Trooper Tracks

"I'm just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe." Follow the misadventures of a 25 year-old 501st Legion, Midwest Garrison Stormtrooper. Whose sole mission is to replicate all of Daft Punk's costumes.

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Another chapter closed. If you went to #LoyolaUniversityChicago and didn't take advantage of going to study in Rome and throughout Italy living la dolce vita... then you are a [series of offensive and confusing hand gestures]! https://www.instagram.com/p/CnxtscQMBM2/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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When #daftpunk split I was crushed as the rest of you. In that moment, on that day there was one thing in the back of my head that was ringing like an alarm bell. When #Maxfield hosted the Daft Punk pop up 501st Legion/Star Wars legend @jonodroid graciously offered his home for me to crash in. I had bought a ticket at midnight the day I was supposed to leave! Both @nebula_trooper and @rogue_two picked me up from the airport and dropped me off at Jonos. We all went the next day to the pop up and loved it. I had spent all my fun money on the ticket and didn't have really anything left. Jono didn't let me pay for a thing that entire day. We even got to hang out with @imperialsurplus afterwards which was a treat in itself... another legendary 501st member, creator and friend. It was the cherry on top of a perfect day. Fast forward to some years and tragically we lost Jono and I lost not only a wonderful mentor but a dear friend. Immediately, I knew I needed the jacket from the pop up because it represented to me those friendships that made it possible. The problem was that they only made 200 jackets! They were all claimed, and also ran small which limited the amount of jackets out there per size. I bought the very last one I could find that fit, with tags still attached. I normally don't wear stuff like this, but every time I do I am not only reminded of the trip, but also the extreme generosity of my friends and the happy memories Daft Punk has given me throughout my life. Hopefully one day I can get it signed. https://www.instagram.com/p/ChskLdaOOX7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Roma by night! I'm not a big city guy... never have been. Rome is a massive city, yet always felt intimate. The massive miracles of engineering these monuments is nothing short of astounding and they are just pocketed in these neighborhoods. I stumbled upon the Pantheon and Piazza Navona. What's more is that you're seeing and walking in places that have for the most part remained unchanged for thousands of years! (at Roma, Italia) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChsH2fRu-MY/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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A few photos from last weekend when I got the awesome chance to suit up with #legioxiiii, or the 14th Legion - Gemina. You may leave Roma, but Roma never leaves you! Second pic is of Centurio Nathan who loaned me the full kit and man... I am hooked. My personal historical passion is the late Republic but what's cool is there is lots of overlap between the equipment issued. I also carried my real Denarius from 146BC in addition to a awesome 501st Legion, Sqvad Praetoriana challenge coin of the Italica Garrison from the troopers in Roma! For whatever reason I never thought to line a helmet with wool, but that Coolus D helmet was the most comfortable I've ever worn! (at Bristol Renaissance Faire) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChqgcSwMBEu/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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It was a bittersweet end to a incredible summer at MSI as a Curatorial Intern. This was the cherry on top... Thanks to Director McCarthy. In her appreciation for my service this summer she let me take my family and guests on board U-505, Type IXC Unterseeboot and give the tour myself (as well as in the MSI vault.) As I've written in numerous essays this opportunity has formed what is called in Masonic tradition the cornerstone in my professional foundation. I lucked out because this was the first time in a very long time that this opportunity was available in Collections, and the first time the country wide Museum Professional apprentice program Studio Institute worked in Chicago. Talk about the stars aligning. For the first time in my life I got to get paid as a historian in a museum I've respected and enjoyed since I was a kid. It also the only time I didn't mind a four hour commute to Chicago and back to Wauconda! Thank you Collections, and the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago. https://www.instagram.com/p/CSiHFLnMGk1/?utm_medium=tumblr

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Here is some culinary archeology! Attack of the Panis Quadratus. I dipped my feet into the Rubicon to bake this naturally leavened ancient grain loaf. Wheat, spelt and rye rose thanks to a sourdough starter I've had rocking since Quarantine started here Chicago. Pliny the Elder, naval commander and hero of Pompeii gives us this recipe for a bread that built an Empire. To pair with it, I also made Moretum. Two seperate moretums, one with goat cheese care of Symilus (which comes from a poem by Virgil c. 70 AD), and one with ricotta by Columella (who gave us tons of recipes in his De Re Rustica, in 65 AD). Paired with a fine Gallic wine. This wouldn't be complete without that notorious Roman creation; garum. I believe all the accounts now about it! I had throw in some love to @sqvad_Praetoriana our 501st Legion unit in Roma! #culinaryarcheology #baking #roma #virgil #columella #dererustica #moretum #panisquadratus https://www.instagram.com/p/CSh_Sf7MB0G/?utm_medium=tumblr

