Well, the 2007 USAS/UPAC Convention is officially OVER!!! Celebrate one less thing to juggle! It went off well, though, and I'm tired but satisfied. I was, as expected, voted in as statewide secretary. The President's Meeting was this morning and went fairly well. I'm sitting here trying to work up the motivation to type up the minutes and get them sent off to the webmaster, now. Oy. But I don't think things will be as difficult as they could be, so I suppose I'll survive and it'll be a good experience to operate with such a good-sized organization.
Other than that, work goes well, and I'm completely happy. Wish we'd gotten more snow-pack in the mountains--fire season is gonna be bad--but for the most part it's going to be a light field-season. In light of my continuing back problems, it's probably for the best.
That said, I'm jetting off Thursday with John to see the Manti Pageant and crash overnight with a friend there. Then on to Zion NP for a weekend camping trip with the Jolley-Odenwalder clan...well, the parts not in Taiwan and Florida! It should be really fun and a nice opportunity to see how John handles three days in the wilderness...a critical test-point for me. =)
You know, one of these days, he's gonna start reading this and I'll be in trouble for everything I've written. =) That said, he'll actually probably get a kick out of it. Things are going well, but we're trying to keep it slow, though, so, he won't read this anytime soon. Too much random musing-style bizarroness for a boy to handle until he's thoroughly smitten. =)
It's now 171 days until Angela and I fly out for our Disney trip. She still doesn't know the details, and I figure there perfect for the flight rather than anytime before then. But I think we're both doing relatively well at staying excited for a trip that's still more than a season away!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
SIR Winter 2007
Semesters-In-Review ought to be long detailed accounts of specific achievements and failures. I have one 12 page paper left to do and the semester is over. Gotta be honest, it's not a particularly memorable, or worthy of recording, semester as school goes.
GIS was definitely worth taking and totally doesn't deserve to be a 4 credit class! It'll look good on the resume and I did pick up a few neat tips that I didn't know about before, so that's cool. I've got access to the ESRI training module online until next January, too, which is super.
Southwest Seminar was sometimes tedious, and I won't remember most of the details of the cultures and time periods, but it was very educational in terms of enlightening me to the very real differences in approach between Great Basin and Southwest archaeology. Such a pity we don't do real theory up north. The most important development, I guess, is a healthy appreciation for the importance of community studies. Not surprising given that Jim taught this one. Ultimately, if I had to sum up my feelings towards the class, though, it'd have to be something like "mmmm, Chaco...road trip...mmmm!"
History of Archaeology was the only class I actually needed this semester and I certainly would have had a lot more time to burn had I just stuck to this one and a bunch of thesis credits. Alas! But it was good for me. I really enjoyed this class. A good review of all the basics and some insights that I missed in previous theory-type classes. Jaime is a fabulous lecturer (this statement may be biased since she rarely actually lectured and bought us breakfast several times). I enjoyed the youthful and Oxfordian perspective on things. Made me dream of Cambridge a tidge without any intention of follow-through.
I defended my thesis proposal, too. I'd consider linking it here, but we changed what I'll actually do so thoroughly in the 1 1/2 hours we sat there that it wouldn't do any good. I'm excited by those changes, however, as they've turned the basic content back to my primary interests. I'm not particularly motivated enough to write about them here just now, but I'm sure you'll be subjected to more as the year goes on.
As far as extra-curriculars, I've got quite a lovable boy that I spend a goodly portion of time with these days. As a result, I haven't hung out with friends and such as much, but I consider it a fair trade for now. Work has been like pulling teeth. I've just really never had the time to make hours and it's frustrating and a half. But that's life.
And now, all that's left is the thesis! I'm back on full-time with the Uinta for the summer and probably part of the fall, though that'll be out of the archaeology shop doing recreation house permitting, and I'll probably try to keep putting in some hours for Jim and Dr Clark. My weekends are gonna save my life this summer, but in theory, I'll come out of the end of the federal fiscal year in better financial standing than I've been in all through grad school. Ish. If only we didn't have to deal with money! What junk it really is. Ironic--my thesis will deal with economic status. But not nearly as much as it would have, so it's all good.
Well, that's about it. Anything interesting, I'm sure, will be posted. Check out utaharchaeology.org for details on the up-and-coming Utah Statewide Archaeological Society/Utah Professional Archaeologist Council conference in Orem. I did the graphic design for the logo. We're printed it up on water bottles and they turned out pretty cool, if I do say so. One less thing to get done in the next month!
