Because I "never" update....feast your eyes....
Hey all,
Its been forever since I had a meaningful update. Ill try to hit some of the highlights in this entry. Well, okay, it might end up as more of a ramble or rant than an entry...
Academics have been going pretty well this semester, though a bit disappointing from my perspective. I will end up with all A's and perhaps a B or two this semester. In the last round of exams, I scored a 98 % in psychology, a 99.5% in ichthyology, a 97.5% in Sociology, and a perfect 100% in Geography. I guess I can live with that. Admittedly I try perhaps harder than I need to, but thats just the problem. I really dont feel challenged at Frostburg (Ichthyology being the exception right now). Im not trying to sound cocky or brag, but Im pretty sure I have the highest grade in every one of my classes at the moment (or damn close to it). Hell, Ive had the highest grade in most of my classes in my college career. I am a fairly-smart guy. But not that smart. I dont even try that hard. I really wish this university provided a bit more challenge. I'm not living up to all that I could be here.
My 3 GEP courses this semester are jokes. I can honestly say I feel dumber when I walk out of sociolgy and psychology than when I walk in. I currently have 102% in psychology, and Ive skipped it more times than I can count with my fingers. Its ridiculous. For example, for the 4th exam (which I need a 49% to get an A for the course), I have two additional chances to retake the test. Not to mention, he usually gives about a 10% curve. If anyone is unable to pass that class, they are a waste of organic matter.
Ichthyology has been a very good class and Im getting a lot out of it. I even scored a 99.5% on the last exam. Dr. Raesly's comment: "not bad". An understatement. I have managed to continually beat kerry on every exam thus far, providing Dave with a steady supply of Swedish fish (our standard wager). Overala a great class.
Illustration: Started off great. Our first couple projects were right up my alley. Then it seems like our instructor ran out off interesting lecture material and our more recent projects havent really been inline with my interests. Ex. Fashion Illustration, Cartooning, and 3D illustration. I did manage to stretch the 3D assignment into a photo of a redeyed treefrog. The instructor tries pretty hard to work with my interests, but its a stretch sometimes. Doing projects that arent inline with my personal art interests are frustrating, because Im taking that class for myown personal enrichment, yet I have to get good grades in it to maintain my 4.0 GPA. Sigh.
Today our 3D illustrations were due. Half the class didnt show. Of the 5 that showed, one guy had nothing, and two had really shitty projects. Basically it was just me and one other guy who put real time into the project. Its hard to stay motivated when the rest of the class doesnt give a shit. In addition, a lot of the learning in an art class comes from critiquing others projects andlearning from there successes/failures. When only two people care about the class, it brings my artistic learning almost to a standstill. Sigh.
Im slowly come to the conclusion that, with a number of exceptions, people at Frostburg just dont give a shit. And as far as the university goes, I think the geography and biology departments are the only high-quality programs on campus. Most of the other content areas seem mediocre at best. I guess I knew that coming in. It just hadnt really sunk in until now. Fortunately, its the geography and biology depts that I came to FSU for.
On the bright side...
Ive gotten to go hunting a ton this semester as a result of relatively easy courses. I think thus far Ive killed:
-1 Drake Mallard
-1 Blue-winged Teal
-1 Surf Scoter (looks like a Puffin--Its a kind of sea duck)
-6 Mourning dove
-2 Pidgeons
-1 Gray Squirrel
-1 Ginourmous Fox Squirrel
All in all not a bad haul so far. Ive definitely hunted more this year than any other year before. And Ive had a ton of fun doing it. Too bad Hutch is leaving this semester. He's gotten me into waterfowl hunting. I might have to invest in some of my own decoys and learn how to call for next year.
Also on the bright side...
Kerry finally got her drivers license (bout damn time). After enormous amount of nagging on my part, she finally caved in and faced her fear of driving. Once she stopped having panic attacks and major self-doubt, she did really, really well. She still hasnt accepted it yet, but shed did really well parallel parking, and picked it up quite quickly.
Another positive note...
