on the Internet for the family or person to see from wherever they live. And most importantly, every person who gave us their papers would tell us whether or not we could make their records open for public use. We could open up the digitized items for tagging and research usage and all the like.

I have sat on this idea for a long time, and I still find it just as exciting as the first time I wanted it. My professor validated me by saying it definitely wasn’t too out there and I wouldn’t be laughed at. It would just take a lot of hard work and dedication — even to just become a nonprofit, much less raise the initial capital!

I think I need to start brainstorming more concretely about this now that I finally let my secret out to a professional in the field. It doesn’t have to be a big jumbled puzzle in my head, I hope. My professor also gave me a few articles focused on community-based archives — which actually has much more literature in the UK, so obviously I have more fodder now to convince my dad I should study abroad in London — so I can start to truly research and plan this. It would be really exciting if I could make this an independent study project and eventually get published. I will have to talk to some people …

Feeling invigorated by her enthusiasm, I told her another idea that had been effectively shut down by my peers’ attitudes towards it: a podcast. A podcast focused on archives. My professor said, flat out, that it was a brilliant idea! And there’s a lot of places I could take it. The few times I mentioned it to classmates, none of their faces brightened and they just kind of said “ehh” like it’d never be interesting. It discouraged me because I figured that meant no one be interested, if especially my classmates in a SLIS program aren’t. I shouldn’t have listened. Now I just have something else to think about.

Of course, I walked out of the meeting glowing, and called my mom to gush. :)

What’s the last big idea you had that felt like it could change the direction of your life?

après moi le déluge

Well, if my year “goal” was to get to bed by 11pm, I already failed. :) But it’s not! So I’m in the clear. I am, however, drinking some sort of calming/sleepy loose leaf tea from Berkeley (no, not marijuana) to help me get to sleep. I don’t really know how I can feel so wired right now when I only last had a chai latte at 7pm, but thus is life.

I am actually feeling much more in balance than I was. I went into my calendar and scheduled days to go over my next semester plans, possibly getting another archiving gig (about 5 hours a week), and planning for papers and projects coming up. I also set up a date to study with my classmates next Tuesday … I do hope it becomes a regular thing! Because I really like being around them. The other day I actually had an almost uncontrollable urge to hug everyone around me; obviously, I controlled it.

Tonight I spent a couple of hours with the Madison student chapter of ALA, brainstorming for the homecoming parade that we will be in. We’re going to do a book cart drill team! The theme for the parade is music across the century, so each of us future-librarians will be dressing up for each decade. We didn’t want to go deeply into the land of librarian stereotypes, and just dress up as “bun-y shushers” (direct quote from one of my professors) to make people on the sidelines laugh. We really wanted to showcase our spunk, creativity, and the ability to have fun. It helps to not perpetuate the idea that we aren’t approachable, mean, or uncaring. We want to help people! Isn’t that why most of us are here?

I chose the 40s to highlight. I get to pick some iconic book covers/titles from the 40s and we’ll be putting them on our carts. In a week we’re meeting for a fun crafting session. Right when I got home, I started spending way too much time looking at vintage clothing sites. It was a lot more expensive than I imagined, and costumes were usually quite provocative extremes of our conceptions of even pin-up girls, so I went with a dress I already own. Now I just want to get  a few finishing touches and perhaps get a wig, because I can’t get my hair to do this anymore:

The day after my super-short hair cut, my hair curled quite nicely.

It is exciting to be a part of something — and not just eating out for brunch (don’t get me wrong, I still love it) — but something that helps to advocate for libraries. We are literally parading the wealth of knowledge we have to give to the public.

Downside of this 40s outfit search? I started to look too much at clothes I want to buy in general, for me, for winter. I do need a winter coat and winter boots because my California gear won’t cut it, but probably not 3 or 4. I think I can convince myself that I need more cardigans though. For layering, you know.

