My school progress has been slightly derailed by the reading of a really kick-ass Atlantic maritime histoty of Bermuda. It is making me thing about many thing, and I'm enjoying it a lot! I'm probably about halfway through the actual text, which is about 500 pages.... plus another 200 of notes and index. Its a big book - probably this is why it costs a$50! Also it is Hardcover. It is only a matter of time before I order my ow copy :D

In food news, I have been doing a bit of experimental cooking lately. On Sunday (Maybe Monday?) I made a brisket in the crock pot, only with the addition that I added a bunch of Stuff! in the bottom! Stuff being: a can of diced tomatoes, 1 chopped green pepper, 1/2 a chopped onion, 2 dice seranno peppers, a ton of garlic. I used a rub on the brisket that i don't remember the details of exactly (I made a ton of it last time I made brisket, inspired by various internets recipes.... it is chili powder based, with garlic, salt and pepper, cinnamon, and maybe coriander? Cloves? I forget, honestly). I also threw some more of the rub in with the veggies. It turned out really well - the meat infused with the veggie flavours a bit, and the veggies all stewed up and got infused with the meat juice, and the brisket didn't dry out too much when cooking. Success!

Tonight I made some brown rice, and used the juice that I'd saved from the veggies to make a risotto, as I have been craving carbs lately and hope this will be a better option. I also added the rest of the veggies to it, nom nom nom...

Of course because it is frickin' cold in here (bah on lack of insulation), I decided I should do some baking to round out the healthy cooking... So I juuuust took some experimental brownies out of the oven. Now, I could probably have found something similar to what I wanted by checking the internets, but I was feeling experimental! I wanted chocolate peanut butter brownies! So I made normal brownies, and also some peanut butter stuff to swirl in (I wanted something like cheesecake brownies, only without the cream cheese..). The stuff was an egg, 1/2 C pb, and a tablespoon or so each of sugar (I was using unsweetened natural pb) and flour (as a thickener). It was probably too thick, actually! I filled the pan a little over half-way with brownie, then loped unequal portions (whoops) of pb and brownie batter on top of that. I had to smooth it out with a spatula, and I suspect it got a little more blended than I would have preferred. We'll see when I cut them open, which should be soon @_@

Its been kind of nice to have a night where I'm not super tired to catch up on house stuff - I did a bunch of dishes, and used my kitchen, and generally feel better about life. Tomorrow I am going to go swimming with Megan, and am looking forward to it (how I feel when the pool looms large in front of me is a different matter...). It is going to be cold again tomorrow, and maybe snow tomorrow night or Friday morning. I heard reports of now this morning too, so here's hoping we might see a bit this year!

Now I'm gonna read more about Bermuda :D

ETA: brownie turned out very well!possibly need more of the PB, though that's a lot of PB...

So, I took my computer in today to be looked at. They charge $65/hour for a 'rush' job, which means in the next 2-4 days, as opposed to 7-10.... and he told me they are busy atm so it would probably be closer to 10 :p he could have been full of lies, but even seven is a long time for me!

Anyway, since I already checked the lcd inverter, that should narrow it down a bit, I hope. I think it is a bad connection somewhere, really, and I am hoping that it will be really obvious to them -_-

So anyway, I am really only going to be online from work or school (where I am now) until it gets fixed. so, I may go a little crazy. I am in theory here to do work, but I have mostly been catching up on internet things :p

I am opening files now, though, so that may result in productivity....we can only hope ;p

Well, I'm here before eleven - I'll consider that a win.

I have a bunch of things I want to do today, other than just working on artifact processing.

-talk to donny about teaching next year (again)
-talk to Kevin about money (again), ha.

...I'm sure there was more.

Anyway. I got an email from my dad this morning asking em about summer plans. Then I was talking to Ryan, who is moving, and both these things have been making me think.

I really really enjoy/prefer living on my own, but I know I can live with people. However I have a shit ton of Stuff, and two pets. I'm not exactly a slob, but I'm not the neatest person in the world either. I like having my own space, and then some. On the other hand, if the rent is going to go up again this year, as it has ever year since I moved in, then where I'm at is less attractive. Even if moving would mean having to paint my walls :p

I still don't know what I am going to do this summer. My grandmother is ill - still in the hospital after her fall a month or so ago. I'd like to see her, and maybe my dad. But there are also other peeps that I haven't seen in forever (Julie and Steve!) that I'd like to see (well, also Jodie and Stephen and Kiera, but that's even more of a pipe dream). And also Underworld @_@

Ugh.

