Homeward Bound

Kalypso and I are getting packed, and our taxi to the airport leaves shortly. I'm so glad we're heading home. Today is Kalypso's 12th birthday, and being stuck on two very long flights sure sucks, but I keep telling her she will be the only one in the world who has a 32 hour long 12th birthday. First we fly from Tel Aviv to Newark, and then after customs, we fly Newark to New Orleans. Plus we get the added bonus of spending some quality time with Israeli airport security and U.S. customs. I can't wait to put today behind me and to get home.

I Wish I Were Protesting

I just got this photograph from Schroeder:

It's Gilgamesh, early in the morning on a rainy day, sitting in front of the Cabildo. He and Therese are there as part of a protest against Eddie Jordan, the DA for New Orleans who has done by all accounts a pretty horrible job prosecuting murderers. My representative on the city council, Shelley Midura, has written an open letter for Jordan to resign. Today many concerned residents of New Orleans are gathering in the French Quarter at the Cabildo to protest against Jordan's incompetance. I'm so proud Therese and Gilgamesh are there, and I wish I was too. Let them know, Gilgamesh, that the current situation is totally unacceptable.

Leaning on Insurers

There's an article by Rebecca Mowbray in the Business Section of Today's Times-Picayune about our leaning house, the Road Home, Allstate Insurance and Haag Engineering. It's called Leaning on Insurers. I also just heard yesterday from our attorney, Greg DiLeo, who said Allstate's attorney wants to settle with us and he has put forward what our attorney said was a very reasonable offer. Basically it is what they should have paid us back in 2005. But as part of the deal, there is a confidentiality provision. I wonder how the newspaper article will effect negotiations. Though being a blogger/media whore, I have to love the coverage, especially thousands of miles away. Meanwhile, Therese has been trying hard to get a permit to rebuild our house. She took our plans from Waring Architects to City Hall, and thinks she should hear back from the permit office soon. Therese has also been picking out things like sinks, toilets, and cabinets without me. I can't wait to get back home to New Orleans. Yesterday I told everyone about how Gilgamesh says "That's gross, Abu" when I'm chanel surfing and there are two people kissing. I sure do miss the Gilgamonster, Therese, and my Mid-City neighborhood.

Wrapping Up Zeitah

Today most of the volunteers got in the vans and headed for the airport. I'm in my room typing up the final report for the square that I supervise, O-19. We put plastic tarps and sandbags to preserve many of the features early this morning. It was an unusual season in many respects. First and foremost, we were old. The average age in my square was 48, and that was with Kalypso at age 11 and another girl at age 20. One conversation involved the old timers discussing the use of Sears and Robuck catalog as toilet paper. They were hard workers though. This was the season after the great inscription discovery, so it was bound to be sort of a letdown. We also had many more visitors this season. Plus our camera broke, so that was disappointing. I'm ready for it to be over, and to get back to New Orleans. I have a mountain of work facing me, relating to bills and legal forms. We leave this Thursday, which incidentally will be Kalypso's 12th birthday. I try to sell her on the idea by saying that her 12th birthday won't be 24 hours, but more like 32 hours due to traveling with the sun. Plus who wouldn't have a fun birthday with Israeli security at the airport?

Professor Barkai learning things he didn't know about the Tanak.

Digging Sick

I rarely get sick, but I caught a nasty cold virus on July 4th. At first I thought it was allergies, but it kept getting worse. I went to the field every day, but when the excavating was over at 1 PM I walked to my room and slept straight through until the next morning at 4 AM. In any event, I am beginning to feel better, and it is the weekend so I'm sure I'll be fit by next Monday. The excavating has for the most part ended, and we'll spend the next few days getting ready for our final photographs, scheduled for Wednesday at sunrise.

Lessons From the Past

Thanks to Annette Sisco from the Times-Picayune, I had another stab at bridging the gap between the blogosphere and old-school newspaper opinion writing. My fourth editorial appeared in last Sunday's paper (July 1). It was a heavily revised piece for a New Orleans audience about the connections between hurricanes and archaeology that I made for my Society of Biblical Literature Forum article. The T-P piece is called "Lessons From the Past: An archaeologist finds clues to ancient destruction -- and kinship with a modern tragedy."
My previous opinion pieces are:
Nation Watching Our Education Lab (March 31, 2007).
Feeling Not So Welcome at the Welcome Home Center (January 25, 2007).
Building Our New Jerusalem (August 12, 2006).

The Chopper

One of the most important tools used in archaeology is the trowel, and this one is mine:

It's a WHS trowel made in Sheffield, and I got it from my friend Fiona in London many years ago. I named it "Chopper" and it has served me well. Back in San Diego, and while digging in Jordan, my friends used to call me "The Chopper." The name comes from the terrible movie C.C. and Company starring Joe Namath and Ann-Margret. I'm thinking of bringing the name out of retirement.

Hurricanes & Archaeology

I wrote an article entitled "How A Hurricane Made Me A Better Archaeologist" that now appears on the Society of Biblical Literature Forum. Thanks to Billie Jean Collins and Leonard Greenspoon for publishing it.

Pagan Rituals

Tomorrow is the Summer Solstice, and I have big plans. I'm organizing it so that a girl name Amy, who I've heard has a great singing voice, will belt out "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess at the top of our square next to the infamous monolith. But Amy is a bit crazy, and it is not easy to get Prima Donnas to do things. But I have faith in my ability to manipulate. The show begins at 7AM. When I was younger, I used to set it up so that two people on the dig would have a hard-boiled egg eating contest. But I tired of seeing egg vommit.

One Less Call to Make

Today is Father's Day. In time's past I would have called 402 563-2808 and talked to my dad about what I'm doing here in Israel, politics, my children, and how high the corn was getting in Nebraska. I probably would have sent him some books about history, Catholicism, or weather forecasting, or perhaps Omaha Steaks, and he would have thanked me for that. His birthday was June 21, so I would have said the gift was for both his birthday and for Father's Day. I'm cheap like that. He passed away last February and I sure do miss him. Happy Father's Day dad.

Gilgamesh, my father William Homan, and Kalypso in Columbus, NE, November 2005.