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My Curatorial Internship at MSI Part 2

In a very bittersweet conclusion, I finished my internship this past Thursday. It culminated in a visit Friday, August 6th with my family and friends getting a VIP tour of the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago. My younger brother and his Australian co-worker flew in from D.C. and we picked them up from O’Hare on the way to MSI. We met with Director Kathleen McCarthy first thing after getting and to my utter disbelief got us onboard U-505 as a thank you for all my help this summer. She then let me run the tour onboard a German U-Boat... I am still feeling beyond honored for a privilege like that. She then let me give the tour of Collections and it really brought my short time with MSI full circle. I was asked to continue working on a project regarding a “Reichkriegsflagge” flag someone emailed us that they believe is linked to U-505. So as you can imagine I am thrilled... I broke down the history we have on the flags MSI has in storage and on exhibit. I emailed no fewer than four separate institutions; the German Maritime Museum, the US Naval Academy Museum (who has U-505′s actual War flag it was flying when captured in 1944), the Smithsonian, and to Keith Gill who was the chief Curator of U-505 when it was restored and interred in it’s final resting place within the 37 million dollar McCormick Foundation Exhibit.

What will follow is Weeks 7 - 9:

Week 7: 7/19-22/2021

Monday: I was not feeling well and decided to email Voula at 8AM as I got back home from the train station. I am glad I made this decision because I had a stomach that was in knots and there was plenty of material to work on from home. I worked on the U-505 artifacts list.

Tuesday: I came into the office and had my normal weekly meeting with Voula at 10 AM. We discussed the past week and the week ahead. Fortuitously since I had finished the massive transcription I was available to help on a more pressing issue that came up. The U.S. Navy was coming to give inert certificates and certify any munitions we had that still needed them. This was great because it was an opportunity to work with the Registrar Deanna, and do registration/collections management work. I got half way through the huge U.S. Navy loan files. I will continue next week in office, as tomorrow I am not working but will be on location.

Wednesday: I am not working Wednesday, as I am taking a long time friend and his family from my organization, the 501st Legion downtown. I will hopefully get to show them what I do in Collections; my office, the staff who are in my department and a brief walk through storage. I can't wait to see their faces... they have been following the posts I have been making to share my excitement of this incredible opportunity. The visit went well, and the parents Neil and Andrea are big World's Fair fans (both Colombian Exposition and 1933 Century of Progress.) They were former patron members of MSI before COVID.

Thursday: Working from home I was tasked with making a list of the artifacts on exhibition from the transcription of the U505 exhibit. So taking out the artifacts and making it into a separate word doc that I am sure helps the team when needing quick reference to what is on the floor.

Saturday: I continued the work from the U505 artifacts list and now am porting it to a excel workbook which seems to be the preferred file extension used by Kathleen and Voula (and perhaps Collections in general). Not strenuous academic work (since I already did that) but a lot busy work plugging, copying, pasting, etc.

Week 8: 7/26-29/2021

Monday: I came into the office today and resumed my work on going through the large U.S. Navy loan folders Deanna gave me in a effort to find relevant materials on the German, and American torpedoes as well as a Soviet Cruise Guided Missile, the "STYX." I gathered all my materials and presented them to her, and she looked through and helped me reduce the gathered documents for the most relevant to inertion. I found an actual donation file for the STYX to MSI from the Navy... not everyday you find a piece of paper saying this million dollar, surface to ship missile from the Cold War. This took me to the end of the day.

Tuesday: I came into the office and had my weekly meeting with Voula. This would be our last in person meeting as she is going to Greece with her family this Friday. I made sure to really emphasize how much this opportunity meant to me and that I was going to go the extra mile to wrap up all my projects and try to be as much use to MSI as possible. I had finishing helping Deanna yesterday with the inert reference materials to help her with the U.S. Navy guys coming in next Monday.

