Wild State Fair Foods

Wild State Fair FoodsDid you visit your state fair or county fair this summer?What was the wildest food you tried at your state fair or county fair?What was the strangest state fair or county fair food item you found on a stick?What was the craziest chocolate-covered food item at your state fair or county fair?What was your favorite fare at your state fair or county fair? Do you love the cream

fossil of the weekend! #39

an anomalocaris claw on display at the royal tyrrell museum. in anticipation of the ART Evolved gallery coming out this week! be sure to check it out...

Fall Story Time Programs

With the start of school right around the corner, the beginning of the fall children's programs here at the library can't be far behind!

We have something planned for everyone this fall. Here's what's happening:

Mother Goose Time: Our lap-sit program for babies 0-18 months and their parents or caregivers. It is held on Monday mornings from 10:30 to 11:30. The fall session begins on Sept. 28th. Registration is held the week before the upcoming class.

Toddler Time: An eight week lap-sit program for children ages 18-36 months and their parents or caregivers. Classes are held on Thursday mornings from 10:30 to 10:50 and 11:30 to 11:50 and Friday mornings from 10:00 to 10:20. The fall session begins on Oct. 1st. Registration will be held from Sept. 14th - 25th.

Preschool Story Time: Our program for children ages 3 to 5. Classes are held on Tuesday mornings from 10:15 to 10:45 and Tuesday afternoons from 1:00 to 1:30 and Wednesday mornings from 10:15 to 10:45 and 11:15 to 11:45. The fall session begins on Sept. 22nd. Registration will be held from Sept. 8th - 18th.

Saturday Stories and Crafts: A program for kids in Kindergarten and up. It is held on the fourth Saturday of each month at 2:00pm. Registration is held on a monthly basis.

my first (and maybe last) debriefing...

this was turning out to be the biggest day of my life... at least as far as weird things happening to me all at once was concerned! which is saying something, as they seem to happen to me all the time!!!

i'd solved a major fossil poaching case, been captured by the poachers, witnessed not one but two major battles for stolen fossil eggs, in the end been rescued by my former roommate, and learned that not only he but also my legal guardian are both members of a top secret scientific organization!

as if that list weren't big enough, now i had the head honcho of said secret organization, palaeo-central, wanting to speak with me. this was, of course, the very intense professor paradigm. a man who last time i'd seen had promised for something terrible to happen to me if he caught me meddling in this poaching affair... so i wasn't exactly excited about the talk we were about to have.

i nearly jumped out of my skin when he asked me his first question. i was expecting him to scream at me. instead he calmly asked "you weren't harmed were you?" he seemed to ask it out of concern and almost sympathy (not something i'd expect from paradigm).

"no," i answered in a half lie. though my wrists were rope burned and i had a big bump on the back of my skull from the kick, but overall i'd been worse.

"good," paradigm actually sounded genuinely happy to hear. which was odd, i'd always gotten the impression he didn't like me. "now tell me traumador," he prompted. oh great i thought, here it comes! "how did you figure out this was where the poachers were digging?"

i was confused as he didn't sound mad or anything... that and as it was an opening to show off how clever i'd been (i so rarely pull off clever things due to the small brain and all) i proudly explained how i'd collected micro fossils from around all the poached quarrys, had gotten help studying them, and of my big geology break through in the museum's collections...

after i concluded my tale there was an awkward silence. i was ready for paradigm to explode at hearing the depth of my meddling. instead he finally just answered. "impressive," if i didn't know any better i'd guess he was, well, impressed.

the silence returned, and this time it wasn't going to end unless one of us started a new tangent. i figured i was safe from him getting mad now, as paradigm had had plenty of opportunity to yell at me by this point.

"what is palaeo-central exactly?" i asked... which was probably a little bold on my part, but hey what did i have to lose at this point?

paradigm shifted slightly, as though to assess whether i was worth of the answer or not. apparently i made the cut as he instructed. "walk with me."

paradigm started hiking away from the poaching site and back towards the highway, and as he'd asked me too follow i walked along side him. "before i tell you any of this, you must swear to complete secrecy everything i tell you."

"sure," i promised, though its not like palaeo-central is the best kept secret out there...

