Posts by amnlcrckr

I'm an archaeologist with the US Forest Service...which basically means I get to go out and dig shovel tests on proposed hiking trails/recreation areas/timber sales/ or basically anything that will disturb the soil. If we find things we usually will make them avoid the site or we get to do site evaluations to see how significant things are. So I get to split my days between being outside in the woods hiking and digging...or sitting in the lab analyzing artifacts/washing artifacts/ or writing reports to submit to the tribes and the State Historic Preservation Office...

During wildfire season I also help out with forest fires, GPSing them, making maps of acreage, digging fire lines, and initial attack with actually fighting them on our forest.

I am also enrolled as a graduate student at Florida State and set to graduate in December.

yeah, I ususually just put it as light activities because some of the time I am not even digging, just doing paperwork, curation, or washing and analyzing artifacts, or writing reports. You know what they say, for every hour of field work thats 10 hours of paperwork back at the lab...lol. Its just easier for me to be conservative with my caloriies burned. Espeecially since somedays we go out in the field for only half a day, or a few hours depending on the weather.

What digs have you been on? I did my field school in Peru and am going back there this summer.  Ive also done sseveral digs throughout Florida/Georgia. Though my interests are mainly with Pre Colombian Peru and Anasazi/Mogollon Period cultures. I work as an archaeologist for the US Forest Service and after I graduate with my masters I am trying to transfer out west to work on more Mogollon Period sites. How about you?

lysostrata...I get your advice and would love to act on it. However I have had this discussion with Craig and he has made it clear he doesn't want me to say anything about it to her. I told him if we are at the reunion and she says soemthing to me, I will finally call her out. He got all mad and was like "Fine, you do that if you want to be outcasted by the family from this point on because she will make a scene, and we will be out...do you want that?"

I cant tell if he is serious about how his family will react, or he just doesnt want me to say anything so we can continue pretending nothing has happened.

Original Post by ignayshus:

You can't have a rational discussion with an irrational person.

If even a fifth of the statement you made is factually correct, she's beyond irrational and somewhere in the realm of nuckin futs.

Insulate yourself from her as much as you can and hope she finds some other poor bastard upon which to focus her neurosis.

umm...I wouldn't wish her on my worst enemy.

When I first went through this all with Craig, at first he thought I was over reacting...but when we got our professional wedding pictures back...she is in so many of them since she was a bridesmaid. Most all of the ones she is in the background of, with Craig and I kissing or being cute together, you can see her making a face, or scowling in the background...after he/we saw that...he was like..."oh...I guess you're not paranoid". I've noticed she does the same thing with most family pictures that are taken with me in the mix. The ones without me, surprise surprise, she is alllll smiles !

What do you do for a living and are you happy?

I work as an archaeologist, and despite the fact it isn't the most high paying career field, I am happy. I have a job where I get to travel, spend most days outside in the woods, instead of sitting at a desk or cubicle, and I get to find and discover things that have been lost for 100s, 1000s, even occasionally 10s of thousands of years old. I love it, and even though it is nothing like Indiana Jones...its still exciting none the less (except lab work, and the paperwork...that puts a damper on things sometimes).

Did you knowingly prepare for your career or just sort of fall into it?

Yes I knowingly prepared for it, per say, originally growing up I always knew I wanted to do anthropology, but more specifically I wanted to work with fossil hominins, or primates, and doing excavations out in Africa, trying to find the missing link and all that jazz...I ended up getting a student position working for an archaeological center with the federal government and after my first dig (in the Southeastern US) I was hooked. I've always been interested in the history of the conquest of the Americas and Native American myths/legends, so to actually go out and find pottery/projectile points was pretty awesome. Plus my mother is Peruvian, so I feel a calling to more indigenous roots. As far as just falling into it, I did fall into the specific path I am on right now. After my student appointment with the National Park Service, I got hired on with the US Forest Service...they helped pay for me to go through my masters degree (which I am in now) and after they will help put me through my PHD. It means I dont get to dig in Peru, where I have dug before and love the culture and history there...but I do get to help fight wildfires (which is amazingly fun and brings in the big money with all the hazard pay and overtime, plus it keeps me in shape!) and after my masters degree I will hopefully be transferred out west to work on Anasazi period sites (my second most favorite people/time period). Which I am extremely excited about as I love the scenery and culture of the Southwestern United States.

What are the biggest lessons you've learned and do you have any advice?

The biggest lessons I have learned is keep with it...and take chances/opportunities. If it comes between an unpayed internship doing something in your field, or a payed job doing something unrelated, try and do the unpayed internship. It helps so much to have experience and to actually learn and find out if this is really what you want. Out of all of my friends in college, I was THE ONLY one who didn't switch their major through the 4 years in school. I had friends who took classes for 3 years or graduated and got a job and then realized they hated it. My husband took 3 years in an economic major at some private university before he realized he hated it. He dropped out took some years off and got into Anthropology. Thats where we met, a dig in Peru. He is so much happier now with smaller paychecks but great experiences and adventures...

Good luck! Hope this helps.

Yes! My Troy Polamalu fat head just came in the mail yesterday! Just in time for the SUPER BOWL! SO EXCITED!

Hmm...As a dorky archaeologist my thirst thought was "Around 1050~1100 AD, Chaco Canyon Region, New Mexico." I would like to see what really happened in the downfall of the Anasazi, was it really cannibalism, climate change, deforestation? Did they all abandon ship and migrate South to Mexico...and what happened with the massacres and people being burned alive in the ritual kivas? Oh the unanswered questions I would love to answer by seeing and not speculating.

Also, I would love to go back to 1532 when Francisco Pizarro landed in Peru...I would like to kick him in the shins for being el diablo...Then I'd give Atahualpa a high five and tell him to run for it.

