This weekend was the annual Octoberfest celebration in Appleton, WI, where the downtown portion of College Ave is closed down to allow for dozens of food and crafts vendors and music performers. I go every year and walk around, always in search of a good crunchy corndog, which they never freaking have! Good fair corndogs made with real corn bread must just be an Illinois thing I guess. I did see lots of WI foods, like cheese curds (the good ones squeak), cream puffs, and roasted corn. There was also a plethora of fried items, including the standard fried cheese curd, but also deep fried Snickers bars and deep fried Oreos (why anyone would deep fry these items I have no idea, but apparently Americans just aren't getting fat fast enough!). I am always impressed by the variety of international foods offered at Octoberfest; there were various African and Asian cuisines, homemade Mexican goodies, and foods that I can't even begin to pronounce, let alone tell you where they came from. My favourites tend to be the baked goods, since I have something of a sweet tooth (to put it lightly), so I always buy a bag of homemade "puppy chow" from a local girl scout group. That stuff is fantastic, oh my god...I also got some "loaded nachos" which were pretty tasty, if not a bit difficult to consume while pushing through 100,000+ people.
Speaking of pushing through people, holy crap was it crowded! I felt like a cow in a chute, moving along at a snail's pace, stuffed in with droves of other individuals. "Rubbing shoulders with the locals" doesn't quite cover it. I'm just glad I didn't get beer spilled on me this time. The beer stands are the worst offenders; people will "line up" in masses around the beer booths, effectively blocking all human herd traffic, forcing people to squeeze through pushing and shoving (and mooing, if you're still following that metaphor). My method, being small and all, is to get behind someone large and just let them pave the way for me. It works pretty well, unless the person whose tail I'm riding on happens to be one of those jerkfaces who stops in the middle of the street to talk to people. What gives! I have no idea what compels groups of individuals to stop in the middle of the road to talk, when it's obvious that people are having a hard enough time getting through, and when there are open sidewalks only a few meters away! But I digress...
Jerkfaces aside, you do see some interesting folks at Octoberfest. I saw one sexy goth chick who was like a hippo (as big around as she was long/tall), with a tiny black skirt on, gaudy make-up, and fish-net pantyhose with holes big enough to catch tuna. Her pale tree-trunk legs stuffed into those fish-nets reminded me of the big Christmas hams we get that have the netting over them. Scrumptious. Then I saw another hottie, an anorexic this time, with stringy dyed-black hair and a huge tattoo across the front of her neck. The tattoo was like a cross between a bowtie and a butterfly, and was all sorts of purples and greens and other trailer-trash-tattoo colours. This thing almost looked like a bruise. What would make one think it was a good idea to put such a ginormous tattoo on a part of the body known for wrinkling and sagging in old age?? I almost wanted to make friends with her just so I could see what that thing looks like when she's 80.
There were plenty of sexy guys there, too. One man had a loud bright red pair of slacks on with dirty white leather loafers. These pants were so loud that I can't recall what shirt he was wearing, but it was clear that he thought he was quite the stud. Another guy, whose teeth hadn't seen a brush since the 6th grade, was covered in tasteless tattoos of naked large-busted women and wearing a sleeveless shirt that said, "Nice tattoo, wanna fuck?" If that's not a bucket of class, I don't know what is. I'm going to venture to guess he's still single.
Along with all the freaks, there are some quality people at Octoberfest as well. I saw quite a few handicapped individuals being led around by their families, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves. I also saw a really cute gay couple with their tiny adopted infant; the guys were dressed like fashion models and totally doting on their baby, which one carried around in those front-side papooses that were all the rage at the Fest this year. Stuff like that makes me smile I guess. You can also get warm fuzzies when you buy food at Octoberfest, because proceeds from most of the stands do go to good causes, like animal shelters and cancer research and ornery small children.
