VOLUME V, AUGUST 1999
Tureah's Tidbits
By:
Bevan Talbott & Kim Maeyama

Since the end of excavation, our final installment of The Long, Long, Long and Hot Days of Our Lives has come as a joint effort; you can blame Kim for how it ends, if it ends...

When we last left the saga of the Long, Long, Long and Hot Days of Our Lives, Dana had just walked in upon Gunnar's spies in the midst of their meeting.

"What is going on here!?"

"You must leave, you do not belong here." Michael, the spokesperson for the group replied.

"But those look like the plans to the site. What are you doing with them?"

"You know too much already. You must leave before we have to kill you."

"I demand to know the truth! I thought we were supposed to be a team."

So Michael explains to Dana how Gunnar has discovered that Tammi is digging for an ancient Persian formula for eternal youth and he plans on finding the formula himself and taking it back to Germany. He also explains how Will is also trying to get the formula by brainwashing the volunteers in Area 1 which in turn is destroying Martha's chances at using her Trinity students to sabotage everyone.

"Wait a minute, it sounds like all the volunteers are just being used as pawns in this game. Slaving away eight hours a day, up to our eyeballs in dirt; aren't we allowed to want something in return?"

"Why don't all the students band together, find the formula, donate it to science and let the world enjoy the youth that we are living now? And leave the staff to fight out their stupid games?"

With impeccable timing (as can only be found on television), the other Dana bursts through the door, out of breath, as if she had been running for her life.

"<<Pant, Pant>> Dana, I've just come from the hostel <<pant some more>> and it seems the Israeli students in the shower were on to some plot by the staff to find..."

"...an ancient Persian formula for eternal youth? Yes, I know, Michael was just filling me in."

"It seems the Israelis were there to discuss some counter-offensive. I guess as I was waiting outside the shower door, they realized that their group simply wasn't large enough and asked me if all the other volunteers would help them put an end to the staffer's plot."

"Ok, then! Dana listen carefully to what I am about to say and then, if you can, run back to the hostel to fill in our new allies." Dana says with a smile.

" We figured out the formula is somewhere in Area 3. The problem is finding it without letting Dan or Julye know. The field has already been closed down, so tonight we will have to sneak in and dig in secrecy. At pottery washing this evening, we'll spread the word to everyone."

As with every other day for the last three and a half weeks, the volunteers assembled for pottery washing. But today was different. Instead of the usual dispersal of sleepy, half-conscious pottery washers, the group centralized itself around Dana and Elanit.

"So, this is how it will go: Shachar will take a van-load of students to the tel during dinner. All the staffers go to dinner, so no one will even be suspicious. If he can, Shachar will get in two drops during this time. Regardless, after dinner, he'll tell Gunnar and Tammi that he has to run to Beer-Sheva to see his wife and child, at which time he will make the final drop."

"But can we trust Shachar?" asks one nervous volunteer.

"Of course we can. How can we NOT trust a man who makes us coffee and tea and makes sure we get breakfast every morning? So, is everyone up to the challenge?"

"We were born ready" Chimes the group.

- The Long, Long, Long & Hot Days of Our Lives Continued -





Tureah's Tidbits (Con't)
By:
Bevan Talbott & Kim Maeyama

Later that evening Shachar is successful in his mission and our heros work feverishly to uncover the formula before their absence is discovered back at the kibbutz. Suddenly, Tslil, overcome with excitement shouts out.

"I've found it! Come here quick, I think I've found the formula!!"

Hurridly the volunteers gather round to gaze at the object of everyone's desire. But in their forgetful awe none of them hear the encroaching footsteps, nor see the brightly colored pastel ensemble.

"I'll take that, thank you very much!" Tammi's word fell upon the silent group like a missplaced bucket of dirt on a balk. They turn in disbelieve and slowly back away towards the cliff that separates Area 3 from Petrie's dish.

"I will do no such thing" Tslil says gallantly. "You'll have to take it from me."

