Life is like a rock...

This and that.

2011-09-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

     I hadn't been keeping up on my blog for a considerable amount of time, mainly due to not really having much to say. Most of anything I had to say just ended up being trite. I really do not know how prolific bloggers and twitter(er)s manage to do it. I'm not certain if I am admitting that I lead such a dull life that bore even myself, or that I just have nothing pertinent to discuss. Either way, it would appear I need to probably become more social. (Where do people find the time, really?).

     We have moved (yet again) to Texas, and I am told it will be for a long enough time that I should be able to finally graduate. Yea! However, these constant moves can really get on your nerves. It's almost impossible to have friends, as by the time you get your bearings you're on the move again. But it IS quite nice to be back in Texas again. While I miss hiking in Rainier park, I love the sun more! The excessive rain of the PNW was starting to really eat at me.

     Besides all of that, I suppose I need to fix the mess of missing graphics on this blog at some point..but that's a task for another day. :)

Druid, my beloved hound

2010-07-24T19:09:00.000-07:00

It is with the deepest sorrow I am posting this, and while it is not Geology related, it does pertain to a huge part of my life... Druid, my beloved Irish Wolfhound. My best friend. Now, guardian of my heart. We had to let him go yesterday, but I do not want to dwell upon the end.

Instead, I want to share with you a blurb about my life with Druid. I didn't want to get too wordy, so I just snipped it up. He may have been a hound, but he had such a personality that we all joked that he was reincarnated into a hound. When he first met my eldest daughter, he was new to the family and still wary of strangers, but we let him out of the kitchen and he came around and hopped on her lap on the couch as if they were long lost friends. She was the ONLY one he would "peep" in on, pushing her door really slow and moving his head so his eyeball could be at an angle to see her. I cannot tell you how many times in the hall I caught him- and with a squeaky door, it was amazing how slow he had to push it to get it to open without her knowing!

We often joked about him doing that to her. We have soooo many funny stories from what Druid would do. He would actually GRIN at me when I said no, and move his head as if he was laughing. (He probably learned it from the kids.. lol:)

He was my best friend when I had no friends due to moving so often, always there, loving and stable. I've lost my love, and it hurts. But he deserves for me to share a bit more than just what I am feeling. I would rather you know what life with my dear boy was like- he brought so much laughter, and while he could be a real butthead at times, it was the kind that makes you laugh in the end. It was amazing how smart he was.

My Beastly Hurricane

Born shortly before the landfall of Hurricane Isabel in Sep 2003

Like a hurricane descending upon calm seas

Came to us a perfect hound

So loud, so quirky, so goofy so funny

He frustrated, confounded and drove me to distraction

But his heart was made of gold

A peeping tom

Hating thunderstorms, seeking solace in bathtubs

Stomping feet, huffing, and peeing where he should not when irritated

Throwing his body around and groaning

Like a petulant teenager

Lover of cats

Gentle as they come

We always warned "beware of the cat"

She attacks with stealth

The dog just don't pet

Lest you find yourself

Trapped up against a wall

As he leaned in demanding more scruffles

Always sleeping at my feet

Sometimes tripping me if I got up before noticing

My quiet protector at my side

Slept in Husband's spot while he was in Iraq

His head on the pillow next to mine

Filling the empty void

As if to tell me he would keep me safe

And indeed he did

Peed on the Friar at a RenFest

Escaped out front door

Scared all the walkers on the beach

I can still recall his wicked smile

Turf surfing, cussing, scuffed elbows be damned

I loved my boy despite his naughty actions

And there were many...

But I was not always his perfect catch either

Returning to school, alone for part of the days, he was upset

He forgave me and I forgave him

We loved each other

He adored his family

All he wanted was to be with us

He'd go with us anywhere

Anytime

Anyplace

LOVED car rides

Four hour car rides...

Ten hour car rides...

We had to pull him out each time

He so wanted to continue to travel

And now he has traveled on without us

Taking my heart with him

I was blessed to have had him in my life. He was such a big part of it I am not sure how I can ever answer the door now without him pushing his head through to see who it is. I am numb, my lips tingle, my heart feels like it is about to implode with grief. He was diagnosed with lymphoma, but I knew the day he quit eating it was the big C, I just didn't want to admit it. We were hoping he would make it until August 17th when our eldest daughter comes home from college for a visit, but was not to be and we had to do right by Druid. So yesterday we let him go to the bridge. He was the greatest dog ever, and will be missed by all of us. We were truly blessed to have had him in our lives for the time that we did.

I'll miss you big guy. My heart will forever ache without you by my side.

Hiatus smatus

2010-07-22T14:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been wanting to write a post for awhile now, but I have been going through a period of time where anything I would have written would have just expressed my negatively and frustration about my current academic situation to the point of annoyance.

As it currently is, I am still chafed about the situation- as the one public university in the area had me jumping through hoops to finish the second half of a language course I had taken way back in 1991 before they would admit me (despite having a 3.5 gpa and over 180 sem. cr at the time). I had to retake the first part for a refresher in order to do the second part.. I finish it, then go to reapply, only to see they changed (or they were being cagey with me before hand in having me believe they would accept previous credits) the max credits they accept to be only 90 qtr hours.

I thought about just flat out quitting school over this, because it seemed the more classes I took the further away graduating became. I was also told I would have to repeat coursework I have already done twice- for a third time. At first I wasn't too mad about this (because I love geology), but then I started calculating the student loans and what the cost of having to repeat these courses incurs. How is it fair that I have to take triple the amount of classes for the same degree as non-military associated students? Why is it schools do not look through the coursework and assess what has been taken without having to make the student retake it just because it wasn't taught by one of their faculty members? I am often told (after posing this question to departments/administrators) the class would be 'beneficial' for me to retake because it is taught by someone "different". This may be true, but it still is unfair to punish a transfer student by making up courses with designer names when in fact the course is merely a mish-mash of standard coursework from general universities that they may have already taken.

A lot of people tell me to go online-there are no geology degrees available online.

So in the meantime, I just take math classes. I am almost done with all the calculus I will need .. I'm still trying to get into a chemistry class but as always it is filled pretty quickly and I didn't not have priority registration. Physics and Chemistry are really the only classes I would need now (technically) to graduate if I were to have stayed at one university.

But.. and this is a big "but". We move again next summer. I cannot finish a degree if I were to be knocked down to 90 qtr credits in the time we had left here, so that is why I just take one class at a time, just treading water so to speak. In limbo with little progress being made. I am hoping the next duty assignment my husband gets is somewhere that has a school system that is a little more reasonable and less elitist than the ones here. I had put in a petition to the school about my situation but it was denied with no real explanation other than to restate policy. Hello idiots....I obviously already KNEW the policy or I wouldn't have written a petition!

So there you have it, the reason why I have not blogged. I felt (feel) a bit frustrated and angry about having to pay more, work more and take longer to graduate than what is reasonable just because I happen to be married to a military member and transfer colleges.

I am of the thought that if someone can provide proof of having to transfer multiple times due to government orders (i.e. you have no CHOICE- unless you live separate from your spouse, but then the cost of two households comes into play and whole other part of the argument I could add to, but I'll refrain.) and said school accepts government funds, then a policy should be adopted that makes the process of attaining a degree more fair for said individuals. Having to take the same class two or three times because the school wants to be proprietary about it is creating an undue hardship on the student seeking a degree.

Now that I have that off my chest, perhaps I will be able to let go of some of my frustrations and focus on what I love most, geology. I miss writing about it, so let's hope that vent does the trick! lol. ;) Three mos. ago I couldn't even say the word geology without bursting out into tears. I wasn't sure I had it in me to keep plugging away at what I saw as a losing venture with trying to graduate and stick together as a family. For now it is just a wait and see situation.. next summer is a new state; keeping my fingers crossed it's a better experience than this one.

Time flies by too fast

2010-04-25T04:16:00.000-07:00

All I can think about when I write the title to this blog is a scene from 'Where the Wild Things Are' when the owl gets his arm ripped off and as everyone stands around in stunned silence, sand comes pouring from where his arm once was. I feel like that owl about now- I just need to find a stick like they used to stop the flow of sand. Time is just escaping me like an hourglass hemorrhaging sand.

However, I did take time out for a breather Friday and spent the day in the city enjoying some local fare (coffee of course) and we visited the aquarium. It was there that I was struck by how rude parents are these days. It is of no wonder the majority of children have such an entitled attitude when they are out and about, as they have absorbed it from their parents!

We would go to one exhibit (windows, of course) and if they were all full we just stood by and waited, but it never failed that people would just come and shove their way in and we never would get a turn unless we were to behave in the same manner. I wasn't sure how to react, but that certainly wasn't on my list of options. They behaved like animals, to the point of even shoving children aside. Then of course you have the stroller hogs (they stroll up and take the entire window- I can kinda deal with that though, as it can be tough to carry kids around). One man came around a corner and shoved me into the wall out of his way, but when I had that "look" in my eye Husband just said to let it go. Normally I would have followed him and explained how shoving someone out of his way is not acceptable public behavior.