GIS was definitely worth taking and totally doesn't deserve to be a 4 credit class! It'll look good on the resume and I did pick up a few neat tips that I didn't know about before, so that's cool. I've got access to the ESRI training module online until next January, too, which is super.
Southwest Seminar was sometimes tedious, and I won't remember most of the details of the cultures and time periods, but it was very educational in terms of enlightening me to the very real differences in approach between Great Basin and Southwest archaeology. Such a pity we don't do real theory up north. The most important development, I guess, is a healthy appreciation for the importance of community studies. Not surprising given that Jim taught this one. Ultimately, if I had to sum up my feelings towards the class, though, it'd have to be something like "mmmm, Chaco...road trip...mmmm!"
History of Archaeology was the only class I actually needed this semester and I certainly would have had a lot more time to burn had I just stuck to this one and a bunch of thesis credits. Alas! But it was good for me. I really enjoyed this class. A good review of all the basics and some insights that I missed in previous theory-type classes. Jaime is a fabulous lecturer (this statement may be biased since she rarely actually lectured and bought us breakfast several times). I enjoyed the youthful and Oxfordian perspective on things. Made me dream of Cambridge a tidge without any intention of follow-through.
I defended my thesis proposal, too. I'd consider linking it here, but we changed what I'll actually do so thoroughly in the 1 1/2 hours we sat there that it wouldn't do any good. I'm excited by those changes, however, as they've turned the basic content back to my primary interests. I'm not particularly motivated enough to write about them here just now, but I'm sure you'll be subjected to more as the year goes on.
As far as extra-curriculars, I've got quite a lovable boy that I spend a goodly portion of time with these days. As a result, I haven't hung out with friends and such as much, but I consider it a fair trade for now. Work has been like pulling teeth. I've just really never had the time to make hours and it's frustrating and a half. But that's life.
And now, all that's left is the thesis! I'm back on full-time with the Uinta for the summer and probably part of the fall, though that'll be out of the archaeology shop doing recreation house permitting, and I'll probably try to keep putting in some hours for Jim and Dr Clark. My weekends are gonna save my life this summer, but in theory, I'll come out of the end of the federal fiscal year in better financial standing than I've been in all through grad school. Ish. If only we didn't have to deal with money! What junk it really is. Ironic--my thesis will deal with economic status. But not nearly as much as it would have, so it's all good.
Well, that's about it. Anything interesting, I'm sure, will be posted. Check out utaharchaeology.org for details on the up-and-coming Utah Statewide Archaeological Society/Utah Professional Archaeologist Council conference in Orem. I did the graphic design for the logo. We're printed it up on water bottles and they turned out pretty cool, if I do say so. One less thing to get done in the next month!
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
"Daddy, I met a man in Rome..."
So maybe it was my ward instead of Rome, but he really is "wonderful and brilliant". Now don't get me wrong, the final phrase of this Father of the Bride reminisce, "and we're getting married," isn't coming any time soon, but I thought while I'm sitting here twitterpated I might as well blog about it. Hokey much? Ay well!
Well, now I've mentioned it, I guess I have to talk about it: I've been dating this guy for about a month. He's in my ward and is a Statistics major at the Y. Great guy--very level headed and uber-focused on the Gospel, which is really good for me. I met his family Saturday and ended up watching a session of General Conference with them on Sunday. Good people.
We were talking about it today and decided that we're one of those unlikely couples that noone ever would have called and people don't quite understand. That said, we've both liked each other since the fall, so in a way, it was only a matter of time until he got guts enough to ask me out. =)
My favorite thing about him? He's a spiritual giant. Not just an RM or a worthy priesthood holder, or whatever, but an absolute giant. Makes me my very best self when I'm with him and he seems to think I'm worth being with. Crazy but true, so there it is.
Anyway, juvenile to post about? Perhaps, but barring allowing myself to spend the next hour writing in my journal about every silly detail that I'm not foolish enough to bore the general internet audience with, I thought this might be a good way to get things off my chest--having just had lunch with him--so I can hunker down and study until all odd hours of the night so we can hang out together again tomorrow!
Well, now I've mentioned it, I guess I have to talk about it: I've been dating this guy for about a month. He's in my ward and is a Statistics major at the Y. Great guy--very level headed and uber-focused on the Gospel, which is really good for me. I met his family Saturday and ended up watching a session of General Conference with them on Sunday. Good people.
