The Big #201

Happy #201 Birthday to Abraham Lincoln! And as I always say (at least since last year), there's no better place to spend his birthday than at his house. Last year I was one of the Lincoln groupies who went to his house just because it was his birthday, but today I actually got paid to be there! I was honored to be one of six authors they had signing books at the Visitor Center this morning as part of the birthday celebration. Lincoln has no connection to Zion National Park, but all of the other authors there had published books with Arcadia's Images of America series, so my book kind of fit in. In this photo of the other authors and me, the Visitor Center looks so peaceful. About two minutes after this picture was taken, hundreds of rambunctious school children burst through the doors and the madness began.

It wouldn't be Abraham Lincoln's birthday without Abraham Lincoln! He looks pretty good for being 201 years old, right? Mr. Lincoln stopped by to read stories to what seemed (and sounded) like millions of little kids. It was really fun though, and the kids LOVED it. When Mr. Lincoln opened it up for questions at the end, one little guy raised his hand and said, "I thought John Wilkes Booth got to you!" Mr. Lincoln replied, "Oh no, I've seen Mr. Booth perform, and his good looks get to the ladies, but not to me." The kids didn't understand this response, but all of the adults thought it was funny. So all-in-all it was a really good day. The only problem was that I felt terrible--I've had a bad cough, and my throat is on fire, so trying to yell over a crowd of 5th graders didn't work out so well. My voice is shot this evening, but at least I made it through the day. I am pooped though. In this photo with Lincoln you can see my awesome Lincoln earrings that Lindy gave me. I can't wear them every day because dangly earrings with bright colors don't follow "NPS protocol," but they were a BIG hit for Lincoln's birthday. Thank you Lindy!

Keep an eye on your spare change, and you'll probably start seeing some of the brand-new 2010 Lincoln pennies that debuted yesterday right here in Springfield. In honor of Lincoln's birthday, the U. S. Mint decided to release the new penny in his hometown. Lincoln's image on the front of the penny has been digitally remastered, so he looks extra sharp; and the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the penny has been replaced by the Union shield. The shield was a symbol often used at the time of the Civil War, so it is supposed to represent Lincoln's role in keeping the country united. The penny will be used for at least the next 50 years, so it's kind of cool to be a part of its beginning. Happy Birthday, President Lincoln!

Don't Blow the Whistle!

Oi vey. Things are really messed up at the Lincoln Home these days. My supervisor (the lady who made Lincoln Home sound like a national forest) decided that the park did not have enough money to pay us holiday pay for working on MLK Jr. Day--after we had already worked that day. Wait, isn't that illegal? So, I was told to either take a day off (which I would get paid for) or else receive no holiday compensation. Wait, isn't that illegal too? So I took a day off but contacted our regional personnel issues lady to inform her of the situation since we currently do not have a real superintendent or anyone to regulate what Laura is doing. Laura then called me at home on my forced day off to tell me that, surprise! The park now magically had enough money to pay us for working the holiday. But then things got really sticky with the paid forced day off, etc., etc. Anyway, it turns out that Laura got in BIG trouble from region. And now I am in trouble too!!! Laura, our acting superintendent, and our acting supervisory ranger (who, I guess, all got some harsh words from region and all blamed each other for the mishap) are very upset with me for "going over their heads." Wait, how did they find out it was me who blew the whistle? There is something called the Whistleblower Protection Act. But it turns out that the lady I e-mailed at region sent an e-mail to our acting superintendent telling him that "a lady" at the Lincoln Home had contacted her about the holiday pay issue. Since I was the only female involved, they deduced that it was me. Thanks a lot, region lady. When I was confronted about why I went over the heads of my superiors, I was thinking in my mind: "Because I knew that none of you would do anything about it; and this is just one of many questionable things that has been going on here!" But I kept my mouth shut. I fear, however, that my chance of getting a permanent job at the Lincoln Home may now be in jeopardy--which, again, would be illegal if they didn't hire me as a permanent employee because of a whistleblower incident, but obviously no one is too concerned with what is/isn't legal. Which is funny since Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer!