Wachusett-Related Story: It's a Small Blogosphere After All
Each time I make a trip out to my field site at Wachusett, I inform the reservation's supervisor of the fact that I'm going to be there, the time at which I anticipate beginning and ending work, and my colleagues who will be assisting me, if any. I usually do this at least three or four days in advance, but this week had been a busy one so far and it slipped my mind until this morning. I only remembered a half hour before I, one of the lab's post-docs and an undergraduate summer researcher were due to leave.
When I arrived back at the lab this afternoon there was a response from the supervisor waiting for me. It turns out that somebody who reads this blog had sent him an email about me! I didn't see the actual email, but apparently this person sent the supervisor one or more links to Hyphoid Logic and wanted to know if I was properly permitted to do my work at the reservation. Because I don't use my legal name on this blog the supervisor wasn't sure at first but finally recognized me from my photo (which I didn't think was all that recognizable in the first place).
It really is a small blogosphere out there. Hyphoid Logic hasn't got huge readership, but somebody who thought it was important to check up on me still found it and took the time to email the supervisor. The upshot is that it's entirely possible that he may be a new reader. So if you're reading this, Dwayne, rest assured that everyone here has only good things to say about Mount Wachusett.
Particularly me, since that field site is proving to be an indispensable part of my research.
I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, so I'm assuming that the person who contacted the supervisor at Wachusett had the best of intentions and was expressing a legitimate concern about the integrity of the place. If that's the case, I should probably be grateful to that person. Few people in the state of Massachusetts would be as upset as I would be if the place were to be trashed. I'm glad that there are folks out there who are concerned enough about the place to do something to make sure that it's being well cared for. If you'd care to leave a comment here, I'd be glad to answer any questions you might have about my work.