–

I wanted to show you all a recent blogpost by Stephen’s Lighthouse I found very interesting: Is Google Memory? I have thought of this so much. One time, when I worked at the Bancroft Library, I came across the word “holograph” and since the document was so old, I was pretty sure it couldn’t be from the technique “holography” (or, a hologram). I decided to go to every one of my coworkers to ask what it was before using Wikipedia or Google. It took a long time (and a lot of “Why don’t you just Google it?”) before I finally found someone who knew that it’s something handwritten by the same person who wrote the signature, so not something like a secretary writing something dictated to her. It was my boss who knew the answer, which made me feel even better about working there. :)

I know I wrote a fairly anti-technology post a little while ago, so you’d assume I’d absolutely agree with the horrible state of our minds, but I have to admit my mind is changing the more I’m in school. One way my professor pounded into our heads about how much easier it is to use the databases with advanced searches now is we had to find abstracts in a large book of abstracts from 1973, and then find similar titles with the same subject. It sounds so easy to us now, but all of us got very frustrated working on the assignment with the big book. We also all came up with very different new titles.

I am still not, however, a “cyberprophet” or a “technophiliac.” I do not find it worth my time or money to buy and try the next latest computer, laptop, tablet, phone, whatever. I didn’t grow up with constantly getting new technology in our house (except when we bought new computers because they didn’t last very long between the three of us). Derek and his family were probably appalled to see my tiny, tiny TV that I used (Derek diplomatically suggested that, when we moved, we sell my TV and just use his). I don’t think I will ever find it not-rude for people to bring out their phones and start browsing the Internet. I don’t think my eyes will ever get used to screens.

Mostly, I don’t think I will ever attain that balance I so desperately want if I keep focusing so much effort and time into something like browsing the web. Constantly having something to look at and never truly being bored makes me feel so busy, so full, and so lacking in a space where I can just breathe and ponder. Technology erases silence.

That said — I don’t find it too fair of this graphic to have such a tone about something like writing things down in the Google calendar to remember an appointment. We’ve been writing appointments down for  … how long now? And how is it that much different from something like Outlook’s calendar, besides being much more convenient because you can access it from anywhere?

Google Reader also just makes sense for most people. There are two sides to this that I’m personally conflicted with: one being maybe those sites I follow on Google Reader, that I think are important for me to keep up on and read, maybe I should just … breathe and let go. For example, Pinterest seems like a great way to collect all sorts of inspiring images we see from across the Internet, but maybe we should just let go. However, I think for many people, myself included, that feeling of knowing all of the things you’re missing and knowing all of the pretty pictures of decor or fashion you saw that you can’t have around anymore for inspiration can simply cause a sort of silent anxiety. In some ways I think that when I see a simplistic kitchen that I just love, and know I can’t have, I will forget about the image eventually but that feeling of WANT! stays. Which fuels our consumerist nature more: an extended, vague feeling of WANT! or direct images up on a bulletin board that we will probably get bored of?

Google Reader is a way to keep up on things without that vague, silent anxiety coming up. I feel like I have to follow 50 library blogs to be In the Know, but as I read them, I realize I can easily unsubscribe from a lot of them because actually, they’re boring or not applicable to me. Also, Google Reader helps me with what I spoke about in the last entry, about feeling overwhelmed and unbalanced. I am a deeply curious person who has always gobbled up new learning experiences like they were candy and who never felt satisfied. The Internet became so big that I could no longer be that 12-year-old using small specific parts of AOL chat boards that easily related to me.

I do lament the use of Google Maps or other map apps. I think it’s sad that almost none of my peers understand the geography around them anymore, and laugh as if they are uniquely bad with directions. No, it’s a generational thing; we know we can just be led with GPS. I still always resist Derek’s insistence to use his GPS if I feel like I can do it with my mind. I feel much more accomplished that way. And if I get lost, then we can use the GPS. :)

The graphic’s point about our memories pre-Google and post-Google are way too simplistic. It is as if pre-Google we lived in a completely unbiased, objective world in which people clearly remembered detailed facts. No one spun things to go their way or held up what they remembered to be as facts. Information has never been something that we merely read or experienced and then saved, to be plucked later as if from an untouched archive. And our minds aren’t empty now — I think if anything, they are more filled, because we have more stimuli to interact with. And a harsher thing to contemplate is the very fact that it’s difficult now for people to sit in a space that isn’t demanding every ounce of their attention as they just, well, contemplate. The graphic artist makes this point, and rightly so. The new world I’ve inhabited in the last decade is one that has sped up, and one that is more concerned with breadth than depth.

