The truth is out there...
Today I learned that I actually believe there is such a thing as the truth. More surprising to me was that some people (namely, my roommate) do not. I have yet to figure out what the implications of this are.

Anticipating the crunch Part 2
Mood:  chillin'
I got my schedule signed today and chatted with my academic adviser about goals and majors and things. Apparently he had a horrible summer in Africa -- he got sick and all the vehicles kept breaking down -- but he found two new species of prehistoric ape including the smallest ape ever. He liked my courses and basically said that it doesn't matter whether I major in archeology ar anthropology. In fact, he originally got a geology degree and here he is, in charge of the anthro department at Yale. Life is very long, and especially in disciplines that are closely related, a broad education can't hurt. This was good to hear.

So about those archeology classes -- it turns out that I have to do a report on Wednesday for Ceramics and one on Thursday for Foundations! Ceramics is more reasonable; it's on an article, whereas Foundations is on a whole book! Whhhhaaaaaaaaatt......? Good news=it's all fun stuff to read. Bad news=GAAAAAAAAAAAgonnadie. At least this weekend's pretty free and I'm accidentally ahead in Music homework.

Why do I bother to write how far ahead in my homework I am? Who actually cares? Not one of the five people who read this.

Why am I applying for new activities? Oh, right, because I'm a psycho.

Believe it or not, this is a great day. Bluest sky ever.

Getting my act together
Mood:  down
At the beginning of every semester there is point when I realize that I need to get my act together. It is accompanied by a feeling of inadequacy, especially in the eyes of professors. Last fall this hit me in English and PoliSci, and the following spring in History, French, and Bio. In the end my fears have always been unfounded, whether because I actually shaped up or because my feelings were unjustified.

Today it struck again in my Foundations of Archaeology seminar. First of all, I was late for the second time in a row. This was entirely my fault, because (for no reason I can think of) I was under the impression the class began at 9:30 even though it says very clearly 9:00 on my schedule. On Tuesday when I got there and the prof was already talking, I assumed he was one of those types who start teaching a few minutes early. Today, it occurred to me that no, I actually was late. Hm. Then we had to submit our assignments and talk about them, and mine was most definitely the shortest and least in-depth of them all, though I had deemed it quite fine when I wrote it. Everyone else had contrived their spacing and font size to make one page as full of words as possible. I am not expecting to get an A in this class as of now. Then again, I say that for at least one course at the beginning of every semester.


I lost my planner today, too. How annoying.

The first of many rejections?
The Gallery Guides rejected me as well as my two friends who applied. I'm not terribly upset, even though I wish I'd gotten in. I really hope I get into the YCBA guide program, in which case I won't have to make a decison between the two! And then there is the inevitable TUIB rejection. Good thing I don't have delusions about auditioning for improv or theater.

This year I want to get more involved in YSEC, especially the Climate Campaign. Then there are the Dems, who will be my numner one priority for the next two months and then may well fall off the radar screen for some time. Then there are Tai Chi classes, which I sign up for tomorrow morning. So I'll be plenty busy, just not with anything arty unless I get into YCBA or TUIB. There are so many great things to do here it's ridiculous.

My new hero
Now Playing: Mozart, Divertimento in E Flat, KV 113: 1. Allegro
My new favorite historical figure is Julio C. Tello, the Peruvian archaeologist. He was of native descent and grew up in the mountains where people still spoke Quechua, the language of the Incas. Because he was so precocious as a child, he was sent to Lima to get educated. He got a medical degree and went on to study archaeology at Harvard as well as in London, Paris, and Berlin. He revolutionized Andean archaeology.

For one, his approach was unprecedented. Until his time, research had focused on the coast because the jungles of the highlands were difficult to cross and European archaeologists felt more comfortable in the Spanish-speaking, "civilized" part of Peru. Tello however, took horses into the highlands for his excavations. He talked with his fellow natives in Quechua and combined archaeology with knowledge of the local myths and folk customs.

Tello's conclusions were even more shocking to the archaeological establishment. The general opinion was that the series of pre-Inca societies were able to become "sophisticated" only with the aid of the Maya from Central America, who in turn were thought to have been enlightened by the Chinese. The assumption was that the Indians were not capable of producing civilizations on their own. Tello argued that this was inconceivable because subsistence in the Andes required a deep understanding of the ecology of the region only a people who had been there for many years could acquire. His numerous excavations across the country supported his theory and laid the foundation for Andean archaeology as we know it today.

