Which means if you see me reading comic books or attempting to finish Game of Thrones (I’m 84% done!) rather than perusing some serious journal article on archiving or digital history, it is because I am trying very hard to be kind to my brain and let it have some time thinking that maybe dragons are real and/or that kit-kat clocks can walk and talk and bake cookies.

Two weeks into class and I’m more than happy with my choices.  I’m really wishing I had realized how much I would like the applied classes a ton sooner, but better late than never.*  We had to set up a blog for my digital history class – it’s at Not Just Books – feel free to follow along.  So far it’s basically posting our class assignments online, but those assignments are going to get more involved as the semester progresses, so there should be some interesting stuff there along the way.  We’re still knee-deep in theory in archives administration, but I’m opting for the practicum final, so I’ll be able to walk away for that with some hands-on experience and I’m really looking forward to that.

In a weird turn, I realized that I am older than both of my professors this semester.  (Not by much, but still…) Don’t get me wrong, it is not their age that bugs me – it’s mine.  How the hell did I get so old?!  My self-perceived elderly status was compounded this week with a minor technological hiccup in one class. I consider myself fairly comfortable with new (to me or everyone) technology and I like to think that I can flatten out learning curves within a reasonable amount of time.  Some days it doesn’t work out and now it makes me wonder of that will now be the new rule rather than the exception.

The archives class has a wiki page, mainly because Blackboard, for all it’s potential, is cluttered and cumbersome and not particularly intuitive and as I like to call it – a clusterfuck.  So, yes, I can completely understand going for a different web resource to communicate with students. We had to add our names and first essay topics on one of the wiki pages. “Add below here” it said. I near wore out my mouse looking for a link to a form input or dialog box or *something*.  Found out in class that we were to edit the wiki page to add the information – I didn’t feel too bad about that, as I’ve not had a class with a wiki page, or had any reason to edit any wiki page.  Then I tried to log in with the automated credentials that came with the class.  Nope.  Hit “lost password” for a reset.  Nope.  Have I become the person that breaks technology?!?  Having initially gotten 2 sets of credentials, that was probably the fly in the ointment, I still felt bad that my professor had to manually reset my login so I could complete the assignment…

Cross your fingers that the technology goddesses are looking over my shoulder with kindness this semester.

*I am genuinely wondering if it is too late to withdraw my graduation application so I can also take digital history II and find an internship in the spring so I can officially exit as an Applied Studies student…