Then there were the parentless kids all over the place. I honestly couldn't pinpoint several of their parents. Not sure what to say about that. Having had one child dodge being abducted (on a military post too!) a few years ago, I am very vigilant about where my kids are at all times or panic sets in and I fret. Again, I cannot really fault these other parents other than to say it was poor form to allow their kids to crawl all over the tanks. The touching ponds were pure mayhem to the point that the poor employees were doing all they could to prevent having to fish one of the rugrats out of their ponds while the parents seemed to just stand off to the side socializing. Again, I really wasn't sure what to think about that, except annoyance when they would block the walkway on numerous occasions and despite saying "excuse me" they were wont to move in order to let you (or anyone else) pass so they could continue on to other parts of the exhibit.

So, in the end the aquarium was a bit of an expensive stress inducer for me, but I did have a bit of fun with a few of the fish I encountered in the tanks. Fish are so funny- they can have such unique personalities. Those at the aquarium were no different. In one tank I was watching an octopus, feeling a bit sad for her because she was in a clear tube and must have felt a bit stressed when I felt like I was being watched. As I turned my head I came face to face with a fish who was just perched on a rock peering at me. I was startled and jumped back a bit because the way the tanks were shaped he was pretty much next to my ear as I watched the octopus. It made me laugh though, so there were definitely some great spots to the day.

At another tank I was trying to get an image of a pretty queen trigger they had when this nosy guy kept hogging up my field of view. He was so naughty. I even went to another side and he followed me! LOL. I'm thinking perhaps my bracelet must have been attracting him, or maybe my ring was reflecting.
He really was a pretty guy though. I appreciated the laughter he brought to my day. I can imagine his caretakers are very attached to him with a personality like his, the silly guy!

After the aquarium we started out to a novelty shop that I had wanted to visit, and as usually Husband wasn't listening to my directions (as I gathered by him saying, "Oh look at the sea plane!" while I was telling him, "Left, we turn left, here, now, left, there, left. Nevermind." So back to the iphone to redirect another way to get across the bay and navigate one-way streets to meet up with the street we needed to get to...and as we take the new route I find we passed by something we had either read about, or it was mentioned on TV at some point- but the troll under the bridge sculpture appeared to our left. I have to say, it was a cool find.

We did finally make it to the novelty shop and found some cool stuff. I felt a bit like a wet blanket though because I have this weird aversion to the smell of latex. The smell of it drives me up the wall to where I feel like I am going to get violently sick. The kids are pretty used to it, as I've never let them have anything other than the mylar balloons, and don't care. I had not counted on the amount of latex products being in this store, so I was very thankful I had only had a cup of coffee for the day. Rubber chickens, snakes, bugs, you name it- not to mention the halloween masks. But there were some pretty cool things to check out and I just moved towards the door for fresh air when the smell got too much for me. In the end I grabbed a tin of pirate band-aides and Husband grabbed the ones that looked like bacon. Yes, bacon. (I know,I know....ick.) lol.

Not much of a geology-related post, but it's all I have for the moment. Hopefully I will find some time to use my brain for something geology related to post to the blog. I know when the sun peeks back out and winks at me again I'll be enticed to go outside to play with some rocks. Until then I'll do my best to keep this blog from being too stagnant. I'm working on a topic I recently read about, although it isn't geology related per se, and I am hoping to write something up about it after I do a little more research.

P.S. oh gosh- just noticed there is a guy sleeping? in my picture of the modern art with tulips. We were driving past it and I was just snapping really quick because I thought the tulips enhanced the art piece. I didn't see the guy. Then again, it IS Seattle- he could be a sculpture too for all I know! lol

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Still kicking..

2010-04-06T17:54:00.000-07:00

I realize is has been eons since I last made a post, but with my current schedule I haven't had a chance to put together anything worth reading about. Doesn't look like my schedule will ebb up much this term, but I will try to find something to put together for a blog post. I've started quite a few posts, but in the end deleted them. However, as time zips by I figured I had better post something to show this is till an active blog, if not on a semi hiatus from daily posts.

I will try to make more of an effort to find something worthwhile to write about in the future, but for now just wanted to let you all know I was still kicking. ;0)

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It's the beer..

2010-03-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

Came across this and had to laugh... thought my fellow geologists would enjoy.

Destructive collecting

2010-03-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I took Little Guy to find a carnelian. One of the iphone apps I have gave directions to the site, which took us about an hour and a half to reach. It was a nice drive and to my surprise Grim and Mandy had decided to tag along. Upon reaching our destination we were confronted with signs that made no bones about how the property owners (a tree company) felt about looking for said rocks. I was pretty surprised, until I started to take a look around. Almost very bend I could see in the creek had huge areas dug out along the banks. The hills beside the gravel road also showed massive amounts of destruction from individuals digging away the sides. Further up the creek piles of rock and mud were evident from screening and dredging for these rocks. Since when is mining activity attributed to a "hobby"?

I came across two locals on horseback and they told me that the area used to be a madhouse on the weekends with groups of people who identified themselves as being from rock clubs. While not all bad behavior can be directly attributed to these types of clubs, I do think they bear a big part of the responsibility for the site being closed. To overtax an area with too many people can take a huge toll on the locals who live in the area and want to enjoy some peace and quiet over the weekends. Not capping arranged trips to a certain amount of members can result in chaos and possibly bad behavior due to competition for getting that "rock". I've seen it happen before at other sites when there is too little room, too many people. Total madness.

In addition, if you are using mining techniques to get said rock, you are no longer a hobbyist- you are a miner! Buy a plot of land and mine it, but don't ruin rock collecting for those who like to casually walk streambeds and pick up rocks already exposed. At the very most, only digging out a rock that is half in/half out with a rock hammer. But to tear away a creekbed, adding to the sediment load.. bad! If you can remove a rock and it makes little to no visual difference, then that is a hobby or getting a rock sample. But if you are removing massive amounts to the point an entire bank is cut away, you are destroying the environment!
So thank you very much greedy people- you just effectively ruined one of the few FREE & educational activities I enjoyed with my children. At least for that area. I'm sure if this continues unchecked, more and more sites will become off-limits.

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My message from the DoD

2010-03-16T08:54:00.000-07:00

Well, imagine my surprise this morning to wake up to an EMAIL from the DoD regarding my grant then rescinded grant then given back grant over at MyCAA! I about spit out my coffee this morning when I read this, because they are so full of shit it isn't even funny. Here is the email:

A message from DoD
In the days following the announcement of a temporary pause of the Career Advancement Account - MyCAA - we have heard your feedback, suggestions and concerns.
We are pleased to tell you that the MyCAA program will resume operations on March 13, 2010, at 12 p.m., noon (EST), for military spouses who currently have existing MyCAA accounts. Because you have an existing account, you will have access to the entire Web site, including the ability to create and have financial documents approved.
Please accept my apology for the extra burden and worry you experienced when we paused the program last month. When we determined that an operational pause in the program was critical, we failed to notify you in a timely and appropriate manner. As a result of our failure, we may have lost your trust and confidence. We know we will have to work hard to restore that lost faith and are committed to doing so.
Tommy T. Thomas
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense
Military Community and Family Policy

First off, they told us they were not SURE if it was temporary or not when we called (husband and I) various representatives of the program and/or school liaisons. To say you have lost my trust is an understatement buddy! This not only inconvenienced me, but put my bank account into a tizzy. I was lucky enough to have a disposable income where we could pay out of pocket (albeit with some shuffling/re-planning) for the term. Others were not so lucky and may have missed deadlines, causing them to repay back other loans/grants and generally had an aversive rolldown effect- not going into that because it isn't my story to tell, but I will say it put others in a worse situation than myself.

Also, there wasn't ANY notice! So to say you failed to notify us in a "timely manner" is bullshit! The ONLY way people knew about the freeze was when they logged into their account to generate an FA to pay for their terms (which can ONLY be done within 30 days of them coming due!!). There was absolutely, unequivocally, NO NOTICE from your office sir! The news was then spread through blogs and news reports. Never once was a notice sent to anyone other than a message on the front page of the MyCAA website (to which we would only visit when needing to generate an FA or make changes to our account!)

So now that I have that off my chest Mr. Tommy Thomas- try your spin doctor crap on someone else. The truth of the matter is your office didn't give a rats ass about the impact freezing the MyCAA program would have on military spouses embroiled into the program and COUNTING on those funds.If they had cared, they would have sent a mass message, just like you did this morning, telling everyone of the freeze and possibly giving some of us a week or so notice before our terms were due. At the very least, it would have shown a semblance of respect towards us as human beings vs. the non-entities you seem to regard us as.

