Whig Hill

About nine miles

Just rode the bike about nine miles from my house to mile marker 3 on the American Tobacco Trail. That's a distance record for me. I know--newbie. Riding is much easier without lugging around the computer and books. The hardest part was leaving the dog at home on this nice afternoon. I made up for that by walking her for about forty five minutes around the neighborhood. If I don't loose five pounds from today I'll be pissed.

Ok. Back to paper-writing.

The internet is over

So I'm on Twitter now. Did it for two reasons: I was inspired by the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough use of it and wanted to see what it does for museums, etc., and I just wanted to see what it's all about and if it's really as addictive as they say. Right now I'm thinking of it as nothing more than a clumsy version of a Facebook status update. What am I doing now? Who cares?  I don't think anyone will care if I'm looking at fish in Ellerbee Creek at the moment. Maybe it'll come around to be something useful. If not, I'll ditch it. We'll see.

Liveblogging the dem. governor's debate

They. Both. Suck.

a variety of things

Now this is bike weather. I found out that riding is much easier when you have fully inflated tires. Duh.

Weather is so nice Lizzie will not stay out of the water and will not come inside. Smart girl.

I can’t hold onto a pen to save my life.

This sounds very interesting. You know, if you're all interested in cultural hegemony, historical memory, and public history and whatnot. I should buy the book…should read it, too.

This is very interesting. My historic site friends and colleagues should read the posts on the survey of open air museums they did. Anyone going to Denver?

Comps reading begins May 9.

I've lost ten pounds in the last three weeks due to diet and exercise. My fasting level blood sugar has been in the low normal range for as long. This is all good news.

I’m waiting for some critical news. Getting rather suspenseful and anxious. And I’m not telling, nyah, nyah, nyah…. yet.

There are many truths in this song:

 

	Chatham County Line - Country Boy/City Boy
	Found at skreemr.com

My nerdy friends. And I mean that in a good way

That was fun. Pete, Elizabeth, and Tish solved the photo problem below.

From left to right, we have

Penelope Barker, hostess of the Edenton "Tea Party".

Dolley Madison, First Lady.

Bayard Wootten, tomboy photographer.

Cornelia Phillips Spencer, hardcore UNC fan with a troubled legacy.

Roberta Flack, kills me softly with her song.

Right on.

work meeting

work meeting
Originally uploaded by natmaconjr.

This is a typical section meeting at work. We had this one in the catacombs of the North Carolina Collection at UNC. Extra credit if you can identify my colleagues.

reading, kind of

This historian must be reading the same thing I am this week. Sheesh. Amen sister.

  polk 
  Originally uploaded by natmaconjr.

This is the best advertisement for a historic site event I've ever seen. Hilarious. More info here.

Public history doesn't pay

If you are married to someone with a "real world" salary, you can get by. But not if you are a single student loan-incurring man. Minimum wage and small salaries are endemic. It's not about acquisition of wealth. It's about not having to deal with the anxiety caused by bill collectors and no savings for the future. Starving for your art sounds like a romantic thing in grad school, but it really, really, sucks in real life. And then I take a look at the AHA salary survey and see that a beginning (instructor) position pays about eight thousand more than I make now and any advancement through the ranks will increase my salary beyond what I could ever hope to make working where I do.

a new low

I've been increasing the insulin and have been eating rather modestly lately so my glucose numbers are again getting lower. This morning it was 59 which is too low. So I took a glucose tablet for the first time. After being so high for so long, being too low isn't that much of a problem. If only my weight would do the same thing.