American Nerd

The Story of My People

by Benjamin Nugent

"As fun as all of [debate contests] might be, debate is also something nerds do in order to meet other nerds they can hit on" (106).

I was going to say more, but one second thought I think that about covers it.

Finally, the answer to The Question

No, sadly not that question.

The Question I'm refering to is "Callan, what the hell are you actually studying?"

The official answer is that no one really knows. Even scholars in the subject can't agrees. I've read about 30 different definitions from just as many scholars in the subject. They all kind of run in the same direction, but each person will tell you that their definition is not at all like anyone else's.

Some scholars like to focus on the 'folk' part, or "a small group of people", although scholars can't even agree on the definition of the term 'folk'. Other scholars like to focus on the 'lore' part, which has an even more haggled over definition that 'folk.' For example: "the materials of folklore rather than the people who use it"(Dundes).

And this is all in contrast to 'fakelore', which are stories that people make up. Wait, you say, isn't real folklore made up too? Why, yes, yes it is. So what's the difference your inquiring mind might ponder. 'Fakelore'(coined by Dorson, an American) is made up by author's, so stories like Paul Bunyan or the Ossisian Cycle, as opposed to stories without known original authors like, ummmmm...... I think King Arthur qualifies, or OH! Cinderella, that one definitely qualifies.

The one thing everyone seems to agree on is who coined the term 'folklore', which is another interesting story. A man named William John Thoms wrote a letter to "The Athenaeum" under the psuedonom Ambrose Merton (why would you pick this name of all possible names?) and said that the term 'folklore' should replace the term 'popular antiquities' to describe this indescribable area of scholarship. Why the need for a new name? Well, 'popular antiquities' is too latinate a term, the English need "a good saxon compound" (in the words of Merton). Good Grief!!!

So please feel free to make up a definition of my realm of scholastic inquiry. Best one gets chocolate digestives.

Word of the Day

latrinalia: (n.) writing on the walls of public bathrooms.

taken from "The Study of Folklore", Alan Dundes (ed).

So, yes, I suppose that the writing on the walls of public bathrooms is something that could be studied by folklorists.

Promises

I promise I will
a) post pictures asap
b) write about something other than my complaints
c) make you jealous and want to be here
d) not complain too much about the cold
e) use more Scottish-isms
f) figure out how to make my digital camera video skype capable and then tell all of you.
g) answer any questions you have, but only if you send them
h) tell you what all the other international (not US or UK) students think about the US elections (hint: so far everyone is pro-Obama)
i) stop the use of numeral or alphabetal lists in my blogs

Staying warm all winter with only one log

The "Old Farmer's Almanac" is published yearly and predicts the weather every day for the next year. This year this also offer advise on how to stay warm all winter with only one log.

And how does the almanac recommend keeping warm throughout the winter with one piece of wood?

Toss the log out of an upstairs window, run downstairs and outside to retrieve it, run back upstairs, then fling it out of the window again.
"Pretty soon you're going to be very hot and you don't need to turn the heat on," Perreault said.

Who would have thunk it?

Now Playing in Scotland: Callan

I've been in Scotland for a grand total of 91.25 hours. And yes, it is beautiful. No it has not rained yet. And, no, none of my roommates are Scottish.

I have three roommies, one from Malaysia, one from Kenya and another from New Brunswick, Canada. They're all really cool and I think its going to be a good year with them. And I have a separate bedroom I can lock myself into if necessary.

However trying to get anything done I feel like I'm waiting in a queue to bash my head into a brick wall. There seems to be a system of how I need to do things, but no one seems to understand the system or know what order things need to be done it. Very annoying.

So, so far I have accomplished 1) meeting my department co-head's, 2) being told about all the other students in the Folklore program - there is 1 other full time master's student, 4 part time masters students and 7 or 8 PHD students. The other full-timer is American. I knew it was a small department, but I didn't realize how small. - 3) standing in a lot of lines, 4) getting an application for the gym, 5) getting the application for the letter of introduction to a bank, 6) getting an application for a bank account (I need a phone number & an intro letter), 7) getting an application for a mobile contract (I need a bank account first) - anyone notice a pattern? - 8) and finally figuring out who I need to talk to about sorting out paying for school. So I've accomplished nothing. Well, not true, I got my Internet hooked up and I put away all my clothing.

I still don't really believe I'm here. I feels like a weird vacation, where I don't get to do any fun things, and then I get on another unbearably long plane ride. Its also strange thinking that I'm going to be living somewhere so small. And other people don't seem to realize that Aberdeen is small. I have a roommate who is scared of getting lost, but there isn't anywhere to get lost. Sometimes I streets are a little disorienting, because of how they loop and turn, but there's not where to get lost too. Besides the main town is surrounded by rivers and the north sea, so it you run into water you've gone too far, but not very far.

BUY THIS BOOK

The Dreams Begins: How Hawai'i Shaped Barack Obama
by Stu Glauberman and Jerry Burris
available on Amazon.com and Borders.com

This book explores the early formative years of Barack Obama in Hawai'i and Indonesia. It presents the pieces of Barack's life that he and his opponents have attributed to shaping his worldview, without slanting the data for reaching a partisan conclusion, allowing the reader to reach their own opinions.

Stu and Jerry, both long time Hawai'i residents and writers for the Honolulu Advertiser, draw on their decades on knowledge of not just Hawai'i politics, but Oahu politics and pedestrian life to craft a protrait of Barack's Punahou years.

Stu and Jerry skillful use all available research to provide a look at Barack's time in Indonesia and give the reader the facts about his schooling while aboard, including his time at a Muslim school registered with the last name of his step father, and consequently his step father's religion.
I recommend this book to everyone who is simply looking for the facts on Barack Obama, not shaded by partisan spin or fore drawn conclusions.

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