"we are everything, and yet nothing, that the rumours claim us to be," paradigm explained... or at least i think he was explaining? everything and nothing, he was losing me with the first sentence. oh well, at least it wasn't the first time this had ever happened to me.

paradigm seemed to pick up my confusion, yet he hadn't looked at me, he just seemed to know what he'd said went over my head. it was weirdly familiar somehow.

he started over talking at my level. "palaeo-central in a nutshell is the protective agency watching over all aspects of the science of palaeontology. this mostly centres around fossils," he paused to ensure i was keeping up. "this includes who can and should be collecting fossils, what are they being used for, and most important ensuring they are being used to increase and better humanities collective knowledge of the past." okay this i'd already heard. "our mandate extends beyond fossils though. we deal with the human side of fossils too, including scientists and researchers, traders, collectors, companies, religious groups, and even governments on occasion."

"so you guys are like the james bonds of science?" i asked, as i pictured paradigm pulling out rocket packs for us to ride back to the museum.

paradigm made a strange noise through his re-breather. had it not be so short i would have thought it was a chuckle, but if it was it lasted less then a second. "well, that is what our enemies are meant to think. despite our reputation, palaeo-central is not all seeing, or comprised of an army."

this was a bit of a surprise. after all the hoopla everyone had been making about palaeo-central i had envisioned it as being a huge operation like in the movies. "no, we are rather a loosely organized network of specialists and operatives scattered throughout the world's palaeontologic institutions, who while working a normal job in the field, carry out the secret mandate of safe guarding fossils from the 'dangers' of the greater world."

"huh?" i dumbly said out loud. it wasn't that i complete didn't understand the professor. what did he mean by specialists and operatives?

paradigm once again seemed to know what had confused me, which was getting eerie, and he clarified. "palaeo-central agents aren't really secret agents like james bond, traumador. i recruit people who are already in key positions in the palaeontologic community. scientists, students, technicians, administrators, collections managers, even tour guides!"

tour guides... that explained dan and craig. dan was a physicist, but had been tour guiding at the tyrrell on the side for years. craig, well he'd always been a tour guide until he'd suddenly taken off to new zealand (though he'd been acting weird just before i was fired from the tyrrell 3 years ago).

"why go to all that trouble?" i asked. "i mean, if fossils are in that much trouble, why not just organize the whole science against the 'threats' it faces."

"i always wondered the same thing when i started as a scientist," paradigm reflected. "sadly academics and scientists aren't the easiest to unify on anything. that alone on enemies that might or might effect them individually. getting the whole science to coordinate a united defense across the different personalities, ideals, politics, and countries we all are divided by is all but impossible. believe me i tried."

"so palaeo-central was the solution," i guessed.

"preciously!" paradigm seemed to approve of my keeping up. "for well over a year i campaigned the worldwide central authority of palaeontology, the international palaeontological committee, to recognize the potential threats facing the science. i fell on deaf ears until 1970, when several high scale incidents struck just as i'd predicted. as of that year my proposal finally had received approval, and i was put in charge of a special task force under the supervision and control of the committee to spearhead a defensive effort. you know it today as palaeo-central."

"wow," i said out loud to a key realization i'd had listening to that. it wasn't about palaeo-central or how it was a branch of palaeontology's focal organization (everyone in the science world knows the international palaeontological committee), but rather paradigm's age! if i followed him correctly, 1970 was an early point in his career... i'm no expert at maths, but paradigm sure looks good for a man his age!

then something suddenly occurred to me in my tiny brain... "hold up, what did megan sauer and jo harvager have to do with the pack of the primordial feather?" i thought out loud.

paradigm stopped dead in his tracks and looked at my intensely. "what are you babbling about?"

i quickly explained how i'd gotten involved in the poaching case as i thought it was what the pack had been up to around the tyrrell. paradigm was baffled by this connection, but not by the pack being up to something fishy. before he could elaborate on his knowledge, my big day got a whole lot bigger!

the thing is had i checked my email earlier that day i'd have known better then to go outside!...

for i'd gotten a dire warning from my mysterious contact in the pack, ruffled feather, who had tried to alert me to the about to unfold situation.

Traumador,

You are in serious danger! Get out of Drumheller now!

We underestimated how important the crate is to the Pack. They've responded to your escaping the Crimson Talons by bringing in an even more dangerous player. Jaden Spectre

Pull out of Drumheller to where ever. We'll regroup and reconsider our actions against the pack later, but you have to get out now! Your life depends on it!!!

