00:01.70 Bill White Hello everybody this is your guest host today bill white on thecrmarcheology podcast episode two seventy Nine we're going to talk about this is our Christmas edition here and I've got my splendid co-hosts. We're all in California this this show has essentially just. Togenerat it into a West Coast California you know conversation thing right? Well um, I'm new to California so you know, ah that's what it feels like to me I got my co-host Heather in California. 00:21.62 Heather I Like that you use the word degenerate. Ah. 00:21.91 archpodnet Ah, yeah, oh. I. 00:32.34 Heather Um, hi all. 00:35.52 Bill White And Andrew in California and I just put that out there blankly right? because I still don't know the towns yet like everyone who's from California they totally know oh I'm from that town and I do that I'm like yeah I don't even it's just still a backwards l shaped blob to me. 00:35.98 archpodnet Hey guys how's it going? Yeah yeah. Yeah, is fine. It's just Cali everyone thinks you s servef. You know it doesn't it doesn't matter where you could be from the top of Mount Whitney and they're like oh so you serve so you know just go with it. 00:56.50 Heather Yeah. 01:00.22 Bill White Ah, to all of us. It's essentially a lot like the Barbie movie and then I moved here and I was like I know and how I know where they got the inspiration I yes, it is a lot like that. It is very much like that. 01:03.73 archpodnet Yeah, yeah, you exactly. 01:06.57 Heather Ah, if but in Andrew I think Andrew you may be the only native californian on the podcast. Not just today but across all of our ah think about it. 01:17.74 archpodnet Um, yeah, yeah, oh my God Yeah right? No no right? yeah. 01:18.51 Bill White Um, O Well huh. Wow No yeah. 01:24.77 Heather Because I think Chris I don't think Chris is from California I'm from Illinois Chicago suburbs you're from Idaho and oh there you go cheer the real californian. 01:32.37 Bill White Yeah Chris Chris is from like the Seattle area that's where he grew up. Yeah. 01:35.40 archpodnet Why yeah and that just add that just adds to the joke though because that is the joke about California that nobody's actually from California. So yeah I am the loan the lone native californian on the yeah and I I wear it with pride more or less kind sort of yeah. 01:43.80 Heather Yeah, yeah, yeah. 01:47.50 Bill White Ah. 01:52.55 Bill White Ah, yeah, thanks for thanks for having us. 01:54.89 archpodnet There we go? Yeah, if you're welcome. 01:54.98 Heather You know, just a little a little a little bit of trivia. My family whether probably people don't care but whatever. It's our podcast. So ah, thank you. 02:02.40 archpodnet Um. 02:03.40 Bill White I care I Want to know I want to hear it man I'm a Historian I like it. 02:05.23 archpodnet Um, yeah, exactly yeah. 02:10.22 Heather So my ancestors actually came over here on the oregon trail to California and then they were not smart enough to realize how expensive property would be here eventually so they left and went back to Illinois and. 02:19.52 archpodnet Yeah, fools. Whatever. 02:26.75 Bill White Ah, oh I got ah. 02:27.64 Heather And then I move here in the late 90 s and now. Yeah, but if they had stayed here. Oh yeah, well they actually. 02:31.60 Bill White Um, ah that ah ah. 02:31.72 archpodnet Um, yeah, exactly exactly they could have bought all of Huntington Beach you know they could have but they didn't. 02:41.22 Heather So I've been having fun tracing my lineage and doing this with my dad. It's been a ah fun adventure for the 2 of us and we they had property all over Sacramento River Valley I'm just like i'm. 02:51.46 archpodnet Um, yeah, ah. 02:54.16 Bill White Wow Wow Wow. Ah. 02:55.79 Heather Now it's not like they had property in Santa Barbara which would have been out pulled to me now. But yeah, but it's something. 02:57.20 archpodnet Still dead come on. Yeah, all only set only sacramento all that stuff. 03:04.10 Bill White Ah I'm just I'm laughing at the picture of Heather's family going back east like you're not going to like it like what do you turn around turn around what are you doing not going to like it there the there's one wagon going east and a whole train of people going west like don't do it. Don't do it. 03:08.40 Heather Um, so. 03:12.30 archpodnet Yeah, yeah, totally. Ah yeah, like but they're like and traffic The traffic's great though. The traffic's great on this side on the way back. 03:15.30 Heather Um, ah yes, yes oh my gosh. That's so funny. That's so. 03:23.30 Bill White Somewhere in the but like go back. Ah, there were they were the first californians to not get stuck in traffic. Ah. 03:29.45 Heather Yeah, oh that's hilarious. Ah, that's funny. 03:32.40 archpodnet Um, yeah, are yeah. 03:38.81 Bill White Ah, man I'm glad I'm glad we're having this conversation because I always liked the Christmas episode and I was mentioning. We haven't done Christmas episodes in a while. Um, but you know I think it's good I think we should you know, bring it back and so kind of have a lighthearted conversation. But. 03:44.18 archpodnet Right. 