but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.
~Author Unkown Well, I am half Norwegian and half Mexican (Makes me a Fish Taco! LOL). I am 6'5" tall, 210 lbs, green eyes, and tats everywhere. Check my homepage at www.Husoe.net "Live as if your were to die tomorrow.
Learn as if you were to live forever." -Mahatma Gandhi A Future Biogeographer: Turning Tragedy into Triumph. During the summer of 1992, I was bodysurfing the inside break at Huntington Beach when I suffered a demoralizing injury; I crashed head first from the force of a very big wave, into a sandbar on the shore and shattered part of the vertebrae in my neck. The prognosis, I had an incomplete spinal cord injury at C3-C4 and the doctors could not promise me that I would be able to walk again. Hell, they did not know if I would ever be able to get out of bed on my own again. They left me in the dark about how much movement I would recover. Needless to say, this accident left me a somewhat quadriplegic, unable to work. Initially, I felt very helpless and alone. My doctors suggested that no matter how much I do recover, I would battle paralysis my whole life. During this time, I was forced to re-evaluate my life and come to terms with my situation. I began to look back at my life at everything I had experienced. I remembered being involved with the Boy Scouts (Eagle Scout, 1981) as a youth and how that was an important part of my life, way back when. I remember backpacking with my dad in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and being shocked at how careless and apathetic many people were concerning our environment. I thought about these moments in my past, and became motivated by them. Going back to work at my old job, an avionic technician, was not physically possible with the extent of my injury. Some serious life decisions were facing me. I had to do some soul searching, hoping for an answer. After several months of serious thought, intermingled with zealous rehabilitation and some serious escapism, I decided to enroll at California State University, Long Beach, where I studied Marine Biology. By this time, a lot of physical therapy (and stubbornness) was slowly, but surely, leading me to a higher level of recovery. I have found that school has been a very therapeutic endeavor that has helped me through some emotionally and physically rough times. The California Department of Rehabilitation paid for all college expenses incurred during my undergraduate studies. I even became a certified scuba diver. This new outlook on life felt good. Eventually, I graduated with a BS in Marine Biology and a minor in Chemistry. But what should I do with myself now? At least I had accomplished something after my accident, a college degree. Luckily, one of my professors recommended me for volunteer position working in a lab at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC), NOAA down in La Jolla, California. My interest in geography, particularly biogeography, was first piqued during my time volunteering at SWFSC. Working in the lab was exciting and new. An opportunity to learn a new assay to quantify cell proliferation rates used to study instantaneous growth rates in teleosts was something I could hardly dismiss. During one of our staff meetings, Dr. Russ Vetter, the head of our department, talked about a book he had just read. It was called "The Song of the Dodo, Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions" by David Quammen. That week I picked up a copy. This book was not only fascinating but made the idea of studying biogeography adventurous and exciting. I could hardly put the book down. Nevertheless, dreams of studying biogeography in some far off lands, was only that, a dream. I continued on my path of becoming more of a lab scientist than a field biologist. Especially, considering that I have a physical handicap which I felt would hinder any attempt at applying for a field biology job or internship. No one wants to be burdened by a "cripple" who might slow up the work. Let's face it; field work can be rigorous and demanding. So, dreams of field biology were left in the arena of dreams. Eventually, I went to work on a Master of Science degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences at Texas A&M University, College Station. My studies there involved a lot of lab work: biochemistry and cell biology; however, I still dreamed of doing field work in exotic locales. I enjoyed learning biochemistry and cell biology, but these disciplines constrained me to a career of mostly laboratory work. I wanted to be outside, experiencing nature, not confined to the four walls of a laboratory. I still thought about David Quammen's book. I wanted my future career to be exciting and adventurous. This led me to contemplate the path before me. Was there something more? The challenges and successes of my life have shaped my beliefs and values bringing me to a point where the direction of my future had evolved into a strong desire to take a proactive role in grass-root efforts to protect and preserve the environment. I was struggling over my future, wondering what I should do after I graduated from Texas A&M University. I decided to take a detour and I filled out an application for the United States Peace Corps. I was accepted and sent to Micronesia as a natural resource volunteer. After pre-service training in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, I was assigned to the Republic of Palau. My second