Field notes

Q&A With Field Assistant Mackenzie Laliberte

We’re putting the spotlight on beloved crew member Mackenzie Laliberte who is now undergoing his fourth season with Circle CRM. Mackenzie went to the University of Lethbridge and graduated in 2019, and is now a Field Assistant and impeccable team player. When asked what the odds were that he’d complete this Q&A, we received the corresponding responses of “1/8… 3,2,1… 6,” so you can see we’re thrilled that we are able to bring you this blog considering the unlikelihood. When he’s not in the field searching for artifacts, you can find Mackenzie making his own apple sauce, collecting Pokemon cards and dreaming of one day owning an orange cat with stripes. Read on to learn more about Mackenzie!

  • What advice do you have for people wondering how they can become a beloved member of any team? 

People often say a trained monkey with a shovel can do this job; however, that is not true because they are terrible at holding a conversation. If you can make your crew’s 10-hour day feel like a 9-hour day through at least somewhat interesting conversations, they’ll probably enjoy being around you. On the other hand, if the day is quieter than a closed library, they may get bored of you.

  • We heard your field school was in Fort Vermillion, do you miss historical archaeology?

I enjoy any archaeology that shows a way of life that I am very unfamiliar with. However, I do not yearn to find any more dirty pairs of sneakers in a pile of trash buried 1cm under the ground.

  • What would you say is your # 1 hardship in the field, and what do you do to overcome it?

My #1 hardship in the field is the same as my #1 hardship at home, which is getting enough sleep to be motivated for the upcoming day.  I know the easy answer to overcoming this is going to bed earlier, but I haven’t quite mastered it yet.

  • We see you are quite tall. Does this allow you to see landforms in the distance?

Yes, actually, For example, if I were doing archaeology on the open ocean during perfect conditions, being 6’1″ tall would allow me to spot landforms roughly 400 m before my 5’2” short coworker. 

  • Helicopters or Argos?

Helicopters 1% of the time, Argos the other 99% of the time. The only good thing about helicopters is that you get to tell your friends that you sometimes take a helicopter to work.

  • Tell us one thing about yourself that 90% of us do not know?

100% of people don’t know that I have been playing (sometimes/usually unhealthily) the same computer game for the past 18 years. My account has 194 days of in-game playtime, which equates to about 2.12% of my entire life spent playing the same game.

  • We used to have two Mackenzies; how did you defeat the other Mackenzie?

Having only met the other Mackenzie twice, we have unknowingly fought a very silent, very cold war against each other for three years. I believe that, although he may be gone to do his Masters, he will return, only stronger. He has not been defeated. 

  • The place or the person?

What’s cool about the place is that it has the world’s largest tree crusher, which was used for crushing roughly 2600 acres of trees during the creation of the Williston Reservoir.  What’s cool about the person is… well, see the answer: “Tell us one thing about yourself…”

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