OAH recap- finally.

I made a Venn diagram last summer that was pretty accurate.

 

If I tried to do one right now, it probably wouldn't even get done. I would put it on the bottom of my list of things I wanted to do but never did. I made a small dent in my to do list today by making an epic journey to Home Depot to get paint for the new apartment. Now that I've got the momentum "going" I might as well try and recap OAH. (finally)

As someone who wants to be an Archivist and considers that an aspect of public history, I might be biased, but OAH was AWESOME!!!

I’ll admit it. I skipped class on Thursday. I weighed the options and realized that going to a panel on teaching effecting historical writing was a better advancement in my education than a lecture on the black death, and I would be happier at a panel on the history of the conservative movement than I would be in my Islamic history class (sorry to either professor if they should stumble on to this) I don’t regret the decision at all.

The first panel on Thursday was geared toward teaching effective writing methods in grade k-12. While I have no intention of ever teaching, every time I go to a workshop like this I learn something useful for myself. In this case it was a better way to examine primary sources. Then it was a better way to explain how to examine a primary source. I have been trying to think of common issues to talk about when I the writing workshop at Writecamp, and I would have been at a loss of how to explain this concept before this panel. I am glad I went.
The second was on the history of the conservative movement. I admit part of the reason I chose this one is because the professor who is working with me on my senior thesis was chairing. Again, I am glad I went. Without dragging my personal politics in to this, I was captivated. To hear other people talk about “anti-feminism” always fascinates me, especially when it is a man.
The final panel for the day, was hands down the highlight of my weekend. Religion and Politics from Early Republic to the Civil War. You might as well have just put a sign on the door that said “Danielle Come Here!”  I have 5 pages of notes and ideas that I took away from the 3 papers. It’s refreshing to me to hear other people speak on topics that I am passionate about. I enjoy labor history and urban history and civil rights, but it seems so rare that I get to talk theology, colonial times and all that jazz with other people. I could write an entire entry on this panel alone.


Friday was dubbed Public History day. Every panel I saw had something to do with Public history. Again, I left with pages of notes and ideas to take back to UWM. One of the things I learned from Friday is how to discern what I am looking for in a graduate program. Hearing what projects are going on within other schools at both the grad and undergrad level, has given me a grocery list of criteria for the program I want to be in.
Friday night along with one of the UWM Public History Grad students, I attended the Public History reception. It is a another perk of getting to attend conferences as an undergrad. I get to shake hands and exchange business cards with people that I wouldn’t normally come in to contact with until I am interviewing for a job. I also had a chance to sit down with my favorite person, and talk about grad school options. It’s given me a lot to think about and someday, maybe I’ll blog about it.

By the time Saturday had rolled around I was half asleep on my feet. I did get to see an amazing panel on Labor History for the Public. I have never wanted to get in to a car and drive to Calumet MI before, but I do now. I also want to go see historic houses of New England and on the way see Black River Valley Mills. Captivation is an understatement!

Saturday night I sat through the Backstory Guys Pod cast. Any group that starts off by going through Ben Franklins terms for being drunk win me over!!

One of the biggest things that I took away from the weekend, is the power of digital networking. At least that is what I am going to call it. I started tweeting, re-tweeting and following over the course of the weekend. Via twitter, I was able to meet new people and find other opinions on panels. I know the power of social networking as a professional tool, but this was the first time I had seen it in full action. I am officially sold as a tweeter.

I guess that’s the short recap of the weekend. There were so many other little amazing things.

Did I mention I yelled at Peter Hoffer for writing my book?

That’s a story for another day. Right now I am going to go do some homework.

Almost done, 2 more weeks, then I will spend summer writing from the porch of my new apartment in a hammock, drinking sun tea and getting tan.

Procrastionation, the key to sucess. Or something like that.