Ruffled Feather

i really wish i'd gotten this email...

for just as paradigm was about to reveal what he knew about the pack's drumheller activities, i could have sworn i smelt another human nearby (stupid wind direction!)... if only my hearing was as ubber keen as my sense of smell. i'd have heard the man who was literally stalking me and the professor.

just as i was about to state my concern over the smell, i suddenly was seized from behind by my chest. at the same moment the professor suddenly found himself being punched in the head. despite the complete surprise, paradigm instinctively dodged part of the blow...

this however threw him slightly off balance and our attacker seized the opportunity and slammed his elbow into paradigm's exposed back. before i could struggle i was suddenly overwhelmed by a painful hold applied to a pressure point on my abdomen i didn't even know i had... it really hurt! i couldn't move from my tummy up...

"it's been a while alvar," our assailant addressed paradigm by his first name.

"spectre!?!" the professor loudly proclaimed in surprised response. "what in extinction's name..."

"i've just come to study this specimen," this spectre guy replied, holding me up painfully by my throat. "i hope you don't mind too much that i borrow him from you."

to be continued...

My Social Activism video is up!

Take a look & learn all about Pinups for Pups!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_vrK1HDjvQ

Sondra Joy is the founder of this great cause! Here I get to interview her!

xo

Deena Marie

Puppies & pinups!

Me & Noodles posing in front of Rosalita.

Last sunday we filmed my Ford Fiesta Mission video #4. It's social activism month and I have to admit, this month was the hardest one for me to come up with what the video would be! I wanted to make sure it was the right cause, something I was truly and honestly passionate about (after all, the cause would be getting a generous donation on behalf of Ford). Of course, this meant helping animals, hopefully dogs, and in a way that still had the Deena Marie stamp!

I was at a loss when I opened local weekly paper, "IN" Magazine and saw that this weeks scene maker was non other than Sondra Joy, founder of Pinups for Pups! I've been aware of this for awhile and was dying to connect with her, and here she was, relocated to SLC from LA! We met for lunch, made some plans and filmed a fabulous video! Pinups and pups? Two thinks I love! How insanely perfect!

I learned all about her successful cause and she introduced me to Friends of Animals and Furburbia, a dog shelter in Park City where we were able to go and see rescued pups and get great footage.

My baby, Noodles just had his second birthday on August 18th and if you know us, you know how he totally changed my life. I want every dog and animal to be loved just as much as he is.

You are 100% responsible for your pet, so treat them well. They are your family member. They can't tell you what they need, so do everything you can to make them loved and comfortable.

I loved doing this mission. My favorite part of the ford fiesta movement has been meeting people and going places I may not have otherwise!

I'm waiting to hear on approval for the video & will post a link as soon as I get it. I can't wait for everyone to learn more about Sondra & her cause.

And because I know people will ask if I'm going to be in an upcoming calendar...yes :) we'll shoot for it in the next few months. All in good time.

In the meantime, check out my flickr photos here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/beanerlarue/sets/72157622106121104/

My agent page: http://www.fiestamovement.com/agent32

xo Deena

my cousin of the week #17

a spur-winged plover in dunedin. they are also known as masked lapwings.

How Did You Spend Your Summer?

How Did You Spend Your Summer?As school begins again this fall, teachers everywhere will ask pupils to write compositions (or journal entries), detailing how they spent their summer vacations.How did you spend your summer this year?Photos copyrighted by Nickers and Ink.Did you travel? Did you pursue a favorite pastime? What books did you read? What movies did you see? What projects did you

ahhhhhhh

Have you ever wanted something so bad you can't stand it?

You can hardly sit still?

You are hoping for it with every fiber of your being?

Jumping out of your skin?

Feeling like you are laughing and crying at the same time?

I know I won't get any sleep tonight...

it has to happen sometime.

Please let it be now!

x

fossil of the weekend! #38

a cast skeleton of antarctica's most famous dinosaur (but definately not its only!) cryolophosaurus. mounted at the auckland war memorial museum in auckland NZ.

my cousin of the week #16

two of my favourite birds, in the best photo i've ever taken of them! two new zealand kingfishers, aka todiramphus sanctus or in maori kōtare.

Land Before Time

Something amazing happened yesterday.

"The Land Before Time" came on the HBO Family channel and I watched it and was in love with it and pretty much cried through the whole thing. Then "The Land Before Time II" came on right after!!!! And then another and another! How many are there?!

Apparently (as I was just alerted on twitter by the fabulously funny @jimmyrabbitte) there are 13 AND two sing-a-longs!

I'm dying.

