tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16558140955242508472024-03-19T20:27:12.123-07:00A Journal of ChimerasDoc Stardusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456369057430908873noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1655814095524250847.post-40752413719731639922023-06-28T22:01:00.000-07:002023-06-28T22:01:48.550-07:00Duncan & Mallory novels<p> </p><p>Link to my Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mel.-White/author/B007FHDCHE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Doc Stardusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456369057430908873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1655814095524250847.post-6059675582123600942020-10-25T20:39:00.000-07:002020-10-25T20:39:02.194-07:00Class Links Egyptology Week 2<p> </p><p><a href="https://www.si.edu/spotlight/ancient-egypt/pyramid">Smithsonian on the Egyptian pyramids </a></p><p><a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7407881/mummy-egypt-tomb-open-sarcophagus/">October 5th discovery of mummies at Saqqara </a></p><p><a href="https://www.livescience.com/59066-burial-chamber-of-princess-in-egypt-pyramid.html">Mummy of Egyptian princess found in pyaramid</a></p><p><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/science/35-ancient-pyramids-discovered-in-sudan">35 small pyramids in Sudan</a></p>Doc Stardusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456369057430908873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1655814095524250847.post-6615938575759280142020-10-18T11:24:00.004-07:002020-10-18T11:32:20.006-07:00Class links - Egyptology week 1<p> Recent finds in Egypt: </p><p><a href="https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/new-egyptian-mummies-0014355">https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/new-egyptian-mummies-0014355</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Recommended:</p><div><a href="http://ancient-egypt-online.com/">http://ancient-egypt-online.com/</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums-static/digitalegypt//Welcome.html">https://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums-static/digitalegypt//Welcome.html</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Oriental Institute of Chicago on Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OrientalInstitute">https://www.facebook.com/OrientalInstitute</a></div><div><br /></div><div>My favorite Egyptologists</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Geraldine Pinch</li><li>Joyce Tyldesley</li><li>James P. Allen</li><li>Jan Assman</li></ul><div>Fun reading: The Amelia Peabody books by Egyptologist Barbara Mertz</div></div><div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelia_Peabody_series">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelia_Peabody_series</a></div><div><br /></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p>Doc Stardusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456369057430908873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1655814095524250847.post-51812810650036879742020-08-01T10:40:00.001-07:002020-08-03T07:15:55.878-07:00Class links - Roaring Twenties - 08/03/20An hour of twenties music<br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: white; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYNEJITxi2Y">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYNEJITxi2Y</a></span><span style="color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: white; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"> </span><br />
<div><span style="color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: white; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: white; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">A good look at the "Other Half" - Rosalind Russel in "Auntie Mame"</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: white; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: white; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Jeanne Toussaint</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: white; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"><a href="https://www.cartier.com/en-us/maison/l-odyssee-de-cartier/jeanne-toussaint.html">https://www.cartier.com/en-us/maison/l-odyssee-de-cartier/jeanne-toussaint.html</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div>What the English language pages don't tell you about Jeanne Toussaint</div><div><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Toussaint">https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Toussaint</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Debutante practice for presentation to queen</div><div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgEeHvzJ2Bw">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgEeHvzJ2Bw</a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Sloaney (luxury lifestyle magazine)</div><div><a href="https://www.thesloaney.com/">https://www.thesloaney.com/</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Listverse: the wildest parties in history:</div><div><a href="https://listverse.com/2014/02/02/10-of-the-wildest-parties-in-history/">https://listverse.com/2014/02/02/10-of-the-wildest-parties-in-history/</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Graphic Novel - Lackadaisy (which will also be an animated short film)</div><div><a href="https://lackadaisycats.com/">https://lackadaisycats.com/</a></div><div>(page 1 of the comic; <a href="https://lackadaisycats.com/comic.php?comicid=1">https://lackadaisycats.com/comic.php?comicid=1</a>)</div><div><br /></div><div>Oheka Castle - the second largest private home (now a hotel) in the US</div><div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oheka_Castle">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oheka_Castle</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Doc Stardusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456369057430908873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1655814095524250847.post-1082931109604685422020-07-24T14:34:00.002-07:002020-07-27T07:29:06.886-07:00Class Links - Roaring Twenties - July 27, 2020Some of the fun things to explore today!<br />