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Subduction styles/EQ magnitude

2010-03-14T01:18:00.000-08:00

Strong Earthquakes in Latin America can be attributed to a greater release of seismic energy associated with flat slab vs.steep slab segments. The geometry of these flat slab regions allow for more stress to build up between the plates (Gutscher, et al.,2000).

Flat Slab segments lack the arc volcanoes which are prominent in western America from subducting young oceanic lithosphere, as depicted in the image above of Normal slab subduction. Normal slab subduction is characterized by maintaining a distinct low viscosity and high temperature melt in the boundary between the slab and overriding plate. Flat subduction occurs when a distinct decrease in the dip angle of the slab results the slab tip flattening underneath the plate overriding it. The wedge corner is subject to high stresses as the slab-tip is pushed into the mantle thereby constricting the corner flow above the slab.

Flat slab segments are attributed to the high magnitude earthquakes in LA, and one possibility behind the differing slab geometry is the buoyancy between the two slabs with the younger buoyant slab resisting subduction. The subduction of young buoyant lithosphere can be modified when encountering denser older lithosphere changing the thermal structure at the margin and displacing the asthenosphere away from the trench. The cooler temperature at the forearc predicts a larger locked zone therefore increasing the risk of great interplate earthquakes.

While Earthquakes occur all along the subduction zone, those in the ‘Seismogenic zone are most destructive. This is because they occur near the surface. The earthquake cycle in the Seismogenic Zone can be said to occur in two stages, the Interseismic Period and the Coseismic Period as described below:

The Interseismic Period Time between earthquakes: (10’s to 100's of years) where plate convergence continues at approximately 8cm a year (between Nazca and S. American plates) with the two plates are locking over a portion of the subduction plate boundary. This results in not only uplift, but also a horizontal shortening of the overlying plate margin.

The Coseismic Period/Earthquake rupture occurs over a few minutes. Once the accumulating stress exceeds the strength of the fault, failure occurs in the locked zone and great earthquake occurs. During this episode stored elastic strain is released which in turn results in subsidence and horizontal extension where slow uplift and horizontal shortening had previously accumulated. In addition, the underwater displacements can cause tsunamis. Once the stress is relieved, the cycle resets and stress begins to build again.

In Latin America there is a combination of Steep slab/Flat slap segments, with the greater earthquakes occurring along the zones of flat slab subduction. (Fig. below shows a run down of where earthquakes of greater magnitude occur as opposed to those of lesser magnitude).

Note: I couldn't find a comprehensive enough image to suit my purpose for this blog post so I created my own from a variety of figures (upper two images of steep slab/flat slab), with the principle source being from Gutscher, 2002.

Sources:
http://gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/geodyn/eqcycle_e.php
Gutscher, MA., 2002. Andean subduction styles and their effect on thermal structure and interplate coupling. Journal of South American Earth Sciences 15: 3
http://www.geo.arizona.edu/geo5xx/geos577/projects/flesch/The_Ecuador_Peru_Gap.html
http://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/pleins_textes_7/b_fdi_55-56/010021658.pdf

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I love this song.

2010-03-11T14:20:00.000-08:00

Meteorite Men

2010-03-08T00:56:00.000-08:00

I am so addicted to this show! I think I like it so much because the two guys showcased on the show, Geoffrey Notkin and Steve Arnold, remind me a lot of those I have been in the field with before. There is always a quirky person in every group, you know the one- he is chasing butterflies (or gathering tree sap- yes, tree sap) instead of measuring strike and dip on the outcrop you just climbed 200 ft to find and have yet another ridegback in the distance to conquer. It's tough to keep your temper at them, but they are just so darned puppy-ish you can't chastise them for fear your temper will boil over so you keep it all inside to protect his feelings. (Or at least for me). Then you have the guy who dresses like Charles Darwin (not sure what to say about that one) but he was smart so you don't really care how he dressed, you just wanted him on your team because he got things done. And then there is the loner who works on the outskirts of the group, but once you get to know them you find out they are a MENSA member and while not really as well-versed in geology as you would like, their sharp wit and sense of humour make you laugh at yourself. It's always a good thing to remember to laugh at yourself. :)

So as I watch this show, I see little nuances of the quirky things I have seen exhibited from people out in the field before and I feel strangely comforted. I think perhaps it is because I miss my motley group of friends that I have gathered. It's always tough to move away from people you admire and conspire with, especially for me when it comes to geology. When I watch this show it just flat out makes me laugh. The two of them [Geoff and Steve] banter at one another just as I have done with my friends out in the field, and they enjoy busting on one another as friends tend to do. (I would have had a field day teasing them about the snake boots- the only person I have ever seen wear a pair of those was the Charles Darwin guy, so yeah, um... yeah.). Not saying it's a bad thing to wear them, it just hasn't been a common practice in my experience so I would find it a bit funny. Plus Geoff takes forever to get ready once they arrive at the spot. Every geology trip I have ever been on we pile out of the van as if we were told it was about to explode. If anyone lagged as Geoff does to get ready they would find themselves quickly alone wondering where everyone had gone off to. Unless it was an outcrop stop, at which point by the time he was finished everyone would be piling back INTO the vans. ha ha. So I enjoy watching him fiddle with getting his snake boots and gloves on as Steve is off and running.

While the meteorites they find are pretty cool too, once they make their finds I usually prefer the part when they take it to the guy to put in the mass spec. I have to say they are quite talented in finding their treasures, and they are pretty clever in how they go about choosing sites to explore.

If you haven't had a chance to see this show, I really encourage you to check it out.

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Best Blog Post Eva!

2010-03-06T17:40:00.000-08:00

I just read the absolute best blog post ever! It was written by Garry Hayes over at Geotripper and it pertains to the impact of certain groups rejecting evolutionary theory because of their religious belief. As a result, a recent poll in Texas revealed that an appalling amount of students were under the erroneous impression that dinosaurs and humans co-existed. In fact, there is a museum in Texas ran by creationists that actually claims a fossil they have is of human AND dinosaur footprints (together), so this poll does not surprise me. However, I firmly believe religion has no place in the classroom and I have covered this issue in previous posts.

What I love about Garry's post is how he brilliantly presents the issue by turning the tables and giving them what they [Creationists] want. The thought of the earth being 6000 years old has been so preposterous to me that I had never even considered what that actually would mean geologically if one were to entertain the idea. Garry paints a very colorful picture that opens up so many holes that had this creationist-based theory been presented by someone in anything other than a religious venue they would be made a laughingstock. How is it that religion can muddy the waters so much a reasonable person is wont to cry foul? This is why I think it should be taken out of the equation. I am all for anyone practicing whatever religion they see fit in the privacy of their own home, but when I send my child to school I want them to be very clear in the manner of which science is presented. There is no "other" side to the story as far as the science applies, and Garry demonstrates that aspect amazingly in his post. Kudos to you Garry!

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Rock paper scissors...

2010-03-06T15:33:00.000-08:00

After some thought, I feel I have been a little (or rather more than a little) unfair to Husband in regards to invading most of our closet territory. As I walked about the house and garage, I came to the startling conclusion that I have more than invaded most areas around the house with small-ish piles of rocks. This is not to include the rocks I collect and keep in the living room as a quasi display. I can't really call them decorative because most women who enter my home are unimpressed, as not all of them are what they would see as pretty- but I keep what interests me. Such as black calcite. From all outward appearances it is probably quite ugly to the average person, but to me it is absolutely lovely.

I figured I'd swallow my embarrassment and show you what my coffee table and "little" messes look like because I am curious if other geologists have these small piles of rocks around their home too. I know I need to defenestrate a lot of what I have gathered, as not all of the rocks I have are keepers. I just grab what I see of interest at the time and look later, as there have been numerous times I've kicked myself for NOT grabbing a piece. Such as the greenschist I came across on a field trip. I didn't grab it because I hadn't realized I already had a piece of corbin gneiss in my pack from the weekend before and hence by the time I had hiked in I was too tired to put anything more in my pack, and I wasn't about to dump the corbin gneiss.

Now I wish I had just sucked it up and grabbed the darned greenschist! It was perfect- all shimmery and a stunning shade of green. At any rate, there are times when you intend on returning to a spot but it just never happens, so it is best to grab the piece then and there. Especially when you know they are nice pieces. (Sometimes I grab leaverites just because I am curious, although usually only when I'm not packing long treks:).
To get back the subject about my messes... I went into the garage and noticed that Husband had put my hiking boots next to my rocks because I had failed to put them away last week when we went out.