We got them all on tivo when we had to leave to go watch roller derby last night and after a long day of shooting for Ford today, what better to come home to than these spunky baby dinos?! There's pretty much one of every dino in the group and boy does adventure find them!

I'm learning so much, like how to conserve water, the importance of community, to be nice to everyone and to run from the sharp teeth.

Why is Little Foot so wise? And where does his beautiful singing voice come from? How can I make Ducky real and have her as a pet? She is the most precious thing I've ever seen! She repeats everything twice! Yes she does, yes she does! I know she'd get along great with Noodles! Why do they stay babies and never grow up? Why is that Petrie so tiny?

The lyrics to the songs are just as awesome, too. "When you were an egg you were a cutie but now you're a real beauty!"

I think if HBO Family was the only channel I could have I would be okay with that. Yes. I said that.

If you haven't seen these I suggest you find them. Now. And let me know if you also laugh, cry and get up and jump around when the songs come on. I'm telling you, it's edge of your seat, action - packed Suspense with a capitol S!

In the meantime, go familiarize yourself with these dinos here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Land_Before_Time_characters

xoDM

a even better H-day present?

suddenly like that, things were all good again. i'd be rescued from the poachers, by none other than my former roommate dan, of all people!?!

not only was this a shock to me, as i'd thought i'd said goodbye to him for the final time, but now it was turning out that he was not who i thought he was. dan it was out was a member of palaeo-central...

don't get me wrong. i was pleased about all of this initially. dan after all had been the one who'd saved me. more to the point was the one to untie me as well.

"there we go," dan said as he undid the last knot.

"thanks!" i enthusiastically thanked him, as i stretched my arms... do you know how much it hurts to have those tied up for a few hours?!?

"no worries," dan replied. "could we consider it your hatching day present?"

"my what?" i asked in disbelief. it couldn't be my hatching day again already could it? though as i thought about i was shocked to realize he was right! today was my 6th hatching day! man it feels like i hardly got anything done this year (:P)...
`
"i guess wishing you a happy hatching day, after all this, would be kind of pointless wouldn't it?" dan sympathized with me.

it certainly had been a weird hatching day... i didn't even want to know what present might be coming my way this year... considering everything that had happened as a result of my last one!!!

there was a silence at that thought, as both of us had nothing to say. dan trying to segue the conversation asked. "so how's the rest of your trip been since i last saw you?"

how has my trip been?... how has my trip been!?! after everything i've been through today, and more to the point all the things dan has been keeping from me... that was the best dan could come up with!!!

"you lied to me! " i accused dan madly... which i guess was a little ungrateful as he'd just saved me, but i was really angry at him now. "i thought you moved away!"

"i did," dan stated matter of fact, unable to believe i'd accused him of that. "you saw all my stuff in the truck, and me drive off... oh and not to mention crushing richardo!" oh yeah, i did do that didn't i...

okay i wasn't really mad at him for that... though his being here did raise the question if he'd moved away why was he back... however i was pretty sure it was part of my next question. "why didn't you ever tell me you were in palaeo-central?"

my question didn't phase dan one bit. "it wouldn't have been a secret then," he replied matter of factly. "not much point to being an undercover operative, if everyone knows your an operative. especially those closest to you."

i got it... no i seriously got it, it made total sense. still it really hurt to hear. if i was capable of crying i'd have been pouring like a river right at that moment. sure me and dan had never exactly gotten along, but that can be said for me and most other humans/dinosaurs (when you have a brain as small as mine it can be hard to not mess up with everyone). yet he and my legal guardian craig were the closest thing i had to a family... isn't family supposed to be honest with you?

then a more to the point occurred to me, which might explain. "how long have you been an 'operative'? i inquired thinking i'd figured out why he hadn't told me. dan must have started with paradigm just recently, and thus it was a new thing. there was no big secret, just a short one...

his answer shattered my hope. "5 years," dan answered finally with a bit of guilt. despite how we often were confrontational, dan still had always looked out for me (or so i thought anyways). he could see i was really upset learning all this. "i joined a couple months after craig..." dan suddenly trailed off realizing what he'd just told me.

WHAT?!? i nearly fell over from the shock of this revelation... my legal guardian was part of palaeo-central, and he'd never even so much as hinted at it once in the time he'd taken care of me. hmmm, okay apart from the last time i saw him 2 years ago! he had threatened larry in reference to central, but i hadn't realized what it was at the time...

the two people i trusted the most in the whole wide world, and they'd been lying to me nearly my whole life!

dan knew just how hurt i was. "traum, i'm sorry we never told you," he began. "it was just..."

