I managed to get through one more box this morning before I ran out of memory on the camera. I have used up 10 GB so far and wondered if I should get some more. However, as much as I wanted to get through as many boxes as possible, I figured I would never use that amount of memory again so I decided to continue going through the boxes and listing the contents for reference.
By the time I left the archive it was after 5.00. Earlier than normal but I had had enough for the day. It had started to snow and was really quite slippy underfoot. I had thought I would head into the centre and get something to eat but in the end I just went back to the hotel.
For the second day in a row I found my room had not been serviced. I called reception again to complain and they were apologetic but I was still annoyed. I was too tired to make too much fuss though. How British!!
I ate in the restaurant downstairs again and then headed back to my room. I just want to go home now.
It took hours to get a connection to the internet which didn't improve my mood! I don't know what the problem was but it would not connect.
Hopefully the snow won't delay travel tomorrow and I will be home for the weekend. Can't wait!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Bureacrats and Bean Counters
Another day in the archives with my Dead Russian Guys. As the week progresses and I photograph more and more of their documents my back slowly begins to rebel. At first it is a twinge and gradually it grows to a steady stabbing pain and eventually I have to give in.
These guys just produced so much paper! This is great in one respect as I have so much evidence to go on. On the other hand they must be responsible for significant deforestation! I have been looking at the minutes of their meetings this week and it is clear they liked to talk! Almost every day in the early years! Not only talk, but numbers too! If they could find a column of numbers to add up they were seriously happy! Bureaucrats and bean counters, every one of them!
I don’t mind when they use decent paper but a lot of the time, especially their financial reports and accounts are on poor quality paper similar to tracing paper. It is flimsy and difficult to photograph. Not only because it is transparent but it is invariably folded, scrunched up or torn making it more difficult to get a legible picture I can work with. Most of the boxes this week contain 50-60 files, each one representing a meeting with attached reports, decisions or accounts. Sometimes the minutes are only a couple of pages which are easy to photograph and move on to the next one. Even the added reports are generally not too difficult as long as the pages turn easily. The accounts are always a problem.
All the documents have been folded along the margin and sewn into a paper folder. Not a great deal of care has been taken to ensure that words and numbers are left out of the fold and therefore able to be read without trying to tear the document out of the folder! This is generally frowned upon by archivists!
I bought two more memory sticks for the camera today and will probably use them all up by tomorrow. Even if I cut my dates down from 1930 to 1925 there is a mountain of paperwork to get through. Hopefully once I get through all the minutes of meeting it will begin to get easier...I doubt it! Even with all these difficulties I still love these guys. Not only were they bureaucrats and bean counters they were capable humanitarians who provided a valuable service to vulnerable refugees over a long period of time.
This is my favourite story at the moment. The local representative in each refugee location was responsible for the welfare of the refugees and did their best to help in any circumstance. One of their duties was to make sure there was material to make coffins in the event of a death in the refugee camp. In Gallipoli on one occasion a refugee came to the office saying there were no materials to be had to make a coffin for a recently deceased refugee in the camp. What could the representative do? He ordered the wall between his office and his living quarters to be taken down and used to make the coffin. That is why I love these guys. They used what they had and did what they could to alleviate the suffering of fellow Russians in desperate situations.
On another note, the food in the hotel is fantastic. I have chosen something different every evening and it has all been great. I love being able to get in after a hard day, go down to the restaurant and have wonderful food placed in front of me. This happens at home of course but here I don’t even have to do the washing up!
These guys just produced so much paper! This is great in one respect as I have so much evidence to go on. On the other hand they must be responsible for significant deforestation! I have been looking at the minutes of their meetings this week and it is clear they liked to talk! Almost every day in the early years! Not only talk, but numbers too! If they could find a column of numbers to add up they were seriously happy! Bureaucrats and bean counters, every one of them!