All my rocks were neatly off to the side of the garage from the first trip and the rocks from the second trip were in a pile at the front of the garage. I had once mentioned to Husband that I didn't like the rocks mixed until I had sorted through them and labeled the ones I intended to keep, but I guess I hadn't specified that it didn't matter when we collect from the same area if the rocks are mixed. Especially when it isn't formal (if it were they would be labeled out in the field or immediately thereafter) and furthermore, we got the rocks from a stream bed. So I kinda chuckled, but was touched by his efforts. I REALLY need to sort through these and eliminate the leaverites.

Despite my best efforts, I am never able to keep everything organized for very long before rocks start spilling out onto the floor. At some point I guess I will have to put some away or have a room to just put them in in order to establish some form of organization, but with moving so often I find that more of an idea for the far off future. I have tried to slim down the rocks I decide to keep, but for some reason or another I cannot bear to part with them. Some I found during Field Camp, some were given to me by peers, some just are too interesting.... sigh. What do you guys do to thin down your piles of rocks? Or do you even bother? Is it really an issue? Maybe I'm just normal and I have nothing to worry about. As long as we aren't over our weight limit for the military to move us it's all good there. And we are far from that, amazing as it is! I think we are allowed around 24K and last move we only had 16K so I have plenty of rock room there :)

But with it all said and done, I should be ashamed of myself for even questioning why Husband invaded my side of the closet, especially since I have infested the house with my rock piles. Granted, he has never complained, but perhaps that is because rocks are cheaper than Pier One. Oh, I used to love that place- but as you can see from the pictures, I have little room for decorations without giving up rock space. What to do... pretty rock, Pier One candle. Rock wins every time.

Maze of distractions

2010-03-06T02:59:00.000-08:00

Today (er, make that yesterday- just saw the time) was nothing but one distraction colliding into another. It began quite productively by registering for next terms class, but when I returned home it just went down the tubes. The lady at the registrars office said I should apply for special services due to my ADHD, and while I cringed at even the thought of it Husband talked me into at least looking into what they have to offer. The way I see it, if I can't hack being in classes and taking exams like the rest of my peers then perhaps I don't have any business in my field. Nobody ever claimed Geology was easy. However, while I may not have a 4.0 it is still above a 3.0 and this was accomplished without any special accommodations. In addition, I managed to successfully get through classes with a B or better where I hadn't as of yet taken the prereqs.

But I digress.. To appease Husband I went in search of the paperwork from my original diagnosis of ADHD. In locating this paperwork (finally found it in the master closet) I realized Husband has slowly but surely taken over the closet. I'm not sure what first caught my attention to this fact, as I generally don't notice such things, but it was so obvious I stood there and laughed. Then went and got my iPhone to take pictures for proof! The two pictures were taken of opposite sides of the closet. The upper one is "his" side, but the picture to the right is supposedly "my" side. The ONLY thing that is mine in either of those pictures is the black trunk on the upper left is filled with geology gear I use when I go to the field. Everything else is his. LOL. This just cracks me up! I thought girls were the closet hogs?!

After that was accomplished I spied an old box with all the letters I had sent off to Husband while he was in Iraq. I started reading through a few but had to quit after awhile, as it wasn't really a place I wanted to return to in my mind. I mainly just looked at the script and remembered how I had used pen and ink to write to him during that time. It was easier because you didn't have to apply as much pressure and as prolific as I was about writing to him I was starting to get blisters. I generally wrote a letter a day, and they averaged about 5-7 pages. It was a run-down of everything we had done for the day and anything else I could think of -even to the point of movie reviews. We would email as well, and he called once a day around 11am (most days unless he was on a convoy). I felt quite lucky compared to most wives at the time who rarely heard from their husbands. Even though we had both venues to communicate (email & phone) I always wanted him to have something from the mail guys when they came around. I know when I received one of his letters in the mail my heart would jump a beat and I would cloister myself off to a quiet place (usually the backyard with the lulling ocean waves in the backdrop) to read.

We sent packages back and forth to one another and in the ones he sent to me were beautiful marble vases. One of them, a covered bowl, arrived crushed but it had been wrapped in bubble wrap so well it still held the original shape. So I bought some super glue and pieced each of the little parts together until it was whole again. It took a few tries because it would collapse when I started getting to the concave portion of the bowl, but in the end I managed to get it to work and the glue-job wasn't very noticeable. The lid didn't fit as nicely, but I didn't care. I still have that bowl- which surprises me because it has survived 4 moves since then. After I was finished upstairs I brought the paperwork down to my office (at least that is still all mine:) and began to wonder what I had done with the letters Husband had sent to me. I had to dig around through a few boxes I still have yet to rummage through from the move here last summer (hey- after 4 moves in 4 years you'd be a little unmotivated to unpack too, trust me! :) but I located the box of all the letters Husband sent to me. They are so like him- all the same envelope, ordered, structured, tidy. Everything I am not.

I looked about my office and had to sigh to myself for still having boxes on the floor with books I haven't unpacked and put away. My bookshelf is a total mess because I pulled out a bunch of books when I was researching my latest finds - I'm too embarrassed to take a picture of my living room coffee table with all the rocks and books strewn about. Even my rock hammer sits there next to a rock I cracked open on the living room floor (but vacuumed up the evidence before Husband could tell what I had done). Usually I do that outside, but it was late. And dark. And cold. And inconvenient. He doesn't ever get angry with me, but I feel bad when I've let my rocks cause such a mess of things. Which brings to the point that I had wanted to get them put away today, but obviously, despite my best intentions, that did not transpire. I am not even going to try and project when I may get all these tasks in my mind to completion, all I can say is I'll get to it when I get to it. Hopefully sooner than later. :)

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Badlands road trip 2007

2010-03-03T11:08:00.000-08:00

In 2007 I took a special topics course on fossils in the Badlands. This required a road trip across a few states to Interior, SD., and accommodations/travel were the responsibility of the student. A few people were those who made the jaunt every year it (class) was offered, some bringing their older kids, so I arranged for daughter #2 (Mandy) to come along with me. She had never been on any previous geology trips, and when I posed the suggestion to her she was very excited about the idea.

The trip out there was a lot of fun. Mandy took tons of pictures, as the scenery was far from boring! We passed giant sculptures of dinosaur bones and bulls in pastures, beautiful lakes and hills, and the weather was absolutely lovely. Upon reaching our destination there is an astonishing change in geology. My breath was taken away by the effect. I can only imagine what the early settlers thought when they came upon the barren landscape that I found so beautiful. It was surely the antithesis of what I felt upon seeing the colorful layers of earth exposed from years of erosion.

The town itself made me smile. It reminded me of my little village back home in Alaska. What really made me fall in love with the place was when we stepped into the little cafe and everyone stopped talking to turn and look at us. My daughter was horrified, but I belted out the biggest smile before I could stop myself. I felt so at home! It was all I could do to keep from chuckling at poor Mandy, as she is a through and through city girl and wasn't used to their curiosity; instead interpreting their behavior to mean they didn't appreciate strangers. I had to explain to her that when you live in a small town and someone new arrives, you cannot help but stare. It's like drinking a cold glass of water after being parched. After getting directions to the campsite from them (and once they knew what I wanted they were pretty much falling all over themselves to offer help and were very chatty:) we were on our way to the campsite. I love small quirky towns!

I had reserved a cabin at the campsite the class was meeting at and it much nicer than we had anticipated! It was a bit secluded, so we weren't really included with the rest of the group a lot, but this also allowed for us to just enjoy our time together. The itinerary began with heading out early the next morning towards Wall. Speaking of Wall, this is another cool town- a MUST see for anyone! Mandy and I had so much fun there, I think my side was splitting from laughing so hard. There is a big "Triassic Park"- like dinosaur that appears innocuous at first, only to light up growl and charge towards you. The normal person wouldn't have been bothered by it, but I about peed my pants because I was just standing there and didn't expect it to move. LOL. It was so silly of me I think the two of us laughed about that for a good 10 minutes. There were a lot of fun shops to browse through, and it was just generally a lot of fun. Very tourist-laden, but worth the trip! You can read more about it here.

Now back to that first morning in the field.. it was very cold and it had started to rain, so we had to park the vehicles at the top of the hill, limiting us to a small area. The rain saturated the upper crust of the hills (which were deceptively steep) so when you took a step and lifted your foot, a 3 inch rim of mud was clinging to it and increased with each step you took. While I didn't slip, quite a few others did, prompting the professor to cut the day short. Our second day out proved to be much more fruitful. It was still cold, but the rain stayed off in the distance. The earth dried into a crumbly texture, so care still had to be taken when walking up the steep slopes. Again, they were deceptive in how steep they were. It didn't seem steep until you were up on top of them looking down.

