Thursday, December 31, 2009

Decade

The past decade, with its wars, inhumanity, and government incompetence, was not a great one. I'll let others summarize the big picture. But here is a summary of things that happened to me personally during the past decade:
  • My son Gilgamesh was born in Jerusalem.
  • My daughter Kalypso became a teenager.
  • My father William Homan passed away from lung cancer. I miss him very much.
  • My mom Julie Homan became a septuagenarian. She also got a fat dog named Peaches, and this dog runs her house. I'm a big fan of Julie, but Peaches... not so much.
  • My brother Jim and my sister Chris seem to be doing well. We now own a farm together.
  • I met my birth parents and a sibling, and keep in regular contact with my birth mother Susan. This relationship is especially nice for Kali and Gil in that they have even more people who love them.
  • I received my Ph.D. in Ancient History from UCSD.
  • I got a job in the Theology Department at Xavier University of Louisiana, and we moved from Jerusalem to New Orleans. The Big Easy is a city that people either love or hate. Me, I love it. Now I have tenure and the rank of Associate Professor. For the most part, I like my job. My colleague Mark Gstohl is probably my second best friend. My best friend is Therese, and we've been married for 18 years.
  • We brought two dogs into our lives. Kochise and Mosey. Mosey a very stupid Weimaraner. Lucky for her, she is pretty. Kochise is a very smart West Highland Terrier. Neither dog enjoys the Mardi Gras parade Barkus.
  • Therese and I bought our first house, and it's where we still live at 215 S. Alexander Street in New Orleans. I believe this will be the house in which I die someday.
  • I swam to work one day in 2005 after the levees failed in New Orleans. I saw the complete breakdown of civilization, death, despair, and terrifying mayhem. These images still haunt me. I later spent some time in the Causeway Concentration Camp and eventually made it out of the city. These events have unfortunately defined my life for the past 4 years. I am hoping to move past these events during the next decade and get back to being a Bible scholar.
  • We spent 3 years rebuilding our flooded house. It took one year for the insurance company to say they weren't going to pay us. Then it took one year for a legal fight. During this time I was on CNN and in the NY Times, and I testified to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Shortly before the court date our insurance company settled. Then it took another year to rebuild our house.
  • I participated in several archaeological excavations in Israel and Jordan. My daughter thrice accompanied me, and this summer Gilgamesh will be going with me to dig in Jordan. In 2005 a stone-bowl inscribed with an ancient alphabet was found in the area which I supervised at Tel Zeitah. This was without question the most amazing archaeological discovery with which I have been involved. I published two books, including The Bible for Dummies written with my friend Jeff Geoghegan.
  • I started this blog in October of 2003. It was originally meant to make me a better teacher. I'm not sure that has happened. But it has been an interesting experience nonetheless. Blogging can be a powerful tool. Thanks to my new neighbor Editor B for helping me get started. And thanks to those of you who waste your time reading this.
Happy New Year, and may your teen decade be blessed.

6 comments:

GENTILLY YARD ART said...

happy new year homans.

looking forward to meeting yall one day in meat space instead of cyber.

dsb said...

Happy New Year! Best to all the Homans! Love the $5,000 pics, too!

judyb said...

Happy New Year to you and yours. I don't consider reading your blog a waste of time!

Angeline said...

Happy New Year. I accidentally bumped into your blog right after Katrina when I was looking for photos and information online. I have been looking at your blog from time to time since. God bless!

Nichole Guillory said...

Sometimes when patients or the stupid things doctors do to patients bring me down I like to return to your blog and it always brings a laugh. I think the blogging has made you a much cooler person.

Michael Homan said...

Nichole, please email me if you get the chance. I'd love to hear what you're up to, and I'd love to hear your reflections on your Xavier education now that you have perspective.