Oh also I got my Glasscock rejection letter. Yeah, don't be discouraged from applying ion the future, my ass :p

I managed to get all of my list stuff done, but then it was 9, and my night stalled out early, so I watched the end(!!!) or Utena with curtana, and it was all awesome bt in a way that really I can't figure out how to explain. Its a really powerful story about friendship and love, and the line (circle?) between slefishness and selflessness, and the power of our own memories over ourselves. Anyway, it is awesome. An no one turns into a race car, but boys do get their pictures taken on one shirtless. because photography = preserving a moment = preseving memoy and/opr preserving youth and sexy vitality. Or somethin. Anyway.

Then I did some writing for a game, and now I am going to bed! My body is both moaning from yesterday's workout and begging for more, so maybe I will do some pushups to keep it satisfied. For the record, front squats are awesome.

Sleeeep!

Oh no wait I got derailed talking about utena and didn't talk about any of the stuff I'd intended.

hem.

I need to find some more stuff for my display on Saturday afternoon. I have.... a pot? I'd like some other 'artifacts' that kids can handle. I also have a groundstone axe I made, I guess I could use that :x but I need moooooar stuuuuuf! So I need to sort that tomorrow. i am thinking about taking a half day to do that and also work on artifacts tomorrow afternoon, and also catch the AIA lecture about Viking longships :D 'cause it is at 5:30, and if i leave at the normal time I'll miss it :/

Okay, now sleeeeeep!

My department is seriously considering a name change from the Department of Anthropology o the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology.

I am not especially fond of the idea, (not that I have any real input into the matter), and I am trying to decide if I am just being resistant to change or if I just disagree with their reasons. Unfortunately, this is only semi-coherent, as I don't have the time to put together something more organized. I have actual work to do, strangely enough! But this is important enough to be to take a half-assed stab at, at least.

The main arguments *for* it are, as far as I can determine...

1. We have a disproportionately high number of archaeologists on staff (mostly because of the Nautical program), and the new name would therefore reflect that difference.

We actually just got sent a chart one of the faculty prepared, that shows that compared to 91 other institutions (I don't know all which, though), we have one of the highest ratios of archaeologists to other anthropologists (see what I did there) in the country, at 54%. We also have one of the higher ratios of combined archaeologists and biological anthropologists to other anthropologists in the country, at 69%. I have no idea how exactly this is supposed to be relevant, as bioarch is *not* archaeology, but considered one of the four fields all on its own. Also - we don't have any linguistic anthropologists that I'm aware of, so what his is really saying is that we still have 31% of the faculty who are cultural, and only 15% are bioarch. Really, my problem with this argument boils down to the question of why having a large number of archaeologists magically separates the sub-discipline from its parent. Get enough of them together, and archaeologists are somehow not anthropologists anymore?

2. Because the new name would better reflect the reality of the department, we would attract more undergrads. We need to attract more undergrads because of the financial crunch and related budget crunch.

First of all, this only works if you assume that kids applying for college know what archaeology *is*, and don't know how to find the relevant department otherwise. Which seems a little silly to me, as the rest of us archaeology types throughout the years seem to have figured it out. The real cynic in me expects that we're going to get a lot more 'so when do we get to the dinosaurs' type questions if we take *this* attitude :p Anyone interested in anthropology has to take one of the many many intro courses anyway, all of which at least briefly discuss the four fields... So anyone considering the department as a major will have already encountered us in that sense. Anyone who googles 'tamu archaeology' is also going to find us - it really is not that hard. Do we have any evidence that kids who are interested in archaeology have trouble finding us? Maybe I'm just not understanding the argument here. maybe they are tying to argue that kids have a better idea of what archaeology is than anthropology, and might be more willing to check out the department.... and, you know, the intro to *anthropology* courses.... because of it? You don't think they're going to go 'where are the into to archaeology courses'? It just seems tricksy. Luring them in is going to create expectations that we're not exactly prepped to handle, because some of our archaeology faculty DON'T TEACH UNDERGRADS! EVER! My program specifically has very slim undergrad course-to-faculty ratio :p and not all the courses taught are even really directly relevant to archaeology, in name or content, and sometimes both. If you are just looking at the undergrad offerings, then our department's distribution is a lot less clearly weighted towards archaeology. In fact.... looking at the catalog of courses offered since 2008, archaeological focused ones only make up around 10% of the undergraduate offerings. Bah.

Obviously the name change is not relevant to attracting students at the graduate level in the same way. At that point, it becomes a completely different and much more internally (to the discipline) political issue, which I haven't seen considered at all.

3. Other reasons
There are some other reasons given, but those are the main onces I've seen pushed. One of the others was that Nautical arch is really not explicitly anthropological, so the general department name is not reflective of what we do. Which really just makes me cringe, because, of course, we *OUGHT* to be *more* anthropological, in my mind. Another is that no one really knows what the department does. And this is just going to send the message that what we do is 'archaeology', which is not anthropology. So, yeah...'hi, did you dig up any dinosaurs lately? Did you find any gold?' The name change is not going to promote any understanding of the department or what we do - it is just going to create more separation in the mind of the public between archaeology and anthropology :p Again, I don't see how this is going to potentially protect us from budget or program cuts. Another is that other universities have split their departments or deal with archaeology separately. As I referenced in regards to attracting graduate students, this is a disciplinary/political issue that no one is *apparently* talking about. Bah. Hello elephant, how are you and how did you get into the room?