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<b>Cookbooks</b></div>
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Mary Ronald's Century Cookbook on Archive.org<br />
<a href="https://archive.org/stream/cu31924003579038#page/n1/mode/2up">https://archive.org/stream/cu31924003579038#page/n1/mode/2up</a><br />
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Perry Ladies' Cookbook<br />
<a href="http://www.kancoll.org/books/perry/index.html">http://www.kancoll.org/books/perry/index.html</a></div>
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A simple fruit shrub (fruit vinegar for drinking) - there are lots of recipes, some of them take months to make. This one doesn't.</div>
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<a href="https://www.myrecipes.com/how-to/how-to-make-shrub">https://www.myrecipes.com/how-to/how-to-make-shrub</a></div>
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And since it's summer, a cherry-balsamic shrub </div>
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<a href="https://www.kcet.org/food/recipe-cherry-balsamic-shrub">https://www.kcet.org/food/recipe-cherry-balsamic-shrub</a></div>
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Or how about "water pie"</div>
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<a href="https://www.southernplate.com/water-pie-recipe-from-the-great-depression/">https://www.southernplate.com/water-pie-recipe-from-the-great-depression/</a></div>
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<b>Tents and campers of 1920-1930 (in case you want an adventure)</b></div>
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<a href="https://mobilehomeliving.org/tents-of-the-1920s-and-30s/">https://mobilehomeliving.org/tents-of-the-1920s-and-30s/</a></div>
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<b>Short films</b>Babe Ruth, King of Swat in "Perfect Control"</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4llAK8_o4GU&list=FLddem5RlB3bQe99wyY49g0g">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4llAK8_o4GU&list=FLddem5RlB3bQe99wyY49g0g</a></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Link to Citizen Archivist for National Archives</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.archives.gov/citizen-archivist">https://www.archives.gov/citizen-archivist</a></div>
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<b>Chautauqua Society</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.mdhumanities.org/programs/chautauqua/">https://www.mdhumanities.org/programs/chautauqua/</a></div>
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Doc Stardusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456369057430908873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1655814095524250847.post-5156357387558513932020-07-23T17:35:00.002-07:002020-08-01T10:42:38.198-07:002020 BingoBecause things are just so strange this year - a collection of odd news stories that made people ask:<div><br /><div><img alt="See the source image" height="241" src="http://thebullelephant.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Angry-volcanic-otters.png" width="320" /></div><div><br /></div><div>News links included. Updated when I run across stuff.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Zombie cicadas" infected with mind-controlling fungus return to West Virginia</div><div>https://www.cbsnews.com/news/zombie-cicadas-infected-mind-controlling-fungus-west-virginia</div><div><br /></div><div><div>This River Of Black Sludge Recorded In Arizona Is The Stuff Of Nightmares</div><div>https://allthatsinteresting.com/arizona-ash-flash-flood</div><div><br /></div><div>07/18/2020 Giant swarm of flying ants spotted from space over UK </div><div>https://news.sky.com/story/giant-swarm-of-flying-ants-spotted-from-space-over-uk-12030835</div><div><br /></div><div>07/13/20 2020 adds "plague squirrels" to its apocalypse bingo card </div><div>https://z100radio.iheart.com/content/2020-07-13-2020-adds-plague-squirrels-to-its-apocalypse-bingo-card/</div><div><br /></div><div>07/01/20 Part of Lassen Volcanic National Park closed after angry otter bites swimmer - </div><div>https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/California-lake-closed-after-angry-otter-bites-15380136.php</div><div><br /></div><div>07/01/20 - National coin shortage has retailers pleading for exact change </div><div>https://nypost.com/2020/07/01/national-coin-shortage-has-retailers-pleading-for-exact-change/?fbclid=IwAR3Z7D3c-sp0x_NAojNnfWpoDhq7wQiRNy4IINj2QAHm9Xc00jK4WMMvYsY</div><div><br /></div><div>06/14/20 Locusts Are A Plague Of Biblical Scope In 2020. Why? And ... What Are They Exactly?</div><div>https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/06/14/876002404/locusts-are-a-plague-of-biblical-scope-in-2020-why-and-what-are-they-exactly</div><div><br /></div><div>05/29/20 Monkey steals COVID-19 blood samples from a lab technician in India </div><div>https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/monkey-steals-covid-19-blood-samples-from-a-lab-technician-in-india/ar-BB14MhGm</div><div><br /></div><div>05/27/20 More Than 100,000 People Have Now Died From COVID-19 In The U.S. - </div><div>https://www.huffpost.com/entry/100000-us-coronavirus-deaths_n_5ebd9b0bc5b66e2790db0a8b</div><div><br /></div><div>05/25/20 George Floyd protests </div><div>https://web.archive.org/web/20200602235547/https://www.nytimes.com/article/george-floyd-protests-timeline.html</div><div><br /></div><div>05/18/20 Freshwater river turns blood-red ‘like a biblical plague of Egypt’</div><div>https://nypost.com/2020/05/18/freshwater-river-turns-blood-red-like-a-biblical-plague-of-egypt/</div><div><br /></div><div>05/04/20 'Murder Hornets,' with sting that can kill, land in US </div><div>https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/murder-hornets-sting-kill-lands-us-70495354</div><div><br /></div><div>04/07/20 Record-size hole opens in ozone layer above the Arctic </div><div>https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/07/record-size-hole-opens-in-ozone-layer-above-the-arctic</div><div><br /></div><div>04/07/20 Chernobyl radiation levels spike as forest fires rage - </div><div>https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/06/europe/chernobyl-fire-radiation-scli-intl-scn/index.html</div><div><br /></div><div>01/10/20 Enormous 'Megafire' In Australia Engulfs 1.5 Million Acres </div><div>https://www.npr.org/2020/01/10/795169417/enormous-mega-fire-in-australia-engulfs-1-5-million-acres</div></div><div><br /></div></div>Doc Stardusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456369057430908873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1655814095524250847.post-83063890833893516952015-10-15T09:01:00.000-07:002015-10-15T09:01:00.409-07:00Back in CairoThe ship's Internet turned out to be too unreliable to upload posts, which means that I will be uploading various posts and notes later this week. I burned up ALL of my International data usage (not hard to do when you're the Geek Princess) and was left with the occasional small bits of free Internet via the ship's satellite. It was slow... almost as slow as some of the fast modems of 30 years ago.<br />
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A good story needs photos, don't you think?<br />
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So here we are, back in Cairo, at the Mena House Hotel. It's just after sunset, and that's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_of_Khafre">Khafre's pyramid</a> sitting on the plateau behind us, dividing the dark land from the indigo sky. We can't see the Sphinx from here, but I know it's watching us. The hotel sound system is playing classical music with an oriental theme. I can't identify either the piece or the composer, but it's a violin arabesque that flits and echoes around the walls of the 2nd floor lobby balcony where I'm sitting and typing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0yt6785tWojjXn2RL_6IluTJ4b8cQ3J-RqxreGlOZKiwVDgo7QvdmMBrMmPzn0cG0C1ihvGxnMZKvS9nrS9wCOq_SDY0OdCC2LQ9jUA8yR8_0riDGwxXBpsGxRdYa7s4iPOtC77Lr0bI/s1600/20151006_052311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0yt6785tWojjXn2RL_6IluTJ4b8cQ3J-RqxreGlOZKiwVDgo7QvdmMBrMmPzn0cG0C1ihvGxnMZKvS9nrS9wCOq_SDY0OdCC2LQ9jUA8yR8_0riDGwxXBpsGxRdYa7s4iPOtC77Lr0bI/s640/20151006_052311.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The grounds of the hotel are green and lush - there's several pools and the walks are lined with flowering plants. Big fat bumblebees stumble and buzz contentedly here, and I saw the familiar pale green-white of a cabbage butterfly ghosting across the lawn. You can even see the occasional scarab beetle, looking just like a piece of jewelry, trundling along on its way to an unknown destination. There's not much traffic this weekend -- it's a four-day weekend here in Egypt and everyone who can has gone out of town. The hotel grounds are quiet and fairly cool, although the temperature is hovering at 100.<br />
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The hotel, like all hotels and public places, has guards (discretely armed) who control the gates as fiercely as any guardian in the ancient books called The Book of Gates. We don't feel threatened here -- the sense is that since military service is compulsory for young men, that they have to be given something to do while in the military, and keeping the flocks of trinket-sellers away from tourist hotels is one of the things that they do. More about that later.<br />
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Night has fallen while I was writing this blog and downloading my homework from the University of Manchester. I need to go back to the room and dress for dinner, leaving Khafre's "mansion of millions of years" to watch the brilliant night skies for me.Doc Stardusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456369057430908873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1655814095524250847.post-91589901196782436172015-10-08T13:40:00.000-07:002015-10-08T13:40:36.387-07:00I Know Ten Words In Arabic and I'm Not Afraid To Use ThemI spent six months trying to learn Arabic (fairly unsuccessfully), but I've been using the few phrases and words that I learned on everyone. I'm trying to learn (or re-learn) a new one every day. Sadly, one of the necessary phrases is "get away from me" - every charm seller and trinket seller along the Nile is desperate to see tourist money, and some of them get rude and aggressive and won't take "no." There were two women today who managed to irk many of us. They sold scarves, and the "hook" was "by women, for women, won't you support a sister?" They wanted to sell as many as they could, so they got impatient with some of the women who were trying to buy (they wanted to make a 3 second sale and then run to "hassle" (that's what the Egyptians call it) another woman.) I would have bought a scarf on the way back but their aggressive approach turned me off.<br />
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The ship itself has a little store with a vendor who will haggle for prices. He lets you come in (really, you're a captive audience since you're on the ship and he's there, too) and look and ask questions. Our tour guide mentioned him, and Bruce bought a gabeyaah (man's robe) from him. I've gone in to look at things, and others have also bought from him. Those of us on the tour understand that these little vendors are eager to sell and do need the income, but when they flock around you and won't take "no" for an answer, it's off-putting.<br />
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The first day (at Giza) it was amusing. By now, it's not.<br />
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Bruce has acquired souvenirs, including the now-famous "one eared cat." Someone bought a large-ish (1 foot tall) statue of Bast, but when they tucked it in their bag, it knocked against something and lost an ear. The husband and wife were on the bus with Bruce (I think I was off climbing around a pyramid at the time) and the husband held it up and in best vendor manner called, "I have nice cat for sale! Only one dollah!" <br />
