The Utah Historical Society (UHS) wanted me to represent them at the Western History Association conference in LA. (I have been hesitant to use "LA" in texts, because people might confuse it for Louisiana.) Initially I thought they were sending me because I'm the only single person on the public history team (and maybe in the entire UHS), but then I learned that some of my colleagues had planned to go, but then they asked me to go instead, I think because I'm assistant editor of Utah Historical Quarterly (UHQ).
Back in 2012, I went on some tirades against historians, so it's wild to me that here I am working as a professional historian—or at least working with professional historians.
Last week, I mentioned getting stung by a yellowjacket. Though the sting didn't hurt, it was pretty swollen on Sunday and Monday. When I was at work on Monday, I found myself unusually tired. I worried I might have COVID again, which would cancel my trip. I bought a COVID test, but it came back negative. So I must have just been tired from the sting.
On Wednesday, after working a couple of hours at the Church History Library, I got on my plane, then took a Lyft to the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown LA.
One of the things that most surprised me about my stay in LA was the dearth of restaurants. There were some restaurants in the hotel, and there were some restaurants outside the hotel, but they had weird hours. When I got there at 7 p.m., most things were already closed! I had to get some meals from overpriced coffee shops, and of course coffee shops aren't known for their food.
On Thursday morning, I went and picked up my name tag and tote bag. I wore my dinosaur shirt, and I got all kinds of compliments all day. That was a good way to network and meet people, so I think I should wear it at future conferences. But it also meant that if I wore the same shirt again, everyone would know it.
I saw a group of classmates and a professor standing and talking, so I went and said, "It looks like a University of Utah gathering over here." It took one of my professors a minute to recognize me, since I had a beard and glasses when I was in his class. One of my classmates said he thought it was the first time we had met in person (which was false; I remembered later we did have an in-person class together), and he remembered seeing me smirk whenever my cat (Jimmy) would come onto the screen during our Zoom classes. (And on Tuesday, before the trip, the public history team of UHS also had lunch with a U of U grad student I had met on Zoom once but not in person.)
It made me realize just how different my life is now compared to just three years ago: no more social distancing, no more masks, no more school, no more unemployment, no more Jimmy, no more beard, no more glasses, no more in the closet. What a wild period of my life!
I attended a roundtable in which one of the panelists, an Indigenous woman, kept talking about "California Indians." A year of therapy is helping me work on my impostor syndrome, so during the Q&A, I asked her about that, because I recently created a style guide for the Utah Historical Society in which we say to use "Indigenous" or "Native American," not "Indian." I worried my question was too niche, but a few people talked to me about my comment, and I met some people who work for the National Park Service that way.
Thursday evening, a large group of historians from Utah walked over to Grand Central Market, which I might describe as a warehouse with a food court, because it was actually open late. (Well, it closed at 9, which isn't late, but it was later than everywhere else.) We had historians from both the U of U and BYU there. I met more people in that setting.
I attended more sessions on Friday, including one that I thought was the most important, a panel of editors of state history journals. That is literally my job. I even skipped joining an interview for a new candidate for UHS so I could attend. My predecessor at UHQ represented us, since I'm new and my colleague couldn't attend. All the panelists basically described my job, so I didn't feel like I learned much (except maybe that we're doing things right).
I also attended the awards ceremony, which was very boring, and that evening I swam laps in the hotel pool.
I attended final sessions on Saturday. I had to leave my last one early, which was disappointing, because it was about This Is the Place Monument, so it was intimately connected with my former job and my ongoing research. Before the session started, I saw one attendee tell one of the panelists he had to leave early to catch a flight. I saw the attendee's name tag and recognized him as a BYU professor who has worked closely with us at UHQ. I told him I had a Lyft coming, so he could join me if he wanted. (No point in multiple cars going to the same place!) So he accepted, and another BYU professor also joined us. I find it kind of strange I had to go to California to meet all these Utah people.
It was a little weird for me to meet all these people when I have seen their unedited work. They produce brilliant work, but we see their work when it is not at its best. Is that what it's like for doctors and nurses to see their patients in public?
I'm really glad I got to go! Some of the sessions were interesting, some were boring. It was great to network with other historians. And, of course, it was fun to have a free trip, even though I didn't do many touristy things.
***
I did get some time for entries for this week's pumpkinundation roundup.
The Favorite Day Caramel Apple Hot Cider Drink Bomb has apple cider powder, caramel pieces, and marshmallows inside a green-colored confection. I don't really like powdered "cider," but this didn't taste like that fake powder. It's a fine drink, though I think these drink bombs are a strange fad. 7/10.
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