Wednesday: I worked from home since I have no shortage of stuff to work on. Voula tasked me with writing labels for the Fire Fighting artifacts I that I made a long project of at the beginning of the internship. Since I created all that in a long, well organized word doc, I can then, like a professional curator, work from my research to create 1-2 sentence labels for each item. I will take that and then input it into a excel workbook which seems to be the preferred file extension for reference purposes.

Thursday: We had another MSI Zoom round-table, and this time we how to brand, and what branding means professionally speaking, and to Museums like MSI specifically. Thankfully being Zoom was able to attend while working from home, which is an absolute godsend (in regards to not having to commute to Chicago, from Wauconda, IL... not that I don't like being at MSI- the commute is long.) I continued buttoning up and polishing all that I worked on so far. This isn't the normal college assignment where I don't re-read it once and make quick improvements (being honest here!) I re-read them about 3 times each, as I am very proud of what little I can contribute to MSI.

Week 9: 8/2-5/2021

Monday: I worked from home buttoning up and polishing all my work for MSI that I've done this summer in addition to finishing the label writing for the Fire Fighting artifacts list. I will port that into a Excel workbook like the U505 artifacts list, just to be consistent (as providing a word doc copy as well.) Long day in front of the computer... I worked roughly 10 hours. I just really want to leave a good, and lasting impression on MSI as a show of the supreme gratitude I have for them and this opportunity.

Tuesday: Today I came in feeling a little bit disappointed it is my last week, and endevour to take as much advantage of it as possible. With my Zoom meeting with Voula (who is in Greece right now) we discussed any last questions I had, and she wanted to say that she will be available as a reference and contact for me going forward which means the world over. Today is my day to talk, and work with the Registrar Deanna. She let me know my work on the Russian Cruise missile STYX was very helpful to the gentlemen from Navy doing the inert certifications. That felt really good. Kathleen also forwarded me a project involving one of the flags of U505! The very SAME one I took a photo with learning how to handle textile artifacts. I am over the moon, call it fate that I sought that flag out earlier. (As a former Combat Arms 11Bravo serviceman, holding the captured colors of an enemy combatant captured in combat is nothing short of incredible. So much so the words escape me. A significant emotional experience for me, personally.) We handled the additional two flags, both of which are the correct dimensions for being a port flag, meaning it was flown in dock, and around friendly waters when not on patrol. We handled both, and I took photos showing the measuring tape next to the artifacts to certify these are what they appear to be, the real McCoy. I will follow up with the author of a book about Hans Goebeler, one of the U505 sailors and find out more about this additional Reichskreigflagge he signed! To be entrusted to do this by Kathleen is very empowering. To help Deanna she had me scan all the Black Creativity Juried Art files from 2020 from artists. These were receipts of artwork we kept, or returned. The scanner allows you save files in it that are available to the department computers via wifi. If she has to pull a receipt on a artwork it is catalogued. Not the most exciting work, but work that needs doing. Glad I got to get a flavor of what it entails to be the registrar and put on a different hat, albeit a simple busy-work one for me to get a grasp at how her work differs from the curators.

Wednesday: I had to work from home this day because of issues with my car. Normally not an issue with the battery but with my dad being out of town for work I didn't have a back up vehicle. I still had plenty to work on to finish up.

Thursday: This is my last scheduled work day for the Curatorial internship at MSI. It is completely bittersweet, bitter that it is over, and sweet in the way that I have all these contacts and incredible experiences under my belt. I have a tour scheduled with Mike Welsh whose in charge of facilities, buildings and grounds. Additionally we will have the opportunity to do a in person round table with Chevy Humphrey, President and CEO of MSI. The day began with a little party/meeting hosted by Kathleen for the new assistant curator, registrar and preparator to help with the projects being undertaken by each position. We also celebrated my last day which was very nice. I got to help unpack a 3D photo studio that was massive, and will be a big help photographing these artifacts for cataloguing and being put online. The meeting with Chevy went well if a little underwhelming because I was the only one asking questions! But, hard to pass up a mostly 1:1 dialogue with the CEO and President of MSI. I came back to collections in which Kathleen presented me some gifts from MSI in appreciation of my help for the summer. What a grand and wonderful experience.

