It's not a waste of time if its for education, right?

Playing with computers, I mean. York is a seriously hooked up campus. I can check my lecture notes, access journals, readings etc. All great resources, but a fairly passive use of the internet age.

Except for my landscape ecology in planning course & hooo boy! Our class has a web page and a blog that we all have to contribute to. Eventually, we will all be posting our final project on the page - a prospect that makes me a little nervous. I mean, what if its not as cool as the other kids in my class?

But the coolest tool of all is downloading Google Earth. I've gone as far as I can go for free, but someday, somehow, I'll charge the $20 to get the Pro Update. 'Til then I'm "practicing" finding places, by addresses, by geography etc. I've visited BC, Alberta (okay, that was an accident, I was aiming for the Okanagan and my hand slipped), Saskatchewan, Northern & Southern Ontario, Toronto and Newfoundland. I checked it ALL out. I wish one of my family members would put something outside to say to say hi. So what if it takes another few weeks to update? Its for scientific discovery people! Maybe Dad can put something bright on the balcony. And if I see an updated picture of something bright yellow streaking through the back yard - I'll know who it is....

Speaking of family, Miss Muffet, have you asked le petit prince et princesse what they want? Does our leo seem interested in world travel possibilities? And do you think Mom should guest blog? I think so... or maybe the Big Al? I know they're not exactly about school or archaeology but hey, my readers have diverse interests, no?

I wonder what else I can make Google do?

.....

The coolness of Fort Willow

I need a digital camera. Because only with a digital camera, can I truly show you how cool our time was at Fort Willow (near Barrie, ON) this past weekend.

Here's a little picture that might help:


I wonder how that will come out. Hmmm...

Anyways, in brief, Fort Willow was a supply depot for military and trade goods and is located on the Nottawasaga River. It also seems likely that it was in an earlier incarnation (pre-1796) a trading post for the North West Fur Trading Company - Hudsons Bay's biggest trading rival! But Fort Willow proper, was run by the British and was inhabited until at least the 1850's. Which makes sense, since the Nottawasaga River was actually a pretty important transportation route from Georgian Bay to Lake Ontario.

In the fifties and sixties there were a series of excavations to determine the boundries of the fort and the buildings in between. It's been restored, somewhat, but not extensively so. There are outlines of the buildings that were there and some interesting paths you can take around the Fort that talk about other possible sites and buildings and settlements.

I get the impression that for many years Fort Willow was kind of left to moulder - unjustifiably so, because it was located so far "north" (or what Torontonian consider north - Barrie), is not located near a major highway, and is cared for by a mild mannered conservation authority who have a small budget that has to spread far.

But about 10 years ago, a volunteer group formed(with the blessing of the conservation authority) called "Friends of Willow Creek" decided to pool their efforts and interests into building up a better awareness and appreciation of Willow Creek.

Now I first heard of them earlier this year, visiting up in New Lowell again and reading about this archaeological excavation in the newspaper. Done for credit by high school students, it was supervised by an archaeologist. We were a little mystified as to who this archaeologist could be - our contacts hadn't mentioned anything. And we were a little pinched by the fact that these students got to work on such a cool site. I think that might've been a week where we were field testing an area with not an artifact to be found.

We could've been feeling a little bitter is what I'm saying.

Well we found out this weekend when we went to Fort Willow's Open House (so to speak) that the licenced archaeologist was a high school history teacher. He'd held on to his licence and basically started an archaeology club. Cool. That rocks, and I wish I could've had a club like that at my high school.

But Fort Willow had lots more to look at this weekend - it was the big focal point of the Nine Mile Portage Heritage Festival. First the place was filled with re-enactors - good ones. Get this, they'd all come the night before and set up canvas tents, much like the ones we see in painting and old, old photographs, then they set up their demonstrations the next morning. There was nothing significant or noticable of the 21st century on them.

So, I chatted with the candlemaker, the surgeon, , the traders, the cooper - which is a barrelmaker (interesting family note, our paternal great grandfather Vineham was a cooper!), a blacksmith who offers lessons.... maybe, someday, boatmakers(Dayle is thinkind of joining them because they may build a schooner), a fur trade fort, a travelling doctor show, costumers who made everything from scratch - it was all wonderful.

There were also military re-enacters, specifically the Historic Military Establishment of Upper Canada. Their area of focus is from 175o's to 1880's. However, their main historical portrayal is that of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment (RNR). They seemed to be in charge of the whole event and demonstrated drills, muskets, cannon operations. At one point, they were getting about 15 children to march in line. Fun for the children, but a little eerie to watch. And there were children there - some were part of the re-enactments with the families, some were clearly there with the families but not involved themselves, and there were hordes more, streaming around the fort and the paths surrounding it.