The graphic artist also points out that we are very much evolving with the technologies around us — however, is that not the story of humanity? Our culture changed with every new tool that came to us. I think the bigger question now is how we deal with the avalanche of information.

3000 miles, check.

Warning: This is a long post, but it is picture heavy, so those of you with adult onset ADD due to too much Internet and technology should be okay.

I am very happy to report that we made it all the way across the country (and not straight across, since we made some weird dips) without dying. Or, for that matter, injuring ourselves anywhere beyond more than a few VERY ANNOYING mosquito bites. The only problem with our rental car was this malfunction indicator light that came on while we were in the winding mountain roads of Yellowstone … We called Hertz, they said it’s basically nothing. So, we ignored it! It’s a fine coping mechanism.

For those who don’t know, our trip was our way of getting from Point A (California) to Point B (Wisconsin). I am attending school in Madison for Library Science, and Derek is the brave soul who is following me. He left his job, his family, and his life just to come with me. That is dedication. We make a pretty good team.

Our first part of the trip, once I left my parents’ home town, was to go to the wedding of two dear friends, Nicole and Daniel. Nicole’s blog is here: The Princess Bride. And she really was a princess, and Daniel her handsome prince! It was a gorgeous ceremony that actually made me cry followed by a loud, good time under the full moon.

I gave a speech!

The next day, August 14th — which feels like a century ago now — was our last day in California. We saw the newlyweds off at a brunch.

It is a difficult moment to realize, Yes, this is it — so long for now.

We did get to see one more couple before we left California, Heather and Harrison. They took us out to a great place that was full of lots of different kinds of cuisine, which is a PERFECT way to say goodbye to California. However, I got a veggie burger, and while it was the best veggie burger I had on our 10-day journey, I wish I had started off with something other than a veggie burger. It is the only thing the middle of the country knows to do with vegetarians.

The biggest thing that surprised us about this trip was the distinct lack of kitsch. It was actually a bit disappointing. I never saw a sign for the world’s biggest ball of yarn or the largest frying pan, and these are important Americana artifacts, are they not?

However, we did arrive in Lovelock, Nevada on our first day, and found a sweet little park that had a place for lovers to put a lock on the chain. They said that it was a Chinese custom adopted in Nevada, but I’ve also heard it done in parts of Russia.

From Lovelock, we went to Winnemucca, which has a W for itself on the mountainside. Classy. The most difficult part of the drive was through Oregon, because it went from reckless 80 mph Nevada to safe, caring 55 mph Oregon. 55 mpg in the middle of nothing. We got out on the highway just because we were able to hear what true silence sounds like.

From there, we went on to Nampa, Idaho, of all places. Reason? Derek’s wonderful aunt and uncle live there, plus some other family. Derek met one of his favorite kind of family members.

Nampa to Yellowstone was a very long drive. But oh, Yellowstone is worth it! We stayed the night in West Yellowstone, had delicious pizza, a bottle of wine to relax, and got to try huckleberries for the very first time. It was a good season this year.

One of the best barns we saw. ;)

Yellowstone's canyon. Breathtaking!

From Yellowstone, we visited my aunt, new uncle, and cousin. It had been especially a long time I saw my cousin! We met them in Bozeman, Montana. My aunt manages Squaw Creek Cabins up in a beautiful part of the state. They ominously call it the canyon. We spent the night, without cell phone service, or electricity, and only the sound of the creek and the bells on the horses, for a mere $40. It was the best $40 we spent the whole trip, I think! The stars were astounding. Derek, who has never been camping or anywhere so remotely, could not stop looking up. We also tried out archery for a while. It was such great fun. Stay at Squaw Creek!

Squaw Creek Cabins, Montana

A natural! Anyone know of archery clubs in Madison ...?

We rode out on an ATV to capture this shot.

The stars, bells, and s’mores tried to entice us to stay forever, but after a day with the mosquitos, we were ready for a little less wilderness. We really have to get over that.

Then we went to go see Old Faithful. I didn’t want just another picture of the same geyser, so I went 8 seconds of licking an ice cream cone in front of it as it spouted. Since I am too poor right now to afford the video upgrade, please imagine.