03:51.24 Heather Um, yeah. 03:53.49 Bill White 1 of the things we were talking about is how fast the months already going by and this episode is going to come out on the twelfth of December but we're recording it on the third and so we were just talking about man. It's already the third of December and it seems like you know just yesterday morning. You know we're already 72 hours in 04:06.84 Heather Her. 04:12.32 Bill White And boy we have a lot of stuff on our plates and a lot of things come and do at the end of the year this is this always was a super intense time in crm because January first is this like major deadline and so a lot of projects really have to get done. 04:21.91 archpodnet Um, yeah. 04:25.80 Heather The app. 04:27.59 Bill White And you know people are kind of really working hard plus you know the Christmas we deserve a time to relax for the holidays whether you celebrate Christmas or not. It's this gap where all of us kind of take a breather except in Crm that means that you got to just get everything one week earlier ah 04:39.54 archpodnet 7 04:41.42 Heather Yeah, and the only one ah like I even had to think to myself should I do the podcast this morning. How should I work. 04:47.23 Bill White Ah, ah well I mean it's so bad at the university here at Uc Berkeley they they' literally say that there's ah you know a time when they're just going to turn off the heat in the buildings to force the professors not to work and the and the grad students not to work and seriously I see people in there. There's lights on. 04:48.94 archpodnet Um, man. 05:06.90 Bill White You know in those offices during that time people are still working anyway, I guess in the cold or whatever so they're trying to force everyone to get it done but then that just pushes all of our activities. You know a week earlier so these first couple weeks of December end up being in this super intense time and the other thing we were talking about is pay rates right? because. 05:08.52 archpodnet Yeah. 05:09.00 Heather Yeah. 05:20.52 Heather Yeah, yeah, yeah. 05:23.29 archpodnet Um, and. 05:26.56 Bill White Now I get paid once a month and so you know the third of December everything looks rosy and awesome. But I was joking about how the twelve days of Christmas when you work for cal or ah, the first of January the first of February the first of March you know those are the twelve days for us because we only get paid once a month 05:40.61 archpodnet Ah. 05:45.41 Bill White And I also remember how when I first started doing cultural resources. My first company when I was living in Seattle I also got paid once a month and it was ah it was a real wakeup call to try to find a way to budget to make it all the way through those thirty days without running out of money and I also remember when I first moved to Seattle. 06:02.21 archpodnet Um, you have um. 06:05.42 Bill White Ah, my wife she was my I was dating her then um, she also was like trying to find a new job and transitioning from her existing job to a new one and so there was just this time period that was about six months or so where we were just living on my archeology crew chief. Wages I got paid once a month in Seattle and ah, you know she would work for a while and it wouldn't be the job for her and then she'd quit and find another one or she was constantly looking for new jobs and did several different things before she finally found a position that was you know steady and you know paying a livable wage. So there was just this time period I remember where it was kind of like we were joking about it I was joking with Andrew just now before the show about that scene where Mickey Mouse and goofy are cutting one bean into thin thin slices with Donald duck and just eating each person gets 1 slice. Ah you know of of beans because it. 06:47.79 archpodnet Ah, yeah. 06:54.41 Heather And. 07:00.10 archpodnet Yep. 07:01.88 Bill White It just got so tight there at the end of the month and I I know I'm not the only one I mean there's you know all of us have had to adapt in some way so you know what are some of the adaptations. You all have made to try to make ends meet. 07:02.99 Heather You know if. 07:07.35 archpodnet Um, yeah, yeah. 07:11.60 Heather Yep. 07:13.65 archpodnet Oh man like my adaptations always just don't work and it's funny in the serum world. It was kind of the opposite from like in serum. No don't work my adaptations don't work. 07:20.83 Heather Wait a minute your your adaptation is to not work or your adaptations don't work. Got it like all that's unique. 07:27.61 Bill White Um, ah because I was gonna say I thought work was what the whole podcast is about. 07:32.23 archpodnet Um, you know, yeah now. So so happens they what's funny is um, back in my crm days I used to be really worried about the um winter break as I'm sure so many of us are because it's like the jobs narrowed down you know sometimes they stop and like hey November fifteenth and we're done until. 