![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
some surveys take longer than others
Dec. 24th, 2024 08:22 am Yesterday morning I sat down to the computer thinking to work on a project, but before I started it, I glanced at email, and saw a post to the Durham University Archaeology Department mailing list "The University of Oslo recently launched the Great Viking Survey, a broad-ranging global study to gauge public opinion on the vikings and their history and legacy in the present day. I would be very grateful if you’d be able to share this news item with your departmental/student mailing lists and wider networks."
So, of course, I clicked on the link, which stated that the survey may take 15-20 minutes. I don't know how long I spent on it, but it was much longer than that. I treated many of the "short answer" questions as though they were essay questions on a final exam...
I was especially happy with my answer to this question:
(feel free to quote that if you like, but if so, please do so in full, and give me credit, either with this name, or my legal one)
Other questions also took time. For example "In the last five years, have you visited any museum, exhibition, or heritage site related to vikings? If yes, which ones?" I gave them only a partial answer, as, honestly, I don't have an already compiled list, so they just got some of the highlights plus a "many other runestones, stone ships, and burial mounds". Not surprisingly, by the time I had finished the full survey Keldor had woken up, had his morning tea, and was ready to go out and start shovelling the snow that had fallen in the night. I love snow shovelling, so I hurried to share the link to the survey and joined him.
When we were done with that we made some meatballs for today's gathering of moose and yak. We did them by first taking a handful of gluten free oats, running them through the little food processor, then mixing them with home dried powdered nettles and mushrooms and covering with a little cream and more milk, and heatin it in the microwave and letting it stand for a half an hour or so. Then we mixed that with the meat, lots of crushed garlic, some melted butter, an egg, some salt, pepper and a little chili powder, rolled them into balls and popped them in the oven to bake. While they cooked I made huge fruit salad (apple, pear, clementine, mango, kiwi, pomegranate seeds, grapes), and Keldor started caramelizing some honey for a period mead recipe. As the honey boiled he kept skimming off the foam from the top, which we have saved, and will use in baking.
Today is Julafton, so, as soon as I post this I will make a green salad (spinach, cucumber, avocado, and tomato) and we will pack stuff up and head to Skelleftehamn. We will drop the cats off at Keldor's dads then walk down the hill to Þórólfr's, where we will spend the day playing games and eating yummy food with our friends.
So, of course, I clicked on the link, which stated that the survey may take 15-20 minutes. I don't know how long I spent on it, but it was much longer than that. I treated many of the "short answer" questions as though they were essay questions on a final exam...
I was especially happy with my answer to this question:
In just a few words, can you explain what a viking does?
When a person goes viking, they leave their home farm in the company of others, by means of a longboat equipped with sails and oars. A shared goal of the journey is to acquire personal wealth to bring home in the form of material goods, including household objects and tools, materials from which to make other things, decorative and/or prestigious objects, coins/precious metals, and possibly even slaves. This journey may involve trading and/or raiding, plus or minus serving as a warrior in the army or personal guard of a ruler (or noble) in another land. The journey may be one of exploration, visiting places unknown to any participants, or it may include destinations visited on previous years by one or all of the participants (or both). The journey may also involve settlement of new (to the individuals on the ship) lands by one or all of the participants, if they have reason(s) to prefer not to return home. This journey is seasonal in nature, and individuals who survive may make multiple such journeys in their lifetimes. In all cases, violence is likely to occur during the journey. Therefore, the individuals involved are armed (e.g. swords, axes, spears) and have defensive equipment (e.g. shields, helmets, armour). However, it is not a requirement for violence to have occurred for the journey to be considered "viking".
Other questions also took time. For example "In the last five years, have you visited any museum, exhibition, or heritage site related to vikings? If yes, which ones?" I gave them only a partial answer, as, honestly, I don't have an already compiled list, so they just got some of the highlights plus a "many other runestones, stone ships, and burial mounds". Not surprisingly, by the time I had finished the full survey Keldor had woken up, had his morning tea, and was ready to go out and start shovelling the snow that had fallen in the night. I love snow shovelling, so I hurried to share the link to the survey and joined him.
When we were done with that we made some meatballs for today's gathering of moose and yak. We did them by first taking a handful of gluten free oats, running them through the little food processor, then mixing them with home dried powdered nettles and mushrooms and covering with a little cream and more milk, and heatin it in the microwave and letting it stand for a half an hour or so. Then we mixed that with the meat, lots of crushed garlic, some melted butter, an egg, some salt, pepper and a little chili powder, rolled them into balls and popped them in the oven to bake. While they cooked I made huge fruit salad (apple, pear, clementine, mango, kiwi, pomegranate seeds, grapes), and Keldor started caramelizing some honey for a period mead recipe. As the honey boiled he kept skimming off the foam from the top, which we have saved, and will use in baking.
Today is Julafton, so, as soon as I post this I will make a green salad (spinach, cucumber, avocado, and tomato) and we will pack stuff up and head to Skelleftehamn. We will drop the cats off at Keldor's dads then walk down the hill to Þórólfr's, where we will spend the day playing games and eating yummy food with our friends.