Well now for the last two days it has been snowing. Thankfully, it is just below freezing, 30 degrees, so nothing is really sticking which is awsome because I do not like snow. Well I kinda like snow, but if I want to see it, I will go to it, it does not need to come to me.
I had a great Thanksgiving at Mom and Dads, ate some great food, watched movies and did absolutly no homework. It was great.
This morning, I actually went out shopping and got acouple people done. I spent too much money and I think Jusitin was going to blow a socket when I told him how much I spent but I did get two and a half people all finished.
Well I must get back to my Field paper, but just wanted to drop a line and tell everybody how things are going with me.
Friday, November 26, 2004
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Happy Thanksgiving
Well I will be gone the next two days at my parents, eating lots and getting spoiled. Of course it will not be all fun, Justin and I unfortunatly have to bring our homework with. But it should be a relaxing time anyways. So I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! Bye!
Monday, November 22, 2004
There are messed up people in this world
You may have heard of this story already, I know it's been on the internet news but since it's pretty local to me I thought I'd post the story. Not everyone in Minnesota is like this:
Autumn Tradition Turns Deadly in Wisconsin
By JOSHUA FREED and ROBERT IMRIE, Associated Press Writer
BIRCHWOOD, Wis. - As several deer hunters made their way through the woods of northern Wisconsin, they were startled to come upon a stranger in their tree stand. But what happened next was even more astonishing.
Asked to leave, the trespasser, wearing blaze-orange and carrying a semiautomatic assault rifle, opened fire on the hunters and didn't stop until his 20-round clip was empty, leaving five people dead and three wounded, authorities said.
The shooter was eventually captured.
The killings baffled authorities and stunned residents in a state where deer hunting is a rite of autumn — a sport practiced by thousands of people who scour the woods for nine days each November with hopes of bagging a trophy buck.
"This is an incredible tragedy, one in which a great family tradition like a deer hunt has turned into such a great loss," Gov. Jim Doyle said Monday.
Police identified the shooter as Chai Vang, 36, a hunter from St. Paul, Minn., who is a member of the Twin Cities' Hmong community. While authorities do not know why he allegedly opened fire, there have been previous clashes between Southeast Asian and white hunters in the region.
Locals have complained that the Hmong, refugees from Laos, do not understand the concept of private property and hunt wherever they see fit. In Minnesota, a fistfight once broke out after Hmong hunters crossed onto private land, said Ilean Her, director of the St. Paul-based Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans.
The suspect was described by acquaintenaces and family members as an avid hunter who has never been prone to blowing up. "He is a reasonable person," his younger brother, Sang Vang, said. "I still don't believe it. He is one of the nicest persons. I don't believe he could do that. We are so devastated right now."
The five killed and three wounded were part of a group of 14 or 15 who made their opening-weekend trip to Robert Crotteau's 400-acre property an annual tradition.
The visit was like any other until around noon Sunday. When two or three hunters spotted a man in their hunting platform in a tree on Crotteau's land, they radioed back to the rest of the party at a cabin nearby, and asked who should be there.
"The answer was nobody should be in the deer stand," Sheriff James Meier said.
One of the men approached the intruder and asked him to leave, as Crotteau and the others in the cabin hopped on their all-terrain vehicles and headed to the scene.
"The suspect got down from the deer stand, walked 40 yards, fiddled with his rifle. He took the scope off his rifle, he turned and he opened fire on the group," Meier said.
One of the men who was shot called for help on his radio, but it was too late. The gunman fired again, hitting the people who had just arrived on ATVs.
The gunman was "chasing after them and killing them," Deputy Tim Zeigle said. "He hunted them down."
It is unclear whether anyone returned fire. The members of the hunting party had only one gun among them.
The scene Meier described was one of carnage, the bodies strewn around 100 feet apart. Rescuers from the cabin piled the living onto their vehicles and headed out of the thick woods.
"They grabbed who they could grab and got out of there because they were still under fire," Meier said.
Someone in the group wrote the suspect's hunting license number, which hunters wear on their clothing, by tracing it on a dirty vehicle, Meier said.