Mandy stayed close to me, and helped me brush away dirt when we found a fossil here and there. (She pretty much just stayed crouched in one spot watching me work, re: picture, left). At one point I had spied a tooth, but when I went to reach for it I started to slide down the embankment prompting her to yell at me "Use your rock hammer!", which I did, in order to stop myself. Once I came to a stop I just stayed there for a second, but looked over at that darned tooth! Knowing me as she does, Mandy says in her best deadpan manner, "Don't do it." LOL. I had to chuckle to myself when she said that. I wouldn't have grabbed for it, but can't deny the thought hadn't run through my mind. The drop was a good 80-100ft. and were I to fall we were in a remote area that wasn't easily accessible. So I just scooted back up to where the ledge evened out a bit and then sat back up and forgot about the tooth.

During this trip, we were also able to visit a rose quartz mine, see a pegmatite, and a quick trip to Mount Rushmore. Additionally, we were able to browse through the SD School of Mines museum which had beautiful displays of rocks, minerals, and fossils. It was a trip we both really enjoyed, despite the wet and cold conditions. Since then Mandy has become quite talented at knowing what types of outcrops I like pictures of, and she will click away as I drive. In fact, she took the picture of the main rock outcrop I used in the title logo of this blog. If you look closely you can see a bit of the reflection from the window (on the right). Being as I was driving 50-60 mph I thought that was a minor issue. :) Esp. since it (picture) was taken with an iPhone!

Wrapped around his finger

2010-03-01T14:06:00.000-08:00

During the weekdays there is about an hour when everyone has already gone on their merry way for the day while me and Little Guy have a few extra moments before I take him to the bus stop. We generally spend this time talking about how he is doing (socially) in school, what he is feeling, and just general chit chat. I try to keep it light because it isn't a time for lectures or a forum in which I want to dominate. I like to hear what he has to say about his life in general, and anything that is troubling him. Some days we just talk about rocks. He likes rocks, and is always bringing me what he finds in the schoolyard during recess. He has brought me some very interesting, albeit small, rocks in the past and is quite excited to show them to me at the end of the day. I do my best to tell him what they are, but sometimes I am at a loss. Instead of getting upset with me, he usually tells me he will try and find a better piece for me to look at. This makes me smile.

Well this morning I was washing off a piece of shale when he came over to watch me. I asked him if he thought his teacher may like it, since it had some pretty nice impressions in it. His eyes lit up and he said he probably would, so I went to grab some plastic baggies to wrap the rock up. Before I knew it, Little Guy was bringing me paper and a pen. I was a bit puzzled, and asked him if he was wanting me to write a note to accompany the rock. I hate writing notes, but he was pretty insistent upon it, so I complied. I didn't quite know what to write, but I did my best and tucked the note in with the rock. Funny how the smallest of things can make children so happy. Little Guy was positively beaming. Honestly, that smile of his is worth writing a thousand notes and giving my entire rock collection away. He certainly has me wrapped around his little finger. But then, they all do at one time or another.

(note: His teacher mentioned to him that they would be learning about rocks soon, hence my suggestion for sending a rock to school. I thought shale would be a good choice because the sample had an enormous amount of plant impressions and could be used in showing what happens with heat and pressure etc etc. It's a 2nd/3rd grade class.)

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Kidnapping Husband for a day

2010-02-28T15:25:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday I talked Husband into taking the day off so we could explore an area we had been in the weekend prior. I wanted to see if I could find more samples like the one I had found previously (and had never seen before) in hopes it would help in identification. I found quite a few, some with a bit of an oil/tar residue, and some more along the lines of my original find- which looked to be comprised of organics.

When I brought these new pieces home the oil residue was all but impossible to wash off. No matter how much I washed, the water remained as dirty as the first time I washed it.
In addition, the residue left on your hands after handling (wet or dry) was very sticky and oily. The outer exterior of these pieces mostly had what appeared to be a woody texture, but it would be rash for me to conclude they were of comprised of one particular piece (verses a mass of organics/organics+sediment).

Except for a few that I would be willing to say were quite probable one piece of a larger structure. I would need to cut a section for definitive proof though- as I have had egg on my face before when being too quick to rush to a conclusion, hence I am much more careful about concluding anything anymore without enough background research/advice/etc to jump to a conclusion about a specimen I am unfamiliar with.

Thus far, a lot of what my searching has yielded (in regards to the initial sample I found) is along the lines of coal balls, although none of what I have matches the true definition of such- the environment and certain parameters match. While I don't think any of the pieces are lignified, I am not entirely sure they aren't. Vague as that comment is, the reason behind it is due to the aspect that the tar-like coating really prevents a good view and I haven't as of yet scraped at it to see how solidified the outer structure on some of them are. I am wont to destroy such beautiful textures- but when I get a moment I will see about finding an area that I'm willing to deface.

All in all, I have made little progress in discovering what my initial sample is, and actually came out with more questions than when I began. But it was a fantastic afternoon, despite the rain. -I learned early on in geology that weather is rarely a determining factor on if you go out into the field or not. Had it been a quest purely for the fun of it, I suppose a day when the sun was out would have been more pleasurable. But when my mind is whirling with questions to the point of distraction- rain or shine, I was going out. :) We had a few moments of sun though, so hubby didn't complain too much.

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Grab a seat, I'll pop the popcorn!

2010-02-27T17:55:00.000-08:00

I admit to being a bit mesmerized by the news footage on CNN and so for a few hours today I watched and waited for the tsunami to arrive. It was quite entertaining watching the newscasters become more and more frenzied as the time of estimated arrival drew near. They were like sharks in bloodied waters, switching from one camera viewpoint to another and snipping at their consultants as they tried to explain the mechanics of tsunamis. In the middle of one particular interview, a man was stammering his explanation when the newscaster interrupted him in a very clipped manner only further compounding his ability to communicate effectively. It wasn't that the man was ill-spoken, most anyone would have stammered when attacked with questions and then interrupted mid-stream. It was as if the poor man was barraged by a tornado of these barbed questions, only because (from what I surmise) he wasn't being sensational enough for the newscaster.

And then it happened. As one of the camera views panned across a beach, I saw a man surfing! I jumped up a bit in my seat to make sure I saw what I thought I saw, and yup- it was a man in the water surfing! At first the newscasters just ignored it, like the proverbial elephant in the kitchen, but as time went by and it just became more and more obvious, one of them finally says, "There is a guy on the beach. Maybe he doesn't have a radio or a TV or computer, so doesn't know about the tsunami. Or, maybe he just doesn't have any sense. I wish I could just shout at that guy." To which I thought to myself, no- don't shout at him. If he can't figure out that there is something wrong when NO ONE IS ON THE BEACH or if he just prefers to ignore all sense in order to get a surfing thrill then he should be left to his own devices. Just keep the camera on him and I'll pop some popcorn- we can then all see how "great" it is to surf in something akin to a flash flood. The dummy.

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Holy Cow!

2010-02-27T12:44:00.000-08:00

Before I went to bed last night I heard about the 8.8 Earthquake that hit Chile, but it was too early to get any information on it, so I waited until this morning to read about the damage. From the latest reports, over 147 deaths have been reported and the main road connecting the north from the south is destroyed. A prison reportedly partially collapsed and some inmates escaped only adding to the commotion. Meanwhile, Hawaii has been issued with a tsunami warning and to my utter amazement the news cameras show people along the coast taking pictures of the surf!! What in the heck are these people thinking? Did they not see any footage from the tsunami in Indonesia? Those waves come in with such speed there isn't a chance in heck they can outrun them, yet there they are like dodo birds taking pictures. Crazy. I guess that gives credence to the old adage that you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.

I am impressed with the people of Chile however. There appears to be no looting or any crazy-making idiots out on the streets causing havoc and the buildings seem(from the film footage) to have held up quite well, but then I am not surprised. It is an area that is well aware of the geologic dangers and hence they have prepared accordingly.

Presently the news is reporting that they predict the waves to be about 1-7ft. and would hit at 4pm EST. I think what a lot of people are unaware of is that when the tsunami hits it won't just hit the eastern coastline, but rather it will wrap around the islands hitting both sides. Or, maybe they are well aware of that fact and I am just trying to justify idiotic behavior.

MyCAA response

2010-02-26T07:59:00.000-08:00

I logged into my account today to see if I had received a response about them freezing my grant funds from MyCAA and there was, in fact, an email from them. Below is the email exchange- looks like their space bar wasn't working too well, but hey- at least they replied. Interesting how they really didn't tell me anything. What do they mean by previously made TA documents? By assumption, it would be those documents that you submit upon registering for a class in order to use the funds from your account. Therefore, that information does not help me, since I was in the midst of doing just that when I discovered the hold was also on my account. Ironically, the Secretary of Defense, Mr.Robert Gates, is appointed by the president. While he is a stay-on from the previous administration, freezing the MyCAA grant does NOT portray a "pro education" type of action that was so highly advertised by the current admin. I am left to wonder if they would be so willing to put a "freeze" on Pell Grants?

