This and That

This and That

It has been a long few months for me, between working on my master's thesis and dealing with some serious cardiac issues. As a result, I never wrote some of the entries I had intended to write never. So I'd like to take this opportunity to update my readers on some of the goings-on in Winheld's World.

I visited with my friend and former neighbor, Branden, in mid-August. Despite his physical disability, he has now lived independently for more than two years, and I wanted to check out his place. Though he is several years younger than I am, we got to know each other when we used to share paratransit rides.



After being on a long waiting list, he was able to move out of his parents' home into an affordable, fully accessible apartment (see photos) in a housing development for people with physical disabilities in Philadelphia. Living on my own is something I have always hoped to do. But beside the fact that there is such a shortage of affordable accessible housing in general, it would be a bit more challenging for me because I require nursing care and cannot be left on my own. Still, I was encouraged to see that there are options out there. Meanwhile, I plan on visiting Branden again -- the guy has a fully stocked refrigerator!

In early October, I attended an engagement party for my friends Sarah and Vinny. Sarah and I have known each other since 7th grade. Sarah was the new girl in school that year and practically every guy, including yours truly, had a crush on her! I was pretty shy around girls in those day, but because she lived around the corner, I always made sure to pass by her house in case she was around. Over the years, we have remained good friends. Not only did she come up with the title for my book, but she is also the subject of a humorous anecdote in the book. So it was really wonderful to be in attendance at her engagement party. I've gotten to know Vinny over the past few years and we always seem to hit it off well. July seems like a long time away, but I hope with all of my heart that I will be there to watch them walk down the aisle together.

Finally, in recent weeks, there has been a changing of the guard with my caregivers. First, I lost my long-time evening attendant, who moved out of the area. Then, one of my nurses, who was not only a good nurse but was also available on Saturday evenings so I could get out and socialize with friends, quit in a squabble with my nursing agency.

The details really don't matter. But the point is that in the course of two weeks, I lost two really good caregivers to whom I had grown close. I'm not one to hold a grudge. I appreciate all that my nurses and aides do for me and when it is time for them to move on, I always wish them luck and hope they stay in touch.

The good news is that where one road ends another one begins. My other aide who works in the morning recommended a friend to fill my evening hours and she turned out to be extremely pleasant and dedicated. As for Saturday evenings, a new nurse that had recently come aboard offered to take those hours. I immediately agreed in light of the fact that she is an excellent nurse and we get along well. It helps that we are fairly close in age and she is also a rabid Phillies fan like I am.

Of course, training new staff requires some energy and patience on my part and unfortunately, as I have grown weaker in recent years, it has become a little more difficult. In the end, however, it's always good to see some fresh faces, especially if they are good caregivers.

How Blogging Is Like Oral Sex

I don’t read a lot of blogs.

There. I said it. I’ve owned up to it.

It’s not that I don’t care to, it’s just that I don’t have enough time to. So really, please don’t take this personal. If there were more hours in the day and more minutes in the hour, I would be all about blog browsing (or at least keeping up with my favorites). But you see, this thing called life gets in the way. I don’t mean that in an arrogant "I’m better than you and busier than you" kind of way. I mean that in a "I need to schedule designated blog browsing time into my life" kind of way. Between running my own company, traveling for work, finishing up my masters degree, MMA training, and being a puppy Dad...that leaves little free-time for me to socialize with family, friends, and date. And I’m just going to go out on a limp here and say that it probably would be frowned upon if I took my laptop to bed with me and launched Google’s RSS Reader to catch up on blogs while I was receiving pleasurable activities from my date. There is just something about naughty bits and reading blogs that don't mix. Sort of like how Playboy playmates and brains don't mix.

Recently someone sent me an e-mail stating that they’ve been reading my blog for the past year, but rarely ever comments. She wrote...

"The posts are entertainment enough, but I believe in reciprocity so feel like I should contribute sometimes! I guess I also kind of feel strange that I have been following your writing for over a year now, but in a lurking sort of way. You just share and I take and offer nothing."

Sometimes blogging can be a lot like oral sex. One person gives (the blogger writes a post) and the other receives (the reader enjoys their work). Sometimes the receiver reciprocates (the reader leaves a comment) and sometimes they don’t. Now I don't know about you, but I like my sex like I like my blogging. It should be a two-way street. However, I find myself often more happy with being the giver - in blogging and in oral sex. So in a way, I really don't mind if I don't receive. Still, it's nice to at least give your favorite bloggers a reach around (AKA, post a comment) every now and then to show them their work doesn't go unappreciated.