We were talking about it today and decided that we're one of those unlikely couples that noone ever would have called and people don't quite understand. That said, we've both liked each other since the fall, so in a way, it was only a matter of time until he got guts enough to ask me out. =)
My favorite thing about him? He's a spiritual giant. Not just an RM or a worthy priesthood holder, or whatever, but an absolute giant. Makes me my very best self when I'm with him and he seems to think I'm worth being with. Crazy but true, so there it is.
Anyway, juvenile to post about? Perhaps, but barring allowing myself to spend the next hour writing in my journal about every silly detail that I'm not foolish enough to bore the general internet audience with, I thought this might be a good way to get things off my chest--having just had lunch with him--so I can hunker down and study until all odd hours of the night so we can hang out together again tomorrow!
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Time and the SFLC
I think this is a recurring theme for all of us and don't suppose I'm offering any new insight, but isn't it amazing how time flies even as it drags on?
This has probably been one of the longest weeks of my brief life thus far, and it's not even noon on Wednesday. Maybe weeks tend to feel long when you never catch your breath over the weekend before...
All of this dragging on, of course, is also part of the natural progress for the end of a semester. We've got less than 4 weeks left, now, and that means most of the little assignments are over and all the big ones are looming large. My first big deadline is next Monday and don't think for a second I'm not far too aware of how much I've got to do by then. So why isn't the week flying by? One would think I'd be so rushed that I'd be running running running until I suddenly realized it was 11 and I ought to think about catching a few hours of sleep. But instead, time is eeking by. I feel as if I am genuinely living every second with a consciousness of what impact the passing of that second may have on my life. So here I've invested give-or-take 6,000 seconds in contemplation of the passing time because I've become so darned aware of it that I can't help but turn my attention to it. And that, of course, prevents me from doing the things that would allow me to have less stress associated with all these little seconds.
Vicious cycle. But then, what isn't? It's ll just one eternal round of life-as-we-know it.
On an entirely different topic, I've had all sorts of bizarre memory-images of the old Smith Family Living Center at BYU in the last few weeks. I had class there once or twice during my undergrad, but it was knocked down and built over years ago. There's a part of that building that I can't quite picture clearly anymore and it's about driving me crazy. Was it one big room or several small ones? Step down or up? Or maybe it was just another hallway with a few offices... Whatever it was, my mind's eye seems to be suddenly fixating on it and I haven't the foggiest why. See my point? Another vicious cycle. We have so very little control over our own brains, let alone our time...what in the world will be subjected upon us over the course of eternity?
This has probably been one of the longest weeks of my brief life thus far, and it's not even noon on Wednesday. Maybe weeks tend to feel long when you never catch your breath over the weekend before...
All of this dragging on, of course, is also part of the natural progress for the end of a semester. We've got less than 4 weeks left, now, and that means most of the little assignments are over and all the big ones are looming large. My first big deadline is next Monday and don't think for a second I'm not far too aware of how much I've got to do by then. So why isn't the week flying by? One would think I'd be so rushed that I'd be running running running until I suddenly realized it was 11 and I ought to think about catching a few hours of sleep. But instead, time is eeking by. I feel as if I am genuinely living every second with a consciousness of what impact the passing of that second may have on my life. So here I've invested give-or-take 6,000 seconds in contemplation of the passing time because I've become so darned aware of it that I can't help but turn my attention to it. And that, of course, prevents me from doing the things that would allow me to have less stress associated with all these little seconds.
Vicious cycle. But then, what isn't? It's ll just one eternal round of life-as-we-know it.
On an entirely different topic, I've had all sorts of bizarre memory-images of the old Smith Family Living Center at BYU in the last few weeks. I had class there once or twice during my undergrad, but it was knocked down and built over years ago. There's a part of that building that I can't quite picture clearly anymore and it's about driving me crazy. Was it one big room or several small ones? Step down or up? Or maybe it was just another hallway with a few offices... Whatever it was, my mind's eye seems to be suddenly fixating on it and I haven't the foggiest why. See my point? Another vicious cycle. We have so very little control over our own brains, let alone our time...what in the world will be subjected upon us over the course of eternity?
Saturday, March 10, 2007
There's something to be said...
...for being a lady. I've only recently discovered this one. Shocker, eh? But it's none the less true. About three weeks ago, my roommate started lecturing me--"If you'd act a little more proper, I swear you could have any guy you want." Ok, try me. The result: I'm not allowed to get really comfortable or have my elbows on the table, but I've been out on an amazing date! Go fig!