The shooter took off into the woods and eventually came upon two other hunters who had not heard about the shootings. Vang told them he was lost, and they offered him a ride to a warden's truck, Meier said. He was then arrested; authorities plan to bring charges against him later this week. Investigators said Vang was cooperating.
Vang was carrying an SKS 7.62-mm caliber rifle, a cheap but powerful semiautomatic weapon, authorities said.
Mike Bartz, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource's regional warden supervisor for the area, said the SKS is legal for hunting in the state and has no restrictions. He said it is not uncommon to see hunters with the guns.
"We see more and more of them being used. They're a fairly cheap weapon. They fire a cartridge very similar to a .30-30, which is a very common weapon used for deer hunting," Bartz said.
Killed were Crotteau, 42; his son Joey, 20; Al Laski, 43; Mark Roidt, 28; and Jessica Willers, 27.
Meier said Vang was on the wrong tree stand because he had become lost and wandered unknowingly onto private property. The county has thousands of acres of public hunting land.
The arrest has left some Hmong citizens in his hometown fearful of a backlash. About 24,000 Hmong (pronounced "mung") live in St. Paul, the highest concentration of any U.S. city.
Michael Yang, a Hmong activist, said various Hmong groups held an emergency meeting Monday to talk about how to respond. Those at the meeting heard stories from some Hmong hunters about friction with white hunters.
The shooting has already provoked tension in an area of Wisconsin where deer hunting is steeped in tradition.
"It's pathetic. They let all these foreigners in here, and they walk all over everybody's property," said Jim Arneberg, owner of the Haugen Inn in nearby Haugen.
Autumn Tradition Turns Deadly in Wisconsin
By JOSHUA FREED and ROBERT IMRIE, Associated Press Writer
BIRCHWOOD, Wis. - As several deer hunters made their way through the woods of northern Wisconsin, they were startled to come upon a stranger in their tree stand. But what happened next was even more astonishing.
Asked to leave, the trespasser, wearing blaze-orange and carrying a semiautomatic assault rifle, opened fire on the hunters and didn't stop until his 20-round clip was empty, leaving five people dead and three wounded, authorities said.
The shooter was eventually captured.
The killings baffled authorities and stunned residents in a state where deer hunting is a rite of autumn — a sport practiced by thousands of people who scour the woods for nine days each November with hopes of bagging a trophy buck.
"This is an incredible tragedy, one in which a great family tradition like a deer hunt has turned into such a great loss," Gov. Jim Doyle said Monday.
Police identified the shooter as Chai Vang, 36, a hunter from St. Paul, Minn., who is a member of the Twin Cities' Hmong community. While authorities do not know why he allegedly opened fire, there have been previous clashes between Southeast Asian and white hunters in the region.
Locals have complained that the Hmong, refugees from Laos, do not understand the concept of private property and hunt wherever they see fit. In Minnesota, a fistfight once broke out after Hmong hunters crossed onto private land, said Ilean Her, director of the St. Paul-based Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans.
The suspect was described by acquaintenaces and family members as an avid hunter who has never been prone to blowing up. "He is a reasonable person," his younger brother, Sang Vang, said. "I still don't believe it. He is one of the nicest persons. I don't believe he could do that. We are so devastated right now."
The five killed and three wounded were part of a group of 14 or 15 who made their opening-weekend trip to Robert Crotteau's 400-acre property an annual tradition.
The visit was like any other until around noon Sunday. When two or three hunters spotted a man in their hunting platform in a tree on Crotteau's land, they radioed back to the rest of the party at a cabin nearby, and asked who should be there.
"The answer was nobody should be in the deer stand," Sheriff James Meier said.
One of the men approached the intruder and asked him to leave, as Crotteau and the others in the cabin hopped on their all-terrain vehicles and headed to the scene.
"The suspect got down from the deer stand, walked 40 yards, fiddled with his rifle. He took the scope off his rifle, he turned and he opened fire on the group," Meier said.
One of the men who was shot called for help on his radio, but it was too late. The gunman fired again, hitting the people who had just arrived on ATVs.
The gunman was "chasing after them and killing them," Deputy Tim Zeigle said. "He hunted them down."
It is unclear whether anyone returned fire. The members of the hunting party had only one gun among them.
