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May 14, 2007
Of Sheep Droppings and Fish Sauce
It's funny how one perceives of one's work. Probably the biggest problem with the "scholarship" of the type I am involved in is that you lose sight of the bigger picture - the reason why you do what you are doing - very fast. It seems futile really, since to be honest, who really cares about what kind of economic activity was going on 1500 years ago? It scarecely makes any difference to how we live today! It is a sort of blessed luxury, one that is rather unusual since I really don't have any money to afford luxuries, but even better yet, a blessed ignorence. A voluntary exile in the middle of the society. True "anchorite" monasticism in midst of the crowds!
But I suppose I should say something about what I do. I talk about what I like a lot, but maybe not about what I work on specifically. Ok, as stupid as it sounds (and indulge me please, it does sound stupid and it is stupid), I work on rural surpluss production and its relations to trade in the Late Antique Near East! Basically, I look at orchards and try to figure out what was planted in them and how it was marketed and what role this cycle played in the total economic and commercial exchange of the society.
Now, the other day, I am lying down on my sofa and reading this book intensly when I realise that I just read 45 pages of scholarly article about sheep droppings! Yes, important stuff, since it was used for manuring, but pretty funny you have to admit. I can just tell you that I have read too many articles about fish sauce as well. In lack of ketchup and peppers and spices, fish sauce was all your ancient man (or woman) had to spice her (or his) food! It is a pretty digusting thing actually: fermented fish with a lot of salt! But hey, our ancestors lived on it!!!
So, this is what my life consists of: reading about sheep droppings and fish sauce, and trying to write an article about vinyards in 6th century Northern Afghanistan. Honestly, considering the fact that I don't have any money in my bank account, I should probably go and work at the McDonald's or something!
Posted by Khodadad at 10:54 PM | Comments (8)
May 11, 2007
Podcasts
I have never been much of a radio person. I suppose since I have a photographic mind, seeing pictures has always been more comforting for me, and so, I am your quintessential TV kid (although presently I have no TV!). I was always fascinated by the fact that so many of my friends and relatives are so radio oriented and listen to various programmes (from NPR to Savage Nation!) religiously...
Lately, on the suggestion of a friend (when I complained to her about being dead bored riding the bus to school), I have started downloading podcasts from some of my favourite news sources, and wow, I am hooked! I now look forward to the bus ride and actually seem to know what is going on in the world, rather than the blissful ignorence of drowning myself in the uses of amphorae in late Roman economy!!!!
Here are some of my favourite podcasts so far: Guardian's Newsdesk http://www.guardian.co.uk/podcasts/0,,1727354,00.html
Deutsche Welle "Inside Europe": http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1830802,00.html
NPR 10 AM news: http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=4819389
I love this!
Posted by Khodadad at 06:00 PM | Comments (1)