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Bruce yelled "20 cents!" ... and ended up with the one-eared cat, which he gave to me (I think we may need another suitcase!) He added "buyer of one-eared cats" to his self-inflicted persona name on his name tag (he calls himself "Abu Abyad' (Grandfather White))<br />
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I have also acquired souvenirs... mine are more expensive. I have a silver amulet of Sekhmet, who wards off plagues, and a book by Hawass that's basically a catalog of items on display in the Cairo Museum (which I can excuse as a book for my classes.)<br />
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Doc Stardusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456369057430908873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1655814095524250847.post-58611846008393034542015-10-06T09:45:00.003-07:002015-10-06T09:45:47.457-07:00The Great Pyramid and beyondToday we woke up early (5am our time) to head out to see the Great Pyramid and hear the dawn lecture by Zahi Hawass. We arrived just as the sun rose and turned the limestone of the Sphinx (where he was standing... eternal showman that he is) into gold. The old monument regarded the rising sun as it has done for the past 4,500 years while we small ones walked around its huge paws and learned its history. Up close, you can see chisel marks on some of the facings where restoration had been done hundreds of years ago.<br />
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And then it was off to the Great Pyramid. As we all know, my ambitions are great but my body is not so great. "We can see all three chambers," they said. "Cell phone photos are okay but no cameras." We climbed up to the thieves' entrance, about a 6th of the way up and entered. "We'll go up to the middle chamber but if you want to see all three rooms, start with the bottom chamber.<br />
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We all know where this is going, right?<br />
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Yup. I went down all 300 meters below the earth, into the subterranean chamber. The passageway is low (even short little me had to walk bent over down the slope), and the "footing" is actually a series of boards nailed together with slats across each (think of a railroad and railroad ties. There were only a few lights along the way, so Geek Princess here grabbed out her cell phone and used the flashlight function as we went farther and farther from the light. The last little dot of light at the top winked out and we kept on going.<br />
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At the bottom, we reached a small square passageway and had to crawl to go forwards for about 30 feet to reach the unfinished bottom chamber. I took a photo, and one of the guards said "no photos." So much for that.<br />
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And then it was back up the slope. Sadly, there's no quick way out -- only the long slope up in the deep darkness. Then we hauled ourselves to the second level. "The main chamber's straight ahead," Bruce said. Two ramps merged, sloping upward, that led to the Queen's chamber.<br />
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Yes, I went. More slopes in the darkness. I was only able to stay a short time (I move so slowly that it takes me a longer time to get someplace.) After making my way down, I took the turn (and the crawl) into the main chamber and stared at the granite sarcophagus. Although I'm making this sound anticlimactic, the truth here is that the wifi is rather unreliable and even my phone drops signal frequently. So I'm typing in haste, but I have notes and pictures to follow.<br />
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This was not the end of my adventures, but it's the end of my typing for the moment. It's dinner time and believe me, I have earned this meal!Doc Stardusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456369057430908873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1655814095524250847.post-48954891373837458192015-10-03T14:11:00.003-07:002015-10-03T14:11:17.927-07:00Adventures in Language LandToo tired to type up adventures today (I will type them tomorrow while we are on the plane.) But today's episode included a trip on a boat AND getting around Frankfurt with three women from Costa Rica who spoke only a few words in English. I speak about 100 words of Spanish and about 500 words of Germany. It was hilariously ... but very strange.<br />
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Also, it seems we have landed in Frankfurt on the weekend of a very big festival. Our hotel is full of police!Doc Stardusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456369057430908873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1655814095524250847.post-23819312004883548232015-10-01T13:50:00.003-07:002015-10-01T13:50:37.200-07:00Chapter 2 - to GelnhausenWe made it to Germany! <br />
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The flight on Lufthansa was pleasant -- we seemed to have more room than on ordinary flights, and the service was wonderful. The flight attendants spoke both German and English (and probably several other languages); I practiced my bad German on them. Frankfurt airport is immense, and a trip from any place in the airport to any other place is like an adventure to an alien land. We got off the plane and were escorted to buses, which then took a full 20 minutes to wind through various buildings to the place where we could pick up our luggage. Getting to the rental car place was another long hike.<br />
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I was far too amused to find out that "rental car place" in German is "mietwagen"...which I promptly mangled into "meat wagon." Our "meat wagon" is a huge Mercedes SUV with all the bells and whistles. It's a rather intimidating beast, and the gear shift is very different from American cars.<br />
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At any rate, having acquired our personal "Meat Wagon", we fired up the GPS (another interesting experience since it's not a brand we use) and headed to Gelnhausen, the place where I spent about 4 years of my childhood.<br />
