In a heartfelt encore, Ronnie Cline, a beloved museologist who managed over 30,000 artifacts across 22 California State Park Museums, shares his passion for museums. He discusses the real-life magic and myths of museum curation, including engaging anecdotes about vintage artifacts and the life of Jack London. Ronnie reflects on the importance of inclusivity in interpreting history and reveals the delightful quirks of museum life, even diving into ghostly encounters. Join in as they explore the sensory joys and mysteries of cultural heritage!
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Bad Museum Movies
Ronnie Cline watched Bringing Up Baby to find good museum movies.
He found it frustrating despite the good reviews and famous actors.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Dream Job
Ronnie Cline visited Jack London State Historic Park on his 30th birthday.
Seven years later, he became the collections manager there.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Hot Dog Entrepreneur
After college, Ronnie Cline started a hot dog cart called State Bear Sausage and Dogs.
He strategically placed it near the California State Parks headquarters.
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The Call of the Wild follows the story of Buck, a Saint Bernard and Scotch Shepherd mix, who is abducted from his comfortable life as a pet in California and sold to work as a sled dog in the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush. Buck faces brutal treatment and harsh conditions but eventually finds kindness with John Thornton. As Buck navigates his new life, he is torn between his loyalty to Thornton and his growing desire to answer the 'call of the wild'. The novel explores themes of survival, individualism, and the conflict between nature and nurture, reflecting London's experiences and observations during his time in the Yukon.
White Fang
Jack London
The story follows White Fang, a half-wolf, half-dog, from his birth in the wild to his eventual domestication. Born to a she-wolf named Kiche, White Fang faces numerous challenges, including famines, hostile treatment from other dogs, and cruel human owners. He is initially raised by Grey Beaver, an Indian, and later falls into the hands of the abusive dog-fighter Beauty Smith. However, his life takes a significant turn when he is rescued by Weedon Scott, a kind and patient gold hunter who tames him and takes him to California. There, White Fang learns to trust and love his new master and eventually becomes a cherished family pet, demonstrating the power of nurture over nature[1][3][4].
A Confederacy of Dunces
John Kennedy Toole
A Confederacy of Dunces is a picaresque novel that tells the story of Ignatius J. Reilly, an overweight, unemployed, and intellectually arrogant man living with his mother in New Orleans. The novel is a rich satire that critiques modern society through Ignatius's interactions with a diverse cast of characters, including his mother Irene, his girlfriend Myrna Minkoff, and various eccentric figures from New Orleans. Written in the early 1960s while Toole was in the army, the book was published posthumously in 1980 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981. It is celebrated for its witty and absurd portrayal of life in New Orleans and its memorable protagonist, Ignatius J. Reilly.
A very special encore in memory of our favorite Museologist, Ronnie Cline. In this 2018 episode, we talked about the life and work of a great dude and a good pal who passed away this morning. On the agenda of his legendary episode: Museums! Mummies! Paintings! Hot dogs! Alie sits down with her dear internet friend and museologist Ronnie Cline, who manages 30,000 artifacts over 22 California State Park Museums. Get the hot gossip about behind-the-scenes museum life, vintage ghosts, following your dreams, changing the tone of history and the time Alie ruined a 16th Century Dutch portrait. Also: why Jack London is your new dead celebrity crush.
Ologies with Alie Ward 
