elanya

It is the weekend. People are all busy, and not writing exciting things to distract me from my project. Shame on them! This means that I have to think of other ways to distract myself, like doing laundry and making my bed. And just because you *aren't* posting doesn't mean that I'm not checking LJ every ten to thirty minutes to see if you are.

Anyway, I realized that instead of griping, I should help become a solution to this problem of scarce weekend posts. So, this is what you get.

I have most of the first half of my presentation written, or noted, at least, so that I can ramble at will. I just need to write a few things about some specific archaeological sites/investigations from sailing ships, and then I can start gathering rambles for my absolute favourite topic, steamships. I am either going to have to go to the library tomorrow, or to Eller House tonight, to scan pictures and look a few more things up. Well, I have to go to the library regardless, but it isn't open tonight, and I may as well get some scanning done, right? All those sexy steam engine pictures. Actually, the pictures are kind of cool, but I still do not find them very interesting. This is a little strange, since I am generally able to interest myself in just about anything when I am working on a project like this one. Maybe I am rebelling against this class.

Anyway, this has been an update. I hope you have gotten something out of it. At the very least, you can listen to me whine about this presentation and say 'at least I don't have to talk for half an hour about steamboats!' Bastards.

In other news, J&S sent me a package, which came in the mail yesterday. I now own a shiny new copy of Pirates of Tortuga. Alas, imdb has no picture, but though this is set during the reign of Charles II (166?-168? vaguely ;p), the boat on the front is a later style vessel, and the guy is wearing a tricorn and a puffy, ruffled shirt... Also, it has Henry Morgan as a notorious pirate wanted by the British government. I bet Tortuga isn't even owned by the French. It looks awesome! I just need to find someone to watch it with me. I have no DVD player, but they have them at the lab... Yes, maybe I'll go do some 'scanning' tonight, heh heh...

Julie also included a few imps from BPAL that she didn't want and thought she would pass along. I am trying one out today - Ulalume. It started off smelling strongly like pine or some other evergreen, but has settled into something a lot more generically perfume-y. It is neither offensive nor distinctly interesting.

BPAL says: The skies they were ashen and sober;
The leaves they were crisped and sere -
The leaves they were withering and sere;
It was night in the lonesome October
Of my most immemorial year:
It was hard by the dim lake of Auber,
In the misty mid region of Weir -
It was down by the dank tarn of Auber,
In the ghoul-haunted woodland of Weir.

Starry white lilies lend an eerie brightness to the deep black wooded scents of cypress and oak, layered with a touch of crushed dried leaves and the faintest aquatic note.

I suppose, then, that it was the cypress that I first smelled, and now it is mostly the lillies that remain.

So, Fishy came on, and was kind enough to stick around and chat for a bit, about various things.

Now we are talking about things that are very definitely NOT steamships.

Hurrah!

I just ran through my presentation. Incorporating most of the stuff that I can put in to it atm, it takes me about 50 min to run through it all. That means I have about another half-hour to play with, to talk about a few archaeological sites from sail and steam sites, and how to best make use of previous work to minimize the need to excavate and damage the site (which I don't have any information on, so I am pulling out of my ass, but all is cool), and about documentary resources.

Anyway, after having just given a 50 minute presentation to myself, I thought I would take a little break! I thoght I saw curtana and forthright online, but when I tried to send them messages, ICCQ threw a conniption and disconnected. And when I returned, they were gone! An evil ICQ mirage trick. Boo.

I guess I will either have to keep going, or find another distraction. Maybe I will work on The Thing, since I haven't done that today. I made very good progress last night though, and I may even be done by my self-imposed deadline.

Edit: I have actaully decided to print the Thing and take it with me for a nice hot bath, since I have been staring at the computer pretty much all bloody day. Bah. And the same tomorrow...