#8 Visit the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at Penn

Thanks to the FIL's visit, I have achieved No. 8, a visit to the Penn Museum. We only had time for a short visit, because my FIL had to see my husband's office (you know, four plain white walls, a window, basement office). We focused on the people of the Americas, since it's difficult to find stuff like that in Europe. There is an impressive amount of Tlingit materials--because a Tlingit man worked for the museum and collected widely in the area--or stole from his people, but isn't that the problem with anthropology and archaeology and much museum collecting in general? There was an impressive display concerning looting in Iraq, speaking of. I look forward to going back.

Also, I decided that I couldn't be a Hopi woman because I could never make piiki, a bread which is made by spreading a thin batter onto a hot stone with the hand. The bare hand. I can hardly use the oven without burning myself, and no one's telling me to touch anything in there!

Unfortunately, we didn't do anything else from the list. We did spend a few hours on Sunday learning about the battle of Gettysburg. If you ever find yourself there, you must do the rent-a-guide thing. The Park Services has a group of certified guides who will ride around in your car (or drive it!) with you and explain the battle. I so did not care about Gettysburg. (In fact when one of the tourism mongers (fake certified "Town Guides") asked what I was interested in seeing, I said, "Nothing!" This led the dude to be all pissy with me, until I said, "I want to do this because your father wants to do this." There aren't too many comebacks to that.) Anyway, this guide was so interested in it--but in a learny kind of way, not a reenactment dork kind of way--that I really tried to picture 12,000 Confederates coming up over a ridge. I'm pretty sure my FIL knows the exact movements of troops at 3:00 on the second day (they give you that kind of detail) but I am perfectly happy knowing that Gettysburg is Gettysburg because of the 11 roads that converge at that point, that and it was the beginning of the end of the war. That's all I need to know. I think we're going to go back with my dad. I'm sure he'd love it.

#53 Learn CPR

I have been certified to resuscitate adults, children, and infants. I can help choking victims. But don't be faking unconsciousness, because first I shake you then I rub my knuckles on your chest. Go ahead, try it on yourself. It hurts. So no faking.

But I would like everyone who has a child under the age of one to stay away from me until my certification runs out in a year. Because I was totally freaked by practicing on the infant dummy. I don't want any babies choking near me because I do not want to rap the baby on the back; I do not want to make the "baby sandwich" (a way of flipping the baby from the back to the front); I do not want to compress your baby's chest. No, no, no.

Non-fiction

I am still dragging myself through that flu book. It's not that I don't like history or thinking, but it is just taking me so long to read it. I'm about 2/3 of the way through.

I did manage to read Drunk, Divorced and Covered in Cat Hair in about a minute and a half. It was enjoyable like Laurie's website is.

I wanted to share with you Laurie's list for having better relationships, because I think everyone can learn from it.

Have more sex. Hire a cleaning service so you spend less time being resentful. Go out on dates at least once a week. Always be kind, even when you want to be mean. Listen more, talk less. Don't drink too much wine at a party and accuse him of ...anything. Wear sexier stuff to bed. Have your own life. Have your own goals, interests, and activities. Don't give up being whole. Don't pick someone who'd need you to be less than you are. Choose well. Don't criticize his driving.

I'm working on a few of these. The mean thing. The criticizing the driving thing. I think we need to work on the housekeeper thing too.

Nonfiction: 3.5