HotSauceCommittee Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 (edited) Hi everyone! I have been shamelessly searching and reading these forums for months now and decided to go ahead and sign up for my first message board in probably 15 years. I am "new" to fossil hunting as I only started about seven months ago, but I have logged about 40 fossil hunting trips (primarily solo) and usually spend 4-7 hours each time I go out, so I may be a little more obsessed than some others. lol. I definitely have a lot to learn, so last August I joined the Dallas Paleo group and have found them extremely helpful and friendly. Currently I am a first-time adult college student about halfway to my degree in Geology with a concentration in Civil Engineering. It's a weird program; probably the closest thing is Geotechnical Engineering, but lighter on the engineering side and heavier on the geology. I freely admit that geology (or even paleontology) has never been a life long passion, but I felt a degree in a science field (and being in Texas) was my best bet for getting out of retail and the customer service industry. Let me tell you, 15 years of that will erode any faith you have in humanity, LOL. So here I am, a woman in my mid-30s, way more comfortable talking literature and philosophy and modern art, learning about math and rocks with a bunch of 19 year old genius nerds who never sleep. It's both inspiring and humiliating! I actually got into fossils because I was initially working on a degree in physics and was suddenly informed that I would have to take a general geology course and an historical geology course (my other option was microbiology, nooooo thank you). I loved the fossil field trip my professor took us on so much that I couldn't stop looking at the ground after that. The first thing I was desperate to find was a complete ammonite (which happened about a month later), and then I figured I'd move on to something else, but somehow I always come back to cephalopods. I think no matter how many other awesome things I find, I will always want the cephalopods the most. And that's how it all happened. Right now top of my bucket list is getting down to Central Texas to find some tetragramma and/or selania (really, any of the regular echinoid, honestly; I'm not that picky right now!). After that, I want a mosasaur vert (I have bone fragments and a digested vert, but I'd love a nice one) and a complete goniatite. EDITED to add some of my finds. I couldn't decide which ones to post, so these are the ones that caught my eye. Top L to R: Durania sp. rudist (Fannin County, TX); Heteraster sp. echinoid (Denton County, TX); shark teeth mix (Grayson County, TX). Middle L to R: eopachydiscus ammoninte (Love County, OK); Macraster echinoid (Tarrant County); goniatite (Jack County, TX). Bottom L to R: shark vert (Fannin County, TX); Lyphophyllidum sp. coral (Jack County, TX); engonoceras ammonite (Tarrant County). Edited February 23, 2020 by HotSauceCommittee Added an image 4 [ . . .] to a naturalist who is reading in the face of the rocks the annals of a former world, the mossy covering which obstructs his view, and renders indistinguishable the different species of stone, is no less than a serious subject of regret. - James Hutton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pterygotus Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 Welcome to the forum! Good luck finding that Echinoid and the vert! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 Welcome from Illinois. 1 Mark. Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 Great intro! Hello, and a very warm welcome to TFF from Morocco. 40 trips in 7 months is amazing, I'm lucky if i can manage one or two a year. And I quite understand the desire to get out of retailing and customer service from my own experience. Hope you continue to enjoy your cephalopods and would love to see some photos of your finds. For mosasaurs and goniatites, I recommend Morocco. 2 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAT B Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 Hi! Welcome to TFF from a fellow female member, who also happens to be in Central Texas as well. Just relocated here from SoCal for work 6 months ago. I too finished school in my 30s (while working full time in radiation safety/health physics oddly enough). I work for a massive engineering firm out of Dallas now. (I’m an environmental planner — but bug our geologists and paleo specialists non stop!!) As a woman in STEM for over 20 years now, if there’s any questions you have, just ask! I love to provide any advice or insights I might possess that could help a fellow scientist! (BTW, congrats on being in Central Texas — how far are you from graduating? Texas firms—including ours—are hiring like CRAZY right now!!) If you’ve been to POC in the last 4 months, we may have met. I’ve not joined Dallas Paleo Soc yet, but plan to start going soon. So, maybe we’ll meet some day. At any rate, Good luck and happy hunting! CatB (aka Midwest Mudlark) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darktooth Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 Welcome to the forum from New York! I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JarrodB Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 Wecome to TFF from Tyler Texas. Mosasaur is my favorite thing to find. I mainly hunt the Northeast Texas area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotSauceCommittee Posted February 23, 2020 Author Share Posted February 23, 2020 2 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said: Great intro! Hello, and a very warm welcome to TFF from Morocco. 