Book People - Austin

Eric gets his name in lights!

Eric had the great opportunity to have a book signing at Book People in Austin.  For those of you not familiar with the area, Book People is probably the most popular book store in Austin.  Located just west of downtown, next to Whole Foods, it draws a unique crowd of visitors and book lovers.

A fan gets a copy of the book while the author's son (who had flown in from Santa Fe just for the event) looks on.

Eric commented that getting the chance to have a book signing in Book People was clearly the highlight of his writing career to date.  He also teased the crowd with how well the sequel is coming along and where the center of action will be!

Meanwhile, while Eric was on the second floor of the store signing books, people where buying the book downstairs, since it was promently displayed right as you walked in the door!  Congratulations Eric!

Where to stay: Kauai Memoir

The very first job I had after I graduated from the University of Oregon, was also one of the best jobs I ever had…period.  I was hired by a research institute to do contract archaeology in the Hawaiian islands.  Contract archaeology is a branch of Cultural Resource Management (CRM), and actually most professional archaeologists work in CRM, as there are comparatively very few jobs available in universities and museums. In those days I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to go to Graduate School in anything…because I had worked full time and had also attended school full time. Plus, I had been a poverty-stricken student long enough (5 years) to want to concentrate on making a little money..(when I went to Hawaii, I didn’t even own a car; couldn’t afford one anymore; I had sold my ‘67 Falcon to pay for my last quarter of tuition at the U of O). Putting myself through college had wearied me of school, after being self-sufficient since the age of 19. Further complicating my future plans was another big decision to make…would  I continue on in archaeology or do something completely different that I was very interested in; Film School or an MFA in creative writing?  I was so conflicted at the time, that depending on what week you asked me, I would have given you one of three different answers about my continuing educational plans. At the core of it all, I was still a writer of journals, stories, screenplays, and more than a couple of unfinished novels in those years (1977-1979).

Deciding to work full time, I applied all over the Intermontane West, Alaska, and Hawaii for any archaeology job available. Working east of the Rocky Mountains was simply not in the cards. I loved and still do love the West (I had spent half my life away from the West and had no inclination to leave it again).

Serious time was also spent on thinking about whether I wanted to pursue a post-graduate education in anything. Furthermore, I decided it was now high time for the field of archaeology to give me a vote of confidence. If I could not obtain an archaeological job with my freshly-minted Bachelor of Arts degree that I had sacrificed to obtain, then that would be a strong indication that I needed to do something else. If it could not take care of me, then archaeology was not worthy of any further commitment on my part. I realize looking back now that for me, archaeology was like a beautiful, slightly neurotic, high maintenance girl friend with ADD. I was certain that I loved her but I was not really sure that I could afford her, and although she promised me that she did in fact love me…I never quite believed her. Of course I wanted to believe, but there was always this nagging suspicion nibbling at the edge of my mind. But I digress, and I digress wantonly. My apologies.

See, you think about this kind of stuff when your own labor and limited funds have been exhausted in obtaining your own education. The dynamics are quite different when you are the one who is picking up the tab.

When the job in Hawaii became available I was quite surprised, because it was the only job in archaeology that I could get at the time. With the exception of the Eskimos in Point Barrow, Alaska, no one else even acknowledged, much less responded, to the two dozen apps I sent out. Thus, I learned how to accept rejection at an early age, but I never have learned how to not resent it.

Hawaii was it! So I put everything I owned in an army surplus duffel bag, flew out to Lihue, got oriented, picked up my gear and my two workers, and headed out to the far northern shore of Kauai (see map). Amazingly enough, they even gave me a 1977 Toyota Land Cruiser to drive. It was the project vehicle…I was thrilled.

My job was to direct a mapping project. We had about 10 miles of the coast line and all the associated archaeological sites and features to map therein.  I worked all day in my swim trunks and lathered up in sun tan oil. It was truly like archaeological heaven. Whenever I wanted to know what sea level was, I stood by the ocean and said “this would be sea level right here!” I was  aware that I might be setting the archaeological bar a bit high for any subsequent endeavours. Many experiences would be anticlimatic. Hawaii was a tough act to follow.