The arts and crafts booths are usually pretty interesting; there tends to be something for everyone, and a lot of sand-filled cloth animals for some reason. I spent a lot of time at Barbara Radtke's painting booth; she does AWESOME work, and I wish I had the $800+ for her painting of a male kestrel eating a sparrow on a fencepost (read: if anyone feels like donating that to me...). I did end up purchasing one small painting for $45, which I think was the cheapest thing she had. I'm going to see if I can get her to do a piece on commission for Craighead Beringia South to use as a fundraiser auction item. Anyone who is into realistic bird paintings should look her up in WI sometime. I also love to see all the hand-turned wooden bowls that a few booths sell, even though I don't have the money to buy any of them. One booth was selling a bunch of cheap jewelry and low and behold, had a whole rack of the short wooden bead necklaces I adore yet break constantly. I purchased two, so we'll see how long they last.
I guess Octoberfest 2008 was a pretty good experience; I spent too much money, and ate too much food, but the weather was nice and I really enjoyed speaking with Barbara Radtke and her husband (though I regret not catching his name). I'm sorry I don't have photos to share with you; Canon currently has my camera for lens motor repairs, so you will all have to use your imagination.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
A little more about me (ok, a LOT more about me)
I realized I haven't really introduced myself yet, so here goes! My name is Brit, and I was born in Decatur, IL (smack dab in the middle of the state!) in December of 1987. My love of science began pretty much at that instant, however I became inordinately fond of biology later on in my neonatal stage. My juvenile vernacular featured such words as "bird" and "flower," and I've been told that I used to lead people around our large yard, pointing out and naming various organisms (I have no memory of this, so they could be lying to me I suppose). 
I was born into a house that always had cats, rabbits, and fish, and I got my first dog when I was about 6. Shortly thereafter I moved to a bigger house (read: more room for pets!) where I began keeping painted turtles and red-eared sliders that I would catch in nearby ponds and lakes. When I was ten, I got my first leopard gecko, and then my second, third, fourth...you get the point. My collection began to spread across the whole basement.
Around this time I also became quite active with the Scovill Children's Zoo (conveniently located across the street from my house!), working in their summer Zoo Crew program for two years where I was quickly chosen for a new program called Junior Biologists (J.B.'s). Under the guidance of Chuck Hirst, I learned how to care for many of the zoo animals and eventually acquired a large collection of exotic animals kept in the secret guts of secret zoo buildings (secret!). Barely into my teens, I'd already worked with tenrecs, cheetahs, sirens, gators, scorpions, vinegaroons, sugar gliders, and just about anything else you can imagine...well, except whales. I guess I didn't work with whales. Anywho, Chuck also got me volunteering at the Rock Springs Nature Center, where I was responsible for caring for our native animal exhibits and teaching camps and classes to larval humans. I did these programs for many years until Chuck moved and the J.B. program was dissolved for all intensive purposes.
During this time I gave up on Decatur Public Schools and was accepted at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) in Aurora, IL. This sophomore-senior residential high school with spectacularly advanced math and science programs and a college-style atmosphere challenged me and opened doors to opportunities I never dreamed I would have. I began a 
multi-year mentorship project, under the advisory of John Thompson, in which I monitored a nasty pond in Chicago (the South Pond, by the Lincoln Park Zoo, for those familiar with the area). My then-roommate Kathy Barnes and I had a blast developing sampling protocols and learning how to use (and not to use) various pieces of limnological equipment. On top of this project, I also began a stint into the world of educational technology with Jim Gerry and Sara Goek. We specifically studied ways to streamline data-collection in the field and lab through the use of handheld PDA units. We gave talks on our work at many national and international conferences, including the AECT's international tech convention in Chicago and NECC in both Philadelphia and San Diego.
Junior year at IMSA I took a Hutton summer internship with the Illinois Natural History Survey at the Kaskaskia Biological Field Station in Sullivan, IL. For the first time in my life I got paid to do fieldwork; I could not believe that something so wonderful could be labeled as "work," and I loved it so much that I returned to work the same Fisheries Management position the summer after my senior year. For more information and photos of what I did at this job, under the guidance of Dr. David Wahl, check out my forum post here.