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It has changed considerably. I remember the drive being through farmland, where everyone farmed the land up to the edge of the road. Now it looks more like America, with a grassy strip between the farmland and the Iroad. When I lived there, the only high school was in Frankfurt, an hour's trip one way. It's still an hour's drive from Frankfurt to Gelnhausen but the drive has changed. It's no longer a small 4 lane highway bordered by farms, but a very large 6 lane highway with concrete walls separating small towns from the roads, and a lot of graffiti. It looks less tidy.<br />
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Doc Stardusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456369057430908873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1655814095524250847.post-64968892206130923302015-10-01T13:41:00.000-07:002015-10-01T13:41:00.912-07:00Chapter 0 - Prequel: A Thousand Miles Up The Nile (via Germany)Since I teach Egyptology and am getting a degree in Egyptology, the choice to take a vacation in Egypt makes a lot of sense.<br />
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But I'm sure a lot of you are wondering, "Why go to Germany?"<br />
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In the early years of our marriage, my husband kept trotting me around to all sorts of different places in West Texas, telling me about family members who lived there or friends of family members who lived there or... even just places they'd passed through. His family had a rich and deep connection with the land here in Texas.<br />
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Me? I had nothing.<br />
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I grew up as an Army Brat, moving about every three years (long enough for me to get to know the people around me but never long enough for a lasting friendship.) There was no connection to the land. Teachers didn't know me or my family, and I wasn't an exceptional student (I was annoying, however, because I'd read through the textbooks very early in the semester and spend the rest of the time covertly reading science fiction.) The only thing I felt a connection with were the lands and the forests, and in particular the forests of Germany. They are still part of the landscape I see in dreams, cool and green, and welcoming with fragrant arms of pine.<br />
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Fast forward 42 years. My parents have died and I have a small inheritance -- enough to pay for the rest of my degree in Egyptology and to fund one (just one) trip abroad. Egypt was calling!<br />
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But it's a very long flight to Egypt if you fly directly. I was afraid that we'd arrive, exhausted and in pain, and not able to enjoy our trip. So I checked the balances and discovered we could afford a few days in Germany. This was MY chance to get some revenge on my husband -- take HIM to all the places where I grew up!<br />
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Plotting a multistage trip without the help of a travel agent is a real challenge, but I threw myself into it and then started trying to learn Arabic (one of the 5 hardest languages for an English speaker to learn) and German. I'd taken German courses in school back when I lived there (in 1960), but my German was pretty rusty. I gathered up tapes and books and spent about 10 minutes over a course of 6 months trying to learn a few new phrases in Arabic and the final month before the trip, I switched over to trying to re-learn German.<br />
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If you know me, you know that I tend to overplan everything. Yes, I've been packing and repacking for the last month, researching what to take and what not to take. Among the thing that you might find odd are an electric teakettle (they recommend boiling the water in Egypt, just in case... and I have no patience for those little coil-dunkers), sewing kit, handi-wipes (face wipes), empty medicine bottles (for the face wipes), sports whistle, and several flashlights. I also brought a bathtub stopper (with my bad back, I prefer baths. Showers just won't unkink the back.) <br />
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I had to make the hard decision about which technology I could bring, eventually settling on my little light laptop (after I backed it up), my cell phone, and my small Samsung tablet. I felt awfully darn naked. For art, I packed colored pens, colored pencils, a sharpener, scissors, and a tablet of index cards to serve as drawing paper.<br />
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...and then I repacked again. It's kind of a new hobby, y'know?Doc Stardusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456369057430908873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1655814095524250847.post-324957635763543822015-10-01T13:40:00.003-07:002015-10-01T13:40:38.066-07:00Some questions answered!From Kathryn Rodman<br />
<span style="background-color: #f5e4e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14.17px; line-height: 19.838px;"><b>1: Have you been to Germany or Egypt prior to this trip?</b></span><span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f5e4e9; font-size: 14.17px; line-height: 19.838px;">I lived in Germany for about 8 years. My dad was in the Army, and we made two trips here. I've never been to Egypt.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f5e4e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14.17px; line-height: 19.838px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: #f5e4e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14.17px; line-height: 19.838px;"><b>2: how long was the place ride? (if you were in a plane) </b></span><br />
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This time, the trip was about 10 hours nonstop. I took a sleeping pill so that I would sleep for some of the trip. My first trip to Germany was when I was 3 years old. I was on a ship, but I don't remember anything about it.<br />
