elanya

(To be updated throughout the day)

This pie is really delicious!

I am going to try and write more about my thesis this term - because of the nature of mu direct studies, I am going to be exploring a lot of important connections between ideas and schools of thought.

I should probably include an English site in my comparison of material cultural assemblages - I should be more in touch with what is going on in my period over in the 'home country;' of my colonists.

I find the Atlantic World concept problematic - the Spanish were all over the place, and many of the marginal types I'm interested in (buccaneers and pirates) also ranged across both oceans in one period or another. Woodes Rogers was just as interested in Madagascar as in the Bahamas. Still, it is possibly a useful unit of study?

Possibly dissertation title: The Harbour Island Archaeological Survey - Maritime Identity in the Atlantic World? Maybe?

McConneville and other historians explore the notion that one of the reasons the American Revolution happened when it did was because it was in this period that Colonials were actually developing *stringer* ties to the home country, and therefore felt more betrayed when they were not treated with what they perceived was their due as *Englishmen*. Someone, and I want to say Bailyn but I'm not 100% sure, promotes this strengthening of identity to the availability of a certain suite of material culture, for example surrounding tea drinking. I know that there have been some studies down archaeologically exploring some of these notions, but I wonder to what extent they have focused on identity not only in the possession of this material culture, but also in its deployment? This is sort of what I am looking at in terms of maritimity.

I'm not convinced this Slauter article really has much to offer me.

I am still not sure what I think of the idea that long distance oceanic travel created a perception of discontinuity between cultural groups with different skin colours. I'm not sure it is true that previously, people had more of a perception of gradient changes between populations, or that it would have necessarily have made a difference. It might have made it easier to perceive people as different, or non-human, but I don't actually think it fits, historically, for instance with the Spanish enslavement/massacre of the people in the Canary Islands... (I had to look that up - I can never remember which islands it is - Canaries, Azores or Cape Verde :p). I don't think the discrimination started as 'racial' as we know it. Some of it was certainly religious and cultural initially, and is probably rooted in the violent encounters during the crusades :p

I'm enjoying the bit in the Slauter article looking at two Atlantic literature scholars examining anti-slavery poetry, and especially the part where it talks about how anti-slavery activists were incredibly racist, and how the poets often had a hard time perceiving 9or at least portraying) their subjects as fuly human.

I am apparently listening to the music sent me in descending order of awesomeness :p Industrial ambient = not my cuppa. Sorry, Wilt, time for a nap.

The redesign of the galleasse on the NB flag make it look even more ridiculous. -_-

Ha! i just received another reply from the HIAS e-mails i sent out back at the beginning of last term!

I may have forgotten to mention it, but I did get *some* money from INA for my project. Hooray! I need to talk to Kevin on Monday. I should be working on an NSF grant :p

Fail fail - I thought I'd ruined the stock I made from my duck, because it gelled. Apparently it is good for stock to gel? Anyone know how much I should use for soup?

Argh, cat, dog that's it. I'm taking down Christmas >:| (This is what happens: Cat knocks ornament on ground. Dog eats ornament -_-)

...Store!

Buck and I are both going to have to wait until Monday to mail out late Xmas packages, being as tomorrow is Sunday :p

Wow, Jennifer sure did drink a lot of Baileys while she was here :x And dad. but mostly Jennifer :x Its okay, I got the leftovers :V *Drinks some with hot chocolate while making soup*

Conversations with my father:
Dad: Who is this?
Me: The Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Dad: What's wrong with them?
me: They're metal.
Dad: Oh.

Soup is on the stove - I put in carrots, celery, green onion, orange ginger sauce, left over duck meat, and some rice mix.

These cookie cutter look awesome, but, as I suspected, are a right royal pain to actually use :x

Sugar cookies are tasty but maybe a little crispier than I'd have liked - I'll try a different recipe next time. The soup is pretty darned tasty! <-this bit again, only later.

Saw two bunnies tonight, of course, after seeing none while dad was here :p