"it was just what. that you actually did hate me?!?" i screamed, which with my tyrannosaurian voice box came out more like a scary roar. i'd always knew i annoyed dan, but up till now i'd always thought we were still close.

dan came in close and put his hand on my back. "no, traum," he calmly assured me. "quite the opposite. craig insisted we never tell you, to try and shelter you from all the evils centrals fights against everyday. it is a scary world for you fossils. we didn't want your life to be dominated or limited by them."

it may not have been much of an explanation, but it certainly was helping me to feel better. he could have been lying, but i knew dan, and despite my small brain i trusted my memories of my childhood. him and craig had always tried to do what was best for me. whether i knew it at the time or not (i could make it very difficult on them if i didn't see it their way).

"in fact," dan concluded. "it was because of you that craig joined. he wanted so much to keep you safe from all the dangers out there."

"really?" i asked very moved.

"yes really, you pea brain!" dan retorted. "even i have to admit you were quite cute as a hatchling, won't want anything to happen to you then," he fondly recalled, but quickly added. "not that you stayed that way for long, mind you."

i was suddenly feeling a sort of sad happiness. sad because it was about times long gone, my childhood was gone and it was never coming back, but yet happy because suddenly my two human roommate's sacrifice on my behalf had been revealed to me. i DID have a family who cared about me!!!

i started to thank dan. "thank you so much for trying to protect me. i can't believe you guys signed on for all that, just for me."

"woah! woah!" dan cut me off, and then corrected me. "i said craig joined because of you. i signed on just because craig asked me too."

i slumped a bit again, so dan didn't really like me, but in response to this he cracked a big smile. "alright," he admitted. "i did do it a bit because of you. only a bit, though."

"you've always annoyed me traum," dan said scornfully, but then suddenly he grabbed me up into a big hug. "but it's only because you're family... really, really, really annoying family, but family none the same."

i had never been so happy to be hugged before (which are actually kind of painful for us theropods with our not straight up and down backbones...).

suddenly from behind us came the booming voice of professor paradigm, who'd clearly recovered from being knocked out. he was looking away from our embrace as he stated. "i hate to interrupt this touching moment, but this is hardly the time or the place gentlemen."

"yes professor," dan said over my shoulder.

"you mean palaeo-prime don't you?" paradigm sharply corrected.

"sorry sir," dan apologized.

"i would prefer not to leave both suspects alone with agent montgomery, so if you could please assist her, dan," paradigm insisted.

"i guess that's my cue," dan said with some conclusion. "i guess i'll see you around sometime, traum," as he let go and started to walk off in the direction of amanda and the two poachers.

"you're not coming back?" i asked in disbelief.

"i moved remember?" dan replied in irritation.

"i just meant after dropping them off in jail," i responded feeling dumb.

"ah right," dan said in his usual way, remembering my brain deficit. "we aren't going to be processing them 'locally'. i'm going to have to escort the two of them a little ways away," i was about to ask where that was, when dan reminded me. "top secret, remember. i can't tell, so don't ask."

i dumbly replied with the only thing that came to mind "bye!"

"now that you're in the 'know', i'm sure we'll be seeing you again traum. don't you worry," dan assured me as he walked off. he suddenly stopped. "oh and when you see him, tell craig i said hi," dan resumed walking, but stopped suddenly as a thought occurred to him. he turned with a intense seriousness. "and if you tell anyone i hugged you, we're not cool anymore. you understand me?"

i nodded, and with that dan gave me a salute off his head as farewell and walked off through the badlands back to the car.

holy smokes what a H-day! everything i thought i knew about those who raised me turns out to be wrong!

wait, did dan just say when i saw craig? i haven't seen him in a couple years... when was that suddenly going to change?

then it occurred to me where i was standing. in the middle of the badlands, poaching remnants all around me. what was i supposed to do now, i thought. i hadn't been at all that many foiled fossil poachings before. what was i supposed to do now?

as though to answer my question a big strong hand settled on my neck. "i hope you're not planning on running off," professor paradigm boomed. "we need to talk!"

right. the professor. oops. i found myself gulping in panic. he'd warned me he'd give me quite the thrashing if he found me still investigating the poachings... and here i was, not only at the crime scene, but captured by the very criminals he'd been worried about getting me.

yeah this was turning out to be one "great" 6th hatching day!

next an old "friend" of paradigm's!

fossil of the weekend! #37

the amazing cast skeleton of the giant sauropod barosaurus at the american museum of natural history in new york. (photo courtesy of my talent agent peter bond and lillian the albertosaur)

Guess what?

