The Truth About Dinosaurs

It turns out that all the dinosaurs featured in the movie Jurassic Park are not from the Jurassic Period, but rather the Cretaceous Period.

Apparently Hollywood didn't think the title Cretaceous Park sounded as good.

 Thank goodness for National Monuments like the one near Dinosaur, Colorado to get the truth out. 

While visiting the monument, Ranger Tiffany informed me that the only dinosaur in the movie Jurassic Park that belongs to the Jurassic period is the Apatosaurus. 

Fun fact about the Apatosaurus, it has leg bones an arm bones similar to humans.

Humerus, Radius, Ulna

Femur, Tibia, Fibula

The Velociraptor in the movie is actually patterned after a different dinosaur that existed in the early Jurassic Period, the Dilophorous. The real Velociraptor dinosaurs are the size of a turkey and found in China.

T-rex's didn't exist in the Jurassic Period at all, but rather the Cretaceous.

During my visit to the Dino Quarry at Dinosaur National Monument I also learned other valuable information.

For example, Earl Douglass came across this dinosaur mecca by accident in 1909.

He found 8 tailbones sticking out of the ground.

Later 20 full skeletons were found in the area as well as fossils from 400 different dinosaurs.

All the dinosaurs found in the quarry lived during the Jurassic Period. 

The ACTUAL Jurassic Period, not the misrepresented one from the Jurassic Park movie.

During this period the most commonly found dinosaurs were the Stegosaurus, Diplodocus, and Camarasaurus.

Basically, I loved learning about the dinosaurs and I'm never trusting anything in the movie Jurassic Park again. 

Hopefully my new interest in paleontology will protect me from future deception.

27 firsts during my 27th year of life

I went to Glacier National Park and sat on my first iceberg. 

I started my first semester of graduate school.

I bought my first season pass to the Bee's and went to my first major league baseball game.

I stood inside a redwood tree for the first time, with 8 other people.

I saw the monuments in Washington D.C. for the first time.

I chaperoned my first 6th grade Lagoon day.

I played VR and Spin the Bottle for the first time.

I got my first look at Bermuda's famous pink sand.

I went inside the Statue of Liberty for the first time.

I experienced my first lantern festival.

I ate my first meal at Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company, saw my first Cubs win, and took my first dip in Lake Michigan.

I ate my first Wisconsin cheese.

I witnessed my first friend's engagement.

 I saw my first concert at USANA amphitheater.

I kissed under mistletoe for the first time.

I tried aerial yoga for the first time.

I played pudding drop for the first time.

I successfully completed my first escape room.

I hiked at Cedar Breaks for the first time.

I went on my first family vacation without parents and shot my first bow and arrow.

I saw the Golden Gate bridge and the Brooklyn bridge for the first time. (moments)

I played on my first winning basketball team.

I had my first friend survive a brain tumor.

I went my first spring break to Mexico and played my first game of pin the tail on the donkey.

I wake surfed on Bear Lake for the first time.

I went to Frightmares for the first time.

 

I survived my first Class 5 rapid and ate my first banana slug.

Ke$ha

For a long time I liked Kesha in secret. 

Her music was my guilty pleasure. 

Car dancing to her song Crazy Beautiful Life is one of the highlights of my young adulthood.

She was consistently the soundtrack of my college experience.

However, songs like Grow a Pear aren't exactly what I put on when my mom gets in the car.

So being a Kesha fan made me feel a little bit trashy...

Then there was her rape scandal.

And her subsequent album.

And now I've never been prouder to be a Kesha fan. 

Missoula by Jon Krakauer

Easily one of the most powerful books I've ever read.

I had no idea before reading this book how much I didn't know. 

I realized how many rape myths I unknowingly believed in.

I learned more about how sexual assault is defined. 

"Frank “actually described two other rapes he did… And Frank had no idea that what he was describing to me were acts of rape.”
Predators like Frank get away with it over and over, [Dr. David] Lisak explained, because most of us are in denial. We’re disinclined to believe that someone who’s an attentive student or a congenial athlete could also be a rapist."

I learned about the misconception in society about rapists.