The scene Meier described was one of carnage, the bodies strewn around 100 feet apart. Rescuers from the cabin piled the living onto their vehicles and headed out of the thick woods.
"They grabbed who they could grab and got out of there because they were still under fire," Meier said.
Someone in the group wrote the suspect's hunting license number, which hunters wear on their clothing, by tracing it on a dirty vehicle, Meier said.
The shooter took off into the woods and eventually came upon two other hunters who had not heard about the shootings. Vang told them he was lost, and they offered him a ride to a warden's truck, Meier said. He was then arrested; authorities plan to bring charges against him later this week. Investigators said Vang was cooperating.
Vang was carrying an SKS 7.62-mm caliber rifle, a cheap but powerful semiautomatic weapon, authorities said.
Mike Bartz, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource's regional warden supervisor for the area, said the SKS is legal for hunting in the state and has no restrictions. He said it is not uncommon to see hunters with the guns.
"We see more and more of them being used. They're a fairly cheap weapon. They fire a cartridge very similar to a .30-30, which is a very common weapon used for deer hunting," Bartz said.
Killed were Crotteau, 42; his son Joey, 20; Al Laski, 43; Mark Roidt, 28; and Jessica Willers, 27.
Meier said Vang was on the wrong tree stand because he had become lost and wandered unknowingly onto private property. The county has thousands of acres of public hunting land.
The arrest has left some Hmong citizens in his hometown fearful of a backlash. About 24,000 Hmong (pronounced "mung") live in St. Paul, the highest concentration of any U.S. city.
Michael Yang, a Hmong activist, said various Hmong groups held an emergency meeting Monday to talk about how to respond. Those at the meeting heard stories from some Hmong hunters about friction with white hunters.
The shooting has already provoked tension in an area of Wisconsin where deer hunting is steeped in tradition.
"It's pathetic. They let all these foreigners in here, and they walk all over everybody's property," said Jim Arneberg, owner of the Haugen Inn in nearby Haugen.
Friday, November 19, 2004
The SVP After Party
All right, hopefully I'll finish up my SVP stories with this blog so I dont have to keep reminding my self to do it.
So, on the last evening of SVP there is the big awards dinner followed by the after party. While we were all crowding around the doors waiting to get in to the dinner hall, we noticed a lady from the U.K that was carrying a rather large bottle of gin, we assumed she was sharing with friends, I will get back to her later. The dinner was boring, I didn't know anyone who won the award but it was a free steak dinner, and wine so I wasn't complaining. The real entertainment came with the after party. There was a DJ (not very good I might add) some tables and two minibars set up. The drinking of course started right away, I hardly drank because the mini bars were insanly expensive. Justin went to bed early because we were leaving the next morning around 6am and we had to drive all the way to Kansas City.
So that left myself, Peggy, Alyssa and Nick to enjoy the party. The best part of this party is people watching. I tell you what, I think for some reason scientists lack the ability to dance, there was some serious white man disease going on. There was not one person in the room, and trust me I was looking, who I could say could decently dance. There was a serious lack of rhythem, and people were just flayling about, arms and legs going every where. It was the funniest thing to see. I do give these people credit and just going out and having fun.
We did dance to a few select songs, The Time Warp, Love Shack, and I Will Survive. I tell you, i dont think we were anybetter than the rest dancing but thats ok at least we were all on the same level.
Oh yes I must finish with the gin lady. So it was getting close to midnight and it was starting to thin a bit so it was easier to look about. Just a few tables away, was the gin lady and another man. Apparently that bottle was all for herself because she was beyond drunk, and we had a good show for the next few mineuts. Her friend tries to pick her up off her seat and she uncerimonly flops to the ground. This poor guy then has to lift her up by her armpits and drags her away towards the elevator. This lady is from england, and boy, I hope she wasn't flying home the next day because that would not be a pleasant experience.