Friday: I took my Family, family friends Mike and Kathy, as well as my visiting younger brother the Assistant director of marketing and communications for Atlas Network in DC with his Australian co-worker Vale to see MSI from top to bottom. It began with Kathleen getting us ONBOARD U-505 and let me give the tour. I had never been so honored, and not to mention the onboard for the sub is temporarily closed for COVID. This meant the world, and it was so very cool to share this with my family. It's one thing to talk about a German U-Boat... it's another to be inside a REAL one. She then took us to Collections and again let me give the tour in Storage and was very generous with her time. I then took them to the Henry Crown Space Center, then into the Smart Home Park to grab a drink. I took them to the Science of Storms exhibit and then used the special staff elevator to speedily get me back to Collections to use my work laptop to do the final meeting with Studio Institute. I had to leave the meeting right near the end because we needed to get home and take care of our 14 year old dog Ziggy, and equally old visiting Griffin. It was great to share my presentation with the rest of the Chicago/Memphis interns. This was the first time Chicago was included on the program and I believe the stars aligned to put where I am today, and what I got to do this summer. Thank you. I will try to make an album on Tumblr of images of my internship this summer and I took them with a storyteller’s eye. It’s a pretty cool linear progression of what I found over the course of the internship!

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It was an absolute honor and privilege to add to the legacy of @msichicago. I donated this 1940s period 48-Star US Military flag to be added to replace a prop flag in the U-505 WWII Submarine Exhibit. It's bittersweet that the Internship is over but I couldn't thank Director Kathleen McCarthy and her wonderful team in Collections enough for this opportunity! (at Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSVnsVEsVYu/?utm_medium=tumblr

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It's impossible not to walk down the boulevard of silver and gold dreams these days for me. When going through my #randomaccessmemories boxed set I pulled out Side 4 of the vinyl. #daftpunk told us way back then what was coming, and it means even more after reading the article recently published about the split. The words etched into this LP is "If Love Is The Answer You're Home." The chorus from the legendary collaboration with @paulielama2, on "Touch." https://www.instagram.com/p/CSD2auYnC4F/?utm_medium=tumblr

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The last few days I've sojourned into the "Dragon's Lair" and it was time to come face to face with the beast of years of willful neglect. It was time to completely re-organize all my props, costumes and shop materials. Through the long process, I found many old friends. Pictured here is the most expensive camoflauge I own and its not even for field use! Its the screen accurate #ColonialMarines uniform, complete with silk screened patches! From the iconic 1986 film, #Aliens. Next to that is my seabag from the US Army and that equipment was comparatively cheaper... thanks Uncle Sam. I put reorganization off far too long; I let the mess take over. It was easier to just ignore it and work around the boxes and piles of stuff- especially under deadlines and "con crunches." Left unchecked, little problems grow to the point it becomes too daunting to attempt. At some point you have to take extreme ownership and right the ship. As I've evolved as an "artist" over the last decade it just was time to throw lots of stuff away, remove inaccurate pieces and prioritize. Adapt, overcome and achieve. It's tough to do that when it's too hard to focus with so many half-finished projects, random materials and dried out paint laid about. My takeaway here is to take control and never work around your problems... face them head on. The obstacle is the way. This isn't a spotless hobby, it will never well be, nor should it be. But, remain in control. Your work should be reflective of your talents... don't short change yourself and make it harder than it already is. Be a friend to yourself. https://www.instagram.com/p/CSA8YNzsOcO/?utm_medium=tumblr

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My internship at @msichicago has been a incalculable blessing. I remember wanting to go see #StarLord's costume in person since it was announced and nearly right before I applied for the Curator position I was trying to figure out a date to go (since the #Marvel Experience was, and remains largely sold out.) Part of my professional experience involved getting intimately familiar in how Exhibits are prepared and planed. So, imagine my utter surprise that on my second day back in June that I was able to get up close and personal with a character whose props and costumes I've only seen on a screen. Sometimes I feel like the stars align and fate smiles upon you at exactly the right time to remind you- that you're on the right path. (at Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago) https://www.instagram.com/p/CR-Wfr9MO7O/?utm_medium=tumblr

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My Curatorial Internship at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago!

