The Last Word

1. Three words someone else would use to describe me are intense, compulsive and funny: all important qualities for an archaeologist.

2. My greatest professional influence is my mentor, of course, Dr. Margaret Scarry, whose calm and insistent manner has taught me the importance of patience and diplomacy.

3. My fondest memory is when my late tomcat, Kittyboy, jumped out of the tree in which he was stuck and into my arms.

4. The last book I read was Mark Nathan Cohen’s Health and the Rise of Civilization.

5. If I could have dinner with anyone living or dead it would be George Romero.

6. Three things I can't live without are my huggy pillow, a furry domesticated mammal, and my husband.

7. The most pressing issue facing the world is global warming and the resulting collapse of civilization.

8. The most important lesson I ever learned was not to hug anyone until you’re sure of their body language cues.

9. My advice for those just starting out in this profession is learn how to organize yourself and how to work efficiently, and you won’t have to work on Sundays.

10. My motto is: "Worry only about what’s in your control and let go of everything else" (wish I could live up to this motto!).