So, on the last evening of SVP there is the big awards dinner followed by the after party. While we were all crowding around the doors waiting to get in to the dinner hall, we noticed a lady from the U.K that was carrying a rather large bottle of gin, we assumed she was sharing with friends, I will get back to her later. The dinner was boring, I didn't know anyone who won the award but it was a free steak dinner, and wine so I wasn't complaining. The real entertainment came with the after party. There was a DJ (not very good I might add) some tables and two minibars set up. The drinking of course started right away, I hardly drank because the mini bars were insanly expensive. Justin went to bed early because we were leaving the next morning around 6am and we had to drive all the way to Kansas City.
So that left myself, Peggy, Alyssa and Nick to enjoy the party. The best part of this party is people watching. I tell you what, I think for some reason scientists lack the ability to dance, there was some serious white man disease going on. There was not one person in the room, and trust me I was looking, who I could say could decently dance. There was a serious lack of rhythem, and people were just flayling about, arms and legs going every where. It was the funniest thing to see. I do give these people credit and just going out and having fun.
We did dance to a few select songs, The Time Warp, Love Shack, and I Will Survive. I tell you, i dont think we were anybetter than the rest dancing but thats ok at least we were all on the same level.
Oh yes I must finish with the gin lady. So it was getting close to midnight and it was starting to thin a bit so it was easier to look about. Just a few tables away, was the gin lady and another man. Apparently that bottle was all for herself because she was beyond drunk, and we had a good show for the next few mineuts. Her friend tries to pick her up off her seat and she uncerimonly flops to the ground. This poor guy then has to lift her up by her armpits and drags her away towards the elevator. This lady is from england, and boy, I hope she wasn't flying home the next day because that would not be a pleasant experience.
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Celebrity sighting #1
Well I'm proud to say that I have seen my first celebrity. Well Ok not here in Fargo, this is left over SVP stuff that I just remembered. On the last night of the meeting we have the awards dinner and the after party (I will talk about this later as it will require its on posting). Justin, myself and Nick went up the escalator to the lobby to meet Alyssa for the dinner. We were looking around for her, and in this particular lobby there's this round, green seat thing. Well there was a cluster of teens around one part of the seat and they were all surrounding a person who was seated. Well this seated person ended up being Frankie Munez (sp?) of Malcolm in the Middle and Agent Cody Banks. I was not impressed. He was dressed like a preppy bad-ass if you can imagine that. And he was continuously complaining about how horrible the limo services where around there, because the limo was not there yet. If only my first celebrity would have been someone cool....
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
This is a Sauropod bulge at Dinosaur Ridge near Denver. Sauropods are the giant, long necks plant eaters..like Littlefoot from Land Before Time. Anyways, these critters were so large that when they stepped in soft sediment, it would compress the ground downward and these bulges were created and the structure somehow survived all these millions of years. Neat huh?
From left to right: Peggy, Alyssa, Justin and I at Dinosaur Ridge near Denver. Behind us are beautiful dinosaur tracks that have been painted black for better viewing. The large tracks are from Iguanodon a large plant eater that could walk on either two or four legs and the small bird like track are from a small meat eating dinosaur.
Friday, November 05, 2004
Networking and a creepy Hitler lookalike
Well SVP (Society of Vertebrate Paleontology) meetings have been going on now since Tuesday, and I am having a blast. Justin and I have meet professors at grad schools that we are interested in and all have responded positively. So this is incredibly encouraging. Not only did we meet lots of people we get to see our paleo-hero's. Paul Sereno, Bob Bakker, Phil Currie are all here and its great to hear them speak on their current research on the cutting edge of paleontology. The highlights of the talks have been, one on an pterodactyl embryo, that was so well preserved that on the inspection of the wings it is believed that they could fly within days or perhaps hours of being hatched. There were some great T.rex talks, one of which boldly stated that dinosaurs were warm blooded.
People watching is aways a great source of entertainment at these meetings. I think one girls t-shirt summed it up nicely, "Talk Nerdy to Me." It's so interesting to see 900+ dino nerds get together. There's the "normal" looking people, hopefully I fall into that category. Then there's the "field" group, they are always dressed like they just walked out of their summer research. they are the ones sporting the large rimmed hats, shorts, then either a flannel shirt or a t-shirt with a vest with their school or research logo on it. Then there is the "nerd" group. I don't think I really need to describe this group. But as I think, I think there are two groups of nerds, there are the academic nerds. They are skinny, so skinny that it looks like their pants will fall off, neat button up shirt, short neat hair, glasses, and a tie that displays what they are interested in (dinos, fish, mammals ect.) Then there are the nerds that look like they belong in a science fiction/fantasy convention. Usually on the larger spectrum body type with messy, long and greasy hair and totally unkempt/dirty clothing.