These are my next two upcoming theatre roles.

If this isn't versatility I don't know what is! :)

More at deenamarie.biz

xo DM

agents of palaeo-central...

things were looking grim... REALLY grim people of the innerweb!

i'd solved the case, and figured out who was poaching fossils... the tag-team of a rogue technician named megan sauer and a PHD student gone bad called "jo" jocelyn harvager, who were after vivusly preserved dinosaur eggs.

they'd captured me when i snooped around their dig site for too long (oops...). things seemed like they were going to turn out alright when professor paradigm showed up on the scene. he was able to take out one poacher (megan), but jo proved a very capable fighter and out fought the professor. meaning it was now the eggs, me, professor paradigm who were in big trouble.

the only good news was jo being at a momentary lose right after defeating the professor. she was the only one of us at the site who could do anything (i was tied up and the other two were unconscious) and without megan to help her, it was clear jo didn't know how to proceed. who can blame her really lugging out all the fossils AND an out cold colleague was a bit much for anyone person...

however when jo picked up megan's gun off the ground, i suddenly felt a massive chill down my spine. as jo walked up towards the professor i couldn't help but get the distinct impression she intended to finish him off... sadly it made sense to me. one less thing for her to worry about, as she waited for megan to come back too.

jo pointed the gun at the professors limp body when suddenly a song could be heard from around the hill... i couldn't believe my ears, not that jo would probably have known the voice, but i sure did!

jo marched over to investigate, and came face to face with my former roommate dan!?!

a million and one questions raced through my head... most importantly what was dan doing here??? the last time i saw him, he was moving out of town!

i had a lot of other questions. even if dan had come back to town, how did he end up here? why this spot?

as jo approached she pointed the gun at dan, who just obliviously kept singing "i'm walking on sunshine".

"who the hell are you?" jo demanded. clearly all the random people showing up at her illegal dig was trying her patience... well maybe if you weren't do illegal stuff this wouldn't happen to you jo! have you thought about that?!? sorry got a little carried away for a second!

dan in a most uncharacteristic for him way, happily answered. "i'm dan," as he dumbly waved at her. what was going on i thought. in all my years living with dan i'd never seen him this silly or happy (most of the time i'd know him he was always grumpy... though i guess the might have been due to the trouble i caused him all the time!)

dan's weird behaviour was wigging jo out. "what is the matter with you?" she flailed the gun in her hand to ensure he'd noticed it.

"oh nothing," dan happily replied, as he ambled towards jo. she raised her firearm, and made it clear she'd shot dan if he got closer. he stopped but kept his goofy grin and a bizarre body posture. "i'm just out enjoying a good old fashion sing in the badlands, jo."

jo dropped her jaw at her name being mentioned, but she stiffened ready to fire.

"before you do anything rash," dan said almost unconcerned by jo's actions. "you might want to consider that no matter what you do to me, palaeo-central has you IDed now. which means there really isn't anywhere you're going to be able to run to that we can't find you."

did i just hear him right?!? as i was on the other side of the hill there was a chance i miss heard dan. if i did though, he just said he was with palaeo-central if i'm right!!! my own former roommate, one of the closest people i have to an actual family, and he has kept that secret from me?!?

before i could stew on this any further tons of things happened at once. jo now aimed the gun at a fairly lethal spot of dan. at the same moment as i turned to look away (which was silly of me as all i could see was the hill between us, but i felt i shouldn't be facing away when dan was made no more) i found i was suddenly face to face with a girl who was crouched beside me. i nearly screamed out loud, but she grabbed my snout and kept it from opening.