40 trips in 7 months is amazing, I'm lucky if i can manage one or two a year. And I quite understand the desire to get out of retailing and customer service from my own experience. Hope you continue to enjoy your cephalopods and would love to see some photos of your finds. For mosasaurs and goniatites, I recommend Morocco. Thank you! I will have to post pics some time! I think Morocco would be an incredible place to visit; I’m just deathly afraid of flying. LOL. 1 [ . . .] to a naturalist who is reading in the face of the rocks the annals of a former world, the mossy covering which obstructs his view, and renders indistinguishable the different species of stone, is no less than a serious subject of regret. - James Hutton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotSauceCommittee Posted February 23, 2020 Author Share Posted February 23, 2020 48 minutes ago, CAT B said: Hi! Welcome to TFF from a fellow female member, who also happens to be in Central Texas as well. Just relocated here from SoCal for work 6 months ago. I too finished school in my 30s (while working full time in radiation safety/health physics oddly enough). I work for a massive engineering firm out of Dallas now. (I’m an environmental planner — but bug our geologists and paleo specialists non stop!!) As a woman in STEM for over 20 years now, if there’s any questions you have, just ask! I love to provide any advice or insights I might possess that could help a fellow scientist! (BTW, congrats on being in Central Texas — how far are you from graduating? Texas firms—including ours—are hiring like CRAZY right now!!) If you’ve been to POC in the last 4 months, we may have met. I’ve not joined Dallas Paleo Soc yet, but plan to start going soon. So, maybe we’ll meet some day. At any rate, Good luck and happy hunting! CatB (aka Midwest Mudlark) Hi! I am actually in North Texas (I always have to say North Central Texas because otherwise people think Amarillo or the panhandle, lol), in Fort Worth. I will probably take you up on your offer to answer any questions as women in STEM! I was only one of three women in my Calculus III class last semester. It’s so weird! I’m about 2.5 years from graduating, so I’ll be 38 when it’s finally over. Honestly my biggest fear is not being able to get a job at that age with no experience in the field (and no graduate studies). Sometimes I wake up in a panic thinking I’ve made such a huge mistake, but I’m already the first person on either side of my family with a college degree (I just got both my Associate of Arts and Associate of Science in the past six months), so I have to keep going. I haven’t managed to hit up POC since last September, but I want to go again before summer hits. Have had medium luck there, but when I went there hadn’t been a good rain in months. Seems like now is the season! [ . . .] to a naturalist who is reading in the face of the rocks the annals of a former world, the mossy covering which obstructs his view, and renders indistinguishable the different species of stone, is no less than a serious subject of regret. - James Hutton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotSauceCommittee Posted February 23, 2020 Author Share Posted February 23, 2020 9 minutes ago, JarrodB said: Wecome to TFF from Tyler Texas. Mosasaur is my favorite thing to find. I mainly hunt the Northeast Texas area. Hi Jarrod! I know you from the DPS Facebook page (I’m Jessica who posts way too much there). Your finds are legendary! [ . . .] to a naturalist who is reading in the face of the rocks the annals of a former world, the mossy covering which obstructs his view, and renders indistinguishable the different species of stone, is no less than a serious subject of regret. - James Hutton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JarrodB Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 2 minutes ago, HotSauceCommittee said: Hi Jarrod! I know you from the DPS Facebook page (I’m Jessica who posts way too much there). Your finds are legendary! Lol I'm sure I post there a little too much also. I do try to be helpful as much as possible. Keep on posting. I enjoy seeing your finds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilsAnonymous Posted February 24, 2020 Share Posted February 24, 2020 Welcome to TFF! 1 On The Hunt For The Trophy Otodus! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinosaur man Posted February 24, 2020 Share Posted February 24, 2020 Welcome to TFF!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilNerd Posted February 24, 2020 Share Posted February 24, 2020 Hello and welcome! I too creeped around on the forum for a few months before joining. I haven’t regretted my decision once. You have definitely come to the right place for your obsession. 1 The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it. -Neil deGrasse Tyson Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sowest Posted February 24, 2020 Share Posted February 24, 2020 Hello from another Texas newbie! I'm in southwestern Wise County - near Springtown. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotSauceCommittee Posted February 25, 2020 Author Share Posted February 25, 2020 1 hour ago, sowest said: Hello from another Texas newbie! I'm in southwestern Wise County - near Springtown. Ohh Springtown! I am near Eagle Mountain Lake, so not far from you. I have had some luck with fossils in the Springtown area; I’d like to get out and explore it some more. 2 [ . . .] to a naturalist who is reading in the face of the rocks the annals of a former world, the mossy covering which obstructs his view, and renders indistinguishable the different species of stone, is no less than a serious subject of regret. - James Hutton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobWill Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 On 2/23/2020 at 4:55 PM, HotSauceCommittee said: Hi Jarrod! I know you from the DPS Facebook page (I’m Jessica who posts way too much there). Your finds are legendary! I thought that had to be you! Now we have more places to share our compulsive behavior no addiction no no love of science! Yeah, that's what it is. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizmo Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 Welcome aboard! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotSauceCommittee Posted February 27, 2020 Author Share Posted February 27, 2020 On 2/25/2020 at 5:02 PM, BobWill said: I thought that had to be you! Now we have more places to share our compulsive behavior no addiction no no love of science! Yeah, that's what it is. LOL Ah yes. “Love of science” definitely sounds healthier! LOL. To be honest, half the time I needed information or answers to questions before I posted on the DPS page I would search TFF and it was almost always your posts that helped me out the most! [ . . .] to a naturalist who is reading in the face of the rocks the annals of a former world, the mossy covering which obstructs his view, and renders indistinguishable the different species of stone, is no less than a serious subject of regret. - James Hutton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cssewell71 Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 Wow amazing finds! Bet discovering them was fun! Welcome to the group! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 Welcome to the Forum. 1 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey P Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 Welcome from Southeastern New York. That is already quite a collection. Congratulations and thanks for sharing. Other forum members invited me to come to Texas to collect and I traveled there a year and a half ago and it was quite an experience. Good luck with your future endeavors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAT B Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 On 2/23/2020 at 4:53 PM, HotSauceCommittee said: Hi! I am actually in North Texas (I always have to say North Central Texas because otherwise people think Amarillo or the panhandle, lol), in Fort Worth. I will probably take you up on your offer to answer any questions as women in STEM! I was only one of three women in my Calculus III class last semester. It’s so weird! I’m about 2.5 years from graduating, so I’ll be 38 when it’s finally over. Honestly my biggest fear is not being able to get a job at that age with no experience in the field (and no graduate studies). Sometimes I wake up in a panic thinking I’ve made such a huge mistake, but I’m already the first person on either side of my family with a college degree (I just got both my Associate of Arts and Associate of Science in the past six months), so I have to keep going. I haven’t managed to hit up POC since last September, but I want to go again before summer hits. Have had medium luck there, but when I went there hadn’t been a good rain in months. Seems like now is the season! Hey, awesome! I’m out at POC practically every Sat.— just look for the 6 foot tall gal in a fluorescent Kicker t-shirt! Except today I decided to check out NSR — 1st time. Boy! POC has me spoiled — nice clean gravel bars to dig thru, hardly any silt! Managed to actually find 1 shark tooth at NSR though. No full ammonites, but then I didn’t stray far from the park, so not surprised. I prob won’t go back to POC again till after some more rain. With warm season coming on, it’s getting busier and busier every weekend! As for school, yep! I feel ya — even starting anew here in Dallas was tougher than I expected, but I’m (well over) 40 now. That “learning curve” gets harder to climb each year! hehe But! Texas is really hopping work-wise! I’m certain you’ll find plenty of opportunities, even 2 yrs from now. In my experience, being “over 30” can be an advantage in STEM, ie, bring some emotional maturity and work ethic and also taking direction (and criticism) well are all greatly valued skills to any employer. Also, my number one tip to ALL folks looking to enter a STEM field: Develop STRONG writing skills and you’ll have it made. That is THE number one skill that will get you ahead, especially early on; it’s probably the weakest area for most early-career STEM workers. So, yeah, ask me anything career-wise, if I can offer any help, I’m happy too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotSauceCommittee Posted March 1, 2020 Author Share Posted March 1, 2020 On 2/27/2020 at 8:16 PM, Cssewell71 said: Wow amazing finds! Bet discovering them was fun! Welcome to the group! Thank you! It has been TOO much fun! And sometimes a little scary; I spotted a wild hog near me when I was out discovering that rudist. lol. [ . . .] to a naturalist who is reading in the face of the rocks the annals of a former world, the mossy covering which obstructs his view, and renders indistinguishable the different species of stone, is no less than a serious subject of regret. - James Hutton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotSauceCommittee Posted March 1, 2020 Author Share Posted March 1, 2020 On 2/28/2020 at 10:50 AM, Jeffrey P said: Welcome from Southeastern New York. That is already quite a collection. Congratulations and thanks for sharing. Other forum members invited me to come to Texas to collect and I traveled there a year and a half ago and it was quite an experience. Good luck with your future endeavors. Thank you! I am originally from Georgia so I never really fell in love with Texas (been here 17+ years now, though), but I have to say now that I'm into fossil hunting I realize how lucky I am to be here! [ . . .] to a naturalist who is reading in the face of the rocks the annals of a former world, the mossy covering which obstructs his view, and renders indistinguishable the different species of stone, is no less than a serious subject of regret. - James Hutton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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