Then there was one person that totally creeped my friend Alyssa and I out, the Hitler lookalike. He looks like Hitler because he has that mustache that just is below the nose. Anyways, Alyssa and I were walking about and we both saw him staring at us. Not like checking us out staring, but Staring. Ugh, so we quickly walked past him and we have tried to avoid him with all measures.
Denver itself is a fantastic city. I have not gotten around much in the city, only as far as the Natural History Museum which is 3 miles away. But the vicinity right around the hotel is absolutely beautiful. Right next to our hotel is the "mall" which is a pedestrian street a mile long or so that is full of awesome restaurants, shops fun touristy places. There is a free bus that runs the length of the mall, so it's very easy to get from one end to the other quickly and it runs from early in the morn to about midnight. On my birthday we ate at a brewery called the Rockbottom. It was amazing and the beer was really good. We've also been to the Hard Rock Cafe, this one is two stories and upstairs they have a wall full of autographed guitars. I swear you could spend at least an hour just looking at all the neat stuff in those places. Well must get going, the auction is starting in half hour and must wake Justin up.
People watching is aways a great source of entertainment at these meetings. I think one girls t-shirt summed it up nicely, "Talk Nerdy to Me." It's so interesting to see 900+ dino nerds get together. There's the "normal" looking people, hopefully I fall into that category. Then there's the "field" group, they are always dressed like they just walked out of their summer research. they are the ones sporting the large rimmed hats, shorts, then either a flannel shirt or a t-shirt with a vest with their school or research logo on it. Then there is the "nerd" group. I don't think I really need to describe this group. But as I think, I think there are two groups of nerds, there are the academic nerds. They are skinny, so skinny that it looks like their pants will fall off, neat button up shirt, short neat hair, glasses, and a tie that displays what they are interested in (dinos, fish, mammals ect.) Then there are the nerds that look like they belong in a science fiction/fantasy convention. Usually on the larger spectrum body type with messy, long and greasy hair and totally unkempt/dirty clothing.
Then there was one person that totally creeped my friend Alyssa and I out, the Hitler lookalike. He looks like Hitler because he has that mustache that just is below the nose. Anyways, Alyssa and I were walking about and we both saw him staring at us. Not like checking us out staring, but Staring. Ugh, so we quickly walked past him and we have tried to avoid him with all measures.
Denver itself is a fantastic city. I have not gotten around much in the city, only as far as the Natural History Museum which is 3 miles away. But the vicinity right around the hotel is absolutely beautiful. Right next to our hotel is the "mall" which is a pedestrian street a mile long or so that is full of awesome restaurants, shops fun touristy places. There is a free bus that runs the length of the mall, so it's very easy to get from one end to the other quickly and it runs from early in the morn to about midnight. On my birthday we ate at a brewery called the Rockbottom. It was amazing and the beer was really good. We've also been to the Hard Rock Cafe, this one is two stories and upstairs they have a wall full of autographed guitars. I swear you could spend at least an hour just looking at all the neat stuff in those places. Well must get going, the auction is starting in half hour and must wake Justin up.
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Thanks everybody
Well here I am in the beautiful city of Denver. Our Hotel the Adams Mark is absolutly amazing..i'd rather live here than in our apartment lol. We're on the 17th floor with a great view of the city.
Anyway, I'd like to say thanks for the great support for whats been going on with Justin and I. Tonight we're picking up another banned member at the airport so at dinner we'll talk about whats happened and what we should do. So I will try to blog tomarrow which is also the first day of the meeting so i'm sure I'll have lots of fun stuff to talk about also.
Anyway, I'd like to say thanks for the great support for whats been going on with Justin and I. Tonight we're picking up another banned member at the airport so at dinner we'll talk about whats happened and what we should do. So I will try to blog tomarrow which is also the first day of the meeting so i'm sure I'll have lots of fun stuff to talk about also.
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