Friday Varia and Quick Hits

This past week was cold and I was sick making things pretty miserable. Fortunately, I’m starting to feel a bit better and we’re expecting temperatures to go about freezing this weekend.

My plan for the weekend involves reading, some writing, and a good bit of boxing. Tomorrow’s fight card from Riyadh should be epic with the headliner of Dimitri Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev being only the best among a slate of compelling fights. Hecks, even the hastily made Joseph Parker v. Martin Bakole fight offers enough intrigue to warrant viewing. If my irregular sleep patterns persist, I might just be up in time to watch the England v. Australia tilt early Saturday morning. And, if I’m still dragging Sunday afternoon, there’s a better than even chance I’ll watch the NASCAR guys tear around Atlanta. 

Before my weekly quick hits and varia, I want to share a poem from the late Eliot Glassheim passed onto me this morning by my buddy Bret Weber. It’s from 2011 and offers some sage advice to our newest overlord. 

The Doge 

When you have wealth and power Hire the best artists And the best craftsmen To decorate the largest rooms You can imagine. Get heavy marble shipped From far off and waste As much gold as you can Covering the ceilings, And have your picture painted Standing to the left of Jesus.

Surround yourself with the best families And the richest men And as many ships and guns As you can muster and make sure There are sufficient spies and assassins To keep you safe. Spread sufficient favors To keep the poor, the craftsmen, the traders And the great families loyal to you. Make sure the halls of Justice glorify The majesty of your laws, and build The courtrooms atop the prison cells. Then may you have long life And a statue to grace the great hall Where you were at home.

(Not your style? If you’d prefer, someone on my feed shared “Easter Cherries” by Miho Nonaka with me the other day and I love it).

And now, a very modest list of quick hits and varia:

• Pasts Imperfect.

• Cultural Heritage Data for Research – An Introduction.

• The heritage value of euphoria.

• Technoskepticism.

• From the blogs:

Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Trump

Decline and Fall.

Weekly Varia.

No One Knows How This Will End.

• Archaeology at Richmond.

• Kindness eases change.

• What should I do if I find a cool artifact in the US?

• Wild Christianity.

• USS United States.

• Repatriation.

• Casual Viewing

• My Life in Weeks.

• What I’m reading: a manuscript.

• What I’m listening to: Various Artists, Strata-East: The Legacy Begins.