Is there no escape from christmas songs anywhere anymore? Man, call me a scrooge...and on many levels it's a perfectly accurate assessment...but I thought there was at least still a treasured respite from holiday cheeriness on the Country radio stations, but alas! Even they have become so frittered with so-called heartfelt warmth and mistletoe junk that I haven't been able to listen to them all month. Glad it's finally over. A couple more days of Auld Lang Syne and we can all go back to a sane existence. That said, kudos to Salt Lake's Classic Rock station, The Arrow, for doing an A to Z Beattles marathon on Christmas Day. It kept me alert and, ironically, cheery all the way home from my parents'! Loved it. Only slightly more entertaining would be the 'let your New Year's resolution be more margaritas' Jimmy Buffet marathon, but I don't think the nation is ready for that! =)
But in all seriousness, I just don't love the hub-bub of the holiday season. Partly because change inevitably broke in on some of the fondest memories of my childhood and removed the extended family togetherness bonus, but also because I just don't see what the logic is in making the biggest shopping holiday fall during the most dangerous, icy, part of the year. It's like inviting tragedy into your home...perhaps you ought to leave cookies out for Death as well as Santa. On Discworld it'd be perfectly reasonable, but come on!
On a brighter note, fourteen people recently survived an Extended Version LOTR marathon which went from 7pm to 7am and produced way too many bizarre combinations of both committal and non-committal cuddle opportunities in an otherwise previously unattached group! I fell asleep on a couch cushion after breakfast and didn't resurface until after noon. So much for work, but whatever. It was an experience, to be sure, but I felt like an utter lump for the rest of the day. If I wasn't such a pansy about the ice I'd have gone running to make up for 12 hours alternating between a couch and the questionably clean floor of a guy's apartment.
Back to school in just over a week and it's gonna be a killer semester. Ish. But I suppose this is where I get all that character ppl say you ought to have, eh? Why did I think I could make it in a thesis program?!! Before I face Madam Guillotine in the form of Jim's Southwest Seminar, though, I'm taking a camping trip to the Grand Canyon with a couple of the guys in my ward and then flying to LA to visit a former roommate. Life is good so long as you don't get trapped! Hence my Frost addiction: something there is that doesn't love a wall, indeed! It's ME. I get it from my dad, so at least I can trace the wanderlust and feel better about myself, right?! =)
Well anyway, best put myself to sleep. It's been awfully quiet without roommates around...miss them, though the house has stayed a fair bit cleaner without them. (That said, you wouldn't believe how much crap has wandered out of my room into the hall as I've been building a new shelving unit to get control over all my books. It's strange that the room looks more crowded now, but it's way better organized)
Oh, I finally watched Casablanca! Not the story I expected, entirely, but really actually enjoyable. It'll never be a favorite, but Rick is a pretty cool character. So, eh hem, Mr Bogart, here's looking at you, kid!
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Jenny's SIR
Ah semester in review time once again...what could be more enjoyable than reflecting on the anguish and pain all over again, re-opening wounds and salting them with anticipation of next semester's requirements! Here goes:
If I had to sum up this semester in a mantra, it would be: forage, sleep, farm, repeat. I spent the better part of the first couple of months working with the Forest Service and finishing out the season's fieldwork. In addition, I finally managed to pull together my Farmer/Forager research about an hour before presenting it at the GBAC. That was the highlight of the semester, since it was my first 'real' presentation, though I still feel like I got jipped out of a really good 'Simms makes a scene' moment. According to Dr J, everybody's favorite Little Elf Man has decided--after 20 years, mind you--to accept that his theory needs work and he needn't be offended by those who attempt to move it in a more reasonable direction. Thank heaven!
I finally finished my paper version of that research today, actually, and have washed my hands of the great J himself until I get it together enough to defend my thesis proposal...so much for doing THAT in October! The delay has actually worked out, though, since it gave me a change to become better acquainted with Matt Seddon, the new Utah SHPO, and get him on board as a committee member. Charmaine and I took him out to Vernon to talk about eligibility and chaining on surface sites. We couldn't resist showing off our homesteads and, being the fellow rust-appreciator that he is, Matt was interested in my thesis and offered his assistance. His insider track on the Level III project, etc is really going to help when I get into the comparison of homesteading at Benmore to railroading in the area! Matt's a great guy--it's nice to know that someone with a personality is up there reading our reports.
