Friday Varia and Quick Hits

It’s finally Friday after a long week of teaching, writing, reading, and candidate visits. To say that I’m looking forward to the weekend is an exaggeration. Temperatures in the upper 20s makes it all the more appealing.

I have almost no plans except a quiet drink with friends tonight and a decent home cooked dinner at home on Saturday. It’s not a particularly exciting sports weekend (and I think I’ll pass on the Benavidez-Morrell pay-per-view, although I’m curious about the results of that fight). Australia seems to have their first test with Sri Lanka under control. I’ll probably watch the Celtics-Sixers game on Sunday evening despite myself.

This weekend will include some final work on two book projects, some reading time, and some writing time. I’m also excited to be able to listen to music in a more serious way and get a bit of rest.

Hopefully, that’ll leave time for me to put together a better list of quick hits and varia:

• Books:

War Essays.

Kim Bowes, Surviving Rome: The Economic Lives of the Ninety Percent. 2025.

A. B. Knapp, Cyprus and Ugarit: Connecting Material and Mercantile Worlds. 2024.

• Some blog stuff

Noodling varia.

Some good thoughts from Neville Morley. (Plus another installment in his 12 days a year series).

• North Dakota History.

Volume 1.

Volume 2.

Volume 3.

Index.

• The Fires and the Getty.

• What I’m reading: Sean Rafferty, Mythologizing the Past Archaeology, History, and Ideology. (2025)

• What I’m listening to: Isaiah Collier, William Hooker, and William Parker, The Ancients. 2025.