Don't Shoplift

Yesterday I went with Greg to the crematory in Springfield to pick up someone's remains (or "cremains" as they're called after they've been to the crematory). It was an enlightening experience though I opted out of actually seeing inside the room where the cremains are created. When the man handed Greg a cardboard box with the deceased man's name on it, I started thinking about the essence of human life. It seemed strange that a person--their ambitions, their hopes, their accomplishments, and everything that they became--could all end up as a pile of ashes in a small cardboard box. An Abraham Lincoln quote came to mind: "And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." I didn't know the man whose ashes sat at my feet as we drove back to Athens, but I sincerely hoped that he had enjoyed his life. I am grateful for the knowledge that life continues on beyond the cardboard box--that we are able to take our ambitions, hopes, knowledge, and relationships with us after we die.

Anyway, speaking of Abraham Lincoln, the director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum was fired today for his three shoplifting arrests. I don't know why he bothered to shoplift since he made a freaking $300,000.00 per year! Maybe part of the museum director's salary should be donated to the rest of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency so that the other employees don't get laid off. Memo to self: if you are the director of one of the most visited presidential museums in the country, don't shoplift! (Well, don't shoplift anyway.)

Speaking of IHPA employees, today was my first day as an official IHPA intern! I had so much fun poking around in the state historic site collection housed in the basement of the Old State Capitol building. It was wonderful to see Linda again. She is such a kind person, and the fact that she is on schedule to be laid off in November breaks my heart. I still have my fingers crossed that some miracle--like the governor being impeached--will save Linda's job and the jobs of her co-workers. In talking with a number of IHPA personnel about the current state of affairs, I got a better idea of just how deeply the Illinois state government is rooted in corruption. It makes me feel bad that the hard-working IHPA employees have to suffer for the selfishness of other people. But I'm glad that I get to work with Linda for the next month, and I'll try to help her as much as I can.

There are some crazy cool things stored in the depths of the Old State Capitol building. My favorite was this gigantic golden Lincoln statue that I came across on one of the back shelves. It kind of scared me at first because all of a sudden I just saw this huge Lincoln face staring at me. I was in Lincoln heaven all day. Dr. Small agreed that if I work 40 hours per week for the next month, she'll call it good on my internship--so I won't have to find something else to do for just a month. Hooray!!!

Linda introduced me to the acting IHPA director and told him that I'm from Utah. He wondered where in Utah, and when I answered, "Orem," he said, "Oh, I recently received some correspondence from someone in Orem, Utah, but I don't remember what it was about." I said, "It was probably something from me." Linda then said, "Tiffany is the one who wrote the petition." He said, "Oh yes! That was it! You wrote that?" It was quite funny. Good times.