More fun to come!!

I have recently been disconnected from my computer. I have been trying to use my boyfriends work computer but it is hard to get my thoughts gathered when there is men involved.

I will give you a little prelude of what's to come:

-Fort Worth water park, no using intended
-Grapevine shows good taste in bars
-Cheap down south meals guaranteeing gut rot

I hope to be up and going on my next work shortly

until then.....

Article for MSUM attache'- Interview for business student goals

Haider honored for business

"We are a fully-integrated real estate development and advisory firm, providing our venture partners and consulting clients single source accountability and turnkey product delivery in all phrases or real estate investment," said Sal Haider. He tried to explain his company the best he could to an outsider of the real estate and consulting world.

Haider landed in the Fargo-Moorhead area last fall to get situated for the following days events held at Minnesota State University Moorhead. Haider was receiving an alumni award on Saturday and was able to sit down for an interview to give insight on how he got to where he is today.

Haider began Haider Development Corporation (HDC) in 1999 in Orlando, Fla. The company is small, with fewer than 10 employees, as only the transactional and project development management services are provided by HDC through its own principal and associate. Turnkey services are provided through third party expert service providers such as; large architectural and engineering firms, interior design firms, general contracting firms, and sales and marketing consultants, which are all manages by Haider and his team.

Prior to starting HDC, Haider was chief development executive for Hilton Grand Vacations Company and held other senior level real estate related positions at Holiday Inns worldwide and other major national companies.

It is important to have a passion and know what you want out of life. When a person knows what they want out of life they are able to dedicate every day towards achieving that goal.

"In December 1974, when I arrived at Fargo Airport I was not properly dressed for the winter wearing platform shoes a shirt and a light jacket; I was warned I would need a parka. I had no idea what a parka was but soon found out how important it was," said Haider. He described Fargo-Moorhead as being a cold awakening, weather wise, from his usual environment but with the warmest people.

Haider arrived in the United States when he was 18 from Karachi, Pakistan. He describes America as being a place where there are limitless opportunities if only one is willing to work. The average American might take a second look at the country they live in. With the availability of capitol from U.S. investors and Haider's "don't take now for an answer" work ethic, he pushed to create the business he owns today.

When asked what advice he had for future business students, Haider stressed the importance of setting goals and hard work. "I knew what I wanted to do from the time I enrolled at Minnesota State University Moorhead," said Haider. It is important to have a passion and know what you want out of life. When a person knows what they want out of life they are able to dedicate every day towards achieving that goal.

by: Shanna Conn

The Rig delivers cheap buzz followed by cheap food

We had second thoughts before arriving at this mystery place known by locals. I could tell it wasn't going to be anything classy, the name pretty much said it all. As we cruised down I30 looking for our destination, we ran across a glowing oil rig to the right of the interstate...BINGO.

It took us several tries just to get to the Rig. We ended up having to drive through the Waffle House parking lot because there was no direct road leading to it. I thought to myself, "either no road means really shitty food or really good deals." I was hoping for the second one.

There was two doors at the entrance; first door led to the bar while the second brought you to the food. "I felt like Alice in Ghettoland, trying to pick a door that would carry the least consequences." When we entered the Rig my expectations were filled. Huge murals of cowboys and oil rigs accompanied by every country theme you could think of.

We were able to order non-domestic beers for $2.50, followed by the amazing cost of BOTH of our meals. It cost us $14.95 for two ribeye meals including two sides for each and salad bar. All I have to say, "is I grew a true appreciation for the Rig."

We only had to pay in total $17.45 for everything. Feeling good about the extra money in our pockets we decided to go and try our luck at the other door. The bar was your average local dirty bar but the people were great. For example, I ordered a Jack and diet and the bartender said, "Oh shit you don't want to drink the diet, it is horrible." She gave me a glass and I tried some, "Fuckin horrible, it tasted like shit water." Normally, bartenders could care less; when your busy you don't have time to worry.

Between the awesome price on drinks and local entertainer with a rat tail, I had my fill of the Rig. The next time I feel like getting bloated and drunk, at least I know where to go.

After our meal and jaw dropping ticket prices we decided to mosey over to the bar.

A meeting with Legitimate Bastards

When it comes to deciding where you want to go, downtown Fort Worth can be tricky. Every corner you turn the streets are lined with: bars, comedy clubs, restaurants, and theaters.

The NBA-All Star game came to town this last weekend bringing with it plenty of stars. Several parties were sponsored by stars such as Kobe Bryant and Snoop D-O-double G. I didn't come equipped with 45 dollars for a entry fee, let along the 10 dollars it would cost for a drink, so I passed on the stardom.

My boyfriend and I decided to take the cheap route and view some yokal-locals. After all, if I feel the need to hear some Snoop a-loop, I can check out YouTube.

I had a couple of drinks to wet my pallet and decided to call it a night, until we ran across a bar called the Flying Saucer. The outside of the bar was nothing too exciting but the inside was a different story.

The bar walls were covered with saucers, (hence the name) while seating was equipped with plush leather chairs. As we waited in anticipation for our drinks we noticed the bar was rather full and the occupancy of the plush leather chairs didn't seem to be leaving any time soon. Well it is no surprise I like my ciggy's, so we decided to head upstairs to the second bar and patio.

As we headed through a similar bar to the patio to have a smoke my ears perked up. "Delightful music that I actually listen to," I couldn't believe it. Since I have been down here I have heard nothing but country. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with country, it just isn't for me. I hurried down the stairs to the lower patio to find a band equipped with two members.

