Kon-Tiki...

During my first semester at Montana State I was assigned a project that I doubt I will ever forget. In Geographic Thought, we were each given a semester project to present on, topics such as "Lewis and Clark", "Humboldt", and "Mercator" were the norm. My topic? "Pre-Columbian Trans-Pacific Contacts".

My thoughts exactly.

It turned out to be an excellent class and I really enjoyed researching my topic. One of the books I read that semester was Kon-Tiki. Although I disagree with many of Heyerdahl's conclusions, I always had a great respect for his willingness to explore in a manner that would make Indiana Jones proud.

This past weekend, my friend Brent and I drove to the "local" Barnes and Noble ("local" = "Topeka") and I ordered a mocha and bought a copy of the book. More importantly, I had an opportunity to explore. There's something about book stores, and libraries for that matter, that facinate me. They allow me to explore.

I often find myself longing for the opportunity to pack my belongings and jet out the door to some unknown destination...to go exploring. Kansas is likely not my final destination, but it is allowing me time to plan my next trek around the globe. Heyerdahl just reminds me of that.

ps--the Avs did it again!

Life is Good!

God is so good! Avs vs Wings...need I say more?

My next 30 years...

Last week I celebrated my birthday with my friends. We had a great time and Jenni and Heather made a birthday cake that, to the best of my knowledge, is a one of a kind (how many people get a birthday cake with Babe on it?).

I'm now 35 and, as it is with a turning of a page, began to reminisce. I do realize how blessed I have been to see and experience many of the things that I have thus far in life, but I am still looking forward to what lies ahead.

From a very early age I set lofty goals of things I wanted to experience in my life: visit the South Pole, explore all 7 continents, and destroy the Death Star. My list has grown to include new items as old ones were conquered and completed. Several friends have recently posted theirs and I thought I might do the same.

So without further adieu, here it is! The Bearded's Top Ten!

1) Every Continent
2) North Pole (no joke!)
3) Archeological Sites: Machu Picchu, Great Wall, Easter Island
4) Go on a dinosaur dig with Jack Horner
5) Learn to fly fish
6) Learn to swing dance
7) See a game on the Frozen Tundra
8) Finish my PhD
9) Publish 3 artlicles (which are not really on my list, but they need to be so that I can...)
10) Explore for National Geographic!

What's on your list?

In case you're curious, the top two have been with me since I was maybe 5, number 3 since I was about 10, and the rest have been added through the years as others were crossed off. There are a number of others (such as spreading the word on the evils of "BEER + ICE CREAM") but those are the biggies in no particular order.

Note: This post was largely taken from a comment I posted on a friend's post.

Follow up...

A couple of weeks ago, I posted some thoughts that were dancing around my head. I was pleasantly surprised, flattered really, by the number of comments I recieved via postings, e-mails, and personal conversations. The post sparked a number of discussions from both sides of the aisle with men and women sharing their own personal stories and thoughts on the subject.

There are no easy answers to the questions I posed, and many of the questions still remain, but I am very grateful for all who took part.

Thanks.

Montana State University

How about those Bobcats?!!!