Dayle and I stayed there for about four hours and were some of the last ones to leave. That was because every conversation we got involved was with a person who was witty, knowledgable and a great enthusiast of whatever part they were playing.

A great Satuday.

I am a happy person. Except....(long post. And probably boring to many of you)

late at night it seems, when I should be in bed already and I'm worried about everything. My money... my school program.... my future in an industry that's getting the stuffing kicked out of it.

First example? Here's some news from the Conservative Federal Government via the Canadian Museum Association:

CMA Shocked With Surprise Cuts to MAP

Ottawa, September 25, 2006 - Late this afternoon, the Minister of
Canadian Heritage, Hon Bev Oda, announced a series of cuts to her
department. In particular we are alarmed that the Museums Assistance
Programs has been selected for a $4.6 million cut. MAP is the one
program that is dedicated solely to museums.
"We are shocked, puzzled and feel betrayed by these cuts" said John
McAvity, CMA Executive Director. No other programs in the museums
sector
were cut according to the Minister's staff who kindly called CMA to
explain this news.

For the past several years we have been working constructively with all
political parties including the Conservative Party for a new Museums
Policy and a new investment. In fact we obtained a complete commitment
in writing from the Conservative Party to bring in a new policy and a
new investment during the election campaign, and just last week the
Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage tabled its recommendation for a
new policy "as soon as possible". The cuts announced today are totally
contradictory actions.

These cuts are part of a $1 billion exercise throughout government
aimed at programs "that are no longer effective". A most troubling message to
all our members.

And further cuts to culture in general, in a followup statement from the CMA list-serv:
WOW!!
Not only was there a $4.6million cut to MAPS, but the Status of Women
Canada was cut by $5 million, and a further $1.1 million for operating.
There was 500K clawed back from the Cultural Investment Fund Loan loss
reserve, $2.9 million from Parks Canada's Commercial Heritage Property
Incentive, $9.7 million from the elimination of the Cdn Volunteerism
Initiative, $13.8 million for HRDC skills development, $6.5 million in
funding for the Centre for Research, plus others.

All totaled $44 million! That doesn't include money taken from
tourism, Intellectual Property, the youth internship program, and many more
that will affect heritage.
This is a betrayal indeed!

I feel... kinda worried. And then I read my first draft of my Area of Concentration - which is part of what will go into my grand "Plan of Study". Here's a posting of it for your perusal:
Currently, there is little written in Canadian and Ontario archaeological journals about archaeological planning and resource management. Nor does there appear to be any post-secondary course in Ontario university archaeology departments that focuses on this necessary knowledge - at either the undergraduate or graduate level.

There are however, a few published papers from the last five years that state and re-state an evergrowing concern for archaeology and its future in the province. It is also a topic that is discussed freely at any archaeological gathering. The emotional content of the talk and the papers ranges from thoughtful concern to outright frustration and anger, and often have the same repeating themes.

- The perception of the lack of an orderly, regulated, standards based level market place that places archaeology on same level as drywallers and untrained workers income wise.
- The lack of professional literature, shared database or an effective self policing professional organization
- The lack of regulatory muscle to enforce current standards in an effective manner.
- Ongoing concerns about effectively communicating archaeological mandates and methods to planners/developers/engineers, who are perceived to simply value the "letter of clearence" that the archaeological consultant can provide.

In the United States, there are similar concerns raised in any discussion of current archaeological projects and the future of archaeology. However, there are positive indications that these concerns can be addressed in a positive way. For instance, there are journals that focus on heritage resource management, there are courses in cultural resource management archaeology, and there are even states that require archaeological surveys and excavations to be done far earlier in the planning process and to make arrangements for their ongoing conservation as necessary.

Although looking at other countries and other provinces' practices will be an important part of my research, it will comprimise only a part of it. More urgent, I think, will be an investigation into current connections between land use law, planning and policy and practice. Most important will be identifying existing gaps between the intent and the practice, and hopefully, find a way to address it in a meaningful way.

Upon re-reading this, I began to be worried about my goals a little. Am I aiming to high? Did I take the series premiere of "Heroes" on NBC a little too seriously? And if I am setting myself up as a Heritage Superhero in training, protecting archaeological sites from danger - should I have a cape?

Hmmm... perhaps not. I saw The Incredibles, I know what a death trap those capes can be.... hmmm.... perhaps I should simply dress in primary colours and wear a special helmut?
Well, whattdya know. I am sleepy after all!
A much more fun post tomorrow, I promise.