"be absolutely quiet," this stranger instructed me. "i'd untie you, but i have a bit of rescuing to do. excuse me." with that she shot up the hillside.

to emerge right behind jo. who was telling dan. "too bad that palaeo-central isn't here right now then isn't it!"

dan just snickered. "if you say so."

as the new girl on the scene leapt from the hill...

right onto jo!

before you knew it the new girl had jo down in an armlock. "get off me!" jo screamed in both pain and frustration.

jo still had the gun in her hand, but before she could think to use it, dan pounced on it. "i don't think so ms. harvager," he stated pulling the weapon from jo. dan then looked at the girl immobilizing the poacher. "could you have left it any closer to the last second there amanda?"

amanda responded. "sorry, i was distracted," she motioned over her shoulder with her head in my direction. "there's a miniature tyrannosaur all tied up on the other side of the hill."

she paused and then said in a slight amused voice. "oh and also the professor is lying the next hill over. i took a few seconds there to, come to think of it," dan glared at amanda. "what? like you won't have taken a moment to capture that on film?!? i'm going to legendary back at HQ when everyone sees these. though if you want in on the action and sneak a peak, i'd tread lightly. he won't be all that happy when he wakes up. especially if he found out we'd seen him laid out like that."

jo started to groan and struggle, but amanda just applied pressure to her wrist. "calm down tough girl," jo winced audibly in pain, as amanda warned her. "you might be a 3rd degree blackbelt, or so i assume based on the fact you beat up the professor back there, but i train against people at your level for my warm ups. just be a good girl and stay down... for your sake."

"i have her as my martial arts coach," dan quipped to jo. "trust me, you don't want to take her on, and i only have sparring as a reference."

amanda applied some handcuffs to jo's wrists, and hoisted the now relatively secure poacher to her feet. jo hanging her head in defeat grumbled. "we would have pulled it all off if not for that stupid tyrannosaur!"

dan overhearing that. "speaking of which, amanda think you can handle her on your own?"

"a mere 3rd degree," amanda replied sarcastically. "i think i'll just barely manage."

"good," dan replied as he started walking in my direction. "i've got a former housemate to untie."

next a secret that is as old as i am!!!

darren tanke finally has a blog!

there is some huge addition to the palaeo blogosphere...

my buddy darren tanke has finally got a blog!

it is themed around his upcoming recreation of the river trips of the great canadian dinosaur rush, but hopefully it'll expand into other aspects of his searching for lost quarrys.

so go check it out!

taste of nature #6

a new zealand striped skink or oligosoma striatum.

What the fuck do you care? Yeah, I said FUCK!

Ok. So. The top picture is taken from my facebook page a couple of months ago. You'll see there is some man trying to tell me and my contacts what language is acceptable.

Hmmmm...I thought this was my own personal facebook? I thought there was a little something called freedom of speech? The other day, I checked one of my email addresses and saw "Pete" still hadn't let it go. This is an old email accounts that I don't even use or post for people to contact me anymore. Somehow "Pete" found it. If you can't read it, this is what he said:

"Would you cuss that way on Facebook if your own children were listening to it? You won't be talking to our grandchildren that way, on Facebook or anywhere else. I think you should grow up. You've got a lot of talent but you're wasting it. Think about it when you're a mother (I don't know if you are one yet). It's not just Facebook. You have a responsibility in a public domain and you should have a conscience considering children and families. Other than that this destruction of our connection wouldn't have been necessary. Good luck. God bless you in your future endeavors. Pete from Facebook.

No really. You can't make this shit up. Where to start?

Let's see, "Pete"...first of all, how do you "listen" on Facebook? Who's grandchildren are you fucking talking about? Hate to break it to you but if you're concerned about what they see on my page you should probably ban them from the internet all together!

I love that you think I should "grow up", because you know me oh so very well. Here's the thing, the beauty of creating an online personality is that you only show what you want.

You don't know me. You know characters.

My private life is something only my real life close friends and family get to be a part of. Hate to burst that fucking bubble.

So I've got a lot of talent and I'm wasting it. Gee Petey, last time I checked I was pretty fucking busy 24/7 working as a professional actress, finishing up various theatre gis, booking two more, one of which is a world premiere, just getting back into town from a high profile runway event where I was one of six models, churning out videos like a mother fucker, coreographing two routines for the troupe I dance with, scheduling upcoming photo shoots, juggling film projects, traveling and wishing I had time to work on the other 100 projects swirling around in my head...shall I go on or do you get it honey? Am I wasting time because I'm not a movie star? By all means, go ahead and wave your magic wand.

No dear, not a mother. I'm fucking young. Because I live where I live and all you think of is the stereotype of girls getting married right out of high school and churning out babies does NOT mean I'm one of them. Open your mind, I'm too busy with a fucking career.

Another thing that might blow your fucking mind...ready for this?

I do not have a responsibility because I'm in a public domain in any way shape or form.

