5 Down

Well, I have come to the end of yet another week here.  Classes are going strong and the work load is starting to pick up a bit.  I had my second anatomy cadaver laboratory this week.  Things were a bit better then the first time around.  I think it was because we were dealing with an easier topic and had some idea of how to conduct ourselves in the lab.  Supervision and direction were still missing from the staff in the lab, but I think we are adapting to the situation.  My other classes are moving along as well.  They are still primarily lecture classes with associated readings that we discuss after each lecture.  They are still very much in the theory and ethics realm of study and less of the practical realm.  As much as I dislike theory and ethics, it is fundamental to any Master's and/ or PhD dissertation.  I will have at least one chapter of my dissertation devoted to theory so I best just suck it up.  I am going to begin writing my first paper for the course later this week or early next week.  The paper must relate to the course 'Biocultural Approaches to Human Osteoarchaeology.'  Sounds like fun, huh?  I am planning on writing about the relationship between individual vs population based studies of human skeletal systems.  I am hoping to knock out two birds with a single stone by writing a paper now that I will then be able to use, with only slight modification, in my final dissertation.  One of the theoretical approaches I am going to be using and criticizing is the bases of individual vs population based studies.  So if all goes well, I should have a jump start on the theoretical background section of my master's dissertation before I even begin on it.

In other news, I am still working towards getting my green card.  I am hoping that by the end of the month everything will be sorted out and I will no longer have to deal with the Irish government for a while.  I have adjusted to life pretty well now.  I am still getting used to the slow pace of things.  I have made a few friends.  Everyone in the Master's program is getting along very well.  The other archaeology Master's program (Master's in Archaeological Excavation)  and our group have also been getting together so I have met a few more people there.  I also joined the UCC Archaeology Society as a means by which to become a little more involved and meet more people.

So that's pretty much the summary of this last week.  I have a busy week ahead of me.  Lots and lots of reading to be finished by Thursday.  I am hoping to have a meeting with my adviser to discuss my project and decide on a good skeletal population for me to work with.  Also, I need to start inquiring about access to a CT scanner.  I think I have figured out a way to incorporate some CT images into my master's thesis.  This way I stay connected to my original research ideas while pursuing a different course of application.

I have added several photographs from my first month in Ireland to Facebook.  I am going to try and add a slideshow or image gallery to this webpage as well, just have to figure out the easiest way to do that.  But for now, just check them out on Facebook.