I only took one class this semester--History 566: Sources and Problems in Utah History. Thomas Alexander came out of BYU retirement to teach it, which has turned out really amazingly since he's pretty much the world's expert on all things Utah history. It was interesting to see the difference in the historian approach--as we chose our books from the selected bibliography, I noticed that the three history students most often chose those that were focused on a specific individual's experience. In contrast, I tended toward those that were broader and emphasized the history of many in a specific place. Granted, I also tended to choose the shortest book on the list...dunno why those thick history types didn't think to check lengths online--there was often a wide range of lengths from 150 to 400. All in all, the class has done little to provide thesis sources, which was my initial hope, but has really assisted me in putting all my little rusty bits into context.
That's about it. Fairly uneventful. I spent a lot of time out of town or otherwise occupied with non-school items, so I've been really bad about getting the prelim for 42WS1931 out from field school last season, but now that the Fremont paper is done, I'll be better able to knock that out.
Up next, back to heavy course loads with History of Archaeology by Jamie Bartlett, SW Seminar by Jim Allison (this one's gonna be great, the texts books look pretty good), and that GIS class that Molly and Brad took this semester. I'm also hoping to delve into my thesis pretty seriously, atleast as much as possible without completed field work, and to finish up the 9 season Vernon PIT report. This is gonna have some pretty nifty 'fun with lithics' moments, if all goes well. It may lead to some sort of publication on the paleo-archaic points out there, but we'll see what we find next season. I'm still all melty over the 8-inch edge-ground concave base beauty I found in August. Sexy, sexy...even if it HAS been cow trampled into 6 pieces! Dang Bovines.
If I had to sum up this semester in a mantra, it would be: forage, sleep, farm, repeat. I spent the better part of the first couple of months working with the Forest Service and finishing out the season's fieldwork. In addition, I finally managed to pull together my Farmer/Forager research about an hour before presenting it at the GBAC. That was the highlight of the semester, since it was my first 'real' presentation, though I still feel like I got jipped out of a really good 'Simms makes a scene' moment. According to Dr J, everybody's favorite Little Elf Man has decided--after 20 years, mind you--to accept that his theory needs work and he needn't be offended by those who attempt to move it in a more reasonable direction. Thank heaven!
I finally finished my paper version of that research today, actually, and have washed my hands of the great J himself until I get it together enough to defend my thesis proposal...so much for doing THAT in October! The delay has actually worked out, though, since it gave me a change to become better acquainted with Matt Seddon, the new Utah SHPO, and get him on board as a committee member. Charmaine and I took him out to Vernon to talk about eligibility and chaining on surface sites. We couldn't resist showing off our homesteads and, being the fellow rust-appreciator that he is, Matt was interested in my thesis and offered his assistance. His insider track on the Level III project, etc is really going to help when I get into the comparison of homesteading at Benmore to railroading in the area! Matt's a great guy--it's nice to know that someone with a personality is up there reading our reports.
I only took one class this semester--History 566: Sources and Problems in Utah History. Thomas Alexander came out of BYU retirement to teach it, which has turned out really amazingly since he's pretty much the world's expert on all things Utah history. It was interesting to see the difference in the historian approach--as we chose our books from the selected bibliography, I noticed that the three history students most often chose those that were focused on a specific individual's experience. In contrast, I tended toward those that were broader and emphasized the history of many in a specific place. Granted, I also tended to choose the shortest book on the list...dunno why those thick history types didn't think to check lengths online--there was often a wide range of lengths from 150 to 400. All in all, the class has done little to provide thesis sources, which was my initial hope, but has really assisted me in putting all my little rusty bits into context.
That's about it. Fairly uneventful. I spent a lot of time out of town or otherwise occupied with non-school items, so I've been really bad about getting the prelim for 42WS1931 out from field school last season, but now that the Fremont paper is done, I'll be better able to knock that out.
Up next, back to heavy course loads with History of Archaeology by Jamie Bartlett, SW Seminar by Jim Allison (this one's gonna be great, the texts books look pretty good), and that GIS class that Molly and Brad took this semester. I'm also hoping to delve into my thesis pretty seriously, atleast as much as possible without completed field work, and to finish up the 9 season Vernon PIT report. This is gonna have some pretty nifty 'fun with lithics' moments, if all goes well. It may lead to some sort of publication on the paleo-archaic points out there, but we'll see what we find next season. I'm still all melty over the 8-inch edge-ground concave base beauty I found in August. Sexy, sexy...even if it HAS been cow trampled into 6 pieces! Dang Bovines.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Write, Check Email, Repeat
I have an essay due at 3pm. It's now 11. I'm not crunched for time yet, so the juices haven't flowed and you know what that means! I'm sitting in the library thinking up every dumb little time wasting thing I can do. Pathetic, I know, but I just don't work well unless I'm under major pressure. Sigh. Well, despite all that, I suppose I'll have to get it done before the reserve book is due back at 12:30. There's a little more pressure. And then I've gotta prep a major outline for an essay exam tomorrow. Aah, now I think I can write...
