About

Me in the salt marshes of Charleston, another day at work.
I am a professional archaeologist. 

In 2009, I finished my masters degree in anthropology with a specialty in geophysical archaeology. Basically, I specialize in mapping under the ground without digging any holes in the ground. As an archaeologist, however, I still dig a lot of holes. My job is in cultural resource management (CRM), a private industry that is quietly working to document the cultural resources of the United States before they disappear. 

To do my job I get to (sometimes it is not quite such a privilege) travel all around the country/world to work. I drive from place to place and get to work in some of the strangest little corners of my wonderful country. Places most people overlook. Places I would overlook if I were not working in them. When I am feeling romantic, I think of myself as an adventurer. When I am feeling sort of dull, I am just another contractor traveling the freeway exits of the the United States.

In my spare time, I am obsessed with food. I love cookbooks, I love ingredients, and I most love seeing ingredients come together to create a magical meal.  My husband and I spend a lot of time putting together our meals. We try to avoid food shortcuts. If I had to describe our food, I would say it is comforting, but original, and very American.

To describe me:
Things I like (in no particular order): my husband, sparkly things, cookies, my cat, wine, beer, chocolate, bacon, homemade bread, rainbows, hugging trees, Jane Austen, reading trashy books, Jesus kitsch, my dutch oven, hiking, working outside, talking to my dear friends, and food.

Things I dislike (also in no particular order): Dogmatism, close-mindedness, discrimination (I mean this to include ALL kinds of discrimination), and brussel sprouts (I am open to trying to like these though) learned to like them (!).

DISCLAIMER: This blog is intended to be an informal forum in which I discuss my lifestyle, travels, and very general musings about archaeology. I intentionally do not discuss specific projects, sites, or clients. This is to protect the sites from looting, the clients from unwanted publicity, and because the information is often not "mine" to share (see this post for more details). My tone is informal and conversational, which suits my topic and my approach. This blog is not academically or scientifically oriented. I welcome comments that are constructive, curious, or otherwise positively oriented. I am going to have to ask you to find another archaeology blog to pick apart on an academic level. Generally, life is much to short to be mean. All opinions posted here are my own.


Thanks!