I began my Curatorial Internship on 6/7/21 bright and early as I drove my first day waking up at 5AM as I live in Wauconda, IL a northwest suburb of Chicago. MSI is in the heart of downtown Chicago, so the drive is usually an hour and half accounting for traffic. That sucked big time, so I took the train for the rest of my time so far. Luckily I only have to be in the office Monday/Tuesday which is bittersweet: my train ticket is $10 a day, parking at Barrington Station is $3.50 daily but what kicks my wallet in the teeth if my Lyft bill, usually around $50 from Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago to MSI and back. Thankfully my internship is paid thanks to Studio Institute which is my sponsor, a grant MSI received and SI how I found out about the position for the summer. I thought I would be working with a team of interns since this is a big project I am a part of, but believe it or not I am the sole Curatorial intern! It felt good to know that I did well in my interview and it wasn’t just a hunch, and to have the honor of being the sole recipient! Its been a number of years since there was a curatorial intern and with this in mind I knew I was going to work hard to pay them back for their faith in me. I do not say this lightly, as I am 28 years old now and opportunities like this I have learned are not offered to just any one off the street.

The Project? MSI is digitizing roughly 1,000 artifacts to be shown online on their website (COVID was a strong motivator for this as it hit Museums all over the world. They are passionate about reaching their audience!) Collections has over 35,000 artifacts to keep track of, and all it’s history is just written or printed in a large Accession’s Archive, and there is digital archive to work with. I am going to help with what I am assigned with gaining invaluable professional research experience, with a strong focus as well in writing for labels and anything else that is thrown my way! I am also making this blog conjunction for my school, Loyola University Chicago of which helped me get this position. This will be a long post, so buckle in as I share my weeks to bring you, and me up to date for next week, 7/19/21!

Week 1: 6/7-11/2021 | This position is 4 days a week, for a total of 28 hours. Part-time. My round-trip however with commuting turns a 7 hour work day into a 12 hour day from when I wake up until I drive home from Barrington Station. Thankfully the two days I work from home is a bit easier on commuting from upstairs to downstairs!

Monday: HR/Orientation/Introduction to Collections by Alexis, the talent manager at MSI. Your standard job introduction, but my first at a Museum.

Tuesday: In-depth Museum tour/explaining the research and writing work I would be doing/assisting Kathleen (Collections Director) in the vault*(storage, vault sounds cooler) cataloging.

Wednesday: Photographing Bike exhibit for transcription/beginning research work on first Accessions project on Firefighting artifacts by find corresponding files in Accessions archive, reading the materials in each folder to find relevant material to write in description about the item to put online. I scan the documents I find relevant, so that I can do that additional research and writing at home. This will be the plan going forward (research/cataloging the vault on Monday and Tuesdays) but there are plans to have me assist on additional projects and duties within the department and MSI as a whole.

Thursday: With the information gathered from scanning documents from each accessions folder, then at home I can look over each stapled bunch of materials of each item and then add bullet points of relevant information in a word document. That can then be shared with the Director, Curator and assistant curator to help them use the most relevant materials to weave the labels needed to put online for this historic artifacts.

Week 2: 6/14/18/2021 | Fridays are not included as that’s when I attend Zoom meetings with the program directors and liaison for Studio Institute which has over 40 interns around the country in Museums across the United States. I won’t lie... I got the best assignment in my opinion! This was tailor made for me! As an older student I am FULLY aware of what a incredible privilege it is to be paid to do something you truly love down to your bones.

Monday: I start at 9:15 but my train was late to unforeseen circumstances. I emailed my supervisor I would be in a hour later than usual and she appreciated the heads up. I continued pulling folders from the accessions archive, then scanning relevant materials. I would then staple the gathered materials and kept my work in order to mirror the worksheet log I was given for the artifacts in the fire fighting exhibit.

Tuesday: Getting in at my normal time I continued, and finished the worksheet log I was given for the Fire Fighting exhibit. I now have a large amount of material to review on my days working from home to provide bulleted points of relevant material that will assist the Collections team create the labels needed when selected materials are uploaded online. I would do five files at a time to stay organized and not bite off more than I could and get "lost in the sauce" as we would say in the Army. That way, a steady rhythm was established and I could better gauge my time per batch.

Wednesday: I worked from home continuing my task of added bulleted information points on artifacts. I am assuming that the items that have a extensive amount of reference materials will be those making the cut to be uploaded online once the project gets to that point. Made up the hour lost on Monday due to my train out of Barrington, IL running late.

Thursday: Still grinding away by going through the research materials I assembled from the archives in MSI to add bulleted points of relevant information on artifacts to make the lives of the Director, Curator, and assistant easier allowing them to focus on more advanced research and other duties.

Week 3: 6/21-25/2021

Monday: Continued transcription of the Fire Fighting Exhibit. Nearly finished with it. Working from home is getting better as I am getting a better pace of work and less distractions.

