Adventures in FamilySearch Indexing: Week 78

Don't tell anyone but I think life just quieted down long enough for me to do some FamilySearch Indexing. It's been weeks since I've work on indexing. Every time I sit down to index one of my children, my spouse, neighbor, or friends needs or wants something from me. Life has just been so crazy. It doesn't help that I work 25 hrs a week, along with 4 hrs at the family history center and then trying to get in 20 hrs a month for paid genealogy research. Every day I come home from work and sleep 4 hours so I can be awake 4-5 hrs to do something before bed. I'm just running out of time. What I really need is to stop taking 4 hour naps. One hour would be great I just wish my body would understand what my brain thinks is best.

It appears that everything is out of control right now. I am way behind in answering emails. I have 763 blog articles waiting to be read in my Google Reader. Plus, I haven't even begun to look at my taxes. At least my checkbook is balanced and my paperwork is organized. I told myself after I do my indexing this week that I will work on my taxes. As for my 763 blog articles waiting to be read. Well, I'm just going to mark them all read and just start over fresh. Hope I don't miss something really important. I really love to read blog articles about organizing.

My paid genealogy research is probably only going to get about 10 hours in this month. My work will always be there so I can't do anything about that. But sleeping, well I am a slave to that. If I don't get all the sleep my poor fibromyalgia body needs then I get sick and can't achieve any of my goals. I can still wish though.

I did do one thing positive in saving time and anxiety. I got rid of my dog. I loved him but he was the smelliest dog I have ever met in my life. You would bath him and two days later he would smell again. It was so frustrating. My dog loved me and followed me everywhere. He reminded me of Pig-Pen on Peanuts. Instead of a dust cloud it was a green mist that followed him everywhere. I can't tell you how nice it is to smell spring instead of dog. My dog was also spastic and couldn't walk on four legs half the time. He would just wipe out and most of the time practically take me down with him. It's been amazing not having to trip over the dog all the time. Sad to say but no one in the household has missed him since we gave him away.

I know my ranting has nothing to do at all with indexing. It's just the fact that we are into spring now and my list always seems big at spring time. So much to organize and do after the sleepiness of winter. As you can tell, I'm still trying to figure out my schedule to fit everything into life.

I did just have a wonderful talk with my daughter on the phone. I gave her some family names to do temple work for and she had an amazing experience there. She and her friends did the names of sisters, she could feel their spirits there and feel their joy for their names to be called and work to be done. I was so happy that my daughter and her girlfriends could have a witness to why we do all this work finding deceased relatives and sealing families together for the eternities. It was also nice for me to know that yes someone up there really appreciates the hard work I do researching families and preparing their names for the temple. Sometimes I get so obsessed with the gathering that I don't take time to stop and smell the roses of eternities.

On March 27th I received the following email from a reader.

Renee,

Looks like the New York 1892 State Census is now being indexed by FamilySearch volunteers. Thought you might like to know!

Katie

I was excited when I heard word of a NY project and I am still hoping I might find it available to work on. First I need to check up on any news from Headquarters. Yup, we have one!

From: Headquarters
Subject: Learning the Language of Indexing
Date: 03 Apr 2009

Becoming an expert at indexing can sometimes feel like learning a new language. Below is a list of short definitions of some words and phrases that you may come across as you index.

• Image. The photograph that appears on your screen when you open a batch.
• Page. The left or right side (or both sides) of an open book found on the image.
• Document. The piece(s) of paper shown on an image in a batch.
• Record. Information regarding a principal person (the main person for whom a record was created) and the associated event.

Records can refer to:
-Each entry line on a census.
-Each event (birth, marriage, etc) listed on a document, card, page, or other form.

• Field. Sections of data entry area when specific pieces of information are entered for a principal person. For example, names are usually entered into Given Name and Surname fields.
  

Knowing the above definitions can help you distinguish between similar-looking phrases, such as:

• Reorganizing Fields. Changing the order of the fields in the data entry area of the indexing screen, while indexing or arbitrating.
• Reorganizing Records. In an arbitration batch, changing the order of records while using the Record Matching tab.
  

Now for the big moment. Is my New York project still available? WAHOO!!! The New York 1892 State Census is there. I am jumping for joy! The batches were very large. I did two of them about 150-160 names each. All together today I indexed 319 names. That makes my grand total to date 11,350. I am so glad that I was able to get my indexing in. What a sense of accomplishment! I really needed that today.

See ya tomorrow, for tomorrow is always another genealogy day!