This is the reason I never keep journals...

...the reason being that I have good intentions, make a couple of entries, and subsequently become much too lazy to actually continue. But THIS time... this time will be different. I swear.

Anyway, rather than recap every detail of the past couple of months, suffice it to say the following: Syria was awesome. Great place (despite some pollution and garbage problems), great people (despite the guy at the visa extension office who seemed to think it necessary to stare at my boobs before finally looking at my paperwork), and really valuable archaeological experience. Oh yeah, and the "formal," the costume party, and other various weekend debauchery didn't hurt either.

Annnnd now I'm back to reality, trying to find some kind of decent-paying job (hopefully archaeologically oriented) that will tide me over until I can start a PhD program in a year. I've got a brand new game plan, though, and one that I think will be a lot more fruitful: I'm headed back to my anthropological roots and giving Classics the shove, though I still plan on working in the Greek/Roman/Near Eastern world.

I've also decided that this is the perfect opportunity to start reading all those classic books that I really should have read by now but that I've always managed to put off. First on the list is Moby Dick, and after that The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Finally, I'm headed back to Minnesota for a week at the beginning of August for a family reunion, which in and of itself sounds excruciating, but in actuality will allow me to get in some much relished swimming and fishing time at the lake. I hope they're getting the Sea King ready.