Tuesday: I was able to get some opportunities for front-facing guest interaction and educations as I gave my first MSI tour. Two individuals from my organization, the 501st Legion, came down from Green Bay for a Chicago vacation. They had seen my positive posts about being at MSI and wanted to come see it for themselves. I asked Dr. Saridakis if I could learn how to give a tour on my own, to which she agreed. In my inaugural tour I took them around the great hall's exhibits, being careful to focus on items of which I had some background in to better give a small education on the artifacts. My strength is in the Hall of Transportation in which houses the Spitfire, Stuka and new Boeing 727. On the floor I pointed out the Millburn and Tesla electric cars as well. After going at what seemed a quick pace, we made our way over to the Hall of Bicycles, and weaved back to the floor. I took them to U-505 which is my strongest exhibit. Military history is my focus, and I don't ever tire of going to see U-505. In the most surprise to my guests, they were granted a behind the scenes walk-through of Collections in which Dr. Saridakis kindly donated her time to open the vault for us. She accompanied me, but gave me the reigns to get a feel for my first guided walk-through of Collections which is a duty all in the department should be familiar, and comfortable doing. I feel I did well for my first time, and gained experience in doing the same for the following day for a larger, planned tour by mHub. I took my guests out to lunch where my supervisors did a few weeks ago. It ran over time, so I'll make up the hour later at home.

Wednesday: Today was the day of the big planned of tour by Chicago tech company, mHub. My supervisor was not available in the morning so I filled out some other documents and found other work to do until she came in. This was sorting through the former archivist's boxes of files and articles looking for relevant materials that would be of use to the registrar. I had been doing this the day before as well before my guests came in at 11AM. There was a A LOT of material, but there was plenty of relevant stuff, including a complete file on the cars, and motorcycles in the MSI collection which included a recent appraisal of each item in inventory. I found the motorcycles of interest and made copies for myself to be of use on future behind the scenes tours (you pick a handful of items scattered at various checkpoints to engage with guests about. There just isn't enough time to go row by row.) mHub was scheduled for 3:30, but didn't not come until 4ish. My recent work with the fire fighting artifacts proved critically relevant as one of the guests was working on technology for fire fighters to pull up a 3D schematic on a app to see where the beams, and wiring is without them having to hack through the walls to find it. He was very much interested in the various fire fighting artifacts and thankfully I was a part of his group throughout the tour. Exhibitions engineer Jeff brought out two 1930's Ediphones, and while he was setting up I had a lengthy chat with him regarding his duties and responsibilities at MSI which proved insightful.

Thursday:  I wasn't as productive today as I wanted to be in part to some distractions in my personal life. I will make this time up on Saturday. Continued work on transcription of relevant facts to the fire fighting exhibit

Saturday: I finally finished the fire fighting exhibit items and look forward to trying my hand at writing short labels based on returning to the material I have. This label writing experience will be invaluable in such a professional capacity. It will be nice to have this skills honed, refined and on a professional level. I trudged the remaining artifacts, and put more time off the clock to finish so I can begin on my favorite exhibit, U505 on Monday!

Week 4: 6/28-7/2/2021

Monday: I came in and had my weekly 10AM meeting with Voula, and moved onto U-505/WWII items. Same as with the fire exhibit, finding files in the accession archive, scanning relevant materials to take home for work at home.

Tuesday: I continued scanning, and gather materials. At 1:00 PM I took photos of all the labels in the U-505 exhibit for transcription by one of the volunteers, Mary. I then at 2:30 I worked with Director McCarthy cataloguing some more artifact ranks in storage. At 4:10PM I asked if I could get a photo handling a textile artifact for both the experience of doing so and seeing one of U-505's flags not only in person, but to carefully handle, and touch. Director McCarthy and Dr. Saridakis both kindly indulged my request and it was a truly awesome experience for me. I also learned that there is a later train than I usually take. That bit of info is helpful just in case I ever miss the 5 o'clock train out of Chicago back to my home train station of Barrington, IL!

Wednesday: As I did with the firefighting exhibit and items, I continued bulleting down relevant facts and information. I created a new word doc just as I done previously with the Fire Fighting artifacts.

Thursday: Continued transcription. I look forward to trying my hand at writing some labels and short descriptions. I still can barely believe I am being paid to work on items I already love learning about. 

