Unlike many academic archaeologists I know, my journey to the discipline did not begin with Indiana Jones or the Mummy . So often I hear of stories of how these ostentatious films "changed my life" thanks to their so-called inspirational plot lines filled with adventure. Call me crazy, but I haven't even seen the Mummy , and I didn't find Indiana Jones all that inspiring. These films represent an outdated interpretation of the discipline of anthropology and archaeology, one in which a...

As the joys of the holiday season fade into a distant memory and the January gloom takes full effect, I find myself in the ever-precarious balance between gratitude for the winter stillness and the frustrating caress of seasonal depression. With the grey skies ominously awaiting a downpour of rain but never allowing themselves to let go, I can feel the same energy surmounting in me: a stagnation of joy and build-up of emotions threatening to release into the atmosphere and consume me in a...

You know the old saying, time flies when you're having fun. Exactly three months and three weeks ago, I graduated from UC Berkeley with a...