The Fact of the Matter

Been a long time since my last post. Didn't mean for it to be that long, but I did mean for it to stew for a while.

I have another, nearly completed and much longer post which answers many of the questions that I have been asked over the past few weeks. It'll still go up, but I woke up this morning with a lot of idealism so Im sidetracked on a few other things for a while.

Quick Update:

KRIS has moved into her new apartment and is getting wired for the internet today! She's started working for a real company, making real money and is eligible for real health benefits! Huzzah! She's even bought a cat, which terrifies her rats but is otherwise adorable.

CLAIRE left for Arizona last week. She'll be working at a Hopi excavation until mid-July. Contrary to popular belief, not all of archaeology is done with a pin and toothbrush. These guys have been known to use shovels, and even back-hoes! Though their primary tools are trowels and petiches...uh, sorta lost the point of this midway.
Ah, right. CLAIRE, however, is not digging. Instead she is in charge of the LAB, where recovered samples are washed and then subjected to weird tests that resemble the Salem Witch trials. 'Floatation' for instance separates two kinds of matter...some of which is usable...and...um...really you should just ask her.
This paragraph isn't going so well.
THE POINT IS THAT CLAIRE IS DOING THE PART OF ARCHAEOLOGY THAT SHE LIKES. The part with all the analysis. She's also working with pottery, which she really enjoys.
Today, the dig-crew is going on a field trip to see a Hopi dance, the Petrified Forest (I've been there!), and then to a Hopi home for dinner.

NATE, whom I retrieved from the Great White North, is now in Ann Arbor for the season! He's working for NOAA as some kind of computer slave/data analyst. He's got some really nifty graphs that too me look like something produced by a Jefferson Airplace/Jackson Polluck joint art initiative. Did I mention that said graphs are covered in arrows? They have arrows too. Nate is doing some kind of crazy physics with those underwater currents that you hear about. I've learned my lesson from Claire's paragraph, so I am just going to skip trying to explain it (since I don't understand it) and go right to telling you all to just ask him yourselves.
Me and him have been hangin' around a bit. I've been showin' him the town and teaching him the fine art of buying all your food from the corner liquor store.
The other day we played the demo for an upcoming game called "OVERLORD," which casts you as a Sauron-type entity bent on conquering and destroying. Basically, the game gives you minions. Its simple, its stupid, and its dang fun.
Soon, Nate will be out in a boat on Lake Erie servicing and placing temperature sensors. It'll be a lot like Deadliest Catch, but without the startling human drama, or the Disocvery Channel.

PHIL is moving into a very nice house with his lady friend SUSAN way down in Indiana. You can read more about it, and Mank Rage here. You really should, too.
Good luck, you two.

MAX has been working for over a month now! Actually, at the moment, he's not working. Instead, he's eating a pecan log. Which, however delicious, is not 'work' nor is it 'healthy.' Anyway, he's on the Diag crew working for the University's Grounds and Waste management. This is, quite literally, his work-place. Last week he trimmed a hedge down a foot! He also planted an oak! Yesterday, he and the other temps got to drive the ToolCat around! Its a piece of equipment that costs 7 times what he will make from the University this year - and its the most fun ever!
Max is also planning for his imminent birthday - which should arrive any day now. He'd really like this, but understands that its expensive. He hopes that two or more people won't get that for him, because then he'll have to sell one for-profit on eBay. He also need to go to another Wilco concert so he can get this, which combines two things he love. Try to guess which two!
While things are good for Max, he often finds himself feeling restless and very uneasy. This is not unusual, and seems to be just part of spending a summer in Ann Arbor. Its also probably related to his sleep schedule. Things seem to be improving, however.
He also recently attended a wedding, and looked fabulous. On the way back to Michigan, Claire snapped this photo out the window:


Back soon, kiddies.