Announcements:

First - I am now allowed to apply for a student loan. I guess this means they can still deny me though huh?

Secondly - I have decided on my new class - Landscape Ecology - Which I didn't mention last week because I posted on first on the Thursday before I took it and then I was obsessed with Archaeology Day.

It was neck and neck between Landscape Ecology and Environmental Economics, but today I reached a decision. It was because of an email and some idiots. The idiots were in my economics class and I was stuck between them. They kept talking and whispering - not too each other mind you, but simply commenting on the lecture.

Plus there were several people who kept getting upset about how unfair the market system is. That's not the point of the class, the point is to understand the theory and dynamics a little better, so that we can go out there and make the market place reflect a better reality. Complaining that giving away surplus food should be a mandatory part of the economic picture was, well, missing the point of the lecture. So - loved the prof, thought many of my classmates were idiots. Plus, its a really large class (28), not what you want in your grad studies.

That's not very nice of me, is it? I'm going to read the textbook though, if I can get it. I'd like to get some kind of a handle on the topic anyways.

The Landscape Ecology class was the one I picked. It features a class of 7 people (including me) and although there's a lot of stuff about restoration, there's a lot of stuff about human influences on the landscape. Plus the professor likes archaeology and has a history of working with historic preservation in urban settings (it was Rome, Italy but still...). And then she emailed me back to assure me that I did not have to have a background in computer science, physics and GIS to do get by. Which was nice of her.

Thirdly - I have nearly decided completely on getting my planning certificate, with the proviso that I also develop an archaeological project/ thesis. That way, I can also be eligible for a professional license. Several archaeologists, and city heritage people really encouraged me on this during Archaeology Day. One person actually said, "yeah, you could be our person on the 'Inside!' "

Fourthly, I'm leaning away from applying to law school. Why? Because its 3x more expensive, I'd be in school nearly two years more, and then I'd have to spend another year articling before I could take the bar. Then the law advisor I spoke to said he's not sure if very many classes could tackle exactly what I was thinking. And that there may not be an exact field for me when I graduate, that I might have to spend a few years carving that out. You know what? I've done that or tried too, and I'm not 25 anymore. But the law advisor did feed me pizza during our meeting and told me where to do some more research, just to make sure.

On personal notes - I'm apparently molting and I'm craving carbs - big time! The carb craving I can understand, because I'm pretty sure it ties into my sleep patterns, because I'm not getting good sleep. Which is due to the stresses of starting school and not yet getting my exercise routine in place to burn off all my nervous energy. So I walk up in the middle of the night a few times and end up tired and dreaming of cookies, donuts, bread rolls, cupcakes. My body wants quick energy and it wants it now!

The molting is more mysterious and slightly embarrassing. I'm drinking the water, I'm using moisturizer - but my face is so dry and tight it almost burns and its shedding flakes. Even the area around my eyes is all flaky and red and puffy. Yes Mom, I am keeping my apartment tidy and clean. No, I'm not currently hanging out with cats. Any ideas people?

I'm off to make myself tea.
Oh, and believe it or not, I am actually in a fairly good mood. I'm just a little tired and trying to cover all the highlights.
Kisses to all!

Sigh. Well. That's one more Archaeology Day behind me.

When I moved to Toronto a few years ago, it was strongly recommended that I join the Ontario Archaeological Society (OAS). It is mostly an avocational organization, but there are a lot of people who work in the industry who keep their membership paid up, mostly I suspect, for the newsletters, listserv and journal. There are various chapters around the province that are active at different levels.

Joining this organization has led to having growing contacts in the industry, a helpful way to hear about jobs and opportunities. I've gotten at least two jobs because of the list-serv. And volunteering at the OAS has helped too.

For the first year I just came and moved tables, looked around and did what I could here and there. I don't organize the activities or promote the event or anything like that. For the last two I've been involved in recruting volunteers for the day's events and organizing them.

On Archaeology Day there are presentations of all descriptions - flintknapping, simulated digs, pottery, etc. I also have volunteers of all ages involved in setting up dozens of tables, book sales, etc. I end up being charge of directing about 20-30 people all through the day. I'm there from 8:30 to 5:30 the day of, and I spend it walking in circles trying to make sure that everything is flowing along properly. Because you know that if something goes awry, you have to fix it to be better than the original idea and if it goes wrong, everyone will remember for weeks after.

A little like what teachers go through actually. Except that teachers don't go out for beer after (or maybe some do?). I liked that part.