Saturday: Made up 1 hour from Thursday.

Week 5: 7/5-9/2021

Monday: Unpaid holiday for MSI employees. I am going to work half a day today so I only have to work 4 hours later in the week to make up for today. I am going to look over my U505/WWII artifacts and see if any really stand out as candidates for getting labels and descriptions.

Tuesday: I came in Tuesday and had my weekly meeting with Voula. Since the program is half-way over at this point the decision for now is for me to focus on the U-505/WWII artifacts and to also focus on writing a few labels for some of the Fire Fighting exhibit artifacts. I also took photos of all the labels in the U-505 and will transcribe that exhibit to it is available in a word doc to be transferred to the digital site - one day. I then worked with Kathleen in storage to continue cataloging artifacts, in three hours we nearly inputted over 200 artifacts.

Wednesday: I came in and got to work on transcription since there are no more additional accession files to pull and scan. MSI has just brought on a new assistant curator for a year to help with the digitization of the archives and storage. It is a daunting task! But one that will streamline Collections at MSI and make pulling artifacts extremely easy and hopefully foster some excitement from the public online to see items that otherwise sit in a dark, temperature controlled room. I also had the honor of getting to write a pitch to put up a "pop up" U-505 exhibit up in downtown. That was very exciting to me, along with the confidence gained because of the trust to do that. I wrote a few drafts to which the Director edited down. Very happy to be useful with a project that is extremely relevant to my interests.

Thursday: Continued transcription of the U-505 exhibit and writing a few labels that will then be edited by the Curator. Being directly involved in what the public will learn from a artifact is very cool to me. Improving on working remotely, efficiently - making a decision right away in the morning after a shower to begin work is a great guard against procrastination and working late to fairly submit the hours for the day. A regular schedule when self set and stuck to is extremely effective. 

Saturday: Continued work on the U-505 items from home.

Week 6: 7/12-16/2021

Monday: I started working right away after waking up. I want to finish my transcription of the U-505 exhibit which includes every wall panel, all artifacts and everything else in between. I went past midnight and just hit a stride, "in the zone, so to speak."

Tuesday: I worked through the night while on a roll. I didn't look at the clock, I just kept going! Reminded me of the old all-nighters I used to pull. I was excited to be finally complete with this project. I took it upon myself to transcribe the entire exhibit since it only existed on the walls and printed material. With it digitized this will be a tremendous help to the department. I finished it and even double checked Flickr for any photos I may have missed taking myself. I only missed only small panel, but all quotes, stories, artifacts... everything came to a 50 page, 20,000 word document. I look forward to seeing Voula's reaction when I print it out tomorrow! I also made a copy of just the artifacts for MSI so when they want to put some online they'll know what is theirs outright. In my previous job I worked 10 hour shifts so this felt familiar, I enjoy doing four 10-hour days to hit 40 back then and enjoy 3-day weekends. This is less hours, but I am grateful none-the-less to have the time to use for other projects, books and hobbies.

Wednesday: Voula's reaction to the massive transcription was great. I also placed the document in SharePoint so that anyone in Collections can access it. I am sure it will be a great aid in the future when a quick reference is needed for U-505. Today was also the MSI Employee picnic which was great. I took a couple pictures and video. Sodexo made me a Angus half pound burger which was great. I sat by myself since I came after our intern/departmental MSI zoom meeting held by Talent so we could learn how MSI is a collaborative effort and chat with the heads of other departments which was cool. I followed and email Mike Welsh to set up a tour of what Construction and Grounds does around the Museum. Most folks went to the picnic at noon, and our meeting didn't conclude until 1:10PM. Thankfully though Voula stayed a little after and we chatted at the table I was at. MSI redid the Smart Home area and it's a very nice shaded, little park. Definitely never been there before as a guest. Very cool to be a part of the "in-crowd." I took a longer lunch to take it all in.

Thursday: Since I busted my butt Monday into Tuesday and enjoyed yesterday I only had to do two hours today. I sat in the other half of the MSI intern/departmental Zoom meeting which featured Collections/Exhibitions and HR. I had the best chat with Exhibitions and the public relations managers. I will send emails to follow up with both of them as I find their work fascinating, and might as well - only here for a short time and it be an absolute waste to not take utter advantage of it. I cleaned up some of my Word documents and doubled check for syntax errors.