___________________________________________

Created By: School Liaison

Date: 2/22/2010 2:30:49 PM

EffectiveTuesday, February 16, 2010 at 4:00pm (EST), the MyCAA program is temporarilyhalting operations. Unfortunately, weare not aware of a definitive date. As the Office of the Secretary ofDefense makes adjustments to the Temporary Halting of Operations for the MyCAAprogram, the official website will be updated accordingly. We are reviewing thesoftware applications, financial assistance documents and overall program.The pause will not affect previously approved Financial Assistance documentsmade before Feb. 16, 2010 at 4:00pm (EST). Please review the websiteperiodically for updates: http://www.militaryonesource.com/mycaa.

Please accept oursincerest apologies for any inconveniences this official announcement may havecaused you.

____________________________________________

Created By: CannibalPanda

Date: 2/18/2010 7:16:40 PM

Hello!

I am surprised to see that all activities regarding the MyCAA are halted, including those of us who have approved accounts with remaining funds still available towards TA.

Upon trying to register for my calculus course that starts MAR 22 (with a high fill rate), I discovered that not only are new account applications halted, but accounts that are in the midst of their program.

I'm on an accelerated schedule, so unfortunately do not have a semester/quarter time frame to work with, but rather 8 week sessions. I need to register for this calculus class ASAP- is there any time frame in regards to when the funds will be available? While I am incredibly grateful for these funds, I really could have used a heads up on the halt- I don't know where I can come up with the term funds+books out of pocket on such short notice.

Any information you can offer in regards to when I can resume using what remains in my account is most appreciated.

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Andesite, shale and sandstone

2010-02-22T18:40:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit late getting out my Monday's Show and Tell, but here goes. This weekend I went on a bit of an adventure to test out some new iphone apps and see about collecting a couple of rock samples. I used GeologyWA/OR to find the rock types I was interested in and pinpoint possible areas of investigation (which obviously worked quite well- gotta love those geologic maps!), and to take images I decided to put Theodolite to the test. Unfortunately I didn't check to see if I had the "crosshairs" turned off, so the images from Theodolite ended up with them included in the images, but it wasn't entirely disastrous. The images weren't half bad, however you can't take the images in "portrait" without getting an elongated distortion. It displays the gps coordinates etc in the upper left hand corner of your image, so it isn't too bad when you want to keep track of where you have taken a particular photograph. It also zooms up to 4x, but you lose quality with each zoom. I prefer to just leave it as it is and edit in photoshop later. The image to the top left is of a bridge I hate crossing (note the rickety looking timbers) but I like what is on the other side so it is a necessary evil.

The drop down is apparently pretty far (from the picture Husband took) but I wasn't about to look for myself. As embarrassing as it is to admit, I tend to get vertigo over gorges and the like. Since this has caused me to miss out on some of the things I would love to see, it's a fault I've been trying to overcome. Thankfully I'm not as bad as I used to be when crossing bridges, as there once was a time I would have had my eyes shut with my hands over my hears humming to myself. Progress is a good thing :)

One of the coolest rocks I found on my little excursion was andesite. When I first saw the rock I had to take a double take because it reminded me of a stromatolite at first glance. Upon picking it up I could see it was andesite, although I hadn't seen it eroded in such a way so it was a very nice find!I like rocks such as this one, as I find beauty in their form. The majority of the rocks I have about my home are in the raw as that is how I prefer them. (Minerals are a bit different- I do like polished malachite etc.) It is at this point that I should mention that I am not overly familiar with volcanics, but that is probably the only fun part (for me) about being a military family. Each time I move, I have to learn the local geology. Since my entire undergraduate program has been so varied, I have a bit more diversity than the normal undergraduate. However I have not been in any areas with volcanics to the extent that this one provides.

I found some coal-which is really awesome since I had yet to obtain a sample of coal. It looks to be like a high grade of bituminous coal. Then I won the lottery when I came across a piece of shale that had beautiful leaf and grass imprints embedded into it. I think it is quite the loveliest piece of shale I have ever seen. I put it in a special spot in my livingroom. The other rock I was wanting to find was the arkosic sandstone, and not only did I find that- but also a gorgeous piece of fine grained sandstone.

To conclude today's "show and tell" (although this isn't everything I discovered on my little expedition- I'll save the rest for another day) is a piece I am uncertain about. It has structures about it that would indicate it to be lithified wood, but I am unfamiliar with this type of structure, having never actually even SEEN a piece of fossilized wood in person. The other thought I had was maybe it is just an imprint of wood on flow lava. I honestly am perplexed. I'm still researching it, however if by looking at the images below you can offer any insight, please feel free to point me in the right direction. The literature online hasn't offered me much in the way of assistance, married with the aspect that search engines are spitting back useless drivel. Pictures below:

MyCAA grant recinded? ! WTH?

2010-02-19T11:49:00.000-08:00

I debated on whether or not I should comment about this, as I have been trying to use my time in a more constructive manner. I have recently found some enjoyment in posting about articles I have read or other things/projects that have stimulated my brain. However, this is an issue that really has perturbed me and I suppose it warrants some form of comment in the event there is someone out there experiencing the same situation as myself (in some form or another).

First off, I will preface this by saying that as a result of the multitude of PCS moves in the past 4 years and correlating transfers, I have now accumulated exactly 177 semester credit hours. Federal student loans are cut off at 120 sem. cr/hrs. Due to the fact that some of the universities I attended (as I have previously discussed) required me to repeat my geologic coursework at their institution, in addition to their program requirements, the credits quickly piled up. (sucks but I tried to see the good out of it).

As any geology student knows, our courses are not cheap! Field Camp alone cost me over $5000.00, and that was out of pocket, as student loans wouldn't cover it (I think it is this way for everyone?). All the field trips, books, equipment, not to mention travel expenses add up leaving me to believe that a geology degree is quite possibly the most expensive undergraduate degree to attain across the board.

Losing my student loan was quite a blow. I wish the aspect that I transferred due to military orders were taken into consideration by the lenders, as I seriously doubt anyone in their right mind would move 4 times in 4 years unless they had extenuating circumstances. Instead, the attitude I am faced with from both universities and lenders alike, is unsympathetic. They are of the mindset that I should have just stayed at one institution and let my family move on without me.

As soon as I know I am transferring I start looking for a school and I contact the department. I did so at my last university, and after emailing the adviser of the geo. dept my background, he told me to come in to see him when I arrived. Upon doing so (after I had relocated and settled in), he then proceeds to tell me I should go back to my previous school to finish up! (Um, gee.. I really could have used that advice when you emailed me back a few months ago- kinda late now.) He then tells me if I stay I will have to repeat 50% of the geology coursework I had already completed (I've already gone through all this in previous posts... ) and I just felt my heart sink to the pit of my stomach. But I stayed and made the best of it, thinking we would be there a few years (as Husband said we would be). 11mos. later new orders arrive. .. story of my life.

Point being, while I accepted the lifestyle I have when I married a man in the military, I don't think that it should be as difficult to get a degree as it is presently - especially in today's computer-saavy world. (Before you say I should just get a degree online, geology is not offered online; kinda hard to learn about rocks sitting in your livingroom.) So when I found out about a grant through armyonesource.com that offered 6,000.00 to eligible spouses I was ecstatic! It was the first time I had ever really been given a break. I actually cried in relief when the lady called and told me I was approved.

I had used about 1500.00 of the 6000.00 allocated into my account when I read an article the other day about the MyCAA accounts being frozen. I initially just figured that would be for new applicants, as if I had been allocated a certain amount, surely those funds were set aside. Well, the answer to that is possibly NOT! A vague message appeared in my account window when I logged in saying all accounts were on hold as they reviewed their application and distribution processes. I have to say I am quite perplexed by this, because that could all be done behind the scenes while still assisting those who have ALREADY been awarded the FA (Financial Assistance), and perhaps just put a freeze on new applicants. In addition, it would have been nice to have been sent some type of forewarning! I have to register next week and now am scrambling around to come up with the cash to pay for my next term with little to NO notice.

I counted on those funds (and rightly so, being as I was officially awarded the FA) and to have them yanked out from under my feet in this fashion is not only unprofessional, but irresponsible. Do they just not have the funds? It would be pretty stupid of them to award out more funds than they had available for this fiscal year, leaving those of us with a substantial amount still left in our account just hanging because we didn't use it all up in one term. (I'm currently just taking 1-2 classes at a time since they are 8 week sessions). Now I wish I had gone to the other branch that was on a qtr. system. At least then I would have had more bang for my buck while it lasted. I should interject here that it hasn't been confirmed that the funds I had left in my account are lost altogether, but as it currently stands from my position, it doesn't look good.