Cool guy, no? He's a bit of a cult hero in Peru, actually. Everything is named after him. I wish archaeologists got that much honor here! :)

Anticipating the crunch...
On Tuesday I find out if I am accepted to train as a tour guide at the University Art Gallery. That same day, my application to the Center for British Art is due. I'm not sure which one I would choose if I got in to both. The UAG has a much more diverse collection encompassing my very favorite periods, styles, and cultures, but a large part of it will remain under renovation for the next two years. The CBA training is less intensive -- it only meets Friday afternoon rather than Thursday and Friday. I have two FOOT friends in the UAG program. Both let you design your own tour around a theme of your choice. Hm. Of course, the chances that I get into both are quite slim.

Also, I'm beginning to get nervous about my audition for Tangled Up In Blue around the 20th of the month. I really want to do well in the audition even if I don't get in to the group. Of course, if I do get into a gallery program and continue the Democratic and environmental campaigns, I will be busy enough that I don't need singing to keep me occupied. As it is, schoolwork is going to be intense this year. I love reading my archaeology books!

On top of all this, I have been able to work out every day as promised. Free reading and writing haven't fared so well, I'm afraid, but at least school will automatically excercise my mind. My cursing has diminished markedly. New goal: stay sane! :)

Truer words were never spoken
Today's quote is from Anny: "Liking the Yankees too much is a character flaw."

Music makes the people come together...
According to my textbook for music class, all cultures use some kind of "octave" duplication. However, in Chinese music the octave is divided into five separate pitches, rather than our seven, and some Turkish and Arabic melodies make use of fourteen.

One question I had: the book also stated the obvious in describing major keys as happier-sounding than the more ominous or mournful minor keys. What I want to know is, why is it that way? Is there something about the mathematics of the minor key that makes it feel negative to us? I'm sure somebody has studied this.

He needs only this...to cover all the lands in a second darkness
I feel like I have recovered sufficiently from Thursday night to talk about politics again. As President Bush spoke on the last night of the RNC, my friends and I watched with sinking hearts. The consensus was that his speech was fabulous, even better than Kerry's, I fear. I shudder at the core to admit this, but there was a point about two thirds of the way through the speech, when Bush was dishing out his liberation-from-evil rhetoric, when I found myself wondering: Wouldn't it be wonderful if he were right? What if we've been doing the right thing all along? How reassuring would that be?

He was that good.

It didn't help that in the room with us were three conservatives, two of them senior guys who were extremely knowledgeable and well-spoken. One of them has worked as an intern for Bush and assures he is the most humble man alive. The other is socially liberal and disagrees with Bush's stands on marriage and abortion, but will vote for him because he sincerely believes in his economic and foreign policy strategy. Our demoralizing debate following the speech almost brought me to tears and made me suddenly realize how truly wretched politics is. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and never hear another word of Republicans and Democrats. The fight for victory in November seemed hopeless, but more than that, I suddenly saw why so many people stay out of activism. It drains you deeply.

Last night, I was party-hopping with friends when I encountered a longtime campaigning buddy of mine from the days of Dean. He was completely trashed and depressed, and pretty much the only thing he could say was "52-41! It's over!" I had been avoiding newspapers and polls, but my stomach reeled. If Bush really gained that much on Kerry, my once-pounding hope for success is scarcely more than a faint heartbeat.

We must drink, speak and breathe hope for as long as hope survives, and when it is gone, we must yet endure, for endurance beyond hope is the true mark of the strong.

Classes galore!

No classes on Friday for me...the joys of college life. Based on the second round of shopping yesterday, I have decided on five classes for the term. From the group I described Wednesday, I will take two: Archeological Ceramics, and Fiction and Forms of Narrative. In addition, I will take all three courses I shopped Thursday: Foundations of Modern Archaeology, Listening to Music, and Ancient Civilizations of the Andes. I really loved all of them and hope that lvoe will continue. I think I want to major in Archaeological Studies now. This year is going to be great. If I weren't so tired I'd have more to say.