I've come to discover that only about 10% of people who actually read your blog will leave a comment. So you can't judge your readership base off of the number of comments you get. (And no, your own comments on your own blog don’t count because that's the equivalent of blowing yourself, padding your stats.) I have far more subscribers than actual commenters. That's just the nature of the blogosphere - most people read/lurk than interact. So if you want a more accurate depiction of the traffic you generate, you're better off looking at the number of subscribers you have or website hits you receive, rather than the comment total on any given post.

However, like I've always said, I don't write for comments. That's not what blogging is about. And I'm not comparing blogging to oral sex because I'm trying to hint to the fact that I want you all to suck my dick in a "I love your blog and want to have your baby" kind of way. No, only praise me when you feel praise is do. And only agree with me when you truly do. Otherwise, I want your honest feedback - good or bad, agree or disagree. Give me your insight. Because if we were all thought the same and all got along so swimmingly in this world, how boring would that be? Now I'm not encourage drama, I'm simply encouraging conversation - REAL conversation. Afterall, sometimes the best part about a blog isn't the post that is written, but rather the comments it receives and the conversation it starts. THAT is how blogging is like oral sex. It can generate an intellectual orgasm of the brain, a brain orgy of sorts.

I would like to comment more on other blogs, but when pressed for time, I refuse to be the douchebag that leaves the lame two-word "good post" remark. Therefore I only comment when I feel I have something insightful to say. Or when I'm having a particularly unproductive day and feel like running/surfing around and being a commentwhore. You'll know when those days hit because you'll see my stupid/slutty face stamped throughout the blogosphere. Consider yourself warned.

In closing, I just want to thank those that take the time to leave me comments here or e-mail their personal comments directly to me. I also want to thank those that ReTweet my posts and link to my blog from their little corner of cyberspace. And finally, I want to thank all of you that stimulate my brain and inspire me to keep writing. What I'm trying to say is I value your conversation. "You give good head." Conversation is as much a part of blogging as writing is. It's also why I encourage you to comment on other blogs and get the conversation going there as well. Now if you want to keep lurking, that's fine too. Just know that next week, those who get involved on my blog will be given a sweet reward! A VERY sweet reward. Like a poop your pants, holy shit kind. Trust me, it's good. It's my little way of saying thanks. Besides, it's almost that thankful and giving time of year again and I'm feeling extra festive!

Seriously, stay tuned. Because you won't want to miss this!

For Your Listening Pleasure

For Your Listening Pleasure

I borrowed my nurse's Simon and Garfunkel CD this week and I haven't been able to stop playing it! The music is like an old friend you haven't seen in many years but whose company you always enjoy.

"Mrs. Robinson" used to be my favorite Simon and Garfunkel song, but "The Boxer," seen above, has replaced it as my favorite. The lyrics seem to speak to the inner boxer in all of us, still fighting the good fight when everyone else thinks you're down for the count. My inner boxer is alive and well. Is yours?

Ceramic ecology session at AAA

The annual CERAMIC ECOLOGY XXIII symposium -- From the Field and Laboratory: Current Research in Ceramic Studies -- is scheduled during the annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association, on Saturday, December 5, 2009, 1:00-5:00 pm in Grand Ballroom Salon III, Downtown Philadelphia Marriott, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.  
   
The session will deal with current field and laboratory ceramic research from both the Old and New Worlds -- work that that includes the disciplines of archaeology, ethnoarchaeology, ethnography, archaeometry, and materials science. 
 
Traditionally, the symposiasts have dinner after the session; to help with a head count please email Charles Kolb about interest in the dinner.

See our President Sandra López Varela and Bulletin contributor Charles Kolb during the session:

Program Number:      3-141
Session:     CERAMIC ECOLOGY XXIII: CURRENT RESEARCH ON CERAMICS 2009
Session Sponsor:     Archaeology Division
Session Date/Time:     Sat., 1:45 PM-5:30 PM
Organizer:     CHARLES KOLB (National Endowment Humanities)