I learned of the predominance of acquaintance rape.

“…I was astounded by the ignorance of acquaintance rape… A very old concept of rape prevails. According to this mind-set, there can only be two precursors to rape: (1) A stranger jumps out of the bushes; (2) There is no rape unless the woman put up a fight, to the death if necessary.” 

I learned the reality of a sexual assault victim's response.

“It was actually pretty common for women not to scream or call the cops in rape cases I prosecuted,” Roe said, “at least partly because women aren’t wired to react that way. We are socialized to be likeable and not to create friction. We are brought up to be nice. Women are supposed to resolve problems without making a scene—to make bad things go away as if they never happened.” 

I was enlightened about the traumatic effects the justice system can have on sexual assault victims.

“The U.S. legal system is organized as an adversarial contest: in civil cases, between two citizens; in criminal cases, between a citizen and the state. Physical violence and intimidation are not allowed in court, whereas aggressive argument, selective presentation of the facts, and psychological attack are permitted, with the presumption that this ritualized, hostile encounter offers the best method of arriving at the truth. Constitutional limits on this kind of conflict are designed to protect criminal defendants from the superior power of the state, but not to protect individual citizens from one another….All citizens are presumed to enter the legal arena on an equal footing, regardless of the real advantages that one of the parties may enjoy. The Constitution, therefore, offers strong guarantees for the rights of the accused, but no corresponding protection for the rights of crime victims. As a result, victims who choose to seek justice may face serious obstacles and risks to their health, safety, and mental health.” 

I learned about the way the American justice system functions.

“The courtroom oath--"to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth"--is applicable only to witnesses. Defense attorneys, prosecutors, and judges don't take this oath--they couldn't! Indeed, it is fair to say the American justice system is built on the foundation of not telling the whole truth. It is the job of the defense attorney--especially when representing the guilty--to prevent, by all lawful means, the "whole truth" from coming out.”

I learned about why reporting assault is so difficult for victims.

“After a victim has reported a crime to the police, many people believe that the decision whether or not to charge the suspect with a crime, and then prosecute the suspect, is the prerogative of the victim. News media often contribute to this misconception in stories about rape victims by reporting that a victim 'declined to press charges.' In fact, the criminal justice system gives victims no direct say in the matter. It's the police, for the most part, who decide whether a suspect should be arrested, and prosecutors who ultimately determine whether a conviction should be pursued.” 

I gained a better understanding of and sympathy for sexual assault victims.

“Now, should we treat women as independent agents, responsible for themselves? Of course. But being responsible has nothing to do with being raped. Women don’t get raped because they were drinking or took drugs. Women do not get raped because they weren’t careful enough. Women get raped because someone raped them. JESSICA VALENTI The Purity Myth” 

Here is a link to a YouTube playlist with some interesting videos related to the book.

Great Salt Lake

Recently I spent the evening at the Great Salt Lake.

I've been before

and I'll definitely go again.

I arrived just before sunset 

and found myself surrounded by hundreds of other people from my community.

Interesting experience being surrounded by strangers yet feeling such commonality.

Like we all belonged to this secret club that wanted to learn about the Great Salt Lake together.

Just after sunset Ranger Jim started the tour.

I was exponentially more fascinated than I anticipated.
Harbor Master Dave also gave me a private Q&A session.

Fun facts about the lake:

The deepest part of the Great Salt Lake is only 30 feet.

The ridge line along the mountains marks the previous depth of the lake.

Avian flu can spread rapidly because of the high density of migratory birds that visit the lake annually.

The Great Saltair used to be a fancy resort for tourists.

The lake is bigger than the states of Deleware and Rhode Island.

The north shore is a lot less restricted than the south shore.

One time a newspaper printed that whales live in the lake.

There is a portion of the lake that has red algae and pigments the water pink.
An island in the lake is home to one of the largest flocks of pelicans.
The lake is so big (75 miles x 40 miles) that it is actually considered an inland sea.
It is one of two lakes in the United States that creates lake effect drinking water for humans.
Jean Baptiste was a grave robber banished to Fremont Island who escaped, there is a documentary called Redemption based on his story.