07:49.66 Heather Yeah, yeah. 07:50.40 Bill White Yes. 07:51.80 archpodnet Whatever you know, but I was lucky enough that I always tend to have like a bunch of overtime or whatever right around then so I'd get like this lump you know, like right before and so I could make it through the holidays. Okay, but now as a college professor I'm like Bill I get paid once a month and then to add insult to injury I usually get paid the thirty first 07:56.31 Heather Yeah. 08:04.28 Bill White Yeah. 08:10.00 archpodnet But in Christmas and both my wife and I are college professors right? So we get paid like the twenty second of December so as I was joking before the stretch through late January is freaking terrible and just please nobody come visit me nobody talked to me around January Twenty fifth because it's just there's nothing. 08:20.54 Heather Yeah. 08:29.95 archpodnet And I try and budget I'm thoughtful about this kind of stuff thoughtful about money. But I'm telling you I always get hammered right at the end so I will say I've gotten a little better over the years but it's still just it's just this unstretchable gulf you know because Christmas calm you spend all your money on Christmas presents or whatever you think you're okay, but. 08:33.81 Bill White Um, yeah. 08:34.91 Heather Now. 08:47.30 Heather Yeah. 08:47.53 Bill White Yep. 08:49.76 archpodnet That is it is the toughest time a year for me is the end of january. 08:52.10 Heather the the 2 things that I would add to the conversation number one for those that are managers. Please try to be conscious of this that how difficult January or December and January can be so when you are scheduling. 09:05.77 archpodnet Um, yeah. 09:11.56 Heather Your people specifically you're as needed. Make sure that you are there is a lot just like Andrew said there's a lot of overtime out there and that you spread out the wealth and that you be you don't just be lazy about it like you really look and consider that these people are. 09:20.91 archpodnet Um. 09:29.56 Heather Relying on you not just to ah survive but to enjoy their holidays and so you know I try to to look at the bigger picture everybody that's working for us checking in with them I care about our as needed on call staff. 09:35.26 archpodnet Um, yeah. 09:47.78 Heather As much as I do our full time and part time staff. So um, and and we know as a team we we know them all well and so definitely working towards making sure that you're being fair and that you are you know, parsing out your your work appropriately and. Look at what projects had the potential of of overtime what budgets can handle that and making sure that you're being fair with it. Um, that would be 1 thing and then for me, you know it's not as bad as it used to be It's ah you know worked hard to get to a point where it. 10:13.81 archpodnet Yeah. 10:26.16 Heather I'm not at the same situation I was ten years ago right but um I think that there's some cost saving measures when it comes to gifts like you do have to be you have to consider your budget and there's you know there you always want to give these grand I you know grand gifts but I think just. Being a little bit more creative with your gifts. There's so many people that have that like side gig or creative. You know, giving gifts that you make or the 1 thing that I think I wish I had thought of and I probably should do it now. But I'm just not in the field as much is. We all take the most amazing pictures because we're in these really cool. You know areas that we don't you know, get to see very often or other people wouldn't get to see very often and making a picture book is a really inexpensive and we'll talk about that later in the in the podcast but just looking at creative ways to give. Gifts and you you can't they can't ignore the fact that in January, you're going to have all these bills to pay that you know on credit cards and what on and also trying to trying to buy gifts without using your credit card would be a biggie. 11:30.85 Bill White Ah, yeah, that's huge I'm glad you mentioned that and I'm also glad you mentioned the picture book idea my neighbors went on a family trip to egypt and. 11:44.14 Heather Yeah. 11:46.20 Bill White 1 of the ah one of the relatives made this great picture book of all their pictures and had it printed off and sent it to the grandparents and they had it at their house and I was like man I can't believe that they that you can just format and make these things so easily now because there was just ah, it was an online public. Yeah, it's a hardback book with a cover. 12:00.20 Heather Um, oh they're beautiful. Yeah. 12:05.77 Bill White And you know they were saying that each one was you know $17 or $27 each or something like that and you know because they got 8 or 9 I think they got a discount even more and so I just thought it was a really cool way to you know, make that trip memorable and to make a picture album and it looks like an actual book like I mean the. 12:07.84 Heather Um, yes, exactly yep, um care. 12:25.82 Bill White Photos in there are just from people's phones and they were able to just stylishly put it together. So I I'm glad you said that because I I really wish that I had well they didn't really have the technology but I really wish I had picture bookss of some of the projects I'd worked on before because that would have been you know something really great. A great keepsake. 