Kerry gained admission to WVU to work under Dr. McGraw starting Jan 2006. Im really pruod of her. I think things are looking up for her future. Shes nervously excited about the position. Personally I think shell do fine, and its probably just about the perfect position for her. She'll get a taste of teaching (and teaching a fun 300 level course at that), shell get GIS training, and shell get some real science experience. And some publications. Plus she gets to live with her friend Angie for cheap, have health insurance, get a car, have a guinea pig, and receive a pretty nice stipend.
Did I mention shell only be an hour away instead of the two and a half hour drive if she hadnt got this position? Pretty Sweet deal if you ask me. CONGRATS KERRY!!
A negative note...
Kerry will be moving to Pt Marion PA come January. Translation: I more or less only get to see her on weekends. But, I DO at least get to see her pretty regularly.
A positive note...
I got nominated for president of our student chapter of the Wildlife Society. Being that Im the only nominee for that position, it wont be much of an election for president next week. I cant say I especially want the job, but someone has to do it, and Ive been tapped as the man. Itll be a good thing to put on my Curriculum Vitae and Ill probably learn some too. Im up for it.
A positive note...
Our Natural History museum at FSU is finally starting to come together. Dr. Gira wants it done before she steps done as president of the college, as sort of a legacy thing I guess. The mounts that have been donated to the museum are phenomenal. Valued at 2.1 Million Dollars, they will be an awesome asset to the college, and especially to Wildlife and Fisheries majors.
The initial vision for the musuem included a living stream display. Interested in helping out, I email Dr. Raesly and Dr. Ammer.. I spoke with Dr Raesly in class yesterday and found out some really great news. First of all, its not to late to get involved. Second, he would really appreciate help and let me more or less take the lead. Third (and best), we have a HUGE aquarium for the display. Were talking 3.5 foot X 3 Foot X 12 Foot. And it has filters. And its in great shape. That dwarfs all of my previous endeavors, and is closer to my wildest aquaria dreams. I am PSYCHED!!!! (The tank setup originally cost about $20,000) Its gonna be incredible if I have it my way. Im planning on making it a joint venture with myself and Dr. Raesly taking the lead, with the support of the Wildlife Society, and possibly other organizations such as the Sierra Club.
Another exciting prospect:
My father forwarded me a pdf flier today regarding some fisheries tech positions in Alaska for the Summer of 2006. It looks amazing! Id be working in the backcountry, largely with salmon, and making good money. Itd be a blast. Im very seriously considering it, as is Kenny. I could take some INCREDIBLE photos in Alaska, especially considering AK summers are neverending daylight, meaning the sun is low in the sky and you get dramatic light all the time! The downside is Id be away from Kerry, family and friends for 3 months. But it is an experience Id never forget, and a great gateway to potentially working on the west coast after schooling.
Classes I enrolled in next semester:
Advanced Drawing, Comparative Anatomy, Environmental Chemical analyses, and Herpetology. These should make for a little more challenging semester. But, I wont have Kerry around to distract me :(. And now is as good a time as ever to get em out of the way.
Another side note, not that anyone cares....
I'm very seriously considering going for a PhD. Im thinking I might want to end up as a professor of ichthyology/herpetology at a major accredited university. Either that or a more traditional biologist/fishery management position. I need to do some soul searching on that one. I did find out that you can go straight from a BS degree to a PhD. My dad suggested that route. Perhaps Ill complete my BS, work a few years, then pursue a PhD. Come on now, how cool would it be to be called Doctor?
I think Id just ask to be called Dr. Dave. I guess thats jumping the gun. A lot of things have to fall into place for that to happen.
On the positive side...
I fall more in love with Kerry everyday. Even though we have been fighting a bit more than last semester (I think largely due to more stress), I really believe we have a very strong relationship with huge potential. Even though shes moving away soon, I have no doubt that we can hold things together, and continue to grow. Shes an awesome girl that underestimates herself. Kerry, since your probably the only soul who made it down this far, I love you!! Kenny, if you made it down this far, I love you too (but in the STRAIGHTEST way possible).
On that note, I think Ill finish this entry up. I wrote a ton, probably more than enough to make up for my lack of recent entries.
