Ok, for anyone keeping track, you might notice that this update is only now going online (and it's almost January, 2004), and yet it's dated February 2003. I'm a big slacker. I won't bother making excuses, but let's just say I know ancient greek now and I didn't then, so that has to count for something!

Also, I can't remember what the vast majority of these pictures depict, so my usually lush commentary will be sorely lacking, since I can't tell what is going on in most of these images! I do know that we were at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Now, let's get started...

First of all, I have vivid memory of Craig making us suffer in some way that day at the museum. When I took this picture, I recall telling him it would appear on our geekday pages with the caption "It's all his fault." Of course, a year later I don't remember what is all his fault. He might've made us walk up like 20 flights of big marble museum stairs, and maybe he made us wait on a line or something. Regardless, it's been so long that I can't even make up a good story. So anyway, here's Craig!

Let's move on. These might be identical pictures. I can't tell. Either way, they're pictures of dinosaur bones, which means you can never have too many of them.

More dinosaurs! If I recall correctly, this was one of the lesser successful geekday outings insofar as there was quite a deficiency in dinosaurs. I wanted to see more, and frankly there just weren't very many. My memories of this museum from childhood were apparently greatly distorted!

Now, this part I remember vividly because it showed me my camera wasn't as cool as Scott's (See Vegas panoramic). I took 3 pictures of a big ol' dinosaur, and Craig was supposed to fuse them together into one big picture (and secretly photoshop in some wings so that I could claim I saw a dragon). People just don't see enough dragons these days.

Now THIS is a dinosaur.

Whereas THIS is not a dinosaur. At least I don't think it is. I think it's some crazy kind of large bird. But we can pretend it's a dinosaur if you'd like.

K, this is so dark it's almost embarassing. Just know that I deleted at least 3 that were darker!! I think (if you squint and tilt your head) that these both involve elephants. The display was unlit. It's not all my fault. Really though, just skip these. You're wasting your time by even looking at them!

Now, here's the interesting part. Any of these animals may be extinct pre-cursors to what they appear to be, or they may really just be what they seem to be. I can't remember. Let's make it a game! You decide! Is it a leopard? Is it something else (like a cheetah)? Who knows!

Another puzzle!! Impala? Impossible to know!!

Here are some antlers:

By the way, these aren't blurry just because I take poor photographs. (Not JUST because...) In fact, let's just say Joshua took these. It might even be true. Anyway all of these poor fuzzy things are stuffed behind glass. Blame the glass. Oh right, porcupines!

Coyote-type doggies on the prowl:

Whatever these are, I guarantee they're looking for truffles! (See, if you've bothered reading this far, you understand why it's important that I update these things right away, since I can't be trusted to remember what all these pictures are of).

As someone who studies evolution and considers herself a scientist of a sort, I should really learn the difference between a leopard and a cheetah.

This, I imagine, is an ostrich.

Whatever these are, they're warthogs as far as I'm concerned:

Ok, I officially name this the Worst Update Ever. UNTIL NOW. This is a dragon. I'm sure of it. And not the fake kind Craig never made for me either. So much for warthogs.

Ok, you can only view the next image if you are over 18. If not, you'll have to avert your gaze. I'm sure Joshua took this one.

Here is some sort of crazy pre-historic rooster. Or else it's just a rooster. Either way, Joshua should study it well since it's what will wake him up every day to milk the cows when we live on a farm.

This is the most foul and awful thing I've ever seen. It is oogy and, actually, is it on me? I think it's on me. I feel like it might be on me..

This is the Giant Squid and the huge starfish. They creeped Craig out so badly that he went and hid in the rainforest. I meant to periodically send him links that looked like porn but really lead back here to the squid. I should do that.

Is it on me?!

Here is a giant octopuss sort of thing, which also creeped Craig out. And a jellyfish that probably creeped me out. I imagine Joshua tried to kill it, Metroid-style.

Here is Craig again. It's still all his fault. He was hiding in the rainforest area at this point because all that separated him from giant-squidness was a thin wall of glass.

Here we start to wind up our day with the pinnacle of destruction that this museum had to offer. (Notice that I've done an excellent job thus far of not preaching my displeasure at the idea of killing animals that can still be seen in the wild for the sake of stuffing them and displaying them, since I have some inner conflict as to the level of educational success such techniques have. However, it's hard to remain uncynical when you see this:)

And thus we have learned at least 2 things. 1) I should never update these pages a year after the fact, and 2) I just can't joke about humankind cutting down a 1400 year old tree!