31 posts tagged “school talk”
So, in doing research for my thesis/extra project that pertains to my thesis I came across an organization called SAFE (Saving Antiquities For Everyone). From what I've gone through on their website, they seem pretty cool. And after coming to that conclusion, I got a copy of their internship application. It's unpaid and online which is kinda weird, but it wouldn't hurt to apply. And it's right up my alley as something I know I definitely want to do with my life: put a stop to looting and destruction of museums (and archaeological dig sites).
Anyway, so SAFE has a couple of videos on YouTube that I found to be quite interesting when I was looking into my "extra project that pertains to my thesis" thing (I've been invited by a couple of my favorite professors to help organize SUNY Cortland's candlelight vigil/remembrance board for the 5th year anniversary of the destruction of the Baghdad Museum). You should check them out.
Are you taking a vacation this summer (or this season)? Where are you headed and who's going with you?
So far I have two major trips planned:
- June 2nd, Chrissy and I are leaving Ithaca and driving to Naples, FL. There will be some hanging out with friends, some lounging around doing nothing, and Taylor's wedding festivities.
- June 12th, Chrissy, Adam, and I are taking a flight out of Miami and landing in Mexico City. We're going to be in D.F. the first and last two nights of our stay, I believe. The time in between will be spent wandering around central and southern Mexico. We'll probably spend some time in Acapulco, Vera Cruz, and Palenque, checking out the beach, museums, and archaeological sites (definitely Pacal's temple). We get back to Florida on June 21st and I fly back to Ithaca shortly thereafter.
That's all I have figured out so far. I'd like to get to Canada and visit NYC to see Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp reprise their roles in RENT on Broadway. There might also be a trip to West Fulton, NY to see my grandma Pru which would be lovely.
P.S. I made the President's List this semester. Two A-'s, one A, and an A+ (in Theory, whoa!). Hells yeah.
Saturday I took my archaeology final. Yesterday afternoon I turned in my Thai paper (1,487 words). And five minutes ago I emailed/turned in my theory final (1,413 words). The semester is over. Suh-weet.
Now, when are those professors going to post the freakin' grades, eh?
Well, classes are officially over. I was exempt from my Spanish final because I maintained an A throughout the course (yay!) and I took my Archaeology final yesterday. All I have left are two papers, one on female Thai migrant workers and another on anthropological theory since the '60s. Those should be bundles of fun.
Taylor's wedding is in less than a month. I'm definitely not as skinny as I'd hoped I'd be at this point. But I've started my infamous tuna sandwich crash diet. Fingers crossed that I can lose at least 20 pounds.
Chrissy and Adam are thinking about going to Mexico this summer. If they go, they might take me 'cause of my fly Spanish-speaking skills. I'm dying to go to Mexico. Earlier this week I learned about the Maya in my Archaeology class and I really wanna check out Pacal's temple in Palenque. It'd be pretty cool to read the Popol Vuh in a Mayan ruin.
So, one of my goals this summer is to read at least one book a week (I'll have to pry myself away from this website). How about a list?
Books I've read (so far) this summer
I loved Curtis Sittenfeld's Prep but MOMD was just eh. I like her writing style but the subject matter was kind of boring. I've never read any of Nick Hornby's stuff before (I'm not a big fan of reading British books in general) but the premise seemed pretty cool. I haven't actually finished reading it yet but, if I ignore my papers for another night, I'll be done soon.
Books I want to read this summer
The first couple are for a class I'm taking in the fall, Contact and Culture Change. I figure since that class is going to have a 20 page paper and I'll be starting my thesis, I should probably get a head start. (Speaking of my thesis, I was thinking maybe I could write about the impact of war on museums. I could look at the history of museums (their purpose and all), focus on museums during WWI/WWII, mention the looting that happens during war and what has found its way onto the black market, and finish up with the Iraq war and what priceless artifacts have been lost (mostly Sumerian stuff, I believe). I don't know... I'm still in the really early stages of it. I'll probably spend some time in the Cornell libraries this summer.) Anyways, I watched that really terrible movie adaptation of Growing Up Brady the other night (with an adorable Adam Brody) and thought it'd be fun to read the book. Good thing I found it on paperbackswap 'cause I certainly wouldn't want to be seen buying it. And the last couple are supposed to be pretty good. What's everyone else reading this summer?
