Froyd's Rants

One that edits and doesn’t put unnecessary and stupid comments in the paper.

I list the myths I’m going to examine (the odyssey, iliad, homeric hymns, Oresteia, elder and younger edda, volsunga saga, beowulf) and am told in a side comment that they’re not myths, though they may contain myths.

I really wish SOMEONE would have made that CLEAR to me BEFORE I had completed FIVE YEARS OF EDUCATION, DEFENDED THIS DISSERTATION, and written a good 10 pages defining what constitutes a myth prior to this comment.

I highlighted it and wrote “WTF!?” on the copy.

I didn’t spend much of my dissertation talking about it, just as I didn’t spend a lot of time talking about psychological responses to alcohol.

For the most part, any discussion thereof would have drawn attention away from the myths and cultures examined and framed the discussion in modern terms…it would also have necessitated a discussion of physiological responses to the drink, and would have taken the research in a far different manner.

however, last night I ran across an article that gives some insight into how to approach this situation. It’s called “Alcohol and Culture” by David Mandelbaum, published in Current Anthropology in 1965.

In one of the replies to the article, William Madsen quotes Snyder as defining the “distinguishing feature of alcoholism as ‘the inability of the drinker to control or regulate his drinking within the bounds of social propriety” (291 of Current Anthropology Vol 6, 3, June 1965).

This definition would have allowed a discussion of alcoholism within the bounds of the dissertation to an extent…am I sad that I didn’t find this prior to being finished? Not at all. It allows some structure for a continuing dialogue of alcohol and myth, and would support my continuing studies quite well.

I’m still glad I didn’t get into the alcoholism dialogue in the dissertation…it would have distracted from the main points about what myths hold within them. It might have been good as an appendix, but alas. I’ll have to do with continuing research instead.

Best quote from Mandelbaum’s article was about the Khofyar in northern Nigeria: “The Khofyar certainly believe that man’s way to god is with beer in hand” (281).

mmm…beer.

1. Monday:
   • Teach at VC
   • teach at Kaplan
   • edit dissertation
   • begin separating out clothes for the rummage sale
2. Tuesday:
   • Teach at VC
   • Teach at Kaplan
   • finish separating out clothes to pack/rummage sale/travel
3. Wednesday:
   • Seminar at Kaplan
   • Teach at VC
   • pack up all misc. stuff
4. Thursday:
   • Teach at VC
   • Teach at Kaplan
   • pack everything that can be packed that isn’t needed
5. Friday:
   • Teach at VC
   • Teach at Kaplan
   • prep for the rummage sale on saturday

Yep, going to be a busy week.

I’m the last one in my blogging class from spring 2004 that is still typing away.

How time flies.

of the office, and into the garage. I hope I can get rid of the stinking thing.

So today, in preparation for getting boxes out of my house and into my garage I had to go get a hand cart (or hand truck, or dolly, or two wheeler, etc. etc.). And Since I am moving out, I have been keenly aware of the junk I own, and how much of it is really necessary. So I decided right now to make a list of tools every man should own (of have access to) by the time he’s thirty, ranked in importance.

1. A hammer.
2. Two or three philips/flathead screwdrivers (because you’re always going to misplace one of them)
3. A vice grip
4. A few wrenches of varying sizes (at least one adjustable)
5. A smorgasbord of pliers (at least one needle nose)
6. A good metric/standard socket set (both large and small)
7. A tire pressure gauge
8. A miniature screwdriver set (this has saved me so many times it’s not even funny)
9. A soldering gun
10. A hand cart

I had originally had a cordless drill on there, but I decided the tire pressure gauge was more necessary. I’ve made do without a cordless drill, mainly by pressure on a screw with a screwdriver (it was tough, but it worked) so I think a tire gauge ranks higher.

Now of course, there are other things I’ve learned are nice to have (but less necessary than the previous 10): a trailer or a pick up truck (or a friend who can be bribed to loan you one), a junk drawer, a cordless drill, an air compressor (it’s not REQUIRED, but the travel compressor I’ve got for my car is useful enough for me to want a large one eventually), a bike pump (surprisingly useful even with the travel compressor), a small emergency sewing kit, and a good push broom.

Some of you may be wondering: why didn’t I put duct tape up on that list? That’s because duct tape is like oxygen: you take it for granted, but when you don’t have it you start suffocating. Every person should have duct tape. It’s not so much a tool, but a way of life.

Have I missed anything?

I need a hand cart. So I am going to go over to the do-it-best hardware store down the block. I hope I’m not mauled by an overwhelming crowd of deal hungry women.