GeologyRocks

Hahaha! So I'm guessing that would be, what, Iudiciphobia? Pensive hey, you've become attached to your online persona already? 

lol you're quite the language buff yourself

Thanks for the compliment! 

Just discovered your blog on here.  Nice fish tank!  And the studies sound great.  Hope it all goes well.  I very nearly did my MA but in the end I couldn't get funding.  Saving the money myself, instead.

So what do you plan to do with your new qualifications, if you don't mind me asking?

Oh good God, (well not always but that's a different matter)!

I'm afraid that blog is somewhat out of date... by about three years!  I started an MSc in Care of Collections in Cardiff back in 2008, with a view to doing nothing other than studying a subject that I'm interested in (it was part of the school of Archaeology).

Things didn't go according to plan, I couldn't afford to finish the course as I got divorced, and that used up virtually all of my financial resources. Alas, the fish tank is no more... but I'm glad you liked it.

Good luck with your saving, I'm doing something similar myself, but with the intention of doing something outside Academia. I've gotten back into my first love, conservation and environmental science, I want to do some environmental volunteering abroad. 

What's the MA that you're saving for? 

Oh apologies.  Didn't notice the dates, sorry!

I'm sorry to hear about the trouble you've been through, though you must know you're by no means alone in suffering such things.  Still hurts though, right?

Environmental science and conservation is a great sector and quite a noble one too!  I worked for any energy company for a couple of years, (where my knowledge of geology came in handy!) and this was enough to learn a load about the environment, renewable energy etc and just how important these issues are.  As well as how uninformed the average person is and considering the enormity of such issues, I believe this is quite dangerous.  Hope you get to do the volunteering!  Were you thinking of any project in particular?

I've thought about studying linguistics in a bit more depth, with a view to researching animal communication for a PhD.  But we shall see...

Please, there's no need for apologies of any kind!

The split was perfectly amicable. People either grow together or grow apart in life, it happens. You're right though it hurts regardless. I think it's all the doubt that does that though... Could I have done something differently? Should I have done something differently? I came to the conclusion that if I had, I wouldn't have been true to myself. I even went as far as having a verse from Housman tattooed on my forearm to remind me not to do it again! Lol. 

Noble, hey? I wonder what Nietzsche would make of that?  (That isn't pensive stroking there, by the way). I already volunteer with my local Wildlife Trust on my day off, which is the sort of thing I want to be involved in abroad. I've seen a few programmes with VSO that look really appealing. I realise the huge importance of utilising renewable energy, and I'm not belittling it, but it's always seemed pretty impractical to me. Supplying the power needs of just one nation is unattainable at present, let alone global requirements.

Animal communication sounds very interesting, but I have this stereotypical image of dolphins just asking for more fish all the time! (Thanks go to Douglas Adams for inspiring that one). On a more serious note, I hope you get to do that too... I know it sounds clichéd, but everyone should reach for their dreams.

Well it sounds like you've handled things admirably.  What verse out of interest?

And I agree that renewable energy is a little far-fetched, at the moment, but I'd like to believe it's the future.  You can't beat wind, rain, waves and sun for reliable energy in our world.  We just have to learn how to harness it.  Sounds like Aeolus, god of the winds doesn't it!

Thank you. It's from poem XIV of A Shropshire Lad, which is appropriate, since I am one :

"His folly has not fellow, Beneath the blue of day, That gives to man or woman, His heart and soul away".

It just seemed right, if you know what I mean?

Ah, so that's where the term Aeolian originates for wind-blown deposits... I'd never really thought about it, but I guess you learn something new every day! I think geothermal energy is a source that is presently heavily under-used, so that would be Gaian, or Gaianian?

lol I reckon Gaian.  Yes a classical education puts many strings in your bow!

Like the verse.  Poetic and obviously apt for your situation   Housman isn't too bad a poet actually, or as a classical scholar.