I finished my papers. My Theory one ended up being 2 pages short of the requirement... we get a chance to rewrite it, though. There will be a vast improvement in the final draft, vast. I do feel like I got a lot out of it (for the very little effort I put into it). I found out that Ruth Benedict was a bipolar lesbian who hated racism. Her and Sapir (of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis) used to write poems back and forth to each other. Margaret Mead was one big contridiction... she didn't consider herself a feminist (she, in fact, wanted nothing to do with it) but her writings were the inspiration for the feminist movement in anthropology. I read Sally Slocum's essay, "Woman the Gatherer: Male Bias in Anthropology," which was amazzzzing. Look it up on JSTOR, seriously. When I rewrite the paper I'm going to include some thoughts on Sherry Ortner's "Is Female to Male as Nature is to Culture?" which I've only skimmed so far.
I turned in my Stonehenge paper today... a day late. It just didn't want to be written! Frankly, I'm happy it's done (finished, kaput!). I don't think I'll be getting an A but I can deal with a B or C just as l never have to hear, read, or see anything about Stonehenge again unless I'm standing right in front of it. I also never want to do anything related to astronomy again. It is officially my least favorite of the sciences.
Have you heard that Mother Mother song "Neighbor"? Best song ever. I hate that I have to wait until May 8th to get the album. Maybe I'll pretend it's 1996 and tape it off the radio.
My mom bought film for the camera I used to use in my high school photography class. I've been walking around the house (inside and out) taking pictures all afternoon. Turkeys are scared of the shutter noise.
I have big plans for this weekend. One) I'm going to go to Baker's Acres and buy some plants to start the garden. Two) Saturday is Holi at Cornell which I would love to attend if I can convince some other people to go with me. Three) I want to go to the movies on Sunday and see Hot Fuzz, Disturbia, and In the Land of Women. Four) There is no four... one through three should keep me busy enough.
So, I've signed up for my last fall semester classes as an undergraduate:
MWF
10:20 - 11:10 GLY 171 Earth Science
11:30 - 12:20 SPA 305 Spanish Conversation and Composition12:40 - 1:30 HIS 201 The United States Since 1877
TR
11:05 - 12:55 Earth Science Lab (T only)
2:50 - 4:05 ANT 406 Contact and Culture Change
Independent Study
ANT 495 Anthropology Honors I Thesis
Brooks Museum Internship
That's 13 14 credits. Neat. It is going to be a lot of work, especially with applying to grad school. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep on top of everything (unlike I did this semester... Within the next week and a half I have to write 25 pages worth of anthropology papers that I haven't even checked out the books for, much less actually formulated a thesis or two--ugh).
I think I'm kind of digging this new Vox layout. The facebook one sucks, though.
My dearest sister bought me a chicken caesar pita from Chili's--it was delicious and I'll be content for a week. On our way to the recycling center I saw there was a new building going up (a big deal in Ithaca--it's not like Naples where there are things constantly being built). Guess what it is! A MOE'S!!!! Woohoo! I know I shouldn't be thrilled about another chain restaurant, but jeez oh man, I love Moe's (Tijuana Flats is definitely better but I takes what I can gets). I can't wait to eat a Triple Lindy. That will be a happy day.
I'm not digging Geertz very much. I feel like a bad anthropology major when I say that... but it's the truth. Everyone else seems to find great, profound meaning in his writing and I don't. I see tons commas and semi-colons and by the time I finish a sentence I can't remember what the beginning was about... Sigh. There has been one cool thing that Geertz wrote that I liked (it's in the middle of a sentence at the beginning of the prijaji section of Religion of Java); 'whatever lives feels, whatever feels lives." That's about as profound as I get.
I love that song. I'm a fan of when punk bands cover songs... thus, why I love, love, love the Gimme Gimmes.
So, as the title states, I'm avoiding Theory right now. I've got a midterm tomorrow. We're to write an essay about Theory stuff using memorized quotes and citations. Since I won't find out the prompt 'til tomorrow I'm working on a really general essay that talks about the unilineal evolutionists (Darwin, Spencer, Morgan), Durkheim and functionalists who were influenced by him (Malinowski and Radcliffe-Brown), and the founding of American Anthropology (Boas, Benedict, Mead). I've only got the introduction done. But I did memorize Tylor's definition of culture!!
Culture or civilization, taken in its wide ethnographic sense, is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society (1871, Primitive Cultures).
Pretty sweet, eh? Now, I should go memorize important quotes for each of the above mentioned people. Fun. Why didn't I start this at the beginning of spring break?