I have emailed my account manager to ask about those remaining funds, but of course there is no response. I also expressed to them my displeasure on how they have conducted this "freeze" without at least giving some form of notice to those of us who trusted them at their word. They did award us the funds, after all, only to snatch them back again. I'd call them 'indian givers', but that wouldn't be very politically correct of me so 'assholes' will have to suffice.

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Go figure

2010-02-18T23:47:00.000-08:00

So today I was actually less distracted than usual and actually remembered I had a doctors appointment. Being as my general habit is to not remember until 30 minutes prior to the appointment, I was pretty happy to be on top of things (for today at least). I show up about 30 minutes early with plans to just fiddle with my iphone apps while I wait, and discovered the doctor is running 30 minutes late. (Why can't this happen on the days I am running late? ugh!). No biggie though, more time to play. I sat down and was exploring the GeologyWA/OR app, looking at the geologic map and getting information about the local members (mostly alluvium, landslide/lahar, andesite, till and moraine). I found what I was looking for (an olivine-rich vesicular basalt) and went to find the layers that would expose a route to a good collection site. As I played around, I found a good route and destination that I "thought" would be perfect. Happy and very satisfied with myself, I notice the "terrain" layer and activate it while deactivating the geology layer. I went back to the map and as the picture came up all I see is the Goliath!

Now I should have known this was in that location, but I had been so engrossed in the layers and manipulating the map that I hadn't taken note of the map scale in relation to the members I was looking at. I let out an expletive in my frustration (as I'm not tackling that Mt. in winter, nor the general vicinity). -I looked up to see a poor little old man sitting adjacent to me that I hadn't notice sit down, and he had apparently been watching me play with the map , but my language shocked him and I felt pretty embarrassed. Luckily it was at that moment the nurse called me back, so with a sheepish grin I made a hasty escape! ;0)

Looks like that sample will definitely be a spring/summer collection. On the flip side though, I discovered that there is interbedded arkosic and basaltic sandstone not too far away. I bet that is stunning! I have to say I love this little app, as the geologic map combined with the layers is awesome. I downloaded a few extra layers that were available, such as public lands and geodetic points. If you don't have this app, I think it's well worth the buy- as I find it one of the more useful apps out there. I'd like to use something similar to it on the PC too- just to search out areas and then upload them into my iphone as far as planned paths/routes I want to take. Hmm.. maybe I'll email the dev. about that and see if it can be in an update.

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Seismites

2010-02-17T17:21:00.000-08:00

The Dead Sea region has experienced six destructive earthquakes during the last 1000 years, with an average recurrence interval of around 200 years (188 to be exact) beginning with the 1060 AD earthquake. This cluster of events ended with the 1927 earthquake which had a magnitude of 6.2.

The Dead Sea Fault is a Left lateral transform plate boundary, separating the Arabian plate and the Sinai sub-plate and has been active since the Miocene, with movement still occurring in present day. (Fig. 1). (Garfunkel, 1981). This fault zone lies within the Dead Sea graben of which this post will focus upon. More specifically, depositional attributes of the laminated layers that comprise the sedimentary record of the Dead Sea and how those layers can serve as a portal into the past regarding paleo-seismic events.

With the recent drop in lake levels, the banks are quite accessable. By scraping away the halite/sand encrusted sides of these banks, layers of mud and sand/silt are exposed. Instead of being undisturbed laminated layers of sediment, you see beautful swirls and designs where the layers have intermixed. These disturbances, termed siesmites, are not only quite stunning to behold but also have an important significance in regards to providing a geologic record on ancient earthquakes along the Dead Sea transform.

The lacustrine sediments of the Dead Sea are comprised of alternating layers of aragonite and detritus sediments. The latter of which are composed of dark, silt-clayey size detritus derived from flooding (fluvial events) as suspended material and range in thickness from a couple of centimeters to almost 20 (can vary; these are my measurements). The aragonite layers are intermingled white and dark laminae of silt-clayey sized detritus, and are much thinner in comparison, being in the thicknesses of millimeters. (Bookman, et al., 2004). These layers were originally continuous alternating laminae of aragonite and fine detritus, lying flat on the bottom of the Dead Sea undisturbed. They were later fluidized (brought on by seismic events), disturbing the top of the sediment and causing it to be drawn back into suspension. Deformation of the laminae occurs when the sediment comes to rest after resettling. The event is encompassed by undisturbed sediments above and below. This mixed layer indicates a disturbance due to a seismic event, and its timing is constrained by the first overlying undisturbed lamina.

Syndepositional faulting in the Dead Sea sediments has been interpreted as when (Marco et al, 2004) a fault offsets a surface creating subaqueous scarp. The top of the sediment is deformed due to liquefaction and suspension during a seismic event, and a mixed layer forms on both sides of fault scarp. After the suspended sediments resettle, the mixed layer in down-thrown block is slightly thicker. As further sedimentation ensues, a thicker sequence accumulates on down-thrown block. The lower mixed layer in the downthrown block is also bent and overlain by folded layers.

The occurrence of seismites and their correlation to historically documented earthquakes has been determined by radiocarbon dating organic material found within the layers of sediment, solidifying the association of fluidizations of sediment and seismic events.

Bookman (Ken-Tor), R., Enzel, Y., Agnon, A. and Stein, M. 2004: Late Holocene lake levels of the Dead Sea. GSA Bulletin 116, 555 71.
Garfunkel Z (1981) Internal structure of the Dead Sea leaky transform (rift) in relation to plate kinematics. Tectonophysics 80:81-108
Marco, S., and Agnon, A., 1995. Prehistoric earthquake deformations near Masada, Dead Sea graben. Geology, 23: 695-698.

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Sediment Transport / Shields Curve

2010-02-15T16:53:00.000-08:00

In trying to maintain my Monday's show and tell, I began my morning by reading another paper from a file folder I have set aside for treasures I come across while browsing the internet. This particular paper, Sedimentation Investigations of Rivers and Reservoirs, produced by the USACE, details everything from formulation and planning sediment studies and sediment yield, to river and reservoir sedimentation. While it is quite expansive and detailed, the citations/references were a bit dated. As I read on I began wondering as to the relevance of the information currently, so I did a quick search on google to see what methods are still popularly in use. I knew both Shields parameter and grain Reynolds number were still applicable because those were pretty much the only method I was familiar with, and it hasn't been too terribly long since my sed/strat course. The majority of my search landed me towards closed subscription-required engineering pages, but I did manage to find a few papers that were informative. A third find during the writing of this post was a google book sample, but I will pontificate upon that a bit later. For now I will just say that despite its date, (originally published 18 Dec 1989), the USACE paper still held quite a bit of its relevance. One interesting excerpt caught my attention though, as it credits Rouse (ASCE 1975) for proposing the Shields curve, and Shields having utilized it in his analysis:

Although the experimental work and analysis were performed
by Shields, the curve termed the Shields Curve,
which is shown in Figure 9-1, was actually proposed by
Rouse (ASCE 1975). Shields curve may be expressed as
an equation, which is useful for computer programming.

~ Engineer Manual 1110-2-4000

I'm sure there was probably some obscure notation of Rouse in one of my textbooks, but I must have overlooked it or this would not have been a bit of a surprise to me. I looked up Rouse and discovered that he, in fact, was given little to no credit for his work. When Rouse introduced the Shields diagram, he did so with auxillary parameters. You can read more on this here.

The images to the left are that of a Shields diagram and correlating equation. (culled from EM 1110-2-4000). It's a widely used method of computation or anything other than very small Reynolds numbers, otherwise other empirical expressions are utilized. For general purposes though, the Shields diagram is a good starting point.

Further into the manual there is a section on Bank or Wall Shear Stress. Brownlie's approach appears to be the favored method, and the section is fairly well written describing the resistance equations and range of conditions. Duboy's concept where the significant assumption being that sediment
transport could be calculated using average cross-section
[hydraulic] parameters and that the main result of excess shear stress was transport of said sediment. (EM 1110-2-4000). There are a few more equations in this section, some of while were derived from Einstein, which I found interesting. Mostly because when I think of Einstein, I associate him with theoretical physics.

I was curious as to what other methods were implemented in calculating shear stresses in banks or walls, so I did yet another internet search. This one yielded quite a bit of interesting reading material. One of which was a paper pretty much dedicated to hydraulic shear stresses, with several different environments/situations outlined and the correlating equations: Shear Stress in Bends

Flow around bends creates secondary currents that exert higher shear forces on the channel bed
and banks than those found in straight sections. Several techniques are available for estimating
shear stress in bends. A relatively simple and widely used method, presented by U. S. Department of Transportation,2 estimates maximum shear stress on channel banks and bed occurring within bends. This equation, however, does not differentiate between bank and bed shear stress. The maximum bed/bank shear stress is primarily focused on the bank and bed on the outside portion of the bend .

