When Pete landed that job, I knew it was only a matter of time before great things started happening. We met at WHS when he was working as an archivist for the McCormick / International Harvester Collection. I can't wait to see those glass plates up close and positive. Go, Pete! Sally J. Practical Archivist P.S. Anyone with circus ancestors or a love of circus history would enjoy a summer trip to Baraboo and a visit to Pete's Research Center. There's a museum, too and a live big top every summer. http://circusworld.wisconsinhistory.org/Library/AboutResearchCenter.aspx Tell him I sent ya ;)

Yes! I listened to Chuck's show when I was growing up in Chicagoland (70s and 80s). Come to think of it, it might be his fault I ended up an Audio Archivist. Hmmmm...

Neat-o coolio. I gleefully chipped in five bucks. $2 for me and $2 for someone else who downloaded w/o paying. Plus $1 for a post you wrote over ten years ago. I was googling to find a schedule for my favorite local Talking Heads cover band, Houses in Motion. Instead I found this .

Oh. Mah. Gawd. If your geektastic teenage years happen to be over-photographed and public, I think the best you can hope for is a partner like the awesomely awesome Mrs. Wheaton. Win!

Worth the wait, fer sure. Thanks, Wil! I went googling to uncover a picture of Zoltar The Fortune Teller and found this neat-o coolio necklace on Etsy that holds parchment paper fortunes inside. Thanks for sending me down that delightful rabbit hole...

More RFB, w00t! I love this new goal of yours...especially since we all benefit when you share. I adored this last line from a few days ago: "Twenty-two year-old me turned up Chet Baker on the CD player, and sighed wistfully. He didn't have any idea that in less than a year, he would meet the girl of his dreams." More, please!! :)

My hometown had an old hardware store that also doubled as the town's toy store and 5 + Dime. Not only can I remember how it smelled, I remember the sound the wood floors made when you walked on them.

Amy, I find your writing both lucid and lovely and the opposite of "stupid." Thanks for having the courage to post it and leave it up. Let your geek flag fly, sister!

Of all the cool jobs you have, I think DJ/Audio Curator is the awesomest. Merry New Year!

"In addition to its state security and police functions, however, some of its departments handled other matters, such as firefighting, border guards, and archives." Maintaining the state archives. That seems like a perfectly logical role for the secret police, don'cha think?

My dad brought back one of these from Asia in the early 1980s, when I was in high school. It was the exact game shown in the picture, which involved moving the juggler left and right to catch falling balls. Egad, I wasted *HOURS* playing that game! Haven't thought of it in years...

Without a deadline my writing would never be finished. Ever. My "process" seems to involve endlessly nitpicking about not just word choice, but also the amount of white space. Like you, I find that every new task I add means something goes undone. Like laundry. Dishes. Grocery shopping. Fortunately not bathing, since I have a day job and must keep up appearances. Thank goodness for small favors, eh?