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Hit artifact number 5,000 in my database and did not expect to feel anything about it
Cataloging potsherds from a dig near Tucson for 3 years, and when the counter rolled past 5,000 last night it hit me that I have personally touched more pieces of the past than most people ever will, which is a weird thing to realize at 11pm, so what is the strangest milestone moment you have had in the field?
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stella_scott963d ago
That line about touching more pieces of the past than most people ever will is exactly the kind of thought that sneaks up on you during a long project. I've been there with lithic counts, and the trick that saved me was writing one short note per session, just a line or two about the weird stuff I noticed that day. Three years of sherd sorting will blur together fast if you don't, and future you will want those notes more than the raw counts. Also track your count milestones somewhere you can see them, like a whiteboard or a spreadsheet tab, because the brain reacts to the round numbers whether you plan for it or not. If the feeling keeps hitting at 11pm, keep a small notebook by the bed and dump it there instead of trying to sort it out while tired. The catalog won't remember how you felt, so it's on you to keep that part somewhere.
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