Participants:    
1:45 PM:     INTRODUCTION: CHRISTOPHER POOL (University of Kentucky) 
2:00 PM:     JAMES SHEEHY (n/a) -- Potters, People, and Land in Bihar, India: a perspective from the 1961 Census of India 
2:15 PM:     RAHUL OKA (University of Notre Dame), CHAPURUKHA KUSIMBA (Field Museum, Chicago) -- Producing and Exporting “South Asian” Islamic Monochrome Glazed Wares: Import Substitution and Market Capture in the 16th and 17th centuries CE? 
2:30 PM:     TARA TETRAULT -- Tracing Variation in Vessel Manufacture and Cultural Identity through Ceramics in Ghana, West Africa 
2:45 PM:     JOHN ARTHUR (University of South Florida) -- Pottery and Caste Groups: Historical Archaeology of the Gamo Highlands of Southern Ethiopia 
3:00 PM:     JEROLYN MORRISON (n/a) -- Must Haves for the Minoan Kitchen, a Tripod Cooking Pot and a Cooking Dish 
3:15 PM:     MICHAEL SUGERMAN, JILL BIERLY (University of Massachusetts) -- Idalion: Ceramics and Identity at an Iron Age Border Town in Cyprus 
3:30 PM:     JAMES SKIBO -- Stone Boiling, Fire-Cracked Rock, and Nut Oil: Exploring the Origins of Pottery in the Upper Great Lakes 
3:45 PM:     BREAK 
4:00 PM:     ALEKSANDRA WIERUCKA (University of Gdansk, Poland) -- The Disappearing Art: the Ceramics of Quichua along the Napo River 
4:15 PM:     AMY HIRSHMAN (West Virginia University) -- Petrographic Analysis of Paste Variability in Tarascan Fine Ware Ceramics: a Preliminary Assessment 
4:30 PM:     SANDRA LOPEZ VARELA (U Autonoma Estado de Morelos) -- Institutional Imagining of Development: new inquiry field for ethnoarchaeology 
4:45 PM:     JIM WEIL (Science Museum of Minnesota), ANAYENSY HERRERA VILLALOBOS (Asesores Arqueologicos) -- Archaeological and Ethnohistorical Inferences Based on the Manufacture of Three Ceramic Pieces by Contemporary Artisans on Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula 
5:00 PM:     CHARLES KOLB (National Endowment Humanities) -- From the Field and Laboratory: Current Research in Ceramic Studies 
5:15 PM:     DISCUSSANT: CHRISTOPHER POOL (University of Kentucky)

They Lack, What You Have, That I Want.

Hate myself for not telling her...

They lack, what you have, that I want.

But would it have even made a difference? I think not. So I’m glad she wasn’t privy to that part of my heart.

Vulnerability is a weakness. And pain is weakness leaving the heart. So in the end, I’m stronger for remaining silent.

American Anthropological Assocation annual meeting

108th AAA Annual Meeting - THE END/S OF ANTHROPOLOGY
December 2-6, 2009
Philadelphia Marriott Downtown
Philadelphia, PA

 
What is the relevance of anthropology in today's world?  Where does our discipline stand in the age of hyper-science and the genome; during an era in which ethnography – as a method and form of textured representation – is being mobilized with vigor and confidence by those working in other disciplinary formations; at a moment when the questions we're asking are also being answered by others in the humanities, social sciences, and media (and often with much more popular recognition)? Does anthropology still provide a unique contribution? What are its contemporary goals, and are they different from those of previous intellectual generations?

Sessions include:

NEW ANALYTICAL APPROACHES IN ARCHAEOLOGY
Session Sponsor:     Archaeology Division
Session Date/Time:     Sat., 10:15 AM-12:00 PM
Chair(s):     LAURA JUNKER (University of Illinois Chicago)

LAURA JUNKER (University of Illinois Chicago), EKATERINA KHRAMTSOVA (U of Illinois at Chicago) -- Ceramic Evidence for Variation in Feasting Patterns in Lowland and Upland Societies of the 15th-16th Centuries Philippines 

LINDSEY CLARK (Washington State University), ANDREW DUFF (Washington State University), ANDREW DUFF (Washington State University) -- Examining Social Interaction within a Chacoan Community Through Ceramic Stylistic Variation 

JAMES VANDERVEEN (Indiana University South Bend), DARRYL RICKETTS -- Embodying the Ancestors: The Symbolism of Cranial Deformation in Pre-Columbian Caribbean Societies 

SHANA WOLFF (Laramie County Community College) -- The Antimicrobial Effectiveness of Plants Traditionally Used by Plains Indians as Topical Antiseptic

Road Trip

On Thursday, November 12th, we took a road trip to the City of Brotherly Love to attend the Philadelphia Craft Show, said to be the best craft show in the United States. At 8 AM sharp, we boarded our Peter Pan bus at Port Authority. With thoughts of Tinker Bell dancing in our heads, we were promptly lulled to sleep by the rhythmic sound of the windshield wipers. (Yes, dear readers, we embarked on our journey in the wake of the remnants of Hurricane Ida.) Undeterred by the weather, we carried on, determined to make the most of our $24 round-trip tickets.

