Snow in South Town

I'm giving a final exam right now, and it's snowing pretty hard outside. This is the first time I've seen in snow in New Orleans. Well, actually one year before Katrina at City Park they dumped a bunch of fake snow for the kids to play with. But this is the first time I've seen real snow. In any case, I'll bet the Heat Miser is upset:

Vitter's Filly Buster

David Vitter doesn't like the proposed congressional aid package they're putting together for the auto industry. He said it is "ass backward." But unfortunately, when my senator says things like that, I have mental images of Wendies and diapers. Make him stop, please.

Vince Marinello's 14 Point To-Do List

I can't get enough of the Vince Marinello trial. For those not following the case, Mr. Marinello is a local sportscaster who allegedly murdered his wife by shooting her twice in the face. That in itself is interesting, but the fascinating part here is the ineptitude Mr. Marinello seems to have displayed in doing the dastardly deed.

To pull of the caper, Marinello went for the brilliant "scruffy man on a bicycle" disguise. That might work in my neighborhood, but not in Metairie. They don't like scruffy, and they certainly don't like bicycles.

But the best part is the yellow note they found in his FEMA trailer, and yes, it was, a FEMA trailer thank God. The note allegedly has a map of the murder scene on one side, along with 3 phone numbers, one belonging to our late bigger-than-life Sheriff Harry Lee. On the other side: a to-do list pertaining to the murder. I've read that item number one was "Gun--River on way to MAMA." Other lines include: "Motive -- maybe -- NOT STRONG," "Insurance money -- None," "Clothes -- Burn," "girlfriend--none," and then other items pertaining to a bike, gloves, mustache, black tennis shoes, sunglasses and a white shirt. Also, he bought the fake mustache at the same place that supplies facial hair to Rex and other Mardi Gras fancy-lads.

Today at the trial the jury was presented the list. I need to see it, as soon as possible. I also feel the compulsion to know the identity of the other two phone numbers. So if you know anyone on the jury, or maybe you know someone in charge of evidence in Lafayette Louisiana, let them know that inquiring minds need to know more about that list.

Update: WWL posted this picture of the list, but it is too blurry to read:

Update 2: The TP reports that in addition to Harry Lee, the two other phone numbers were for a "floor man" and a co-worker of Marinello's at WWL.
Update 3: Here is the list:
Gun - River on way to mama
Id'd at scene car at trailer (white) - rent (?)
motive - maybe - NOT STRONG
insurance money - none
girlfriend - none
clothes - burn - mama
Inherit business - none
Inherit stocks - none
Peter bike - PAINT
gloves -OK
moustache - OK
black tennis shoes - /black socks ok [the words black socks ok were crossed out with wavy line]
sunglasses - OK
white shirt/black tie [the words black tie were crossed out with wavy line]

I Hate the Alamo, and Tonight I Will Toast Santa Anna & the 21st Amendment With a Sazerac

Prohibition ended 75 years ago today. I'd celebrate proper if I were in New Orleans. Sadly, I'm in Texas for a SACS conference. SACS, which stands for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, is the organization which accredits my university. This SACS conference is in San Antonio, which is a pretty cool city for Texas, I suppose. It's certainly cooler than places like Dallas and Waco. But I went to the Alamo earlier, and the whole experience made me sick. It was like Texas religion, with relics of Bowie knives and Davy Crockett hats. Seriously, who wears a raccoon carcass on their head? Well, my quest tonight will be to get an alcoholic beverage, even though I'd estimate 9/10 of Texas is what they call a "dry" county. My friends in New Orleans do not know what that means. Let me explain: it means they don't serve alcohol, not even a dry martini. Well SACS sort of sounds like sazerac, which was the first cocktail, and it was invented in New Orleans. Maybe I'll even have three, and then put a dead rodent on my head and kill me a beaaaaaaar.

Shoot! I just learned that Fess Parker played both Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone. I guess when TV needed an actor who looked good with a raccoon carcass on his head, he was a no brainer.


Later note: I could not find a sazerac in all of San Antonio, so I had a whiskey with club soda and a lemon. It was not as good as a sazerac. People tend to drink budweiser in San Antonio, and the only mixed drinks I saw were green apple martinis.

Thanksgiving Fight With My Mom about Gingerbread

My mom, Julie Homan, came to visit us over Thanksgiving weekend. The last time she was here was for Barkus 2005, so she hadn't been here since the flood. She was the first person to visit our renovated home, and it was great seeing her. Here you can see her playing Christmas songs on our piano with Kalypso, and me playing guitar. It's too bad her grandkids live so far away from her in Omaha, Nebraska. She doesn't feel like she knows them very well, and that they don't know her.

It's hard for her to visit us, as she has to leave behind her overweight dog Peaches with neighbors. And it is hard to live at someone else's house. I know it's hard for me to live elsewhere. Anyway, after a great Thanksgiving dinner at Howie's, we were home rolling out gingerbread dough to make, of course, gingerbread people. My mom kept repeating over and over that I needed to divide the dough, and I finally said "Christ, I hear you already, and look, I've divided the dough a long time ago, so can you please quit saying that." Then I said something about her being judgmental, as she had previously been repeating that we had too many animals and we don't take care of them. Well, she went to her room upset, and the visit wasn't the same after that. I doubt she'll be anxious to come back anytime soon, and God knows I dread dragging all four of us and two dogs in the car for 20 hours to Nebraska. So mom, if you get around to reading this, I love you, and I'm sorry I lost my patience about the gingerbread. But you should know we're thinking about getting a third dog.