Then we got to see the sun behind the clouds, a scary pool of unknown things, and an elk! We stayed at Flagg Ranch Resort, which is an overpriced hotel room posing as a cabin — and we are experts on cabins now. The night also included more veggie burgers and generalized bland food masking itself as good ole’ country fare.

DON'T JUMP IN

So many cars were stopped on the road to see an animal eating.

After our night in Flagg Ranch, we were worried that the Grand Tetons (which according to my mother means something like “grand breasts” in French. True or false? Internet users, I rely on you.) would be not as wonderful as Yellowstone.

WRONG.

I will grace you with some images of the beauty that big pieces of dirt and stuff do when they run into each other.

We thought these were the Hidden Falls. They weren't.

What can beat that? Certainly not Jackson Hole, which has strange arches made out of elk antlers and Mexican restaurants that don’t know what “horchata” is. So, let’s move on to Pinedale, Wyoming, where the B&B Pole Creek Ranch is located. We had a very strange time arriving because the only directions we were given for the long rural road is on were to look for the “log cabin surrounded by trees.” We saw like six. Finally, we found the one that did, in fact, title itself. When we drove up to the cabins, though, our car was attacked by three German Shepherds — one which lacked a leg! No one came out to greet us. We used the power of technology to call my parents and ask, WHAT IS GOING ON IS THERE ANYWHERE ELSE NEARBY TO STAY?, and then finally a woman came back from mowing the lawn to show us to our cabin. We spent a lovely night. The next morning, we ate homemade cinnamon buns for breakfast.

The Sunset in Wyoming

From there, we battled rain and scary looking tornado-perhaps sky to make our long journey to Boulder, Colorado. After a spirited and fantastic night with family friends and wine, we spent a HOT, cloudless day in downtown Boulder. Great town you got there!

After California fig and toasted almond gelato (mmmmmmmmm), we embarked onto … CELESTIAL SEASONINGS FACTORY. The place where most tea that Americans drink comes from. They did not allow pictures, but let us recommend the mint room: it is a trip!

Boulder marked the end of our planned trip. Boulder to Madison is around 1000 miles. We left Boulder the afternoon of the 23rd and had to be in Madison by at least August 25th at 10am to return our rental car, Krasnyka. We made it with time to spare and numb behinds!

The main thing was we stopped in Dubuque, Iowa, which was a must for me, an avid New Yorker reader who wrote her senior thesis on how the New Yorker captured the Soviet Union during the Stagnation Period. Nerd.

"THE NEW YORKER will be the magazine which is not edited for the old lady in Dubuque." - Harold Ross

Why is that quote not on the welcome sign to such a magical city?

Finally, after 3000 miles, and a lot of night driving on the creepy 151, we arrived to our new home.

Hello, Madison.

Tell me about your roadtrip adventures!

Onward, Madison!

I nearly named this blog “Onward, Madison!” which was the name of the email Derek and I made up to have people RSVP to our going away party. The reason I decided NOT to name it was mostly because … soon I would simply be in Madison, and probably moving on somewhere else after that. If all goes well, I will still be writing after that!

Tonight is my last night in my parents’ home until … well, probably Christmas. In the morning, it is onward to the wedding of two good friends, and then! … Onward, Madison!

My heart’s going quickly. I am so happy to see my friends wed on Saturday. Nicole has been wonderful support to me, and Daniel has been such a good friend to Derek in such a short time. (Derek is really going to miss him) … I am currently writing the toast to these two great friends; right now, it feels very stiff, so I had a lot of rum to loosen that tongue up. ;)

I hope mere logistical issues do not get in the way of our roadtrip, on the way to Madison.

We will be visiting: Winnemucca, Nevada (rest stop); Nampa, Idaho (family); Bozeman, Montana (family); Grand Teton National Forest; Pinedale, Wyoming (staying at a family farm!); Boulder, Colorado (family friend); after Boulder, we will simply drive on through Nebraska and such until we reach Madison. We need to go that last 1000 miles in less than two days. The only place I really want to visit is Dubuque, because of the New Yorker magazine.

I hope I will be able to update, with some photos, from the road.

Here we go!