Sexy Sex with Asian Dothrakis - Episode 10

IT’S EPISODE 10 OF THE STRUGGLING ARCHAEOLOGIST’S GUIDE TO GETTING DIRTY- “SEXY SEX WITH ASIAN DOTHRAKIS!”

Given, those of you who share my love of Medieval era earth-like fantasy novels will get more out of this one than others- it’s still a pretty great time. We talk about genome studies revealing how surprisingly horny our ancient ancestors were, which may or may not involve a detailed Game of Thrones analogy. Then I give some advice to the newb considering how to get started with academic conferences. Number 1 priority- ignore ANY and ALL impulses to dress like Indiana Jones. Do NOT do this thing. Repeat after me: I will NOT be that guy… breathe deep, it’s going to be okay.

Oh, and if you didn’t believe me that archaeology conferences are fun- check this out. Yeah, you try eating a pizza the size of a coffee table and not having fun.

Also, all that stuff about drinking was true. I’m not saying that some people are more successful than others at conferences because they drink delicious beers at the end of the day… but it helps.

Okay my nerds, always remember to drink responsibly, tip your waiters, and listen to more of The Struggling Archaeologist Podcast!

McNiven OUT! 

Puppy Problems - Episode 9

Welcome to Episode 9 of The Struggling Archaeologist’s Guide to Getting Dirty: Puppy Problems!

Now first off, I’d like to apologize for the content of this episode. There’s no way around it… I’m talking about dead puppies here. I mean they’re mummified puppies which is what makes it interesting, but, yeah- still pretty sad. But since I’m a dog lover and an exasperated dog owner, I turned this one into a discussion on the history of dog/human evolution because that’s pretty cool and stuff.

If you listen to the episode you’ll notice I talk a lot about stray dogs that stalk me and try to sneak into my house, like I won’t notice I have this strange dog hanging around. Like since there’s so many in there I would, like a crazy cat lady, probably not even notice. I wasn’t lying, and you can see the evidence on the original blog post for the episode here... 

Alright, well that’s it for the puppy talk. In this week’s Shorty News we talk about this jerk from Canada who sparks another convo on relic hunting and the black market. And that’s it folks, make sure to listen to previous episodes here or on iTunes, and check out our new tumblr blog here! 

McNiven OUT! 

Johhny Reb Ain't Got No Ale! - Episode 8

Welcome Back Listeners! Ready for another exciting episode of The Struggling Archaeologist’s Guide to Getting Dirty?

Well get ready for our newest installment “Johnny Reb Ain’t Got No Ale!” (You guessed it, it’s our Civil War episode!)

I thought I’d do a Civil War podcast in honor of the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg that just passed. Would have been nice to have it out July 1,2, or 3 wouldn’t it? Well, I was on vacation so deal with it (joking, love you guys!). Better late than never right?

There’s still time to learn all about what’s going on in Civil War archaeology, from underwater excavations to prison camps to the recovery of human remains from battlegrounds such as Antietam. And if you have an opinion on the controversial practice of relic hunting then I’d like to hear it (yeah brace yourself for a bit of a lecture… no offence to my hobbyists and collectors out there!), if you’d like to share your thoughts please leave a comment on our new facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/GuidetoGettingDirty) or email me at guidetogettingdirty@gmail.com!

Oh yeah- I told you I was drinking a Chamberlain Ale and here’s my proof! And next to my favorite General’s beer is the man himself, hopefully resting in peace as my nephew and I paid our respects… If anyone ever makes it up to Brunswick, Maine make sure to check out the little cemetery next to Bowdoin College where he and his family are buried. The Chamberlain museum is directly across the street from the entrance to campus as well. Both worth a visit (yeah, Maine’s pretty cool too I guess, you might want to stay for a bit and have some lobstah!)

For some other cool pics from my travels to Chamberlain's grave, Gettysburg, and Antietam go check out this episode's original blog post

That's all for this Yankee, peace out my nerds! 

Holy Crackpot Theory Batman! - Episode 7

Episode 7 already? Wow. It’s time for The Struggling Archaeologist’s Guide to Getting Dirty to introduce its newest treasure- “Holy Crackpot Theory Batman!”

I HOPE YOU’RE READY, BECAUSE THIS AMOUNT OF AWESOME-NESS COULDN’T BE CONTAINED IN A MERE HALF HOUR. THIS IS GOING TO BE A 58 MINUTE EPISODE FOLKS! THAT’S RIGHT, ONCE YOU GET ME STARTED ON ANCIENT EGYPT I JUST DO NOT SHUT UP. OF COURSE, WHEN I DON’T SHUT UP I DON’T ALWAYS THINK STRAIGHT- AS WAS CLEARLY THE CASE WHEN I STATED THAT THUTMOSE III WAS QUEEN HATSHEPSUT’S SON (WHAT AN IDIOT RIGHT?). SO DISCLAIMER: I DO REALLY KNOW THAT HE WAS ONLY A STEP-SON, BORN TO ONE OF HATSHEPSUT’S HUSBAND’S (THUTMOSE II) SECONDARY WIVES ISET. I MEAN, LIKE DUH, RIGHT?