I should be writing. I suppose technically this is writing but I should be writing for real, you know, on something I will be graded on. Somehow I forgot to do 3 comment papers that count towards my participation grade in one of my classes. Just forgot. That's not really like me.
I have a paper to do for my research class, I have another one of those comment papers due tomorrow, I have a feeling there will be a pop quiz in my medieval history discussion group at 9 am tomorrow PLUS the extra curricular things I get myself into. I have to decide what I am going to write that abstract on, and then write it. I have a handful of Phi Alpha Theta things to wrap up before the end of the semester and then there is the writing workshop thing I am supposed to be working on.
AHHH!!!
Did I mention I am moving in the middle of all this? Oh, and my 5 year old told her teacher she isn't even going to tell me about the mother's day thing at school because "My mommy is too busy, she won't come she has school work to do. She'll probably be writing a paper." Mother of the year! I won't even get in to my attempts at dating and a social life because it's pretty much a joke at this point.

I want to recap OAH. Once again I had amazing experience. I just don't have the time. It's this time thing that makes me wonder how people are writers, professors and whatever else at the same time.

 The positive side of this is, this is where I shine. I am best under pressure and deadlines. When there is nothing to do I panic because I think I am forgetting something. I will knock out the last few weeks of the semester and take a few days to relax and then snap back in to go mode. Right now, however, I am just getting by day dreaming of a time when I can read for pleasure and possibly sleep more than 5 hours a night. 

Immanuel Presbyterian at 175 years.


This is my church. Yep, my beautiful wonderful church (the one I don't have time to go to.) There is so much history there, and that is only a tiny part of why I love it.

I keep telling myself
"You are on the right track if other people are writing the books you want to write"

It's not helping. I want to have a pity party and hide under the covers.

2 days of OAH down and 2 to go. I am exhausted but I've taken away so much more than I even hoped.

So far this I've been to panels on:
Ways to teach history.
The history of conservatism (and I now know I hate the term anti feminist and want something more appropriate)
Religion and Politics in the late 18th/early 19th century- no really, it was in the book, I am not making it up!!
Public History and Community Engagement- I have 5 pages of notes from this one, obviously I took a lot away from it. As I said at the reception later that night "I feel armed with the tools I need to get more from the University than they want to give me in terms of fellowship money for undergrads" 
Desegregation and  conservatism, I didn't pick this, I went to this instead of a public history round table because small group discussions aren't my thing some days. I thought I would hate it but it was actually really good.

Just like AHA, every time I turn around there is someone else impressive behind me. The first day I turned around in a book booth and there is Peter Hoffer lecturing the sales rep about book prices, when I went over to another booth only to find out his newest book is essentially what I wanted to write my senior thesis on, he told me I should go on amazon and buy it cheaper- then argued with the rep.

I'm still upset about the fact that every idea I've had for the research I want to do seemed to have just come out in book form in the past 2 days. I keep telling myself that It isn't a bad thing. It means that I am on the right track, my ideas are good, I am thinking like people who are getting published. Except they are getting published and I am plodding along trying to get through this undergrad degree with out going crazy. I'll get there, someday.

As for right now, I am going to go try and go back to sleep for an hour, I've got a day full of panels. As tired as I am, I am so grateful that I get to do this.

I want to do this

CONFERENCE ON FAITH AND HISTORY

I REALLY want to do it. I am terrified. It would be a great opportunity for me and they are open to undergraduates. I'd have to come up with an abstract in less than two weeks. I am terrified to try, I'll kick myself if I don't.
I'm going to sleep on it and kick around some ideas and see what shakes out.

Advice is gladly accepted.

On the cusp of OAH I have no other word but excitement!!
It's another weekend full of history. Not that every day of my life hasn't been filled with history, but this is the kind of history I get to pick.
There is something to be said about learning about something you are interested in. I enjoy my medieval and Islamic history classes but this semester the class I a m enjoying the most is my research methods class. It's because I can choose what I am researching. It's something interesting to me every week. It's the same idea with OAH. I get to listen to lectures on American History and Public History and the future of both.

Then there is the books...

Ok, I cleaned the drool off my keyboard, back to writing. The idea that I am able to explore my own area of interest seems to be refreshing me and will hopefully kick me out of this end of semester slump I've been in.

Did I mention the books?