We took a seat on a picnic bench and soaked in the music, it was great. They covered several bands such as: Weezer, Flying Conchords, Tom Petty, Jack Black, Johnny Cash, and many more. Yet, they weren't just your average cover band. They had a creative way of combining songs with similar harmonies creating an acoustic spawn of their creation, while adding their own original satires to mix it up.

I found their original music to be the best. Songs such as: Orphricans (an ode to all starving children in Africa) and Small Penis Man (a song describing a boys experience discovering he is not so well equipped down south.) The show was entertaining to say the least and it helped that both players were talented when it came to the guitar.

I finally got the chance to talk with one of them. Although he was in a hurry to grab a beer, he was able to let me in on the name of his band. Legitimate Bastards, the name pretty much speaks for itself and if you were able to listen to the music it would click.

The best part about it is you don't have to be in Fort Worth to listen to them. They reside on Facebook, Myspace or if you don't want to go through the hassle just look them up on Google. They have a couple of their originals on Myspace for your listening pleasure, so check them out.

Pictures: a thanks to Justin and Josh from the Legitimate Bastards for allowing me to use your picture, even though you probably don't know about it and Josh to the S for pub pics

CVS proves to have a great backyard

Alright, I understand the headline might look like I have ran out of things to do and you might be right.

I am one of those people that really enjoy collecting fossils; there is just something about holding a piece of rock that's millions of years old that gets me excited.

These past couple of days I have been noticing people crawling out of the lot behind CVS, which is also across from my boyfriends work site.

At first I thought, probably some crack heads. The lot at first sight didn't seem to be much, which sparked my curiosity even more. Until I ran into one of these supposed crack heads, I discovered they were actually fossil hunting.

The next day I gathered all my tools (meaning my boyfriends tools from work) and set out on my adventure behind CVS. As I began hiking I noticed the lot was a lot bigger then meets the eye. Pretty soon I noticed I was on top of a rock cliff over looking Benbrook. As I knelt down on the cliff and puffed on my ciggy I imagined myself as a modern day Sacajawea.

I headed down the cliff and found tons of springs leaking out from soil. As I kicked around the dirt, not knowing where to begin, I noticed hundreds of fossilized shells.

I started digging like a mad woman. My hands were filthy and my crack was out for all to see. Then all of a sudden....."hey you come here often?"

All I could think of, was how long has this guy been here staring at my crack. I turned around in a hurry and said,"ooh, well I am new to the area, I kind of just discovered this place." The more he talked the more I settled down. It turned out he was a geology teacher trying to find fossils for his students to observe.

As quickly as he came he left and I was on my own, free to discover fossils without worrying about what someone was think about my crack.

I ended up leaving the lot with a bag full of evidence from my daily journey. I had found all sorts of sea baring urchins. I discovered that all of my fossil fit into 4 main groups: gastropod, bivalve, cephalopod, and mollusk.

After spending some time on google, I discovered that my fossils were between 30-60 million years old. During this time much of Texas was covered by the gulf, explaining why I had found so many sea creatures.

All in all, I was pretty jazzed about the experience and hope to take another trip into the unknown behind CVS.

Pictures

Catching up with recent past experiences

I was not prepared when it came to the move down to Texas. I have never fully experienced Texas, let alone the people who live here. I was thinking to myself, "these people have got to be just like us, without the seasonal depression."

Well I have to admit, the people are nice and very accommodating but it is a different world compared to Minnesota. I came to this conclusion when I visited the stockyards located in Fort Worth.

It is a place where the true cowboy seems to emerge out of everyone and shit kickers (cowboy boots) are a must. Built in 1889 the stockyards soon became the worlds largest horse and mule market in 1917, during WWI. Cattle drives are still done daily at 11:30 am and 4:00 pm.

Although the cattle drives are not huge it is still fun to watch. Trust me, I was very tourist friendly when it came to taking 30 pictures of long horn cattle walking down the main road.

People are also very interested in who you are, they can tell a foreigner from a mile away. Your first words are usually what gives you away. "Hello," is not a word used in a introduction by a Texan. If it doesn't include "Y'all," well your just shit out of luck.

When Cannon and I were looking at rodeo tickets we came across this problem.

"How y'all doin you folks pick en up a pair of tickets?"

"Hello, were not sure."

"Oh, you folks ain't from here are ya? Where you from?"

"Minnesota."

"Oh, well shit, you gotta go to this rodeo, it's the best in town. Get your self a box seat, you're guaranteed to get shit in your beer."

Needless to say we were sold, plus the guy offered to buy us shit less beer. Who turns that down?

After pouring down pounders and listening to several anthems included with women in bedazzled cowboy outfits and Texas/American flags, the show began.

I remember thinking to myself, "wow I could actually get used to this cow poke shit." Until I came encounter with calf roping. I don't know what it is but after watching calves run for their life only to be caught with a rope around their neck and tied up, I lost the patriotic feel.

After drinking shitty beer we decided to hit up a bar. We ended up landing at a McNasty's (great name right?) This place became ten times cooler when we found out we were able to smoke there. It also included a awesome honky tonk band sure to please anyone with a raised pickup. Needless to say I would attend McNasty's any day.

All in all the night was fun and I would have to say I give props to the shit kicker's and McNasty's.

Any night that ends in a Whataburger has got to be good.