"Duh, like afortiori!!" shouts Tammi as she fearlessly lunges for the vile. The two wrestle precariously close to the cliff. As the cloud of dust dissipates, a lone figure is seen standing undiscernable until the matching hairband gives the figure's identity away.

"HA! I have the ancient formula! I am victorious!!" shouts Tammi.

"Not so schnelllll, my dear colleague! That formula is mine" schpeaks Gunnar as he silently walks out of the darkness of Petrie's Dish.

Again the dust clouds the eyes of all the volunteers as the directors wrestle for control of the ancient formula. The battle is intense and moves all through the site, only to be interrupted by the echoed voice errupting from the observation tower.

"That'll be enough of that! Don't make me send Mine down there to deal with the two of you!"

"Who is that?"

"...it's Will. Now we're all doomed!"

By this time, Will had exited the tower and joined in the struggle for control of the formula. Again the fight found its way to Area 3, all participants seeming relentless in their desire to have the vile. The united volunteers watched in amazement at the stamina of these seemingly non-working staffers until one of them spoke.

"We have to do something. Not one of them can get control of that formula. We've got to get that vile!"

"But what would you suggest we do?"

"We take them by shear force" a strange voice stated.

"Eddie!!!"

"We can force them into submission by clucking in harmony to my favorite Van Halen tune. There will be no escape. Move together, move quick and please tell me you all know Van Halen."

"Let's do it!"

So, together the group advances on the toiling trio. Led by their goldie-locked leader, the usually silent nature preserve is overwhelmed by the sound of clucking. As if stunned, the wrestling group ceases their activity, inches away from the drop into Petrie's Dish. Slowly the group of volunteers move in on the trio and within no time they have the situation under control.

As the final sunrise rose in the east, the victorious group of volunteers pondered over what should become of the vile that has caused so much trouble.

"I still think we should donate it to science."

"No," says Eddie, "the world is not yet ready for such knowledge."

Eddie takes the small vile in his hand and faces the sunrise. The group watches as he tosses up the vile into the air. It slowly falls back to the earth, as if caught in slow motion on one of Catherine's QVTR clips. As it reaches chest level, Eddie, with his mighty Muelner, swings through, sending the vile into the Wadi Nahal Besor. Perhaps it found its end as it hit the wadi floor, or perhaps it will surface again...no one really knows.

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Staff Spotlight
By: Kim Maeyama


Because you all are probably emotionally exhausted after reading the final installment to the "Long, Long, Long & Hot Days of Our Lives" the Staff Spotlight is going to be short and sweet. Since the dig is over, my connection with most of the staffers is limited, so I'm just gonna do a tidbit on me, Kim Maeyama.

So, in short I am a doctoral candidate at the Katholieke Universteit Leuven (KUL), Leuven, Belgium. The focus of my research involves the analysis of the archaeological record of Syro-Palestine during the Middle Bronze Age II period. During the past season, I was a "field floater" in that my initial responsibility was to the maintenance of the technological aspects of the dig. This primarily involved the up-keep of a custom designed database and Local Area Network, as well as assisting Catherine Walker with digital image generation and web construction (primarily this newsletter).

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Tools 'o da Trade
By: Kim Maeyama


Tools in use today are slowly changing as technology becomes more and more a part of archaeology. One of these tools might be considered as an indirect participant in the actual archaeology, but is just as important. This tool is the web.

In constructing this website, we operated off of some basic goals. Primarily, making use of the world wide web to provide all others around the world access to the experience of digging in Israel. Since most of you have already previewed this site, you know about what is offered and already have an idea as to whether or not we have achieved that goal.

The site as you now see is it the result of several months of conceptualization and just as many months of actual construction. Many programs were used to aid in the construction of the site, among them Macromedia's Dreamweaver 2.0, Netscape Composer, Adobe Photoshop and Micrographx Picture Publisher 7.0. It is our hope that, in the future, the web will be utilized more readily by the archaeological community, not just as a means of public relations, but also to disseminate archaeological data to others within the archaeological community.

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