Archaeology and Me

A couple of nights ago I was reading several blogs of very creative people. I started feeling desperately uncreative and untalented. (I think I was more envious than anything else.) I love arts and crafts and sculpture and ceramics and well, just about anything I can make with my hands. I went to bed very depressed at my lack of anything to show for my love of the arts. Then, I was thinking about it, and really, some of those people had gone to school for the things they did, or at least school in a design related field. Then I didn't feel so bad. I figure if I had the training, the time, and the inclination, I could do just as well. (That's one of the perks of having an over-inflated sense of self--you think you can do anything.) But just to prove I can be creative, here's one awesome project I designed completely myself. (Granted, Kayli's mother-in-law did most of the sewing. She called it the hanky-panky outfit, and I hear it was quite the talk of the Bell family for a while.) It's slightly more risque than this picture shows, I toned it down a bit so we could force Andrea to come out wearing it. I gave it to her at her wedding shower. Anyway, she's the weird one for taking belly dancing lessons to begin with.Anyway, I really don't know if I would have pursued an art related career even if I didn't try to be so practical by being a nurse. I mean, my first love is archaeology. I have always wanted to be an archaeologist, ever since I saw my first ruin in a National Geographic article. Possibly Angkor Wat. Or maybe Choquequirau? Petra? Or Ctesiphon? I don't remember, I just wish I could go and dig at all those places. Or maybe it was just Indiana Jones? I mean, really, what better movie is there than Indiana Jones and the Search for the Holy Grail? Plus, you get to look at Harrison Ford at his best. Yeah, it probably was that. Then of course there's The Mummy. One of my all time favorite movies. First of all, Evie's a librarian (truly, if I go back to school, it will be to become a librarian), and she's an archaeologist. Sweet!!! And plus, you get to look at this guy, which is even better than Harrison Ford and Brendan Frasier.One time, I really was on an archaeology dig at some Anasazi ruins in Colorado (near Mesa Verde) and this guy Juan (who looked very similar to the guy above, long hair and everything), kept hitting on me (and every other girl there). He was Basque and he joined a monastery to avoid having to serve in the Spanish army (it's required there for a year or so). Then he came to the U.S. He wanted to drive back with me to Phoenix (caravan style, him and another friend in their jeep), I wasn't too keen on the idea being rather shy since I didn't really know either of them that well, so I ditched them in Colorado. Hee. Hee. Here I am, digging away--I'm quite handy with a pick axe.This was the least fun part--but I still loved it!!! Behind me is Sleeping Ute Mountain, at the base of his toes (you can't see them in this picture) is where other archaeologists found the remains that led them to say that they believed some of the Anasazi's (or warring tribes moving into the area, IE the Navajo) were cannibalistic. It caused a huge uproar in the Native community and what I've read recently suggested they've recounted and said it may have been a coyote that ate a dead Native and pooed in the middle of the fire pit of the kiva (a sign of total desecration as per Native beliefs). Smart coyote to think of doing such a thing. Science:0, Political Correctness:1. Make that Political Correctness:2. (Kennewick Man). And another Indiana Jones picture. I mean what else did you really want to look at on this post?

And maybe just one more of Oded Fehr.

*Disclaimer* My husband is much more handsome than either Oded or Harrison, I just have to say. (If only he would wear a cool fedora or turban. Hee. Hee.)