Acceptable Loss

Meeting on Friday concerned deadlines again. We are now committed to a 1 July cut date for /4 and a portion of the northern end of /5. The northern end of /5 has multiple occupancy levels and is thus far suggested to be left alone in its entirety. It's a shame we had to lose focus on what was important over the last few months. We've just been slipping further and further behind, DOT isn't helping any, either. So, I get to spend my weekend coming up with ways to maximize the number of things we dig in /4. This means, not necessarily cutting corners, but manipulating our digging methodologies to buy us more time to dig the more... favorable, special features. I hope your weekend is better.

Into the Field

Deadlines. I don't want to talk about it.

Let's just say we have "a long way to go and a short time to get there."

/6 is proving interesting. Density is following the pattern we expected. Found a couple circular structures. The largest I've ever seen (7m across). Could be something special ahead.

We're still feeling out these new waters.

New Year

Back in the swing of things. Still in the lab, too cold to dig. BJS came to the lab to research post pits and I took some time off to take him out to the site to show him our progress since he left. We arrived to see two stray dogs poking around and then they disappeared into the bit of woods that's left along the main road. It really has changed a lot. Supply store is down and cleared out and seeing what we have left north doesn't seem nearly as daunting in person as it does on paper... but I think it's just an illusion.

Restructuring for the new season, we're going to do a reminder course I think, and we addressed the new hire training subject. All in all the new year start has been productive.

Lab work isn't much to speak of. We're almost completely done. /5 and /6 are mostly done, some stragglers from /5 to deal with, but the red-lining crew is pushing through /4 pretty quickly and it looks like the we'll be caught up with paperwork before the new field season starts.

In my own personal projects for work I've completed the regional chert manual with accompanying photos. It's nothing spectacular, mostly just putting pieces of information together from varied sources into one compendium. Upon completion, though I'm still not sure it's necessary for the field, so it becomes yet another masturbatory project. Started work on the lithic experiment I wanted to do, very rough draft written. Got some very helpful resources from JDK and will hopefully flesh it out a bit. If not I'll just have to go back to the source and start all over. Hoping that I've got enough for now, though.

Been listening to audio books while checking paperwork. Catching up on the Wheel of Time Series. On Knife of Dreams and it's a good time. Audio books really make reading go much faster. Don't judge.

A Much Needed Break

I'm thankful for Thanksgiving. A long weekend makes for a clear head. Turbulence is tossing our little boat about. Hopefully all is resolved in the end. For now I do my best to see the truth for who it is.

Sometimes people forget what's important. And sometimes some things are more important than feelings. Maybe we'll do the best we can with this one shot.

Happy Thanksgiving.

The Days All Run Together

Maybe I should only post once a month, then I'd feel less guilty.

EB 48 is done. VER and ERH dug out the "glory pit," as MER coined it, last week. It proved less than glorious. Various rims, faunal, and floral material (had some really nicely preserved corn cobs) were recovered but not much else of note. Well, there was this really sweet piece of possible fineware (?) with some exceptional incising. It was about the size of a silver dollar.

Moved into /4 with the rest of the crew. General population proves less painful than once thought. Lots going on, mostly doing things until the stuff north of the road is cleared. That will be the focus for the duration of the year into 2011.

There's still so much to do. There's plenty of time, maybe, but it's still a daunting sight.

Put on machine scraping to sub for MCT when he's not in. Lots of hold ups, but JAB came out and we sorted out a strategy that will expedite the process. After we expand EBs 6 and 7 we move past the historic foundations and try to find what looks like either more of the land-form or another land-form all together to the north.

Looking forward to the short week this week. Let's here it for a break.

Where does the Time Go?

My father always told me that as I got older time would seem to pass faster, unseen and before I knew it all my days would run together. He, as he sometimes is, was right.

Almost a month passed and I hadn't even realized it. However, in my defense, work has been trying of late. Certain... turbulence, we'll call it, has given it a more heightened feeling. I come home not only physically but emotionally, mentally drained. My father also used to say that time heals all wounds. For reasons I shall not share, he was not right about that. So, I feel that time will not clean this mess. I'm not sure there is a broom in the world large enough to sweep this up.

EB 48 is down to 2 conglomerates. HEN's is down to floor and all the interior things have been cut out for the most part. Wall trenches getting cut out now. It's like a giant Jenga puzzle. Have to be careful what you cut, can't topple the tower. MTS's conglomerate is winding down. His structure was finished on Friday leaving only the second halves of 2 pits. VER is finishing her floors that are also a part of the MTS conglomerate. She picked up JEP after he finished his pit and they should finish in a week or a week and a half.

MER is still in /4 with JAB sorting out what they sort out. When she comes back (if she comes back? I wouldn't blame her if she didn't) she won't recognize the layout. Need to look at pictures in the lab next rain day and redetermine superpositioning. Basins told us one thing while the trenches are telling us the opposite. Trenches are pretty definite, though.

Got to dig this past week. Finding myself with less to do, so I try to help. I can't exactly just start my own thing as such things are limited, and were I to I'd get a good half hour of digging before I had to go tend to something else. So, I finished a pit off for CAB and helped VLH with a trench long cut to finalize 837 for MTS. It really was nice to have a shovel in my hands again.

Been listening to the same old, MTS burned me off a couple Townes Van Zandt cds. Still need to listen to those. Picked up The Dresden Dolls again. Still very good. Amanda Palmer is an astounding musician.

Time to make pesto!

The Bottom Line

Trudging along in eb48. Only 3 conglomerates open at the moment. 2, not so conglomerate-y things going, but they'll be done in short order as well as one of the clusters. MCT and I are thinking late Nov. I could see it being done sooner. Took a long day to get the pictures of the MER/HEN opus in lieu of allowing the pending rain to destroy a full day of work. Then, it didn't rain. Ah well. Done is done, and it as done right. That's what counts really.

/4 is going strong, land form is dropping off so hopefully machine scraping will be winding down. Started in the back 9 saving the southern stuff. Hopefully the Store will come down soon and we'll be able to open up to the highway and get /6 expanded.

Writing more music, need to put it down and get this disc done. Contemplating replacing all the old stuff, not sure yet. Trying to find creative ways to fill out the sound. Looking into household percussion instruments.

Still some weekend left, lemon out.