After graduating from IMSA, I enrolled as a biology major at Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. For the summer after freshman year I landed a wildlife tech job with an awesome non-profit conservation research organization in Kelly, WY, called Craighead Beringia South. This job will receive its own post in due time, so I won't elaborate here other than to say that it was really freaking awesome!!!!! During that same summer I also took a conservation ecology course at a remote field station in the Boundary Waters, MN, which I will speak more about in a later post. After sophomore year I took a summer wildlife tech job with the United States Forest Service in the Tonto National Forest, AZ. This job was also totally amazing and will likewise receive its own dedicated post at a later date.
And that brings me to the beginning of my junior year of college, where I currently stand (err, sit, actually), procrastinating preparations for my third day of classes tomorrow, and digesting the heaping plate of lamb vindaloo, basmati rice, and pita that I had for dinner...
I was born into a house that always had cats, rabbits, and fish, and I got my first dog when I was about 6. Shortly thereafter I moved to a bigger house (read: more room for pets!) where I began keeping painted turtles and red-eared sliders that I would catch in nearby ponds and lakes. When I was ten, I got my first leopard gecko, and then my second, third, fourth...you get the point. My collection began to spread across the whole basement.
Around this time I also became quite active with the Scovill Children's Zoo (conveniently located across the street from my house!), working in their summer Zoo Crew program for two years where I was quickly chosen for a new program called Junior Biologists (J.B.'s). Under the guidance of Chuck Hirst, I learned how to care for many of the zoo animals and eventually acquired a large collection of exotic animals kept in the secret guts of secret zoo buildings (secret!). Barely into my teens, I'd already worked with tenrecs, cheetahs, sirens, gators, scorpions, vinegaroons, sugar gliders, and just about anything else you can imagine...well, except whales. I guess I didn't work with whales. Anywho, Chuck also got me volunteering at the Rock Springs Nature Center, where I was responsible for caring for our native animal exhibits and teaching camps and classes to larval humans. I did these programs for many years until Chuck moved and the J.B. program was dissolved for all intensive purposes.
multi-year mentorship project, under the advisory of John Thompson, in which I monitored a nasty pond in Chicago (the South Pond, by the Lincoln Park Zoo, for those familiar with the area). My then-roommate Kathy Barnes and I had a blast developing sampling protocols and learning how to use (and not to use) various pieces of limnological equipment. On top of this project, I also began a stint into the world of educational technology with Jim Gerry and Sara Goek. We specifically studied ways to streamline data-collection in the field and lab through the use of handheld PDA units. We gave talks on our work at many national and international conferences, including the AECT's international tech convention in Chicago and NECC in both Philadelphia and San Diego.
After graduating from IMSA, I enrolled as a biology major at Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. For the summer after freshman year I landed a wildlife tech job with an awesome non-profit conservation research organization in Kelly, WY, called Craighead Beringia South. This job will receive its own post in due time, so I won't elaborate here other than to say that it was really freaking awesome!!!!! During that same summer I also took a conservation ecology course at a remote field station in the Boundary Waters, MN, which I will speak more about in a later post. After sophomore year I took a summer wildlife tech job with the United States Forest Service in the Tonto National Forest, AZ. This job was also totally amazing and will likewise receive its own dedicated post at a later date.
And that brings me to the beginning of my junior year of college, where I currently stand (err, sit, actually), procrastinating preparations for my third day of classes tomorrow, and digesting the heaping plate of lamb vindaloo, basmati rice, and pita that I had for dinner...
Monday, September 22, 2008
A statement of purpose...
I'm modeling this blog after one created by a friend of mine (click here to go to Ken's blog) as a way of sharing my adventures, photos, gear reviews, and random musings with friends, family, and passerby. As a lifetime wildlife biologist in training (entering my junior year of undergrad at Lawrence University), I take summer field jobs wherever the wind may blow. My nomadic lifestyle has allowed me to explore many different places, meet a plethora of amazing people, wander through a diverse flora, work with an amazing array of fauna, and try out a bunch of different pieces of gear and equipment. I only hope that sharing my stories, photos, and reviews will allow others to enjoy and learn about our world vicariously from the comfort and safety of their desk chairs. So sit back and relax with a Nalgene of water and your hiking companion (two-legged or otherwise), and let me crash through the catclaw acacia, face off with rattlesnakes, and portage a canoe through a mile of mosquitoes. It's my pleasure...really.
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