Other parts I liked
- having the volunteers show up about 10 minutes before their shifts ready to report for their assigned duty!
- people knew how to set up the sun shades and tents this year
- no one tried to do physical labour beyond their abilities and no one shied off of it
- everyone got the chance to eat, drink water & take bathroom breaks
- everyone did what I asked. Let me repeat that.....
- Everyone did what I asked.
- And that was almost my favorite part except that I received a lovely pot of purple chrysanthomums half ways through the afternoon from the president of the OAS! They are now on my windowsill and they look lovely!

Now, today, it is back a more restful schedule. I'm running errands, tidying my apartment and doing homework. I have two assignments due this week and I must say that its odd to being doing school work again. But I'm also energized from the the encouragement I received from various people at Archaeology Day, who were genuinly interested in what I was doing and encouraged me to go for it and gave me some advice about future options.

Sometimes its good to be part of a community. There are a lot of people who have helped me along and I know that I wouldn't be going anywhere without having met them.

If you've talked to me lately, you'll know that I've finally begun my classes this week. I'm starting graduate studies at York, in Environmental Studies. Somehow at the end of this I will produce a project linking archaeology and environment. Right now, I'm busy trying to figure out how I will get out of this semester alive.

Take my classes. There are three I am definitly signed into taking and they have to do with methodology of my studies and planning. Fair enough. What I also have to do is find a fourth class for the semester, as my original choice was cancelled.

So, I'm shopping around. Yesterday there were two classes I attended - another planning course and a course in environmental education that touches on using past lifeways and neither was what I expected from the course description and syllabus offered. Which makes you wonder about the purpose of these little blurbs on the net - are they like advertising copy to lure you in?

The planning course came across as rather dry and ideological, if such things can co-exist. I liked the professor okay, but I didn't care for the volunteer demands of the class nor the chosen focus of our professor on downtown development. Although, yes, I could probably turn it to my interest by way of built heritage. I left the class feeling that professor - good, topic -.... kinda interesting, I guess and method of class participation - yawn.


Then I had the environmental education class. And that's when you learn that there are some ways of thought that just rub you the wrong way. The professor came across with the following statements -
a) that Western Civilization probably lost a lot of its humanity with the invention of the Gutenberg (sp?) press
b) that the best way of learning about the environment is to learn as hunters and gatherers (his favorite mode of human living, I think) did - by listening to stories from their elders.
c) that most members of the class were environmentally estranged and were sliding down a slippery slope of Big Brother & Brave New World - he used reality shows (ok, point there maybe) and the development of a birth control pill whereby a woman can reduce her periods to 2 or 3 a year (actually to 1 or none). He's concerned that it may cut her off from her ties to the water and the moon. My thought? It also cuts a lot of women's ties to bloating and cramps. Also seeing as several women in past lifeways did not have periods due to pregnancy, nursing or malnutrition, I don't see how this is will alienate women from their gender roles.

Okay, so that last point was a long one. My point is this is a man that has made a living from some of the more fearmongering p.o.v. s that are out there. Even the connection to using Black Creek Pioneer Village (which intrigued me) is being considered in a negative light - i.e. - how we begun on the slippery slope of destroying our environment as soon as we landed on the shores of North America nearly 600 years ago.
That's his number by the way - 600 years. I can't figure out how he got it - to me Europeans have been here a little over 500, unless you include Viking incursions that stretch it back around a 1000 years ago. The only exception I can think of between that are fisherman that started coming to the Banks of Newfoundland earlier in the 1400's, but something tells me he's not.

And this guy is supposedly not stupid. I mean, a degree from Harvard would indicate some level of critical thinking, no? I almost want to have a look at his earlier publications, because there's something to his style of lecturing that screams "conversion" to me.

Oh, and I also didn't like the potshots he took of Harris and Bush. Not that I'm a fan, but sniping at these figures is rather pointless and a little too easy. And it sorta shows your hand politically right off the bat. I'd much rather have heard an interesting jibe about McGuinty, since he's the one in educational hot water these days.

But I think I should reject taking the above class for my elective. My mother made the very valid point that sometimes we learn more about something when we are discovering what we're disagreeing with, than when we're in full sympatico with a lecturer. And I see her point, I really do. But I am also worried that I'd be in almost constant conflict with the lecturer, which may also not be the most productive course of action either.

Today, I sampled another class, mostly out of curiosity. I liked the way the professor had spoken to the group at orientation last week, so I checked out a class I would never have considered otherwise - Environmental Economics.