Really anywhere/anytime in the New World before Europeans arrived.

I'd also like to see a Neanderthal, H erectus and australapithocine...and I want to pet a mammoth.

We dated for 2 years and are getting married in 6 weeks (EEP!)

We met in the Summer of 2006 during an archaeological dig in Peru. He was from Denver CO, I was from Tallahassee, Fl, and were both there for our college field school in archaeology. We spent 6 weeks together on the dig site, and on our days off would catch a combe to the closest beach town (an hour 1/2 away from our dig site). After the first week, when everyone went to bed, Craig knocked on my door and asked to go for a walk on the beach with me. We walked for 2 hours before he finally kissed me. By the end of the 6 week session we spent all our free time together. After the field season we traveled to Lima, Cusco, and Machu Picchu together. Then Craig flew back to Denver and I flew back to Tallahassee. 9 months of long distance, uncountable phone minutes and 3000 dollars worth of plane tickets and he moved to Florida to be with me after our respective graduations. He proposed to me on the beach in las Olas on New Years when we were visiting my family for the holidays. We are starting graduate school together next week and on Sep 27th we get married on the beach!

Thanks for the advice, I was thinking it was something along those lines. Craig's idea of a "snack" has always been a plate full of nachos with melted cheese. Then he's too full to workout, and by the time his tummy feels up for it, it's time for a pre season football game and his butt is glued to the couch.

I'll recommend to him about what you said, and will definetely look around on those threads for more advice on pre workout foods. Thanks!

I say go with either, I have my nipples pierced, and got them done over 4 years ago, I love them now but they were the MOST PAINFUL experience to go through in my ENTIRE life. After the first piercing, I almost didnt go through with the second, but I hate asymetry and I knew not having them both done would just bother me...Plus, the piercer who was a friend of mine distracted me and just kind of jabbed it in while I was answering a question, I hated him then for it but I love it now.

I have 4 tattoos, and am going for a 5th tattoo soon. I love all my tattoos because they are all really meaningful and symbolize a time/event/motivation in my life. I would only go with the alligator tattoo if it is somethiny REALLY meaningful to you and representative of your life, or go with the nipple piercing if you have a REALLY high pain tolerance. I just know for me, as a girl, the nipple piercing has elevated the sensitivity of that area and it is a major major major perk in my sex life.

I was doing really well as well and lost about 5 lbs, then I started slacking the past few weeks and gained back a couple...though I did put on some muscle and lost half an inch from when I started....I pick up my dress after my 1st fitting on August 5th (also a Sept wedding but the end of Sept)...

I just talked my future husband into going to the gym, and we have gone a few times together, he helps me with the weight exercises, and I try to motivate him and his cardio (since he slacks on cardio)...I changed my goal weight from 115 to 117-120 (I think 115 might be too little and i dont want to lose my boobs!). Right now I am hovering around 125, and could also use some motivation to drop those last 5-7 lbs in time!

I bought a workout video from target for the days I cant make it to the gym, its called "Total Body Cardio" its a 50 minute video, doing cardio, some arm excercises and free weights, and your core, and then a 10 minute yoga cool down. I've done it 4 times so far, and each time, my legs and arms are sore for days.

Good luck everyone with those last few pounds!!! And bride08, congrats on the baby!!!

I have been grumpily for a while now with all the wedding planning (we are getting married in September and I am doing 89% of the work for this wedding), plus my usual job, and working fire stanby on weekends, etc...so I have been pretty grumpy with Craig for a while now.

However, a couple weeks ago, I decided to treat him for dinner on a Friday night, I asked him where he wanted to go, and he didn't have any suggestions (aside from our usual hangouts)...so I offered to take him to Ted's steakhouse. He thought I was kidding, because Im a vegetarian! When I told him I was serious, he couldnt get ready fast enough. We went, had a great dinner, and that carried on to the rest of the weekend, we went for brunch the next morning, and gave each other timed 20 minute massages that afternoon. It was the best weekend in a long time, and our relationship has been doing MUCH better with all this wedding stress. I'm not as grumpily because we talked, and he has been helping out a little more, and he was just so happy to go to a steakhouse, and that I was willing to take him even though I dont eat meat.

I definetly agree, do something for HIM that he likes that he doesnt usually get a chance at.

Good luck!

it could be not just that she is emotionally closer to them, but that they are closer geographically. I am getting married the end of September, and all my bridesmaids are scattered across the country. My MOH is my little sister she is a 7 hour drive away, one is in Costa Rica, and one is in LA. I live in Tallahassee, Fl. It's really really hard not having my friends there to support me. A couple of times I went dress shopping ALONE and was so lost. I just needed advice. I'm doing my own invites, and some of the centerpieces myself and I get so frustrated because none of my friends are here to help me! I really wish they would be so we could get together a couple times with a bottle of champagne, put on a cheesy movie, and make the centerpieces, or the invites.

It could be that she knew she wanted a lot out of her bridesmaids, and she needed their support there. I have a best friend (from high school), that I did not ask because of that reason. We have grown apart and we don't talk as often as we should, but we know when we get together, that nothing has changed. In fact I went to visit her a month ago and she was extremely happy for me and the wedding. We're going to share a room the night before the ceremony, and I know she will help me celebrate like old days during the bachelorette party!

I'm sure she meant no slight against you. It probably was just easier for her, stress wise, to know she could have people there everyday to help her with the wedding stress. Not to mention coordinating dresses for 3 girls who live so far away! I'm about ready to develop an ulser. Seriously.

I only wish the OP had put up a warning in the original post, so I WOULD NOT have opened the link at work during my lunch break... on my government computer where big brother is always watching me. I know it's not "porn" per se, but I would rather not have it logged on my work computer that I'm looking at women in thongs...in any size.