Its been forever since I had a meaningful update. Ill try to hit some of the highlights in this entry. Well, okay, it might end up as more of a ramble or rant than an entry...
Academics have been going pretty well this semester, though a bit disappointing from my perspective. I will end up with all A's and perhaps a B or two this semester. In the last round of exams, I scored a 98 % in psychology, a 99.5% in ichthyology, a 97.5% in Sociology, and a perfect 100% in Geography. I guess I can live with that. Admittedly I try perhaps harder than I need to, but thats just the problem. I really dont feel challenged at Frostburg (Ichthyology being the exception right now). Im not trying to sound cocky or brag, but Im pretty sure I have the highest grade in every one of my classes at the moment (or damn close to it). Hell, Ive had the highest grade in most of my classes in my college career. I am a fairly-smart guy. But not that smart. I dont even try that hard. I really wish this university provided a bit more challenge. I'm not living up to all that I could be here.
My 3 GEP courses this semester are jokes. I can honestly say I feel dumber when I walk out of sociolgy and psychology than when I walk in. I currently have 102% in psychology, and Ive skipped it more times than I can count with my fingers. Its ridiculous. For example, for the 4th exam (which I need a 49% to get an A for the course), I have two additional chances to retake the test. Not to mention, he usually gives about a 10% curve. If anyone is unable to pass that class, they are a waste of organic matter.
Ichthyology has been a very good class and Im getting a lot out of it. I even scored a 99.5% on the last exam. Dr. Raesly's comment: "not bad". An understatement. I have managed to continually beat kerry on every exam thus far, providing Dave with a steady supply of Swedish fish (our standard wager). Overala a great class.
Illustration: Started off great. Our first couple projects were right up my alley. Then it seems like our instructor ran out off interesting lecture material and our more recent projects havent really been inline with my interests. Ex. Fashion Illustration, Cartooning, and 3D illustration. I did manage to stretch the 3D assignment into a photo of a redeyed treefrog. The instructor tries pretty hard to work with my interests, but its a stretch sometimes. Doing projects that arent inline with my personal art interests are frustrating, because Im taking that class for myown personal enrichment, yet I have to get good grades in it to maintain my 4.0 GPA. Sigh.
Today our 3D illustrations were due. Half the class didnt show. Of the 5 that showed, one guy had nothing, and two had really shitty projects. Basically it was just me and one other guy who put real time into the project. Its hard to stay motivated when the rest of the class doesnt give a shit. In addition, a lot of the learning in an art class comes from critiquing others projects andlearning from there successes/failures. When only two people care about the class, it brings my artistic learning almost to a standstill. Sigh.
Im slowly come to the conclusion that, with a number of exceptions, people at Frostburg just dont give a shit. And as far as the university goes, I think the geography and biology departments are the only high-quality programs on campus. Most of the other content areas seem mediocre at best. I guess I knew that coming in. It just hadnt really sunk in until now. Fortunately, its the geography and biology depts that I came to FSU for.
On the bright side...
Ive gotten to go hunting a ton this semester as a result of relatively easy courses. I think thus far Ive killed:
-1 Drake Mallard
-1 Blue-winged Teal
-1 Surf Scoter (looks like a Puffin--Its a kind of sea duck)
-6 Mourning dove
-2 Pidgeons
-1 Gray Squirrel
-1 Ginourmous Fox Squirrel
All in all not a bad haul so far. Ive definitely hunted more this year than any other year before. And Ive had a ton of fun doing it. Too bad Hutch is leaving this semester. He's gotten me into waterfowl hunting. I might have to invest in some of my own decoys and learn how to call for next year.
Also on the bright side...
Kerry finally got her drivers license (bout damn time). After enormous amount of nagging on my part, she finally caved in and faced her fear of driving. Once she stopped having panic attacks and major self-doubt, she did really, really well. She still hasnt accepted it yet, but shed did really well parallel parking, and picked it up quite quickly.
Another positive note...