...or not...
Ooh, ooh, Merry Christmas, everybody! How thrilling that we all find ourselves here there and everywhere but celebrating in many of the same ways, even if they're somewhat varied. I took myself to Target a couple weeks ago and spent I don't want to admit how much, but the result is a very Christmas-y house, indeed, complete with a designer tree in the living room and my parent's mini Fiber Optic tree in the kitchen, and two sets of mistletoe...not that it's getting any use.
I took my roomy Ally to the airport this morning and was thwarted by a closed REI. Really looking forward to going, but alas! It doesn't open til 10. I've been thwarted by a closed or otherwise un-successful REI visit three times in the last month, now. Erg! But this situation has introduced me to yet another eternal principle. This one is #33:
Eternal Principle #33:
Never become fixated on purchasing someone a specific gift that you can only acquire in one place. The amount of time buying said gift will triple the cost and leave you disillusioned once you actually get it.
That said, I think I'll get on REI's online store and see about whether or not they've got what I want.
Oh, update on life--I just spent a full week without eating anything. I drank a special lemonade mix that would have given me all the nutrients necessary to survive if it hadn't consisted of unprocessed maple sap which I couldn't stomach. I did it because I'm trying to figure out my food migraine triggers. Only one I know for sure is potatoes. Now that I'm back to eating solid food, I'm going to slowly reintroduce suspicious items like yeast, soy, and dairy and we'll see what results in a return to eating excedrin like candy! But you know, soy is in EVERYTHING! It's crazy. I spent an hour at the grocery store yesterday reading labels and trying to figure out what I could eat that I actually have time to eat. Lots of stir fry from fresh stuff, as you'd expect, but no more soy sauce or many other flavorings. Garlic it is. No wonder the mistletoe isn't working!
Well, it'll be an adventure, but I'll say this for the whole process: I'm in no risk of gaining the dreaded Holiday Pounds! In fact, I've lost 15. Amazing what not eating for a week will do to you. If I kept that up, I could disappear completely in just a few months! Ish!
...or not...
Ooh, ooh, Merry Christmas, everybody! How thrilling that we all find ourselves here there and everywhere but celebrating in many of the same ways, even if they're somewhat varied. I took myself to Target a couple weeks ago and spent I don't want to admit how much, but the result is a very Christmas-y house, indeed, complete with a designer tree in the living room and my parent's mini Fiber Optic tree in the kitchen, and two sets of mistletoe...not that it's getting any use.
I took my roomy Ally to the airport this morning and was thwarted by a closed REI. Really looking forward to going, but alas! It doesn't open til 10. I've been thwarted by a closed or otherwise un-successful REI visit three times in the last month, now. Erg! But this situation has introduced me to yet another eternal principle. This one is #33:
Eternal Principle #33:
Never become fixated on purchasing someone a specific gift that you can only acquire in one place. The amount of time buying said gift will triple the cost and leave you disillusioned once you actually get it.
That said, I think I'll get on REI's online store and see about whether or not they've got what I want.
Oh, update on life--I just spent a full week without eating anything. I drank a special lemonade mix that would have given me all the nutrients necessary to survive if it hadn't consisted of unprocessed maple sap which I couldn't stomach. I did it because I'm trying to figure out my food migraine triggers. Only one I know for sure is potatoes. Now that I'm back to eating solid food, I'm going to slowly reintroduce suspicious items like yeast, soy, and dairy and we'll see what results in a return to eating excedrin like candy! But you know, soy is in EVERYTHING! It's crazy. I spent an hour at the grocery store yesterday reading labels and trying to figure out what I could eat that I actually have time to eat. Lots of stir fry from fresh stuff, as you'd expect, but no more soy sauce or many other flavorings. Garlic it is. No wonder the mistletoe isn't working!
Well, it'll be an adventure, but I'll say this for the whole process: I'm in no risk of gaining the dreaded Holiday Pounds! In fact, I've lost 15. Amazing what not eating for a week will do to you. If I kept that up, I could disappear completely in just a few months! Ish!