Thats it! You, and me, are now all up to date! I will continue to make weekly postings until its conclusion! I will also add some photos in the following posts, this is a long post so stay tuned, it will be less dense.

[tk9336]

I haven't been very active on Insta as both my professional life has been very busy. I was lucky enough to be the sole recipient of a Curatorial Internship at the Museum of Science and Industry for the summer! I am immensely proud of what I'm doing and today was the incredible cherry on top! Those who know me personally know I am a history buff, especially military history. Today I had the opportunity to get hands on experience in handling very fragile textile artifacts... and I got to choose the battle flag of the Kriegsmarine U-505, Class XIC Unterseeboat! I am just speechless. I cannot thank Director McCarthy and Dr. Saridakis enough! There are only four U-Boats left in the world; U-534 which is just sadly rusting outside in Birkenhead, England, U-995 in Kiel, Germany which is also outside but tourable and in better shape than the UK one, and U-2540 at the German Maritime Museum in Bremerhaven, Germany which is permanently moored in the harbor and the only sea worthy U-Boat left in the world. It was fully restored as a Museum ship like in MSI. (at Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQuL_bksPrf/?utm_medium=tumblr

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A very cool and historical pair of glasses arrived today. These are no other than President JFK's preferred #AOSaratoga in Tortoise Shell! Decades ago @aoeyewear stopped making these beauties and recently they were bought by a company here in Chicago. I saw a rumor that these were being produced last summer in a space race historical group. I remember telling myself if I ever got Tortiose shell sunglasses these be the ones. With the hange of AO management, they dug out of the old molds and blueprints to make these the same way they did over 70 years ago! So 'lo and behold I began my hunt. Hitting a dead end I decided to check in Luna Replicas that carries not only perfect replicas of the jackets of NASA but also the glasses the pilots were issued from American Optical. Since they carried those AO glasses... maybe they had the new Saratogas. Oh, they did. Very cool piece of history here- they also predate Ray Bans Wayfarers too! https://www.instagram.com/p/CPrFpM7sC4a/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tk9336]

Beyond floored to be presented with this framed 1 of 1 painting by my old friend @deviant_apple. I had to take it out of tje frame to capute the brushwork! He now has my original, first #thomasbanglter helmet. It was great to see an old friend, and I am honored to be surprised with such a great piece of #daftpunk art. I like to think it's of us in one of the many times we donned the silver and gold mantle. He made it the day they announced the split with me in mind. I really needed the pick me up and sincerely appreciate it my friend. https://www.instagram.com/p/COBKOItMODc/?igshid=eh4y0x6u83al

[tk9336]

I thought it was time to do my #homework. Only a handful of these exacting replica Rothco #daftpunk crew jackets were made to my knowledge; and I received mine as a surprise birthday gift at Dragon Con from the two robots I respect the most. Seriously, Daft Punk battled the crazy crowds carrying a huge gift box wrapped in Stormtroooper wrapping paper through the Marriott. I opened the hotel door after hearing a knock and there they silently stood- gesturing to come in. I still think of that memory everytime I throw it on... and reminds me of how gracious I am to have friends like them. I may have only been five years old in '97 but a puffy bomber is pure 90's nostalgia. Kindness... pass it on around the world. https://www.instagram.com/p/CM0AHKVstcL/?igshid=11btumwnkjv0l

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Continuing down the road of silver and gold memories. #daftpunk joined other pillars of music to champion a new lossless streaming service called #TIDAL in 2015. In this appearance #yvessaintlaurent outfitted the boys in bejewelled silver and gold teddy bear jackets with waxed denim jeans. I partnered with the Atlanta wizard @meowzero again for a rooftop shoot outside of @dragoncon. We lost the sunset pretty quickly but it gave the shoot a personality all it's own. The new difference was the inclusion of new #randomaccessmemories gloves I sculpted as well as replicating the glove pattern exactly. Still pretty happy with those. The other huge difference was coming @pedroaloha's RAM helmet which I still maintain to be perfect... and the best #Guymanueldehomemchristo helmet sculpt out there. We even debated that one of the "ear pucks" is bigger than the other... so he replicated that too. My two GM's from him are the only ones in the world that feature that. I look forward to working with Jang with my new Daft projects in the future. Definitely miss shooting with him and the fun of being in Hotlanta. https://www.instagram.com/p/CMAg3lDga2o/?igshid=eyh4jcnnyq4w