I am more or less okay with the four fields approach, though really I think there should be more integration within the discipline (or more recognition of existing overlap, in some cases), not less (and I am going to reference a great blog article for a bigger discussion of the issue, though it focuses on linguistic anthropology, over at Glossographia). The separation is acceptable *within* anthropology, but the idea of defining archaeology as separate from anthropology bothers me. I really am not convinced by any of the arguments presented, as you can see. So... there is the 2cents I currently have time for :p

Now I need to do some real work.

But something I can't quite see, or touch, or feel.... or put my finger on.

What is it?

My utter lack of motivation. ugh. I need to go out and get some more camera batteries, and some other things, probably at target, but I just really really don't want to go out. Which is sad, because I have a ton of things that need doing. And classes start today, hooray -_-

I need to sort out what I am doing with my artifacts now that they are here :V Obviously I need to create a more comprehensive catalogue. I have some ideas, but honestly my experience with these things is limited :x

I need labeling supplies at least - clear nail poilish and some microns for the ceramics. I can write right on most of it. I'm going to bring in the camera and tripod as well so i can get images. I'll need some black fabric as well, but the light in here, at least in the morning, seems like it should be good to work with.

The gist of things is that I think I'm going to have my lunch, and then go home so I can go out and do a bit of shopping :p And work on the paper I owe Ben this afternoon.

Ugh

Went to the gym this AM with tethys123, locker FAIL. Things *eventually* got sorted. Did 1/2 hour on elliptical despite not gyming since the end of spring semester. Survived! Decided to do legs. Went to do squats, decided to aim for a meager 75 lbs on account of... not gyming since the end of etc. Didn't seem to bad, but due to not stretching or warming up properly(?), pulled something in my inner thigh on the first set. Bleh. Did back/side hyper-extensions and a ton of yoga and stretches instead.

Megan nicely took me to Goodwill, where I nabbed a VCR for $10. let the screening of anth films begin :V

Came home, went to Shipleys, ate doughnut while arseing on the internet, passed out for an hour.

Woke up. Showered. Tried to make myself do work. Got some books out. Made some toast. Ate some toast. Arsed around on the internet. Did a little bit of work. Passed out (sort of) for another hour.

Lather, rinse repeat. -_-

Just was forced out of what was closer to a 2 hour lie down by J who wanted out. Took her out briefly. I an still exhausted. I haven't been sleeping well, but my naps (when I can actually sleep during them, as opposed to just lie there like a legless zombie) have not been very successful. On top of just being *tired* now I'm physically tired from the gym as well. I have.... revised about a paragraph of the article I owe Ben for the end of the month. I don't have either the mental or physical energy for anything. I don't even know :/ This morning I had an epic idea for a really cute short story that wouldn't take me long to write, but I've forgotten most of it and don't have time anyway. too much work, too many other half-fulfilled writing projects...

Bleh. I don't think I've been eating poorly. I don't think it is bees. I don't know, maybe it is just the start of term. :/ I definitely need a new mattress (ha, how long have i been saying that? :P), but I don't think that can really account for all of it.

Bleh.

So, term starts.... next week, I think?

I have until Friday to pay for my fees and such, which hopefully will be possible.

I need to figure out how I'm going to organize my time this semester - I have teaching, and research, and that will have to include grant applications and finishing my article for publication. ugh.

Well today I am going in to clean out the rest of the stuff from my old office and find out where my new one is :o and return keys, distribute cakes, etc. wooh!

Going now, no really!

Tomorrow I am supposed to give Kevin a bibliography of the article I am supposed to be wriihg about the social use of space on ships.

What I have done so far is put all the bibliographic info I have from the paper i wrote my first term here in to endnote.

I think I had planned to focus on 18th century vessels. I feel like I'm cheating.

I can add some stuff that I read for my prelims that I think will be useful, but really..... yeah. I feel like a fraud :x

I also feel like I'm not actually done with this yet and ack!

Stupid brain-eating Star Trek.

As an aside, does ST fandom just not like angst? Is that it? Only it can't be, because new! Spock is all full of half-Vulcan angst. But I mean really, I have found only one other person online who has even conceived of Nero/Ayel. Hot Romulan on Romulan man action! Seriously - they are *in prison* for like 25 years! :V

And this is why I can't get any work done, and also why I am a bad person.

Ugh. I sleep now.