Guess I Found my Cutie Mark... · 1:03am Jun 24th, 2012
While my work at the Denver museum of Nature and Science is not particularly difficult, it offers opportunities for me to truly stretch my creative muscles in ways school hasn't for a very, very long time.
For instance: The Martian rover exhibit has been a pain in the ass for six years, and now we're considering getting rid of it. I have already proposed to my supervisors that we ask the lovely people who built this:
http://beatty-robotics.com/spirit-ii-mars-rover
If they can build us a rover or two. Funding? No problem. Kickstarter that shit. I'm sure plenty of you would kick in some cash (and it'd only cost maybe $400-600) for a really good Martian Rover replica you could pilot via iPad. The museum is only left with the cost of maintaining and operating the rover and finding some place to display it, but all of that is peanuts next to what they'd have to spend for a replacement rover from say Lockheed Martin (who helped build the exhibit). I've been doing research and emailing back and forth with not only the Beatty family but my supervisors to try and see if I can get this moving.
On the other side of things (my anthropology degree), I've signed up to work with the archaeology department of the museum on a few digs this summer, concerning a site that may indicate humans were in the Americas as early as 20,000 BC, where the standard model has them entering the Americas around 15,000 BC at most. Further, I showed off my experience in Experimental Archaeology and proposed showing off ancient tech and weapons I've been building as a hobby for the museum proper during the fall and winter months when we can't do any digging.
So far I've completed a spear, an atlatl, yucca rope, and some slings (the things David used to bring down Goliath), and it's all coming together awesomely!
Finally, my creative energy has an outlet that doesn't involve the internet! I'm not getting paid for it (yet) but I've got that outlet and spark for it!
... Unfortunately this means my writing has been crap, and in the lieu of new Pony episodes I have little motivation to write.
It'll come back, eventually, but when you find an outlet, a field where you can express yourself and enjoy it... That's something special. Everything just clicks, and you feel like you've found out who you are.
... Alas, no cutie mark but I'll hold out for it.
More seriously, I'm going to try to find time to write next week and calm down a bit so if I get rejected for a project or program I won't take it so hard. I haven't forgotten you guys, but... Hell, would you want Rarity to stop making dresses or Pinkie Pie to stop throwing parties?
You're like a... freakin'... never mind.
[Joke Aborted]
Good to hear from you, Joshua. What were you doing besides everything in this post?
Do what you love dood.
Tatto your arse. There's your cutie mark.
192349 Second that notion.
Hey, cool you found something cool like that.
Thumbs up to you!
Yeah, man, no worries. I have actually been too busy with Life to work on that fic for ya.
I'll try to get more done on it this week, but I'm not making any promises! 
you work at the Denver museum of Nature and Science?
I fucking love that place! especially the space section, that machine that makes the craters in the sand is cool!
personal experience, Atlatls are wierd
glad you've found something that you can connect to, not many do these days
Awesomage. Glad you're doing what you love.
Lockheed Martin? Like the company that brought the military the F22 Raptor?
Holy crap, that's . . . that's . . .
*mind has been blown*
192375 It's cool. Take your time. I know I am.
192376 Volunteering actually, but I'm doing everything in my power to demonstrate that I'm an asset they'd want to hire.
192409 Well technically they donated funds to make it possible, mainly the computers because computers are easy.
Cutie Mark Aquisition Program!
What, no! Don't throw the Spirit rover away! The real deal (along with Oppotunity) performed so well beyond its specified duration of operation on Mars that it's freaking awesome!
.. But I do like what you're suggesting though, iPad controllable Mars rover sounds pretty cool. =x
You... you work at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science? So do I! Well, volunteer of course. And only on Tuesdays, in the bug department.
We should totally talk about that sometime.
I'm really really sorry about this, but I'll never get to use it otherwise.
So, you're an archaeologist? Good, because I have a large bone for you to examine ;).
When I finally figured out just how much I love logistics after 8 years of doing it in some manner while forcing myself towards IT (Only to halt upon my finding IT to not be a desirable field of choice... CMC much?), I suddenly had a destination of sorts to guide my then-general aimlessness towards. Granted, I'm currently merely just doing manual labour the grand scheme of things, but it's manual labour that's challenging, invigorating, and all-around awesome to do. Besides, you gotta learn skills somewhere, no?
I totally understand where you're coming from when you say that.
So your special talent is historical recreation? What does that even look like?
192476 Oh no no no! Not THAT rover, the little RC one in the Mars diorama. It keeps breaking down and getting stuck on the walls and can't back up and given NASA's got a new rover landing on Mars in August, getting the next best thing for the museum seems like a good idea to me. Especially if we can raise the funds with Kickstarter.
192559 Sweet! We can meet for lunch or something.
192618 Yeah, not that large buddy.
hey i completely understand. just do what you enjoy doing!
192812
Ahh, I see. Still, I like the new idea. =D
192812
FimFiction. Bringing Denverites together.
That sounds really neat, Andrew!
....shame I'm nowhere near Denver. >.>'
Congrats to you Andrew
And don't worry about you stories. We can wait a little more, it's not like your stories are only we are reading 
Seriously, dont force yourself to write.... this not ending well. Wait for some creative spark and then write. I can wait more for another chapter of my favourite "Hands"....it's hard but i can 
I want your life :p. That sounds like loads, and I mean loads, of fun.
Unfortunately, I am not nearly ambitious enough to do anything like that. So long as my status quo can be improve by about say...eh, 15% to 20%, I'll be good.
Awesome! Funnily enough I sort of found out what mine is not too long ago. It actually IS writing! I always had a knock for narrative and prose but when I actually sat down and started writing my first fanfic; I found that not only was I good at it, I LOVED DOING IT!
Congrats man!
If you can save the museum money (or increase revenue) that should definitely make you far more appealing then some other schmucks. (Who else loves how "schmucks" sounds?)
Live your dream sir. Live your dream for those who can't.
dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/sillyfilly_Sweetie_Belle.png dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/sillyfilly_Scootaloo.png dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/sillyfilly_Applebloom.png
Go! Go be free and dream your live!
wait... Nevermind
That's great, man. So long as we get to see more of the fiction you interacting with obsessive pegasi and OCD unicorns we shalt be in peace.
if that's ok with you of course...
Sounds like your doing pretty damn well for yourself old boy! I wish you good look in the endeavours that you have spoke of, and await your next fanfic update with patience.
I'm surprised you haven't been asked in the comments to show up to the archaeology department dressed in a leather jacket with a fedora and whip.
Which you should totally do, by the way.
192812
is being good at making clay ceramic dogs a special talent? because in art i made 4 of them on 4 different days.