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<b><span style="background-color: #f5e4e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14.17px; line-height: 19.838px;">3: Would you go again? </span></b><br />
<span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.17px; line-height: 19.838px;">You betcha! I love travel!</span></span><br />
<b><span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.17px; line-height: 19.838px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: #f5e4e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14.17px; line-height: 19.838px;">4: how different is the food from America and what was your favorite place to eat? </span></b><br />
<span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.17px; line-height: 19.838px;">Here in Germany - not too different. I think the main thing is that the food isn't quite as sweet, and nobody puts glasses of water on your table (you have to ask for it, and what you get is something like Perrier water. So far, my favorite place was a Greek/Mediterranean place in Gelnhausen.</span></span><br />
<b><span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.17px; line-height: 19.838px;"><br /></span></span></b><span style="background-color: #f5e4e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14.17px; line-height: 19.838px;"><b>5: Did you go to see any pyramids?</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.17px; line-height: 19.838px;">Not yet -- I will in two days, though!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.17px; line-height: 19.838px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #f5e4e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14.17px; line-height: 19.838px;"><b>6: did you go to any museums if so what was the best thing you saw? </b></span><br />
Not yet! Next week we will!<br />
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<span style="background-color: #f5e4e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14.17px; line-height: 19.838px;"><b>7: What was the first thing you noticed was different from America?</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f5e4e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14.17px; line-height: 19.838px;">The airport! We didn't roll up to the gate. Instead, they came for us in buses.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f5e4e9; color: #632035; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 14.17px; line-height: 19.838px;"><br /></span>Doc Stardusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456369057430908873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1655814095524250847.post-6394391840218481632015-09-30T13:30:00.000-07:002015-09-30T13:30:32.225-07:00Chapter 1 - Packing... and overpacking?The big day is here, and I think I must have packed (and repacked) all my suitcases at least a dozen times. I go through periods of outright confidence and periods of total nervousness. What if I've forgotten something? What if the suitcases are too heavy? Have I taken enough security measures? An additional worry is going through customs with my electronic gear. Like most geeks, I can't take just one small phone. I have to have a tablet, two cameras, my cell phone, a wifi hot spot, AND my phone. Part of my excuse is that I will have to keep up with my classes while I'm abroad, but part of it is that I simply can't stand to be away from my electronics.<br />
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The downside to this is that it takes a long time to go through security. In order to keep them from stopping me, I have to pack the items in clear plastic bags so that I can grab a group of them easily to put in the multiple trays for the x-ray machine. It takes me five trays and about five minutes do this little dance, and when everything's gone through, it takes another five minutes to put my shoes on and repack everything into the bag. The clear plastic bags made it easier this time but it's still not quick.<br />
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Using plastic ziplock bags was an idea I saw on a travel site, and one that turns out to be a rather brilliant "lifehack." We packed our clothing in 2 1/2 gallon bags, which means that if they really want to do a number on our checked baggage at Customs, it will be easy to lift out 10 bags of clothing and put them back, rather than tossing everything out of the suitcase in a mad jumble and then trying to reassemble it freehand at a table in the airport.<br />
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The ride to the airport is pleasant. We've hired a driving service so that we can leave our cars at home. It turned out to be cheaper than paying to keep our cars in long-term storage at the airport. One other advantage is that when we return, we will not have to drive home after a 10 hour flight. I did manage to refrain from texting everyone blow-by-blow updates of the trip to the airport; a silly and twitchy impulse driven mostly by nerves. However, things like "it's 10 minutes till the car comes and I'm checking my mail for the 200th time" begin to look annoyingly spammy. So I texted that I was headed to the airport and promised myself that I'd Shut Up until after the plane landed.<br />
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So what would you take along on a trip? For me, the first two items are "books" and "electronics." Luckily, in this age and day, it's easy to bring along a whole library of books plus music on a single kindle or Android tablet. I have more than enough to read on the flight, but my plan is to take a sleeping pill and a strong analgesic and sleep for most of it.<br />
