Sunday, November 19, 2006

What I did today...


It was a cold, fall day here, 1C, so obviously it was ideal weather for a tramp around the Minesing Swamp and Fort Willow. We (my able assistant and I) started out here:

Hmmm, can't see? Here's a closer look:


That right, Minesing Swamp - one of the largest wetland areas in Ontario. This area and this site, Fort Willow


are all part of a project that I am researching for class. For the most part I'm restricting myself to the cultural landscape... because if I tried to do all of the natural heritage of Minesing Swamp as well, it would be impossible. Here's an idea of how big the swamp (ahem, wetland complex) is:


Isn't that big? I'm concentrating on Fort Willow and maybe a little ghost town (if I can ever find it, since the road to it was wiped out this weekend) and the ideas of how people respond to landscapes.

But before I go here's a picture of me, late in the day. Please excuse the blocky look as have three layers on underneath that coat.


And here's a picture of my lovely assistant!


Must go, the pictures have finally uploaded so I can go to bed!

Monday, November 13, 2006

Um, no, I'm not ignoring you guys....

And yes, I finally realized that it's been almost a month since my last blog. It's been a heady mixture of ups, downs, and stress generated almost entirely by my classes and my organizational skills. I hear that it gets better.

I did learn that I was making it much harder on myself than I had to. My prof told me this as I was freaking out about keeping up my reading journal. Apparently, she does not want mini-essays on the 100+ pages of readings each weeks. She wants bullet points and summations. One page or so. This made things easier.

My Plan of Study for my degree is also under review by a number of individuals. In my plan of study, I try to nail down what I'm going to do and how I'm going to do it within the next 2 years between classes and research projects.

Google Earth turned out to be responsible as for why my computer was possessed and kept turning itself into an expensive paperweight. Good bye Google Earth, I shall miss you.

Other assignments were lost during this period & I've had to carve them out of my computer's memory. They're done now. And of course I'm convinced that they suck.

I went to the Ontario Archaeological Conference at the end of October. It was a mild party (compared to other years) and super quick on the papers. A lot of people were mumbling about what the point of a one day conference is. I concur. On the other hand, there were great papers and I learned a lot. But the schmooze factor was way down and that kind of bonding is just as important as the papers.

Newsflash from the OAS - corn (or maize) might have been grown in Ontario much earlier than thought. Like 3 centuries earlier. Kinda kewl.

I did nothing for Halloween. Sad. Wait, that's wrong, I did eat a chocolate eyeball. Still sad.

Got the student loan payment, getting on top of another one. Still not enough money to see me to January AND go see my family. Sucks like the ultimate suckitude.

My skin is doing weird things. I frightened the skin care lady today at Shoppers with my excema that is erupting all over my arms and face. And got free samples. Okay, that was cool.

Especially since she was just seeing my hands. Actually the face was last week and after I stopped using the cheap face creme and took some anti-histamines, you'd hardly know it this week except my eyes are a little red.

The mice are trying to invade. Two mouseholes, into which I stuffed steel wool and duct taped. Still haven't heard from the super though, so I will have to contact the landlord again.

Really craving brownies right now. And really, that's it.

I'm off to review stuff for tomorrow. And then watch Heroes. Because honestly, my brain's not fit tonight for much more.

Kiss.