...for prioritizing in reverse. Let me review this principle if you haven't read all my entries and encountered this before--you've got this BIG thing coming up in your life, like the biggest ever. It haunts your dreams. You feel intense guilt doing anything else because it means you're neglecting preparation for that one BIG thing. So make yourself a list. What else do you have to do? I mean the little things that you've probably been back-burnering for months now. Ok, rank these things. The BIG thing is #1 and let's say you've got 20 things total. Ok. Now reverse the list and start doing everything, in order, with a very realistic idea of how much time each thing will take. You probably won't sleep for the next few days, but when the BIG thing is over, you've not only eliminated the pressure of that one responsibility but also all the other little things that just quietly haunt you. Granted, it won't take you more than a couple days to have a new list of 20 things to back burner. Take a week off and then lather, rinse, repeat.
...for cultivating an ability to smile no matter what. It's simply a scientific fact that those who can keep a light optimistic attitude will go through life with greater ease and satisfaction, no matter the trial. Why's this one on my mind? I just defended my MA thesis proposal. Two hours of being grilled by one particular professor on every detail of the research design, which he, in essence, found boring and inapplicable. I went into those two hours knowing he would do it, too. So I just smiled (to myself, granted) and decided to bend and flex instead of letting him belittle me. To his credit, he handled well having a student get a little cheeky with him. =) And in the end, I showed myself just flexible enough to change that we worked out a whole new plan that looks rather remarkably like what I proposed a year ago and had completely shot down. Hmmm...so if I come up with it, it's crap, but if you come up with the exact same thing, it's academic and appropriately challenging and insightful. Amazing.
...for prioritizing in reverse. Let me review this principle if you haven't read all my entries and encountered this before--you've got this BIG thing coming up in your life, like the biggest ever. It haunts your dreams. You feel intense guilt doing anything else because it means you're neglecting preparation for that one BIG thing. So make yourself a list. What else do you have to do? I mean the little things that you've probably been back-burnering for months now. Ok, rank these things. The BIG thing is #1 and let's say you've got 20 things total. Ok. Now reverse the list and start doing everything, in order, with a very realistic idea of how much time each thing will take. You probably won't sleep for the next few days, but when the BIG thing is over, you've not only eliminated the pressure of that one responsibility but also all the other little things that just quietly haunt you. Granted, it won't take you more than a couple days to have a new list of 20 things to back burner. Take a week off and then lather, rinse, repeat.
...for cultivating an ability to smile no matter what. It's simply a scientific fact that those who can keep a light optimistic attitude will go through life with greater ease and satisfaction, no matter the trial. Why's this one on my mind? I just defended my MA thesis proposal. Two hours of being grilled by one particular professor on every detail of the research design, which he, in essence, found boring and inapplicable. I went into those two hours knowing he would do it, too. So I just smiled (to myself, granted) and decided to bend and flex instead of letting him belittle me. To his credit, he handled well having a student get a little cheeky with him. =) And in the end, I showed myself just flexible enough to change that we worked out a whole new plan that looks rather remarkably like what I proposed a year ago and had completely shot down. Hmmm...so if I come up with it, it's crap, but if you come up with the exact same thing, it's academic and appropriately challenging and insightful. Amazing.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Piracy
I think piracy may be our only option...it's far to enjoyable to pass up on. The ward had a pirate party last month. There were a number of awards given (I took home best wench for turning my corset around and covering it with cream lace which you unfortunately can't see in this photo) including best pirate (three way tie shown below) and best gay? pirate (that would be Mike--above--in a women's shirt he found in his basement. If you could see the sparklies on it, you'd fully appreciate how much he deserved this).
It was an overall success. I was very pleased. Glad to finally have a functioning committee to plan these things. By the by, the little Captain Jack in the above center is my new co-chair.
Piracy could solve so many of the world's problems, though, if you think about it. Or at least it could solve my problems! I could force someone else to publish in my name and to finish my thesis, which would be particularly wonderful but also heinously wicked. I could also steal a Mazda 3. Don't get me wrong--I love my little Subi--but sometimes there's a deep inner part of my soul that just whispers "zoom, zoom" and starts me salivating.
My views on these matters may be affected by the fact that I just pulled an all-nighter on-campus and am somewhat angry at the world. Not good since I'm about to lead an hour and a half long discussion...hopefully I can keep my tongue in check, but then again,
"Pirate!"