I can do whatever the fuck I want here and if you don't like it you don't need to be a part of it. Real easy, isn't it? Did I set out to be a squeaky clean role model? FUCK NO. Never did I claim it, never would I want that. If I'm so offensive to you, your family and your children JUST DON'T WATCH. The minute I start to censor myself and worry what people think is the minute this is all for nothing. I don't roll that way. Never have, never will. You can't please everyone. What a waste to live your life that way.

I'm sorry I used foul language, dad. I mean Pete. Wait! Oh my god! I already have a father. In fact he's one of my Facebook contacts so you can just shut the fuck up.

I love that you think I'm such a badass. Little ole me, what with all the real creepers, porn, god knows what on the internet that you certainly don't want your grandkids seeing...I assume.

Yup. I'm soooooo bad.

Destruction of our connection?! WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU???? I blocked YOU, remember? And then you still emailed me. I don't know who you are, or anything about you. And guess what? Vice versa. God, Pete, get a fucking life. You're probably far too old to have your panties in a bunch and give such a shit.

Your message irks me. You know why? Because it shows you think women should pop out babies and set your idea of an "expample" by saying and doing the "right thing".

You don't have to agree with me and I don't have to agree with you...but I would NEVER think it was my place to tell someone I didn't know that they should behave the way I wanted them to.

IT'S CREEPY! YOU ARE CREEPY!

And just for the record? I swore in this blog approximately 14 times, just for you.

Cheers! Deena from facebook.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNJdEKe8ptM

Washington DC in Photographs

A picture is worth a thousand words, so here are some profound thoughts about our nation's capital:

This is just one big metaphor. Dave and I are the lions, the helpless creature in the middle is the ride.

Dave in front of his embassy.

On the bike route approaching DC.

Trying to get huge on the bike path from Mt. Vernon to DC. I did 5 and was exhausted. Guess I need to start lifting.

"500 Days of Summer"...what it meant to me.

Yesterday we saw "500 Days of Summer".

I had high expectations and was enjoying it...but by the end I had no idea how much it would affect me. It was so important for me. I felt like I needed to see it. It answered questions, gave me closure and reminded me how lucky I am.

First of all, as far as my relationship experiences have gone, it was total role reversal. I was the Joseph Gordon Levitt character. I knew just what he felt like every step of the way. To be with someone so unattainable and so head over heels.

At the end of the movie, Zooey's characater (the quirky girl who doesn't want a commitment), ends up married to someone else. He says to her "how did the girl who didn't want a boyfriend end up someone's wife"? That hit me hard. That was my situation with a boy years ago in another state. I could not imagine him ever telling a girl that he loved her, let alone becoming a husband. And guess what he was right after we broke up?

I wondered for years how it happened. What was it that made him settle down? What made him propose? What made him choose her? What was it about me? I have never been able to wrap my head around it. I moved on, sure. But not having an answer always bothered me. I am the kind of person who needs to know why.

She tells him that she just knew.

She knew with this guy what she was unsure of with the other.

Oh. My. God. That's it. That's all and that's it.

You just meet the one that changes your life. The one that you can't imagine life without and there is nothing else to figure out. That simple. My years of wondering and analyzing were simplified and healed in that moment.

She goes on to talk about fate...which I absolutely believe in. She talks about the day she meets the man that will become her husband in a deli, "what if I had gone to the movies that day? What if I had come in ten minutes later?"

Again. Oh. My. God.

Here I am, sitting next to the love of my life. I squeeze his hand. I hold back my tears.

What if I hadn't come home from nyc to do the play where I met him? What if I hadn't called him back? What if?

The thing is...it is as it's meant to be. For me, for him. For the boy in my past.

I was reminded of the time when my heart was breaking and I thought I was going to die. I never thought I'd be able to get up off the couch and breathe again. I only wish I could have whispered to that girl that she would be okay. She would grow up to meet The One and be where she was supposed to be.

I wished this movie would have come out years ago! But again, for whatever reason, it was meant for me to see it yesterday. It had a hopeful ending. It was heartbreakingly beautiful, clever, funny and hopeful. It was perfect. I watched three teenage girls walk in to see it and wonder what they'll take away from it. What will anyone at any age and stage of relationship take away from it?

The amount of passion and love and attraction you can have for another human is pretty remarkable. It's always different depending on the chemistry of two people. As you grow and you experience more and can heal and look back on it...even the painful parts become beautiful, don't they?

xo Deena Marie