year found me working for the Division of Fish and Wildlife Protection (DFWP), in the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). I was involved in the training of DFWP officers and State Rangers in the use of GPS. Later, towards the end of my Peace Corps service, training in GIS began. These trainings were funded by a grant from WildAid. John Gavitt, a consultant for WildAid, headed up these seminars and field exercises in GPS and GIS. Here, I was first introduced to the value of GIS in conservation. A light turned on in my head. I could do this type of work and my disability would not be so much of a factor. I can be a biogeographer! Visions of the possibilities out there for me filled my head. Again, I thought of David Quammen's book. I decided to go back to school to study Geographic Information Science after the completion of my Peace Corps service and I had returned to the United States. My decision was made, I would study to become a biogeographer and work in conservation, hopefully in some exotic locale. Now, I find myself working towards a Master of Arts degree in Geography with a Geography Information Science Specialization at California State University, Northridge. I have already earned the certificate in GIS. Hopefully, I plan on doing a population viability analysis (PVA) study on the California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus) in inhabiting Southern California including the Channel Islands using GIS and RAMAS GIS for my thesis. When I graduate in Fall 2006, I am backpacking through SE Asia with on of my best friends. First, we are flying to Davao, Philippines. After New Year's, we are flying to Chaing Mai in northern Thailand. Then, we will travel down to Bangkok then to Cambodia finally ending up in Saigon, Viet Nam. From here, we will fly back to LAX. The very next day, I will travel up to Bellingham, Washington to catch the ferry to Juneau, Alaska. I start my new job as a Research Fisheries Biologist for the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA. I am very excited about this great oppurtunity! I do not know where my path will take me, only that I must follow it where it may lead. I have taken the long road to get to this point in my life and looking back over the last 25 years, there have been junctures and crossroads where I had to make drastic changes that have completely changed me. I hope biogeography will help me turn tragedy into triumph, adversity into victory. "However mean your life is, meet it and live it;
do not shun it and call it hard names." Henry David Thoreau 1817-1862 For more information about me, goto homepage at www.Husoe.net "The breadth of life is the outward concern for the welfare of others...A man has not begun to live until he can rise above the narrow confines of his own individual concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity... Somewhere along the way, we must learn that there is nothing greater than to do something for others." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., April 9, 1967
what type of dog are you (with pics)
germen shepherd
Congrats your the german shepherd a loyal friendly fun and active dog but laid back all at the same time
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MyGen
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You are The Hermit. Though a solitary person, you
are wise and intellegent. Others will go out
of their way to find you if they are in need
of wisdom.
What Tarot Card are you Most like?
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You Have A Type A- Personality
A-
You are one of the most balanced people around Motivated and focused, you are good at getting what you want You rule at success, but success doesn't rule you.When it's playtime, you really know how to kick back Whether it's hanging out with friends or doing something you love! You live life to the fullest - encorporating the best of both worlds Do You Have a Type A Personality?
Your Animal Personality
Your Power Animal: Shark
Animal You Were in a Past Life: Polar Bear
You have a strong character - you are an aggressive, ambitious, go-getter.
You were born to lead. The Animal Personality Test
You Are Guinness
You know beer well, and you'll only drink the best beers in the world.
Watered down beers disgust you, as do the people who drink them.
When you drink, you tend to become a bit of a know it all - especially about subjects you don't know well.
But your friends tolerate your drunken ways, because you introduce them to the best beers around. What's Your Beer Personality?
You Are From Jupiter
You are exuberantly curious - and you love to explore newness.
Enthusiastic and optimistic, you get a kick out of stimulating intellectual discussions.
Foreign cultures and languages fascinate you. You love the outdoors, animals, and freedom.
Chances are you tend to exaggerate, so try to keep a lid on that.
If you do, you'll continue to be known for your confidence, generosity, and sense of justice. What Planet Are You From?
You Are 80% Weird
You're more than quirky, you're downright strange.
But you're also strangely compelling, like a cult leader. How Weird Are You?
Your Hidden Talent
You're super sensitive and easily able to understand situations.
You tend to solve complex problems in a flash, without needing a lot of facts.
Decision making is easy for you. You have killer intuition.
The right path is always clear, and you're a bit of a visionary. What's Your Hidden Talent?