And WOW! was it ever cool! Kinda hard and a lot of new concepts, but it was exciting to listen to the prof and how he engaged the class. Its a graduate level class, but designed for people of very different backgrounds, including those who've never taken an economics class before. And there will only be a little math. Even in the one class I sat in on, I felt I learned a lot. Its a long way from my "area of concentration", but I've gotten to thinking that having that grounding could go a long way to giving me perspective on my project of injecting archaeology and heritage into the planning process.

Anyways, I must sign off now. I have Environmental Planning next and then tomorrow morning I have Intro to Planning, and another "shopping" class tomorrow - Landscape Ecology in the Environment.

Oh, and I've also heard through the grapevine that there are others in the faculty with an interest in heritage. I must find them....

Oh, fuzzle duzzle my brain hurts.

First, before anything else. Mom - I didn't get your first message about records until I checked on Wednesday morning. And I wasn't in last night until around 10:30. I was at an OAS planning meeting for archaeology day. So I will be quite put out if you've pre-maturely hoisted my stuff from the house.

Next - Grad School. Let me repeat how happy I am to be accepted. It's great. It's an adventure and a new opportunity.

It's also sucking my brain and my classes haven't even started. It's all about orientation this week and enrollment. It looks like I will be in 4 classes and they are:
1) Approaches to Environmental Studies (everybody has to take it)
2) Introduction to Planning
3) Recreation and Tourism: Management and Planning
4) Environmental Planning

at least two of these classes will go towards getting a planning certificate, should I want one. I'm thinking about it, because having that certification can give you a lot of credit.
But this schedule may not be final. First the guy who teaches the Rec & Tourism class & co-incidentally is supposed to be my advisor, is out sick. And the office won't know until tomorrow afternoon whether he'll be available at all this semester. Isn't that precious?

So, I have a few "runner up classes" that I'm supposed to sit in on just in case I need to replace one of my classes due to cancellation. Busy 1st week of classes.

next I'm still untangling the fun of student loans. Guess what? I need to get more letters. Letters that nobody mentioned to me the first 3 times I called. And that's not including the documentation that I need to include on my student loan file. All that paperwork is hurting my brain but the way I look at is, if I can get it together to get into a Master's program, I can handle this too. I just need to stay on top of it.

There is a bright-ish spot financially, which is, I may get E.I. approval for the course. That would be cool.

I have to go back to calling people now. Take care everyone.

Katrina

The Broken Quill: Geek Link: Archeology

Yes, its a bit old, it's still cool news and I think I've finally figured out how to work this function.

I know its been a long time since I posted. And I tell you, this last week came close to wearing me down! A family reunion (sadly, not mine), an outdoor BBQ & bush party - where I was finally lured into the karoke circle-

... and that feeling that you get when its your last week of work and you're totally not caring. Of course that was compounded by the long days (home at night by 8pm), the possibility that my workboots were turning against me (I finally got blisters), and having the kind of workday where we always seemed to be short of water. By Wednesday, I was covered in blisters, bruises and oddly chafed skin.

Not that Dayle and me let that get in the way of actually doing our job. We surveyed those 100 acres of land like you wouldn't believe. I walked over every field and dug through bogs and bush. Dayle mapped in every dry creekbed on the Mobile mapper (there were several) and every spot of signifigance so that the office would later get a very clear view of the property.

And we found one historic site - a midden. I think that was kinda cool.

But it did make my last day all the sweeter... because we got to go back to the "fun" site. The one with sandy soil and hundreds of artifacts a square and no thick bush anywhere and is so, so lovely. And for my last day, I found some really cute pottery, beautiful red chert, a celt (a kind of axe, not a person of gaelic descent) and in one of my last screens a complete projectile point!

And then we all went for a beer after work! Yay! Pretty sweet last day at work, hmmm???

Since then, I've been pretty much hiding in my apartment to clean and to sleep and to organize my stuff for my first day at grad studies at York. I crept out on Friday to run errands at York and we did creep outside yesterday to go to the Exhibition. We saw the Air Show (guess who's idea it was to watch an airplane show...), visited Toronto's oldest surviving log cabin, ate junk food, ran into friends, saw some agricultural stuff, some military stuff, tried to coax Dayle onto the rides (failed at this), and generally spent the time looking through all the displays like the garden competition. Hey this is me we're talking about.

The display we liked the most was in the "Remember When" exhibit, because it was a complete story of the development of the land the CNE is built on. It started from its earliest beginnings and included archaeological displays, early waterpaintings and early photographs. I think we spent nearly an hour and a half going through all the panels and reading everything.

Of course Dayle and me loved it. We're geeks about that kind of thing.

Anyways, must go and continue to tidy and organize.

Love to all,
K.