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Singing
So for a few years I've been painfully aware that I've begun to lose the training that I once had simply from lack of practice. I sang All-State in high school and was highest score audition in the community chorale, so coming to Utah and giving up singing noticeably lowered my artsy-fartsy fulfillment quotient. That said, it's not like I'm remotely the biz-snatch of choir singers, but I certainly have had my fair share of experience working with different directors.
Today I got roped into joining a stake choir for their easter performance. I love to sing and yes, I have absolutely resolved to get back into the practice of being actively involved in choirs, but I didn't sign up for Choir Singing 101. Do optional specialty choirs really need directors who treat them like freshmen in high school choir?! I understand personality differences and when a person has their own arrangements, you add in a whole emotional level that's really quite difficult, but I don't think it's necessary to talk down to people. It's not horribly bad...or even enough to get me to quit, but I wish I'd known the director going in. A little mental preparation for "ooohhh, maybe you don't understand my beat pattern, let me explain it again" would have been nice. Se la vie...in the future I'll be ready for it... ...and one and two and...
Today I got roped into joining a stake choir for their easter performance. I love to sing and yes, I have absolutely resolved to get back into the practice of being actively involved in choirs, but I didn't sign up for Choir Singing 101. Do optional specialty choirs really need directors who treat them like freshmen in high school choir?! I understand personality differences and when a person has their own arrangements, you add in a whole emotional level that's really quite difficult, but I don't think it's necessary to talk down to people. It's not horribly bad...or even enough to get me to quit, but I wish I'd known the director going in. A little mental preparation for "ooohhh, maybe you don't understand my beat pattern, let me explain it again" would have been nice. Se la vie...in the future I'll be ready for it... ...and one and two and...
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Up and Coming
Just started a new slough of classes. Joy...
Intro to GIS--mostly looks like it's gonna be painfully easy considering my experience level, but it looks good on the transcript.
History of Archaeology--taught by our youngest professor, Jaime Bartlett, who's finishing up her dissertation at Oxford. My fifth theory class, but I think the historical take on it will be interesting. This will hopefully motivate me to get aggressive about working with Clark on the theory text.
Southwest Seminar--totally taking this for fun, though it's certainly useful! Jim's teaching it and there're only three of us in there, so it'll be nice cozy discussion and personal insight heavy. It'll be my most time consuming class, though.
Other than that, I'm really aiming for end of the month/beginning of February to defend my thesis proposal, so I've gotta get cracking. Ultimately, this means there's no more play time in the ward. I'm going to try to preserve my weekends, but even that's looking sketchy. Next Monday's a holiday, thank goodness, so I'll try to get a jump on things.
Rather uninteresting, isn't it? Alas. But on a slightly more unique note, I start physical therapy for my lower back next Tuesday and just picked up a goodly sized run of muscle relaxants and anti-inflammatories. Also, I gave blood today for the first time in quite awhile. It normally takes me like 45 minutes for a pint, but I bled out in 10 minutes! Fabu! This is obviously a sign that I'm becoming more and more watered-down as I age...
Intro to GIS--mostly looks like it's gonna be painfully easy considering my experience level, but it looks good on the transcript.
History of Archaeology--taught by our youngest professor, Jaime Bartlett, who's finishing up her dissertation at Oxford. My fifth theory class, but I think the historical take on it will be interesting. This will hopefully motivate me to get aggressive about working with Clark on the theory text.
Southwest Seminar--totally taking this for fun, though it's certainly useful! Jim's teaching it and there're only three of us in there, so it'll be nice cozy discussion and personal insight heavy. It'll be my most time consuming class, though.
Other than that, I'm really aiming for end of the month/beginning of February to defend my thesis proposal, so I've gotta get cracking. Ultimately, this means there's no more play time in the ward. I'm going to try to preserve my weekends, but even that's looking sketchy. Next Monday's a holiday, thank goodness, so I'll try to get a jump on things.
Rather uninteresting, isn't it? Alas. But on a slightly more unique note, I start physical therapy for my lower back next Tuesday and just picked up a goodly sized run of muscle relaxants and anti-inflammatories. Also, I gave blood today for the first time in quite awhile. It normally takes me like 45 minutes for a pint, but I bled out in 10 minutes! Fabu! This is obviously a sign that I'm becoming more and more watered-down as I age...