Luckily, the station was only two blocks from the show and the rain temporarily slowed down to a sputter as we made our way to the Convention Center. This year's is the 33rd annual Craft Show sponsored by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The show itself is a juried exhibition and sale of contemporary crafts by 185 talented artisans, including 26 guest artists from Korea.

[Photos: Jean, above left, and Valerie, below right, sporting new hat boxes.]

Once inside, our plan to methodically work our way up each aisle, starting at the far right perimeter, quickly evaporated as soon as we spied the first booth -- Ignatius hats! (Astute readers will recall that Ignatius was the creator of Valerie's fabulous Guggenheim hat.) Ignatius Creegan and Rod Givens are the extremely creative milliners behind Ignatius Hats.

Needless to say, we spent the entire first hour of the show at just this one booth, trying on an amazing array of (dare we say it?) idiosyncratic headpieces. So much for our resolution to not tarry long at any single booth. While they do produce very beautiful traditional hats in straw and in felt (which appeared to be selling like hot cakes, judging by the large number of women trying them on), we were drawn to their more esoteric straw creations, such as this exotic tall black, curvy number.

To create this effect, they take wheat straw plaits and sew them with a special machine, starting at the top of the crown and continuing in concentric circles to wherever their whimsy takes them. Located in Petersburg, VA, the pair travel to a number of craft shows. Do check out their website at www.ignatiushats.com to see where they'll turn up next. Two additional pale straw hats caught our eye: one that resembles a rumpled pacifier and the other that looks somewhat like an old fashioned juicer.












Obviously, one of the most distinctive features of their hats is their wide variety of shapes and sizes, from tiny sequined ovals to wide brimmed skimmers. They even had fleece "Who" hats for winter.

The photograph with all three of the straw hats gives you an idea of the relative differences in scale among the three hats.

Once we'd thoroughly appeased the hat gods, we finally moved on to admire the dizzying array of pottery, metalwork, glassware, textiles and clothing. The attendees of the show really dressed to the nines for the exhibition, so the people-watching only added to the event. The women in particular were extremely well informed about the crafts on display and many accessorized their own outfits with beautifully wrought handmade scarves, shawls and jewelry. After a few hours, when we'd covered about 75% of the space, we took a lunch break to cool our heels and compare notes.

Fortuitously, the famous Reading Market is conveniently located just across the street. The market contains just about any type of prepared food, ranging from Amish Shoo-Fly Pie and sushi to pizza and barbecue. After surveying our many options, we decided on crepes. While each of us enjoyed a variation on a veggie crepe (Jean's had feta cheese), we assessed the show so far. At the conclusion of our scrumptious meal, we were pleasantly surprised when our (French?) chef, who for most of our meal was perfecting that air of condescension required of all French chefs, presented us with a complimentary dessert crepe made with Nutella, fresh bananas and strawberries. Heavenly!

Fortified with food, we returned to the Convention Center to cruise the remaining booths with clear heads and full tummies. As we exited the show, with hat boxes in tow, we headed back home to the Big Apple. We can attest to the fact that the ride was both painless and economical. Since we didn't have to worry about traffic, we could sit back, relax and review the events of the day.

[At left: Jean shakes her booty at the Grayhound terminal. Compare number of bags to earlier photograph.]

Jean is wearing a vintage Stetson bowler hat, Comme des Garcons jacket, skull and star scarf, Michiko Koshino skirt, Dansko clogs and Lounge Fly bag.

Valerie is wearing a gray fulled wool Strawberry hat finished off by a gray and black pin in industrial felt by Danielle Gori-Montanelli (who also had a booth at the show); gray nylon zipper coat by Final Home over a herringbone wool coat by Tamotsu; a Jill Anderson fulled wool sweater with snap front, H&M cotton and lycra camisole, Huge Apple black cotton pants, Reiko Sudo black and white cotton ties around her ankles, and ever-so-comfortable-for-a-full-day-of-walking, if not exactly fashionable, Sebago shoes (apparently meant for yachting, but also great for land-lubbing).