Gaian. Yep, that's what I thought too. Honest... 

Thanks again, although I'm not above doing foolish things, that's surely half the fun! 

I have to confess that I haven't read Housman for quite some time, and wouldn't have a clue as to his credentials as a classical scholar. I am reading Paradise Lost though, the opening of which seems to lament the "modern" taste for, and limitations of, rhyming poetry.

Paradise Lost is on my list of must-reads.  Just finished Tess of the d'Urbervilles which I started 8 years ago!!!  Lucky not all books have that long a waiting list for me.  I'm really not that busy

 So have you thought anymore about your own book?

8 years is a pretty long time. Was it one page a day?  Lol.

I work on my book sporadically, when the mood takes me. I find if I make myself work on it, it becomes less of a hobby and more of a second job! And I'm never happy with the results unless the writing flows naturally...

Wow, this thread seems to have meandered a lot. From somewhere near Mount Aizu-Komagatake in Japan, through Greece, fish tanks, renewable energy, and now Shropshire for a second time! 

Lol well I do like to travel!

And I know what you mean about needing to keep a hobby as just that.

So how do you reckon we can direct this thread back to the realms of our great Mother Earth?

Well, they do say that life is all about the journey, not so much the destination! 

As for directing this thread... Other than the fact that it's hopelessly beyond the original topic, isn't there something about Stonehenge in Tess of the d'Urbervilles?

Besides, I know this really great, easy going Mod. He's bound to let us off!  

Know all the right people, eh?

Yes, Stone Henge is almost the last setting of the book, where Tess and Angel seek refuge from the police.  Such a magnificent setting, although I'm not quite sure why Hardy chose that specifically.  Saw it myself a couple of years ago.  Very impressive grandeur and it has a great view of the landscape (though I doubt that's why it was set up there lol).

Right people, Lol! That really does depend. He can't hold his ale very well, for instance, but he can play a mean game of Scrabble! All in all, I guess he has his moments... 

I've never been to Stonehenge, a couple of people have told me it's a little disappointing, but I'd still like to see it for myself. Now, Avebury I have visited, and it was really impressive, it's huge! I even plodded up the hill to see West Kennet Long Barrow and that was worth it too, really eerie inside.

I imagine at the time Stonehenge was built, at least initially, the landscape would have been much more heavily forested, so the view might not have been quite as good. (Or better, depending upon how you look at it)!

I don't believe I've been to Avebury, although it is supposed to be a pretty important sight.  But then I've been fortunate enough to travel to other wonderful places that other people haven't like the Orkneys.

Stone Henge is amazing, depending upon what you're looking for.  But then that's true of anything.  Personally, despite the crowds, I found it a very peaceful sight.  Felt quite natural too, possibly due to the sheer grandeur of the liths invovled.

Scrabble is a great game.  Once played a strange version - can't remember the name - with a group of philologists where we had to neologise and come up with credible etymologies for our words to count.  Was a great laugh.  Do you theme your games around geology?

I'd like to see the Orkneys, I bet it's really unspoilt. Avebury is well worth a visit I recommend it. Stonehenge is on my list of places to visit now, just as soon as I get the chance.

Scrabble for philologists, I'd never really thought about that! Lol. No geology-themed Scrabble games for me, but I suppose the equivalent would be the "guess-the-rock" game we usually get to play here on GR! 

yes that looks fun, though I think I need to learn a bit more about the subject before I can join in.  I did come across the site tutorials the other day, so I'll have a good look at those when I get a moment.

The Orkneys are astoundingly beautiful.  And I found the geology to be as magnificent as all the natural and Viking history up there.  Plus the skies at night are stunning.

The tutorials are worth the read, (there's quite a good one about Diatoms ). Anyway, I don't think it will be long until you're having a bash at guessing the rocks too!