I don’t mind when they use decent paper but a lot of the time, especially their financial reports and accounts are on poor quality paper similar to tracing paper. It is flimsy and difficult to photograph. Not only because it is transparent but it is invariably folded, scrunched up or torn making it more difficult to get a legible picture I can work with. Most of the boxes this week contain 50-60 files, each one representing a meeting with attached reports, decisions or accounts. Sometimes the minutes are only a couple of pages which are easy to photograph and move on to the next one. Even the added reports are generally not too difficult as long as the pages turn easily. The accounts are always a problem.
All the documents have been folded along the margin and sewn into a paper folder. Not a great deal of care has been taken to ensure that words and numbers are left out of the fold and therefore able to be read without trying to tear the document out of the folder! This is generally frowned upon by archivists!
I bought two more memory sticks for the camera today and will probably use them all up by tomorrow. Even if I cut my dates down from 1930 to 1925 there is a mountain of paperwork to get through. Hopefully once I get through all the minutes of meeting it will begin to get easier...I doubt it! Even with all these difficulties I still love these guys. Not only were they bureaucrats and bean counters they were capable humanitarians who provided a valuable service to vulnerable refugees over a long period of time.
This is my favourite story at the moment. The local representative in each refugee location was responsible for the welfare of the refugees and did their best to help in any circumstance. One of their duties was to make sure there was material to make coffins in the event of a death in the refugee camp. In Gallipoli on one occasion a refugee came to the office saying there were no materials to be had to make a coffin for a recently deceased refugee in the camp. What could the representative do? He ordered the wall between his office and his living quarters to be taken down and used to make the coffin. That is why I love these guys. They used what they had and did what they could to alleviate the suffering of fellow Russians in desperate situations.
On another note, the food in the hotel is fantastic. I have chosen something different every evening and it has all been great. I love being able to get in after a hard day, go down to the restaurant and have wonderful food placed in front of me. This happens at home of course but here I don’t even have to do the washing up!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Trains and Rain
Stonehaven railway station on a cold winter morning seems to be an integral part of my life this last year. 2008-09 was travelling to and from Glasgow and now the destination is Leeds. At 7.00 a.m the destination is not important. Standing waiting for a train is unpleasant in this weather!
There were no delays and the journey went well. I arrived in Leeds on time and walked up t the hotel. This is my first stay in the Best Western Merrion hotel and I have to say it is much better than the Discovery Inn. The room is small and the bath is not designed for anyone over 5 foot tall but there is no added fungus on the wall, the radiator works and there is a remote control for the tv.
I arrived at the University just after 2.00 to find it is winter graduation week. Seeing all those proud parents and robe-wearing graduands is always a delight.
I feel like a well known visitor now as all the staff in the archive recognised and welcomed me back. I got myself organised and ordered up the files I wanted to look at. I had identified 11 files in teh catalogue I wanted to see this week so ordered the first four. Richard, teh archivist, brought out one box and said that it was one of 19 boxes in file number 123. But that was OK as all the other files I wanted only contained 1 box. Oh whoopie! Instead of the 11 boxes I thought I would be looking through I now have to try to get through 29! Anyone want to take bets on the likelihood of complete success this week? Let me put it this way: I managed to photograph only 1 of said 19 boxes today...
As much as I love my dead Russian guys, I do worry that they are responsible for the deforestation of the planet. So much paperwork generated by a cause that historians have overlooked as a failure in the past. The beauty of this project is that they not only talked the talk, but also walked the walk. I am every day amazed at their achievements in their practical work to ease the plight of the post-revolutionary Russian refugees in Constantinople and, later, in Western Europe.
I left the archive around 6.30 and it was poring with rain. I remember grabbing my umbrella this morning with my backpack but it somehow didn't manage to leave the house with me. I was therefore very, very wet by the time I returned to the hotel. The duty manager looked at me then looked at the receptionist and said, 'I think we may need some towels down here.' I thought he was being a bit snippy so I retorted, 'I will try not to drip too much on you're carpet. If you could arrange some milder weather for tommorrow it would be appreciated.'
After a quick shower I headed down for dinner of Moules marinieres and linguine with meatballs. Very nice.
