the domestic zoo

By Elizabeth. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Anyway…

The Rules:-

Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. (No cheating!)

Find Page 123.

Find the first 5 sentences.

Post the next 3 sentences.

Tag 5 people.

Oy. The book nearest at hand is my Human Evolution textbook, which is not exactly the most scintillating read.

“These finds include a fairly complete cranium of a 2.6 million-year-old robust australopithecine, which some term Australopithecus aethiopicus. The type specimen of this species has been found earlier by French researchers, in the Omo Valley, Ethiopia. Because the sediments around Lake Turkana are interleaved with volcanic tuffs, the fossils of the region can now be securely dated.”

And now you know why I’m excited to be done after this semester.

Because I’m not really sure who reads this (*cough*lurkers*cough*) I’ll tag anyone who wants to participate. And if you want, leave a comment here so I can see what kinds of books other people are reading. Because I’m nosy like that.

my internet picks for the week…

Shutter Sisters – this site makes my heart happy. Photography resonates with me like no other artistic expression, and being almost entirely camera-less at the moment (while I save up for a much nicer model) has been frustrating. Living vicariously through other people’s work has kept me sane, and the Shutter Sisters are definitely one of my top faves.

Icon New Media Network – having been enmeshed in – and burned out on – the near-desperate Evangelical attempts at cultural coolness, I was initially skeptical about this project. But I figured I’d check it out and downloaded some of the Generation Orthodox podcasts to listen to during my school commute. I’ve described my first experience with Orthodoxy as breathing deeply for the first time, and for me, listening to these podcasts is like another breath of fresh air. Someone talking about my experience as a convert, with humor and grace and great love for the Church. It’s helped me to feel, well, a little less isolated. Glory to God for all things.

The little twig had the audacity to diss Pete Townshend’s Let My Love Open the Door.

Shuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

So…how’s school going?

I was feeling some trepidation at the beginning of the semester. Let’s just say that Biological Anthropology (and really, Anthropology as a whole) is not a faith-friendly field. I don’t expect my studies to line up with my religious beliefs. I do expect to be afforded respect and not to be the recipient of veiled insults about my intelligence. Srsly.

The prospect of taking two Bio Anthro courses this semester, one of which is “Human Origins”, wasn’t exactly doing wonders for my anxiety. But I prayed it over, and asked for prayers from some close friends, and things have been surprisingly…smooth. No digs, no snide remarks, nothing. Praise be to God.

The studies themselves are, of course, pretty rigorous. Just this week I’ve spent over six hours counting and categorizing nearly one thousand fragments of human vertebrae from a site in Haiti. If you’ve never tried to asses the Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI) that could be accounted for based on skeletal remains, let me tell you right now: it sucks. It is by far the most tedious and brain-melting thing I’ve had to do in my entire college career.

This is why I’m not an archaeologist.

My ‘fluff’ class, “Music of the Portland Symphony Orchestra”, is turning out to be really fun. There aren’t any tests, but there is a research paper on the topic of our choice. I’m going with ’sacred minimalism’ à la Arvo Pärt and John Tavener. The professor was only minimally familiar with Pärt and had never heard Tavener, which is a plus for me, because then he can’t immediately tell if I’m totally wrong about something. It’s a good strategy, methinks.

Is being greeted by the cats.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a swell of pride to know that I’m the only family member who has a welcoming committee. They come running and chirruping from all corners of the house, circle my legs a few times, and run off again. We’re so happy you’re home!

Yeah, it’s tough being loved.

I wake my little sister up with a kiss on the cheek. Did you know that?

It’s one of the highlights of my day.

I love my family.