I am finally home, and so happy about it. Going to Vernal, Utah (aka the worst place in existence) for the summer has made me realize how much I love Oregon. Apparently, Eugene is renowned all over the US for being awesome. I would tell people that I was from Eugene, and they would asked, "Is it really as awesome as they say it is?" and I would say, "Yes. Yes it is." (This really is a true story.) It made me want to come home even more.
All in all, I had a good summer. I met some cool people, got some good experience in archaeological survey, and learned a lot about what it is like to work with the government. Though, I don't think I will return to work there next summer. Ideally, I'll be able to find a job in Oregon, now that I have more experience. But as an archaeologist, going away every summer to do field work will probably be a reality.
Now that I'm back in Oregon, I'm moving into my new apartment with Steve. I love the apartment. Hopefully in a few days, we'll be settled, life will slow down and be back to normal. I have almost a month until school starts again, but I still have a ton to do before then. I have to finish my paper for the conference by October, I'm planning on taking the GREs in November, and one of my professors was kind enough to give us homework over the summer. In between these things, I hope to enjoy my summer and Oregon. I still hope to have a bbq in our new awesome backyard.
Well, since I'm back, that will be the end of this blog. I'm thinking about starting another one on this site as a creative writing journal, but that won't be until school starts again. I'll keep you posted. I hope you enjoyed reading about my summer, and thank you for your interest.
About Me
What am I doing here?
This summer I have an internship with the Ashley National Forest in Northeastern Utah doing archaeological survey. I arrived on June 14th and I’ll be here until the end of August.
Archaeological survey work consists primarily of looking for anything that might show the area to be culturally significant. So, while hiking through the forest we’ll be looking for things like lithic scatters (pieces of stone tools), pottery shards, and petroglyphs. While most of what we’re doing is ground survey (simply looking at the surface of the ground for artifacts), we may be digging some test pits too. Most of the artifacts in the area are from the Fremont people, about 2000 to 800 years ago. I hope that I’ll have many pictures of Fremont petroglyphs and artifacts. We’ll also be looking at some historic sites.
This purpose of the work is to record/preserve/salvage any area that is culturally significant before the land is developed by miners, loggers, housing developers, etc. It is required by law for developers to allow the community to comment before any cultural resources (such as archaeological sites) are destroyed, which is why the Forest Service hires archaeologists.
The work I’m doing this summer is similar to the career I want to eventually have, though I would like to do more excavation and research. While archaeology may not be as exciting as Indian Jones makes it out to be, I hope you enjoy reading about my summer.
This purpose of the work is to record/preserve/salvage any area that is culturally significant before the land is developed by miners, loggers, housing developers, etc. It is required by law for developers to allow the community to comment before any cultural resources (such as archaeological sites) are destroyed, which is why the Forest Service hires archaeologists.
The work I’m doing this summer is similar to the career I want to eventually have, though I would like to do more excavation and research. While archaeology may not be as exciting as Indian Jones makes it out to be, I hope you enjoy reading about my summer.
Book reviews and queue
Read:
Ines of my Soul, Isabel Allende
This novel is about the conquest of Chili. Told in first person by a spanish woman, Ines Suarez, it is an empowering tale of how a woman can be strong and important in a time that much must be overcome. As an American anthropologist, the struggle between the Spanish settlers and Indians is fascinating. It is based on a true story. This book is beautifully written, I highly recommend it.
8/10
Reading:
To Read:
Ines of my Soul, Isabel Allende
This novel is about the conquest of Chili. Told in first person by a spanish woman, Ines Suarez, it is an empowering tale of how a woman can be strong and important in a time that much must be overcome. As an American anthropologist, the struggle between the Spanish settlers and Indians is fascinating. It is based on a true story. This book is beautifully written, I highly recommend it.
8/10
The Plague, Albert Camus
A plague hits a normal city in West Africa. The town goes into quarantine and the people must deal with their exile and mortality. Camus has an interesting outlook on life; he's my favorite existentialist. It's a must read if you're into philosophy.
9/10
The Breakfast of Champions, Kurt Vonnegut
I've been recommended Kurt Vonnegut for a long time now, and I finally read him. He wasn't at all what I was expecting, I was expecting something more literary, but instead I got something like Douglas Adams (who I still like). While his satirical humor is entertaining, he attempts to break all of the conventional rules of fiction. I thought this tactic was hit or miss in this book. Sometimes, it was brilliant and funny, while others time I thought it just made the book seem juvenile. By the end, I thought his jokes were getting old, and his themes lost direction. I say this with a grain of salt, however, because I am often critical of unconventional forms of writing. So read it, and tell me if you agree with my criticism.
4.5/10
This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald is always a good read. I liked the Great Gatsby better, but This Side of Paraside is still one of my favorite books. It's a coming of age story about a rich, power-driven kid who goes to Princeton. He tries to find what he truly wants out of life and in the end discovers who he is. You love to hate the main character in the beginning, but at the end you gain an appreciation for him. One of my favorite elements in Fitzgerald's novels are his descriptions of romantic relationships. I always enjoy a good love story. Also, while this book probably only indirectly influenced this, I realized how much I am interested in philosophy and politics. Reading this novel gave me a greater understanding of who I want to be as a writer myself. I highly recommend it.
8.5/10
Ethics for the New Millennium, Dalai Lama
I think it would be easy for someone who wanted to find fault in this book, because the it is incredibly idealistic, possibly impractical. The Dalai Lama directs this book to everyone--of all backgrounds, ethnicities, and religions. Though he is a Buddhist monk, he presents a set of ethics that are standard (but not necessarily followed) by every religion. Compassion, virtue, and respect towards all other human beings is a founding priority to basic religions. The Dalai Lama discusses how we can apply these traits to our daily lives--and even politics. I think if everyone were to take to heart what he has to say, we would all be better people; unfortunately, in our society (American especially) this could be a difficult proposition. Perhaps the people that he primarily interacts with are closer to that ideal than we are, as he does not see a world as John Lennon describes in Imagine (my example, not his) as that far away. I know I will take to heart his advise, and hope that someday we could live in friendlier place. Even for those who might automatically disregard what he has to say on account of his intense idealism, I would recommend this book to everyone, because if everyone read it, perhaps we'd be one step closer to his ideal.
8/10
Reading:
The Audacity of Hope, Barack Obama
A Good Man is Hard to Find, Flannery O'Conner.
To Read:
The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
The Age of Reason, Jean-Paul Sartre
One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemingway
The First Man, Albert Camus
Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert
Short Stories:
The first 49 stories of Ernest Hemingway
Stories, Anton Chekhov
The Age of Reason, Jean-Paul Sartre
One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemingway
The First Man, Albert Camus
Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert
Short Stories:
The first 49 stories of Ernest Hemingway
Stories, Anton Chekhov
Masses, Leo Tolstoy
Jitterbug Perfume, Tom Robbins
Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Death of Ivan Ilyich and other Stories, Leo Tolstoy
please send me recommendations.
please send me recommendations.
1 comment:
Eugene IS awesome. I haven't been out that way in a while. My little bro just moved to Seattle, so whenever I can afford to go out there I'm going to come down to Oregon too and see you! How is everything?
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