Perfect skies for stargazing I'd imagine, don't get me started on light pollution though! I like a bit of astronomy, although I've never gotten into it enough to actually shell out money for a telescope, or learn any of the constellations other than Orion and the Great Bear. I did try and glimpse the Perseid meteor shower earlier on in the year, and the Leonids are due around November.

I also like exoplanetary research. The work that NASA are looking at performing in Antarctica at Lake Vostok, as an analogy for Europa, is just mind-boggling.  But that does open up the whole "contaminating pristine environments" can of worms...

Are the Orkneys too far south to see the Aurora borealis? That's another natural wonder that's on my list of things to do before I die!

There is something I've been meaning to ask you. Your username, does the "Just" indicate that you've only recently become Jenny, express a desire to be called merely Jenny, or that you consider yourself an advocate of truth, justice and fairness?

lol I figure that Just Jenny is pretty casual, that's all, especially as most people struggle to pronounce and/or spell my surname.  Still, my agent prefers my real full name, so officially that's what it'd be on any books I might get published.

Yes, the skies in the Orkneys are almost unparalleled in Britain.  It is an ocean of stars up there, truly beautiful.  And you get to see plenty of meteors.  I doubt you'd ever see the Aurora though I'm afraid.  Occasionally it does happen in and around England and Scotland but it is so rare, it would be like a once in several lifetimes' experience.  Norway is on my list of places to visit for this reason, as well as the fjords and the midnight sun!  Canada's view is supposed to be pretty stunning too.  Haven't heard all that much about Aurora Australis though.

 If you're into astronomy, get yourself a planisphere. It's a lot of fun to go out on a clear night with the little chart, a torch so you can check it every now and then (and a blanket or a big coat depending upon the season).  I've nailed down a fair few constellations that way and I get a real sense of satisfaction when I can identify more than simply Cassiopeia.

Don't laugh at this, I'll try it phonetically: I'd go with "me" (as in MEtal not MEat), I must admit I'm stuck with the "sz", (the closest I've seen is in German where it forms a SCH sound like the word SHilling), "ar" (as in ARrow not ARe), and "os" (as in lOSt not clOSe). Is that anywhere near right? 

Sounds like I'd need to go further north to catch the Aurora then, and I don't know if I could cope with midnight sun, I need dark to help me sleep! Though it would be a great experience to see it just once.

Many years ago one of my school teachers got to go to Antarctica and tag some kind of Seal as part of a monitoring programme. He said the Aurora australis was worth the trip alone...

I think the only place around here I could get any reasonable view of the stars would be on top of a plateau called the Long Mynd. I always imagine it as cold and windy, even in Summer, so I'd take a blanket, coat, socks, and probably try cuddling up to a sheep! (I know it's dangerously close to Wales, but we're talking survival here)! 

I appreciate the effort, but Jenny is fine.

Lol, sheep usually know all the best hiding places too, as I've found over my years of travelling.  Though that's only fair as most farm animals aren't often offered shelter of any kind, which I feel is cruel.

As for experiences, there are so many different kinds of worlds out there to explore: rainforest, desert, atronomical, geological, biodiversity, various cultures etc, you cannot see absolutely everything, so you have to choose what's right for you.  High on my list is a geological tour of some of the great wonders of the world for instance, though most people wouldn't make it past the Grand Canyon or Ayers Rock perhaps.

Spoilsport!  Perhaps I should tell you my real Surname so you can have a go at pronouncing that? I'd even buy you a pint if you got it right first time.

Firstly, I'd like to point out that I'm in no way implying that this is true of you, but I think people sometimes get a little precious about farm animals. Indeed animals in general. They over-personify them. The worst example is with dogs, when I overhear someone say something along the lines of, “Oh, look at him, he knows he’s done something wrong!”, when their pet has exhibited an undesirable behaviour and has been admonished. Actually no, dogs don't feel guilt, or remorse those are human emotions. The dog is responding to being ostracised from the pack, and wants to re-attain its position - hence all the tail between legs and flattened ears... it's purely submissive.