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Doc Stardusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456369057430908873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1655814095524250847.post-4569800402270554552015-09-24T16:36:00.001-07:002015-09-24T17:17:26.788-07:00A thousand miles up the Nile with Amelia Peabody and Dr. Zahi Hawass<span style="font-weight: normal;"><i>For the adults reading this -- right now, I'm writing for the children that I've invited to follow my adventures. Deal with it. :) </i></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i> </i>I'm giving only a few people the link to this blog where I will be posting daily updates about our trip to Germany and to Egypt. I won't be talking about it or linking these posts until AFTER I come back (October 20th) because my Facebook page reaches a lot of people and it's just good sense to not tell the whole world that there's nobody at your home. But, if I'm sharing this URL with you, </span><u style="font-weight: normal;"><i>it means that I'm inviting your comments and questions and suggestions.</i></u><br />
<u style="font-weight: normal;"><i><br /></i></u><span style="font-weight: normal;"> I can only take a limited number of pictures (and some places don't allow photos) and I can't write about EVERYthing. But I'd like to know </span><i>what you'd like to see</i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> more of or hear more about and I will try to include that as I write my daily blogs. And thanks to the magic of Internet (which I should have all the way), I will be posting on Facebook and other places just as if I was still at home in Dallas.</span><br />
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Trip itinerary</h3>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Sept 30 - leave for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankfurt">Frankfurt</a>, Germany! </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">October 1 (9 am!) arrive in Frankfurt, Germany. We will pick up a car and drive to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelnhausen">Gelnhausen</a>, </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">the town where I lived from about 1959 to 1963 (so I spent almost 8 years of my childhood in Germany) We will have a German lunch and see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_I,_Holy_Roman_Emperor">Frederick Barbarossa'</a>s</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"> old castle and then drive back to Frankfurt. </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">October 2 - an all day bus tour to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuschwanstein_Castle">Neuschwanstein Castle</a> and to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linderhof_Palace">Linderhof Palace</a>. These are amazing places, and I can't wait to show Bruce!</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">October 3 - resting in the morning, then at 1 pm we do a dinner cruise of Frankfurt and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhine_Valley">Rhine Valley</a> and have a wine tasting as well!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;"> October 4 - at 3 pm (Frankfurt time, which is about 6 hours ahead of US time) we'll be in the air and lying down to<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo"> Cairo, Egypt</a>. We will be on the <a href="http://archaeologicalpaths.com/">Archaeological Paths</a> tour.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">October 5 - we will go to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saqqara">Saqqara</a> (I'm looking forward to seeing the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_of_Djoser">pyramid of Djoser</a>) and meet <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zahi_Hawass">Dr. Zahi Hawass</a>, who is probably the most famous living archaeologist.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">October 6, we will fly to the town of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxor">Luxor</a> and get on board our cruise ship. The best way to tour Egypt is by boat, just like the ancient Egyptians did.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">October 7 - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karnak">Karnak</a> (I'm probably going to use up half my memory cards here!)</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">October 8 - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edfu">Edfu</a></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">October 9 - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aswan">Aswan</a></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">October 10 - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Simbel_temples">Abu Simbel</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">October 11 - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kom_Ombo">Kom Ombo</a></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">October 12 - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxor_Temple">Luxor Temple</a> (with Dr. Zahi Hawass)</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">October 13 - flying back to Cairo, going to the <a href="http://guardians.net/hawass/buildtomb.htm">Pyramid Builders Tombs</a> with Dr. Hawass (this is one that I'm REALLY eager to see!)</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">October 14 - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giza_Plateau">Giza plateau</a> (sphinx and pyramids) with Dr. Hawass</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">October 15 - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahshur">Dashu</a>r and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis,_Egypt">Memphis</a> and a lecture with Dr. Hawass</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">October 16 - tour of Cairo and the famous<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_Museum"> Egyptian museum</a> (they will not let us take photos inside the museum, however.)</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">October 17 - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandria">Alexandria</a>, the city of Cleopatra! We'll go by the modern<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Alexandria"> Library of Alexandria </a>and to the site of the famous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighthouse_of_Alexandria">Lighthouse</a></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">October 18 - back to Germany</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">October 19 - exploring Frankfurt and maybe going to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Nauheim">Bad Nauheim</a>, where I lived from 1952-1956 or so.</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">October 20 - back to Texas.</span><br />
