Steemit Introduction. Hello Steemians!

I've been on steemit for a few days now, so I suppose I should do a post introducing myself :) How rude of me to not introduce myself before now!
First, a verification picture that I took after I uncovered my webcam:

Okay, that's terrible quality and mirror image. Let's try again with my trusty ol' iPhone:

Not much better quality (I know, the lighting's bad) and I have a slightly manic look on my face, but at least my placard is in focus!

Okay, on to me. I bared one of the most raw parts of my soul in my post about dealing with insomnia. So if you really want to know me, just go read that post. Just kidding. Insomnia doesn't define me, any more than any of the other things I've experienced or done.

Let me start with my username, @natator88. 1988 is the year I was born, so I'm 28. I'm starting to feel my age, too. Every now and then I have a panic attack about how when I'm 29, it'll be the last year of my 20s. Natator is the genus of my favorite species of sea turtle, the Flatback Sea Turtle, Natator depressus. Did I mention I'm a biologist? I just earned my M.S. in Biology. My thesis was on stress physiology of Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles. Want to know any more? Just ask. For now, I will provide you with a picture of me grinning like a fool while holding a cute Kemp's Ridley:

Why is the Flatback my favorite sea turtle species, you ask? Not much is known about them. They have a very limited distribution on the northern coast of Australia, and whenever discussing the seven species of sea turtles, the Flatback is almost always listed "data deficient." I'm a champion for the underdog. Fun fact: the Flatback is the only of the seven species of sea turtles I've not seen.

I've liked turtles for a long time. Here's a picture of me holding my pet turtle, a Western Painted Turtle, Chrysemys picta bellii. (I always use Latin names for species when I can. It's an annoying habit I have, I know.) This picture was taken many moons ago. See, I am showing my age!

I don't know if you noticed the t-shirt I was wearing in the sea turtle picture, but I'm from the United States, specifically North Dakota. A tiny town in North Dakota. And North Dakota isn't known for its sprawling metropolises. I like some stereotypical North Dakota things, like fleece blankets and hockey:

Before you ask, no, I don't sound like a Norwegian from the movie "Fargo." I'm not Norwegian, or any sort of Scandinavian. My Dad was military, so that's how I ended up here.

As I mentioned, I recently completed my M.S. in Biology. I earned that at a university in Louisiana, and did some stereotypical Louisiana things, like wrassle alligators, eat King cake, and attend Mardi Gras:

I also love to read books. One post I intend to make on here is a list of all the books I've read in the past 6 months or so. Since I've graduated, I've noticed an uptick in both the quality and quantity of books I've read. Here is the set I'm currently reading by Nassim Taleb:

I also love horses. I grew up with a Shetland pony and my grandmother raises American Saddlebreds. My favorite breed is the Tennessee Walking Horse, because if you can get them to rack, it's the smoothest thing you'll ever feel!

I recently met one of my heroines, Dr. Sylvia Earle, at an ichthyological and herpetological conference I recently attended. Here is a picture of me fangirling as she autographs her book, The World is Blue.

This picture sums up a bunch of other random things about me:

As you can see, I like to stick out my tongue, play Xbox, am addicted to my phone and laptop, love anything Tolkien (hence the Smaug t-shirt), and, if you can tell that's a Penguins emblem on my sweatshirt, I'm a huge Pittsburgh Penguins hockey fan. Go Pens!

I love to travel. Here are pictures from some of the coolest places I've been:

Costa Rica

Florida

London and Windsor Castle

Paris

Pompeii

Rome

Venice

Las Vegas

Louisiana

Mississippi Coast

North Carolina

San Francisco

I want to travel more, particularly outside of the U.S. I learn so much about the world, other cultures, and myself when I travel.

If there's one thing I love more than all of these things in this post put together (besides my family!), it's my dog. He's a shelter rescue (which I strongly believe in over breeding) and a beautiful Husky-German Shepherd mix.

Whew! That's enough egotism for one day. Hope it wasn't too boring!

P.S. I have to give a shout-out to my Mom, who took the majority of the pictures!
P.P.S. I apologize for my sense of humor. People tell me it's very dry, and most people can't tell when I'm serious or joking. In case you decide to follow me, just err on the side of caution and assume I'm joking, because I am rarely serious.
P.P.P.S. Feel free to follow me on twitter @5m4ug. I mostly just rant about libertarian things and post a lot when the Pittsburgh Penguins play, but sometimes I say something interesting.