And now, in the words of a very old children's programme...Andy and Teddy say time for bed!
...
There were no delays and the journey went well. I arrived in Leeds on time and walked up t the hotel. This is my first stay in the Best Western Merrion hotel and I have to say it is much better than the Discovery Inn. The room is small and the bath is not designed for anyone over 5 foot tall but there is no added fungus on the wall, the radiator works and there is a remote control for the tv.
I arrived at the University just after 2.00 to find it is winter graduation week. Seeing all those proud parents and robe-wearing graduands is always a delight.
I feel like a well known visitor now as all the staff in the archive recognised and welcomed me back. I got myself organised and ordered up the files I wanted to look at. I had identified 11 files in teh catalogue I wanted to see this week so ordered the first four. Richard, teh archivist, brought out one box and said that it was one of 19 boxes in file number 123. But that was OK as all the other files I wanted only contained 1 box. Oh whoopie! Instead of the 11 boxes I thought I would be looking through I now have to try to get through 29! Anyone want to take bets on the likelihood of complete success this week? Let me put it this way: I managed to photograph only 1 of said 19 boxes today...
As much as I love my dead Russian guys, I do worry that they are responsible for the deforestation of the planet. So much paperwork generated by a cause that historians have overlooked as a failure in the past. The beauty of this project is that they not only talked the talk, but also walked the walk. I am every day amazed at their achievements in their practical work to ease the plight of the post-revolutionary Russian refugees in Constantinople and, later, in Western Europe.
I left the archive around 6.30 and it was poring with rain. I remember grabbing my umbrella this morning with my backpack but it somehow didn't manage to leave the house with me. I was therefore very, very wet by the time I returned to the hotel. The duty manager looked at me then looked at the receptionist and said, 'I think we may need some towels down here.' I thought he was being a bit snippy so I retorted, 'I will try not to drip too much on you're carpet. If you could arrange some milder weather for tommorrow it would be appreciated.'
After a quick shower I headed down for dinner of Moules marinieres and linguine with meatballs. Very nice.
And now, in the words of a very old children's programme...Andy and Teddy say time for bed!
...
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Better Late than Never
I couldn't get an internet connection on the way home from the archive trip so I typed my entry into Word with the intention of uploading it when I gor home. However, I was so releaved to get home that I for got to do it. Here it is now. Just in time for my next visit next week.
What can I say? There can only be so much that can go wrong in a week. Well, possibly. But I haven’t reached that limit yet. I double and triple checked I had everything packed on Thursday morning before setting out for the archive. Admittedly, I did try to use my library card to access the lift instead of my room card but that was just a momentary slip, surely?
On City Square just as I was leaving the hotel there were several people dressed in superhero costumes looking like they would rather be somewhere else. Maybe it was their turn to have a bad day. They were advertising Kleenex tissues for avoiding Swine flu!
It was dry today but all up the street were the slaughtered remains of umbrellas from yesterday’s wind! Poor twisted and tangled remains that were just waiting for the right moment to turn into Zombie Umbrellas. I wonder if anyone has written the script for that movie?
Things were going great. I was getting on with the photographing and was about to start on another file when I tried to insert one of the new memory sticks I bought on Wednesday. Nope. It wasn’t going to work. I tried the other one. Nope. Not that one either! I was going to have to go back to Boots and get them exchanged. Where was the receipt? Oh yes. I had decided to take it out of my handbag and it was back at the hotel!!!.
OK. Deep breaths. What if there was a photo shop nearer the University? I could buy new sticks and return the others to Boots tomorrow. That would be a good idea and would save me the walk down to the hotel again. Of course that would be too easy. Back to the hotel. Back to Boots – where I insisted the assistant tried out the replacement sticks in my camera before I bought them! He wasn’t happy about it but I think I looked like I was about to commit murder and he was the nearest target!
I must have really pissed of a petty bureaucratic demi-daemon from Hades this week. Seriously, he has it in for me!