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...and the day after I get back, I've got to go teach! </div>
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So if you're curious about something or if there's pictures you'd like to see, let me know! The adventure begins next Wednesday!</div>
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Doc Stardusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456369057430908873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1655814095524250847.post-73739949035461417122014-11-22T11:15:00.000-08:002014-11-22T11:15:45.272-08:00A Guildie's Guide to World of Warcraft Garrisons (Alliance)One of the new (and occasionally confusing) features in the Warlords of Draenor expansion for World of Warcraft is the garrison. It's lovely to have your own "home base" with all the amenities of a town. But figuring out what to do for the first time and what your best options are is a bit of a head-scratcher.<br />
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(Horde side notes come later)<br /><br />Garrisons. You haz one. And as you look around and ask "what next?" you realize that there's no Plain Ol' English guides to what's going on. This is not meant to replace any of the other guides out there -- this is a set of my notes for my guild members, who hit Draenor and love their garrisons but have no idea what to do with them.<br /><br />HEARTHSTONES:<br />Keep both hearthstones -- I have one set for Pandaria with all the portals, but you can pick another city. One is always set to your garrison. This makes questing easier (or returning to Stormwind/Exodar/Ironforge/Darnassus for holiday events and Darkmoon Faire)<br /><br /><br />SANITY<br />The first thing you notice is that the Garrison has trade chat and city/region chat. You can turn them off with /leave 1 and /leave 2 (you can always rejoin them.) Luckily, Blizzard has limited the number of times you can talk per minute and trade and city chat is being better utilized for asking questions and for offering to sell items.<br /><br />BUILDING STUFF<br />Next, the game will have you build your barracks. This gives you a button that you can click when you're in trouble (use it!). In Shadowmoon Valley (starting area), clicking the button will bring asquad of four armored fighters who will rush in and beat up whatever monster is causing you trouble. <br /><br />Building plans will drop as you do things -- as you fish, plans for a fishing shack will drop (and so forth) If you plan on keeping up with cooking or if you are an alchemist, you will need to do a lot of fishing. <br /><br />TIP: FOLLOW THE PUG AROUND<br />A one time bonus when you start, Pippers the Pug steals some Garrison supplies. You can retrieve them by following him around.<br /><br />USING RESOURCES:<br />Resources you will want to track carefully are "Garrison Resources" that have as their icon a little crate. They are generated by your garrison and by other activities. Sending followers on missions will cost you garrison resources (usually 5-10 resources per adventure.) It's best to send followers out on missions that give you things you really need (a rare item, or garrison resources, or gold (if you have lots of resources) rather than send them out on anything.<br /><br />To upgrade to a level 3 town, you need 3,000 garrison resources... and that's a bunch, let me tell you!<br /><br />Apexis Shards are another currency that is obtained from various garrison activities. <br /><br />DAILY TASKS:<br />If you are undergeared (or are a caster with low DPS), get one of the people in your garrison to follow you around as you collect herbs from yur herb garden or mine or do other collection tasks. Occasionally you get jumped by mobs, and your follower will help you kill them quickly.<br /><br /><br />FOLLOWERS:<br />Be choosy about which missions you send them on. Each mission costs (usually 5-10 garrison resources) and you can choose ones that give YOU (yes, you) experience or the occasional epic object or gold (most often) or garrison resources. My first time through I sent them off on every available mission. When I hit level 100, I found myself resource-short for garrison upgrades.<br />
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My current strategy is to send them out on missions with lots of extra experience OR missions that give me garrison resources. Gold is actually easy to come by in this expansion.<br /><br />OUTPOSTS:<br />Eventually, you get an outpost in the other areas of the world that can serve as your "home away from the garrison." You will be offered two choices to build at each area. I make the following choices:<br /><br />I built the Guardian Orb at Ft. Wrynn.<br />I built the Shredder at Highpass<br />I built the Trading Post in Spires of Arak<br />I built the Tank in Nagrand<br /><br />The tank and shredder are particularly effective for soloing elite mobs.<br />
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I'll add Alliance notes next week and Follower notes the week after.Doc Stardusthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11456369057430908873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1655814095524250847.post-65096288074541417182009-08-12T15:10:00.005-07:002020-12-11T14:01:24.573-08:00Don't lose this<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwea-W5wdXf2YW1wE8Kg-_FErcaR8dQQ3aUikVqE81mzlqcpjVCBq7SGSu4Qc3F43BJI47xYnWtG-FTlc77sYm-7bdrGT9qfb0rlqkkn7mhZgsDzKoXsgoLCQCKi2MnR1n4S9rXP3tYQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1181" data-original-width="1748" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwea-W5wdXf2YW1wE8Kg-_FErcaR8dQQ3aUikVqE81mzlqcpjVCBq7SGSu4Qc3F43BJI47xYnWtG-FTlc77sYm-7bdrGT9qfb0rlqkkn7mhZgsDzKoXsgoLCQCKi2MnR1n4S9rXP3tYQ/" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />
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