SO I’LL LEAVE THE JABBERING FOR THE PODCAST. IF YOU HAVE ANY COOL INSIGHT INTO ANYTHING ANCIENT EGYPT SEND ME AN EMAIL AT GUIDETOGETTINGDIRTY@GMAIL.COM, OR LEAVE A COMMENT ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE! AND DON’T FORGET YOU CAN LISTEN TO OR DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST ON ITUNES, PODBEAN, OR STITCHER, HUZZAH!

AS YOU CAN PROBABLY TELL, THIS EPISODE WAS MOST LIKELY JUST ANOTHER EXCUSE FOR ME TO TALK ABOUT MUMMIES. MWAHAHAHAHAHA (EVIL LAUGH)! IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEE SOME PICTURES OF MOST OF THE MUMMIES I TALKED ABOUT ON THE PODCAST TODAY CHECK OUT ITS ORIGINAL BLOG POST HERE!

THAT'S ALL MY MUMMY NERDS, SEE YOU ON THE FLIPPITY FIP!

MCNIVEN OUT! 

G'Day Fela - Episode 6

G’Day Fela! And welcome to an OZ sized episode of “The Struggling Archaeologist’s Guide to Getting Dirty!”

I hope you’re ready to break the rules as we say “piss it” to boring old news stories and go a little unscripted as we discuss my undying love for the land down under. That’s right, that mystical continent on the other side of the world was once my home- and not just me, it’s the home of the Croc Hunter (well, was…), Javert, Wolverine, The Hulk/Nero/Hector, Eomer and Galadriel, The Joker, that stupid girl that married Legolas that I will hate forever and ever, and Nicole Kidman!

But seriously, I could talk about Australia for weeks on end and never tire. And good on ya for having a listen while I have a go at it fair dinkum. So I thought since my corpus of knowledge on Aussie stuff if fairly large I would go a little crazy (or “crack a fruity”) and have an unscripted discussion about my interests in Australian anthropology. Because it’s the largest component of history on the continent, the main portion of this episode is on Aboriginal anthropology and archaeology (though I do give a short background and my thoughts on convict archaeology, squeeeeeee!)

There’s a soapbox on the use of the term “aborigine,” an explanation of the biological debate over Aboriginal ancestry, a quick trip through the Dreamtime and its theoretical implications, a story about two giant dog spirits and what that has to do with survival in the Outback, a related and totally non-random story about the worst (but most exciting) day of my life, and a quick history of colonialism and why that makes me really old…

That about sums it up, though I do have to explain a few things that I mention in the episode:

1. I have since learned how to drive a standard, thank you very much.

2. I was honestly sad when Steve Irwin died, he had two little kids for goodness’ sake, I’m not heartless!

3. When I say that the majority of Aboriginal People don’t live traditional lifestyles anymore, it doesn’t mean they are completely cut off from that way of life. Many still have relatives whom they visit, and many live in small communities outside of the mainstream (not so different from our reservations). I once took a 30 hour bus trip from Alice Springs to Melbourne which took us through the middle of the Outback, and at one point about 4 hours since we’d seen any signs of life aside from kangaroos and camels (yes, there are camels in the Outback) a lone Aboriginal man signaled for the bus driver to stop- he got off the bus and proceeded to literally walk away into the sunset… in the middle of the desert. Even though it all looked like the same endless desert to us, this man (who was fully dressed in western clothing) knew the landscape of his people, and I assume he was going to meet some tribesmen or family at their campsite. Have to admit that kind of blew my mind. Also the camel thing, I didn’t know that either.

4. Did I mention my phone booth got hit by lightening and I drove through fire?

5. No, Australians don’t have biscuits (like biscuick biscuits). If you try to describe to them what this delicious savory snack is they get very confused, because to them a cookie is a biscuit. I wouldn’t go into it if I were you.

6. My accents need some work, I know

7. In the end I basically said: Hey friends, why don’t you go down and throw some shrimp on the grill down on Bondi Beach, or eat some breakfast in the bushy desert, as long as you aren’t an idiot getting drunk in some bar until you thow up everywhere and die. That’s the truth, because there’s no room for fools in Australia, and that’s all from this girl… (don’t think too hard about this, it was just a demonstration of Aussie slang)

8. People who live in Australia do, in fact, drink lots of beer and eat lots of sausages. It’s the national pastime…

Here's me hanging out in Sydney, and with that I'm off for a pint at the pub!

McNiven OUT! 

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