As for sheep, or other species such as highland cattle, I think it would be cruel to keep them under shelter! They have completely different temperature requirements from humans, which is why they often have double coats, the poor things would overheat. As long as basic veterinary care is being administered to treat disease, and there's food and water available, I think that's adequate. Of course, some individuals will die in some instances, the very old or very young, but the same is true of any population, even humans!

Besides which, you never hear people complaining about the poor old Red Kite, stuck out there up a tree in gales, rain or minus twenty degrees Celsius temperatures... and they don't even have wool! Now that's just a double standard. 

Sorry, I may have ranted a little there... oops! I certainly don't mean to cause offence, and invite you to shoot my views to pieces if you think I'm talking rubbish.

So what's on Jenny's itinerary for her global geological holiday?

I don't like to shoot anything except through a camera lens. 

I will say that our views on animals are strongly incompatible but as I'm on here to chat with people who enjoy rocks, and other things dense, I'll move on to your other question about the tour.  

A long trip around Utah and California would be great, as well as a stay in Patagonia and Iceland for starters.  How about yourself?

Oooh, now you've asked... Canada first off, to see the Burgess Shale, possibly Sirius Passet in Greenland too, although I hear that it's very difficult to get to. Hawaii, just because it would be awesome to see Mauna Kea, and I really love the word, "Pahoehoe"! New Zealand, youngest country on Earth, for obvious reasons. Then Australia to see the Kimberleys, for starters.

Animals: Off the agenda. I cede to your superior knowledge of animal communication.  (And no, that's not sarcasm). I have a friend that you'd probably get along with in that respect, we've had many in-depth discussions on the subject...

The shooting was a figure of speech, I don't agree with hunting, or guns in general for that matter, either. As for cameras, I try my best with my whopping 13.6 Megapixel digital Samsung. 

Oh, and not all rocks are dense... Pumice floats on water! 

And it's Smeilus, by the way, my Surname I mean... Good luck! 

Some nice choices there.  Canada and Hawaii are on my list too, not just for geology though.  In fact I've thought about doing one of those dual tours of Western Canada/Alaska and Hawaii.  Best of everything in one trip, although the packing might be a bit of a challenge

I don't really trust myself with fancy cameras (have a tendency to break them in strange and wonderful ways) but I do enjoy taking photos.  Then who doesn't?

Good point about the pumice! Reminds me of the time I went up Vesuvius a good few years ago.  That was a really special experience.

That is an interesting surname.  What is its origin?  Benauld is interesting too.  Almost like a first and surname in one.

It's Prussian, Germanicised Lithuanian to be precise. Does that help you with the pronunciation? The Benauld story is a bit of an anti-climax I'm afraid. It's a corruption of the Surname of Richie Benaud, an Australian cricketer. It was a nickname that stuck during my school days due to my cricketing prowess, (or rather lack of it). Still I figured it was better than the name my Mother gave me! Most of my friends now call me Ben. I think the "strange and wonderful ways" comment is in need of a little elaboration.  I'm afraid I'm starting to get a bit jealous of all these wonderful places you've visited! Lol. Vesuvius would be on my list of sites to visit too... As for packing, it'd be for hot weather every time for me, I cope much better with the cold! [Edit: I have no idea why there are no paragraphs in this, it looks fine in  the editor!] 

lol alright I'll bite and give it a go.  Shpaylush? Or Shpayloosh?  I'm happy to call you Ben like everyone else, of course, but what is the name your mother gave you?

Strange and wonderful ways usually consists of a complicated sequence of button-pushing that only I could discover, involvement with water and so on.  But it's usually some technical glitch only I could introduce lol

Vesuvius was pretty impressive actually, still smoking and with the size of it, it looked like a sleeping dragon.  I was already really into geology before I went so it was a lovely part of the trip for me.

[No worries, I'm not about to start editing your posts lol]