Thank goodness I discovered the Thai Edge. In its advertising blurb it states it is ‘arguably one of the best Thai restaurants in Britain’ and has been voted in the top 10 Asian restaurants by the Times and the Independent. For the past 7 years it has held an AA rosette. The service and the food are fantastic and not expensive. It seems to be really popular with a wide range of people too. I will definitely be eating there regularly on my trips to Leeds.
Friday. Last day in the archives. I knew I was going to be short on time to finish the last of the files I wanted but would give it my best shot. I almost made it too. Unfortunately the battery let me down again and I didn’t have time to recharge it. The last 39 documents will have to wait until the next trip.
It has been a challenging week but hopefully the photos will be OK and I can work my way through them in the next few weeks. The Special Collections at Leeds Uni is a great place to work and the staff really helpful and friendly. Sure beats Russian archives and their obligatory ‘Dmitri’ who is permanently bad tempered!
Well, I have survived another trip away from the family hearth but it will be good to get home. The train is horrendously crowded but no delays (so far). I am looking forward to one of Sean’s special risottos tonight and a chilled glass of wine...and a warm, comfortable bed! It’s not much for a weary, technologically-outwitted traveller to hope for!
Until the next travel adventure....
What can I say? There can only be so much that can go wrong in a week. Well, possibly. But I haven’t reached that limit yet. I double and triple checked I had everything packed on Thursday morning before setting out for the archive. Admittedly, I did try to use my library card to access the lift instead of my room card but that was just a momentary slip, surely?
On City Square just as I was leaving the hotel there were several people dressed in superhero costumes looking like they would rather be somewhere else. Maybe it was their turn to have a bad day. They were advertising Kleenex tissues for avoiding Swine flu!
It was dry today but all up the street were the slaughtered remains of umbrellas from yesterday’s wind! Poor twisted and tangled remains that were just waiting for the right moment to turn into Zombie Umbrellas. I wonder if anyone has written the script for that movie?
Things were going great. I was getting on with the photographing and was about to start on another file when I tried to insert one of the new memory sticks I bought on Wednesday. Nope. It wasn’t going to work. I tried the other one. Nope. Not that one either! I was going to have to go back to Boots and get them exchanged. Where was the receipt? Oh yes. I had decided to take it out of my handbag and it was back at the hotel!!!.
OK. Deep breaths. What if there was a photo shop nearer the University? I could buy new sticks and return the others to Boots tomorrow. That would be a good idea and would save me the walk down to the hotel again. Of course that would be too easy. Back to the hotel. Back to Boots – where I insisted the assistant tried out the replacement sticks in my camera before I bought them! He wasn’t happy about it but I think I looked like I was about to commit murder and he was the nearest target!
I must have really pissed of a petty bureaucratic demi-daemon from Hades this week. Seriously, he has it in for me!
Thank goodness I discovered the Thai Edge. In its advertising blurb it states it is ‘arguably one of the best Thai restaurants in Britain’ and has been voted in the top 10 Asian restaurants by the Times and the Independent. For the past 7 years it has held an AA rosette. The service and the food are fantastic and not expensive. It seems to be really popular with a wide range of people too. I will definitely be eating there regularly on my trips to Leeds.
Friday. Last day in the archives. I knew I was going to be short on time to finish the last of the files I wanted but would give it my best shot. I almost made it too. Unfortunately the battery let me down again and I didn’t have time to recharge it. The last 39 documents will have to wait until the next trip.
It has been a challenging week but hopefully the photos will be OK and I can work my way through them in the next few weeks. The Special Collections at Leeds Uni is a great place to work and the staff really helpful and friendly. Sure beats Russian archives and their obligatory ‘Dmitri’ who is permanently bad tempered!
Well, I have survived another trip away from the family hearth but it will be good to get home. The train is horrendously crowded but no delays (so far). I am looking forward to one of Sean’s special risottos tonight and a chilled glass of wine...and a warm, comfortable bed! It’s not much for a weary, technologically-outwitted traveller to hope for!
Until the next travel adventure....
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