Reflections on ASOR Meeting in Boston

I attended the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Schools of Oriental Research in Boston, and overall I had a great time. This was the first year in which the meeting was arranged by Morag Kersel and myself as co-Vice Presidents for Programs, with much help from Jennie Ebeling and Yorke Rowan as Program Committee Chairs. I used to think that ASOR officers were snobs and only came to the most popular sessions. Instead, it turns out they were in meetings all day long. And I do mean all day, from 7AM until 11 PM in some cases. Some personal highlights of the meeting include:

• The opening night included the plenary address by Martha Joukowsky, who gave a paper entitled "From Censure to Acceptance: Women Archaeologists in Near Eastern Archaeology." This was preceded by Sarah Kansa from the Alexandria Archive Institute, who spoke about Open Context, of which I'm a big fan.
• I love hearing about inscriptions, and Yossi Garfinkel's 10th century inscription from the Elah Fortress is amazing. I was also amazed by the 8th century BCE inscription found at Zincirli in which the deceased's soul inhabits the stele. Also Garth Gilmour presented an incised potshard he claims is Yahweh and Asherah. I sort of agree with him, though the Yahweh figure looks like the Hey Koolaid guy. Oh Yeah!
  
• The reception at the Semitic Museum in honor of Larry Stager was nice though crowded. Luckily we got there early, and Kalypso and Gilgamesh got to check out the four room house and some cool artifacts. Also the reception in honor of CAARI turning 30 and ACOR 40 were very nice.
• I was able to be at the announcement where Carol Meyers found out she was receiving a Festschrift, and also to be at the presentation of Dick Friedman's Festschrift. It was great seeing all of my old friends from UCSD.
• I ran over to SBL for a short time Saturday to present in a session on Service Learning and Biblical Studies. Thanks to Bobby Duke for launching this.
• The best part was seeing everyone. These are people I lived with at oversea schools, and friends I excavated with, so I know them pretty well. I was especially happy to work on the program with Morag. 

The meeting overall went great. Thanks to everyone who was involved, especially the program committee and the ASOR staff. Next year in New Orleans ya'll.

Off to Boston for ASOR/SBL Annual Meeting

Early tomorrow morning, as in archaeological dig waking up early, I'm off to the American Schools of Oriental Research annual meeting in Boston, which is followed by the Society of Biblical Literature. What's especially nice about this year is that my family will be going with me. I prefer the ASOR meeting, where I get to see people I excavated with and also lived with at research centers such as the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem and the American Center of Oriental Research in Amman. This year will be the first meeting after Morag and I got elected co-VPs of program. I hope it goes well. At SBL I'm giving a paper in a session about Service Learning and Biblical Studies. Also at SBL, there will be a reception for my teacher Dick Friedman where he will be presented with a well deserved festschrift. It will be nice to get away from New Orleans and some painful struggles at Xavier regarding Freshman Studies. People will freak out, no doubt, about how big Kalypso and Gilgamesh are getting. Many of the friends we'll see have never met Gilgamesh, or knew him as an infant.

Bible's Buried Secrets

NOVA will be premiering the Bible's Buried Secrets this Tuesday evening.

It's about archaeology and the origins of the Bible, and looks pretty interesting. My friend Tristan Barako was involved in the production. The Zayit inscription, with which Kalypso and I were involved, is also featured. You can see the dig director, Ron Tappy, in the image above, looking at the inscription through a magnifying glass. I've been told if you watch carefully you can see me looking intently into a theodolite. You might want to watch all two hours just for that.

House Blessing Reflections

We had a great time last Saturday at our house blessing party. I've had several days to reflect on it, and it's really such a nice memory. Our architect Peter Waring came early with a case of Boomerang wine and several wine glasses. After most of our friends had gathered, Fr. Linden and I went to the backyard to get a twig from our fig tree that survived Katrina's flood. Gilgamesh held a bowl of water which Fr. Linden blessed, and following a group prayer, we went around the house to every room and Fr. Linden sprinkled water throughout. Gilgamesh kept asking when he could dump out the water. We got some great housewarming gifts, such as truffles, a Mishkan piece of needlepoint (Mishkan in the name of our house), an oyster spoon, and a fleur du lis tile. My friend Howie and his family even gave us a football autographed by the 2007 Saints. Kalypso's piano teacher Ashley came for a few hours and played the piano as background music. It was nice seeing everyone's reaction to our remodeling, and more so, to mark the occasion with our friends. Too bad our families are so far away. It's sure nice to be home.

Fr. Linden followed by Gilgamesh, Kalypso, and friends, during house blessing party.
More pics by Adrastos and Dr. A here.

October 22nd in Perpetuity

Overall it was a pretty good day for me, October 22nd. Jarvis DeBerry spoke to Xavier students as part of our Freshman Seminar, we were getting ready for our first Voodoo Fest the following weekend. I was hoping Obama would win but was skeptical at the same time. But the thing is I am reliving that day everyday since, in a sort of Groundhog Day moment, as emails from Xavier are continuously being recycled. People who know me often get my October 22nd emails sent to them again, and I receive there emails as well. Sure does make me look incompetent, which is not something that needed this extra help.