Kerry gained admission to WVU to work under Dr. McGraw starting Jan 2006. Im really pruod of her. I think things are looking up for her future. Shes nervously excited about the position. Personally I think shell do fine, and its probably just about the perfect position for her. She'll get a taste of teaching (and teaching a fun 300 level course at that), shell get GIS training, and shell get some real science experience. And some publications. Plus she gets to live with her friend Angie for cheap, have health insurance, get a car, have a guinea pig, and receive a pretty nice stipend.
Did I mention shell only be an hour away instead of the two and a half hour drive if she hadnt got this position? Pretty Sweet deal if you ask me. CONGRATS KERRY!!
A negative note...
Kerry will be moving to Pt Marion PA come January. Translation: I more or less only get to see her on weekends. But, I DO at least get to see her pretty regularly.
A positive note...
I got nominated for president of our student chapter of the Wildlife Society. Being that Im the only nominee for that position, it wont be much of an election for president next week. I cant say I especially want the job, but someone has to do it, and Ive been tapped as the man. Itll be a good thing to put on my Curriculum Vitae and Ill probably learn some too. Im up for it.
A positive note...
Our Natural History museum at FSU is finally starting to come together. Dr. Gira wants it done before she steps done as president of the college, as sort of a legacy thing I guess. The mounts that have been donated to the museum are phenomenal. Valued at 2.1 Million Dollars, they will be an awesome asset to the college, and especially to Wildlife and Fisheries majors.
The initial vision for the musuem included a living stream display. Interested in helping out, I email Dr. Raesly and Dr. Ammer.. I spoke with Dr Raesly in class yesterday and found out some really great news. First of all, its not to late to get involved. Second, he would really appreciate help and let me more or less take the lead. Third (and best), we have a HUGE aquarium for the display. Were talking 3.5 foot X 3 Foot X 12 Foot. And it has filters. And its in great shape. That dwarfs all of my previous endeavors, and is closer to my wildest aquaria dreams. I am PSYCHED!!!! (The tank setup originally cost about $20,000) Its gonna be incredible if I have it my way. Im planning on making it a joint venture with myself and Dr. Raesly taking the lead, with the support of the Wildlife Society, and possibly other organizations such as the Sierra Club.
Another exciting prospect:
My father forwarded me a pdf flier today regarding some fisheries tech positions in Alaska for the Summer of 2006. It looks amazing! Id be working in the backcountry, largely with salmon, and making good money. Itd be a blast. Im very seriously considering it, as is Kenny. I could take some INCREDIBLE photos in Alaska, especially considering AK summers are neverending daylight, meaning the sun is low in the sky and you get dramatic light all the time! The downside is Id be away from Kerry, family and friends for 3 months. But it is an experience Id never forget, and a great gateway to potentially working on the west coast after schooling.
Classes I enrolled in next semester:
Advanced Drawing, Comparative Anatomy, Environmental Chemical analyses, and Herpetology. These should make for a little more challenging semester. But, I wont have Kerry around to distract me :(. And now is as good a time as ever to get em out of the way.
Another side note, not that anyone cares....
I'm very seriously considering going for a PhD. Im thinking I might want to end up as a professor of ichthyology/herpetology at a major accredited university. Either that or a more traditional biologist/fishery management position. I need to do some soul searching on that one. I did find out that you can go straight from a BS degree to a PhD. My dad suggested that route. Perhaps Ill complete my BS, work a few years, then pursue a PhD. Come on now, how cool would it be to be called Doctor?
I think Id just ask to be called Dr. Dave. I guess thats jumping the gun. A lot of things have to fall into place for that to happen.
On the positive side...
I fall more in love with Kerry everyday. Even though we have been fighting a bit more than last semester (I think largely due to more stress), I really believe we have a very strong relationship with huge potential. Even though shes moving away soon, I have no doubt that we can hold things together, and continue to grow. Shes an awesome girl that underestimates herself. Kerry, since your probably the only soul who made it down this far, I love you!! Kenny, if you made it down this far, I love you too (but in the STRAIGHTEST way possible).
On that note, I think Ill finish this entry up. I wrote a ton, probably more than enough to make up for my lack of recent entries.