12:40.17 Heather Yep. 12:44.65 Bill White You know you were you were talking about credit cards and everything. The other thing I used to work with this man John Hall he still does archeology. He always saved all ah his per Dm he always saved it. He always ate in the hotel room and I think maybe once per week when we were out we would go out to dinner. 12:55.15 Heather Somehow. 13:01.74 Bill White And when I first started doing archeology I treated the perdium like you know I'd take my wife on dates and you know get flowers and get you know extra junk that I didn't need and and buy all this stuff and then you know after a few years and I worked with him he was you know helping put his wife through college and ah, a huge chunk of it was coming from these pre dms. 13:05.34 Heather That. 13:19.83 Heather Yeah, yeah. 13:21.68 Bill White So she he was always interested in taking those jobs out of town because he could get per Dm and then he always just ate in the hotel room and I you know I started following that and I've done all kinds of stuff so when I was doing cultural resources all the time that per Dm a lot of times became that Christmas money for my kids and the Christmas you know? ah. 13:36.18 Heather I know. 13:40.97 Bill White Ah, travel money so you know that's another huge one if you are getting any perium. It's it's I mean you're going to eat anyway. So just find a way to eat at your hotel room. We've already talked about this before on the podcast but Christmas could be a time that you use that money. 13:45.66 Heather That. 13:52.70 Heather Yeah, for what what got me through um when I was you know Tech was my side Gig I Referee ice hockey and that was a game changer for me. So You know you just have to sometimes you. Yeah, you have to supplement and look at creative ways. 14:14.17 Bill White Yeah I'm I'm glad you mentioned that too because ah my my mom's married to a man who used to ah umpire little league games on the weekends and so he worked full time and just umpired little league games and saved the money for years and ended up buying this. Ah. 14:24.80 Heather Um. 14:32.10 Bill White House like putting a down payment on it. Of course he had to you know, supplement with his own wages and everything but that was really a big thing for he and his family to get their first house together where his kids had a home and it came from you know, being a little league. Umpire. 14:44.22 Heather Yep, if if anybody it has any kind of sports background. Even if you don't if you have a sports knowledge. Um, that is a really good way to have a side gig and you can actually do it anywhere. 14:57.75 Bill White Yeah. 14:59.56 Heather You can just call it but a signers or always, it's just a cross of for you know we say archeologists. It's hard to find archeologists right now. It's also hard to find um sports officials they're they're at a premium right now. So you know get into that Sometimes it's just a matter of one day and then. 15:10.68 Bill White Um, yeah, um. 15:19.10 Heather Even if you're traveling like sometimes you're traveling. You can't go home and you stay at a hotel over the weekend. You can you know, get a lot of games and and be making money on the weekend as well. 15:31.85 Bill White And with things like basketball and baseball those little league games and those junior league games are during the week too sometimes so if you're not in the field. You know you can do a couple of those in the evening. Ah, or also I know that this is actually one of those many jobs. My wife used to do adults. Um. 15:38.10 Heather Yep, and laugh in the evening. 15:48.52 Bill White You know, pickleball and volleyball leagues. They just had a ah selection of different people and it was you know back then like 15 or $25 per game that they would that they refereed and so it was kind of up to you and there was just this list of people and you'd click on the days that you could do it and then they would say okay show up to this park. You know you're gonna do. 15:57.14 Heather Yep. 16:05.13 Heather Britain. 16:07.91 Bill White 3 games 3 volleyball games and you know that was just ah, another thing that she did and she went all over Seattle and you know did all kinds of different. You know they teach you the rules of the game and so you just kind of watch yep, watch the volleyball watch tennis match basketball like. 16:19.37 Heather Um, they do yeah they train you. 16:25.21 Bill White You know they'll teach you and it's it's rec league. So you know I can see when it's little league sometimes the the parents the parents can get kind of nuts out there. But I'm thinking this is not like and nc double a football here like your kid doesn't have a scholarship. They're 9 You know it's it's a foul ball I'm the umpire it just is a foul ball. 16:28.70 Heather Right? Yeah, stakes aren't yeah great. Yeah, tried to tell them that. 16:44.49 Bill White Your car I guess actually you know that's this is a good time for me to say that we're going to go to break I'll stay out of my car. Those bad parents they can go to their car I don't care. It's a foul it is. We'll be back in a few minutes