Lastly was a link to a book on google books. This book, Introduction to bed, bank, and shore protection- by Gerrit J. Schiereck is by far the best [mathematically-heavy] book I have ever read. While I did not read the entire book, what I did read was so well written I forgot for a moment I was reading about math. In general, I like math, but it can be a love/hate relationship for me when my IH is acting up. I don't like to have to figure out what a writer is blundering through in addition to understanding the formulas. With this book you don't have to do that. The man is an artist, truly. When you can become so absorbed in what you are reading because they have grabbed your attention AND know how to write eloquently- well that is a book you just have to buy. So I did! You can catch a B&N link to it here, but it appears I bought the last copy. (At least I hope that is the case- my order went through, but you never know. I'll have to check my email when I finish up with this). The figure (Fig. 3.1, forces on a grain flow) at the beginning of this post comes from a section of his book.

On page 52 of the google book Schiereck describes Shield's formula for uniform flow, and how it isn't always the best choice. He explains why using shear stress as the active force this isn't always the best choice. On p. 65 he goes in to describe another environment (a dam or a groyne ) where you can use Shields eq. in conjunction with a slope correction. If you have time, read p. 72-73, as the part about geotextiles particularly is interesting.

Sources:
Introduction to bed, bank, and shore protection- by Gerrit J. Schiereck
Shear Stress in Bends
USACE EM 1110-2-4000
Rouse and Shield

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My View of things

2010-02-10T14:42:00.000-08:00

For lack of anything worthwhile posting about (that isn't time consuming), I thought I would share with you my view of things regarding what I see when I look at the view outside my neighbourhbood. A few months ago I was in a class and the topic somehow shifted to that of dangerous areas. I cannot recall offhand the particulars on what generated the topic, but it circled around geologic hot spots and the dangers therein. I usually stay out of these conversations unless I am in a geology class at the time, of which this was not, so just sat back and let my mind wander as I waited for the topic to return to the class at hand. At one point a student expressed their opinion on how they could not understand why anyone would live in California because of all the earthquakes. This normally would not grab my attention, but considering the area in which we currently reside (including said student) consists of several large volcanoes I sat up in my chair to listen more intently to what this student had to say. When they were finished with their diatribe, I said, "You do realize that Mt. Rainier is a volcano, right?" Upon the blank stare I received in return, I came to a surprising realization. Other people do not look at that mountain in the same way I do. When I first saw it from the ground my breath was taken away. I had seen it many times from the air on route home to Alaska via SeaTac, but I had never truly explored the area outside of the airport, thus not getting the full magnitude. For me, to truly appreciate it I had to see it from the ground. And this only occurred recently, so I don't just see a mountain; I see the forces behind the mountain. Sometimes I forget not everyone thinks volcano when they look at the gorgeous view out their backyards.

So coming back to the student with the blank stare, I realized she had no clue as to the potential dangers of living in such close proximity to said "mountain". (I have trouble just referring to it as a Mt., because it just epitomizes a volcano in my mind). I forget too, that most of these kids weren't even born yet when Mt. St. Helens blew. I still recall that moment with vivid clarity, and I lived quite a distance away in the remote wilderness of Alaska. (There are no access roads to where I grew up, and only one TV channel at the time). I have images in my mind from the news showing people walking with scarves over their faces as they walked through what appeared like a nuclear winter. Ash was dropping like snow and the sun was a strange pink color through the hazy sky. No, I don't suppose the majority of people who look at the mountain that towers over the area as anything other than a beautiful, majestic piece of eyecandy.

While the likelihood of an explosion in the near future is probably non-existent, I would have to weigh the risk factor for living under the dome of volcano quite a bit more substantial than living in California and dealing with earthquakes. Mainly because California is smart about how they have built their cities, and have outstanding educational outreach programs teaching the general public on how to react in the event of an EQ. While I think if something were to occur here, it (Mt. Ranier) would pretty much wipe out the whole area , if not from the explosion itself, but from the pyroclastic flows and/or lahars that would soon follow. That aside, if any forewarning of and impending "event" were provided, the surrounding cities and towns would most probably be paralyzed. I say this because there are no clear exit (evacuation) strategies for such an event- at least as far as I have seen in the 7mos I have resided here.

But all in all, volcanoes are pretty fascinating to examine. I once wrote a paper titled: 'The Base Jumpers of Geology'. It takes a certain brave individual to walk across a crusted over lava field when they know that at any moment there is a possibility of breaking through, yet they do it anyway. My paper pretty much focused on Harry Glicken, who would have been the vulcanologist who died when Mt. St. Helen's blew, but was in California for a graduate interview and David Johnston had taken his watch. Harry later died in an unfortunate incident (along with Maurice and Katia Krafft) when they misjudged the path a pyroclastic flow would take and were overtaken. I wish more were written about Harry Glicken, as I admire a lot of his attributes. His specialty, per se, was debris avalanches, and after his work on Mt. St. Helens, debris avalanches (as defined by his work) were recognized around volcanoes globally.

I suppose I have digressed a bit (as is my habit) from my original intent of this post- I mainly was just going to feature a "before" and "after" picture of the view I have from my neighbourhood expressing what others see vs what I see when looking at that behemoth.

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Google Earth and Field Reports

2010-02-08T15:29:00.000-08:00

As I was archiving old reports and papers, I came across a field report where I implemented Google Earth and an iphone app (MotionX GPS) for the first time. The tracking on MotionX GPS wasn't too bad, but I found it challenging to use at the time because I had downloaded the app the night before and neglected to read the user guide beforehand. As a result, I didn't get optimal results (as I personally would have wished), but the report fulfilled the template required by the professor. I personally did not care for the format that was asked of us, but that is most likely due to the fact that I was used a previous institution's field report format. With that issue aside, the process is pretty much the same. I used Google Earth for the map of the area and the iphone app provided the track taken. Being as I was unfamiliar with the app, I didn't care for the end result, so I doctored it in Adobe Photoshop. (Top right image). The outlined pink area was the hike we took in order to access the Pumpkinvine fm. The original track wasn't as smooth as I would have liked, but it was fairly accurate in terms of location. I didn't think using Google Earth was that big of deal, but on one particular stop (in a different location) I was able to get an image of the entire outcrop via Google Earth that I was unable to shoot myself due to the aspect that it was along a 4 lane hwy near an overpass. This seemed to surprise the professor, so I'm guessing not many students at that particular school took advantage of what it can do. If color pictures aren't your thing, or you want it to look more unique, an easy process of adding layers and drawing out the map (can be done in Illustrator better with this method) by hand can be done by just tracing the underlying layer. ArcGIS also does this, but unfortunately I no longer have a version of it, as it expired 6 mos. after my GIS class was completed. Therefore I just use Photoshop and Illustrator.

To import images of the stereonets, I did the basic 'PRTSC' technique and pasted it into Photoshop to save as a JPEG. I wasn't sure what the professor was wanting in this section, so I just provided copies of all the stereonets I did- one with just my data points, and one with mine and the groups combined. Then I did a few different formats, explaining them all in the report. I had learned from a rush job I once did in field camp -along with quite a few of my peers- that you never attach a stereonet to your reports without an explanation.(oops). Once I completed all the graphics, I imported them into PPT. I then am able to label them accordingly as I write up my report (which I do in MSword). Since I edit a lot, it is easier to leave the images in PPT and use text blocks. This generally applies only to maps and diagrams. Pictures of a rock, or anything illustrating a procedure, I place within the body of the report itself. However, I keep these at a minimum to avoid making the report unnecessarily bulky.

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Bedforms and Cross-Bedding

2010-02-06T09:17:00.000-08:00

It has been several years since I have had sed/strat, and when I chanced across this webpage I was struck with the thought that it would have been a nice (scratch that, AWESOME) resource to have had during that course. It is via the USGS - not sure how I could have missed it, as it was an active site at the time of my course. I think perhaps the title was such that I mentally discounted it as useful because it says 'Western Coastal and Marine Geology'. However, this animation set they have is applicable to all coastal environments/paleocurrents. It (the site) is truly a masterpiece of work, and a lot of time and effort went into its development.

As those of us who have gone through a sed/strat class, it can (at times) be daunting to learn the associations between bedforms, cross-bedding, and environments. It isn't so much the absorption of knowledge that hangs a lot of us up, but rather looking at an outcrop or rock sample and associating the type of cross-bedding it exhibits. Even when I had that part pretty well mastered (of which at this present time I have only vague memories, hence my personal reason for appreciating this website) it was still difficult to visualize the environment in action. This is why these animations are so fantastic to look through!

To compliment the animations, there are detailed explanations on how to classify bedforms; transverse, oblique, or longitudinal, via various mathematical computations. Considering the aspect of unknown variables, implementing the wrong formula can produce less than desirable results. This paper explains certain pitfalls, and how they can be precluded in order for all variables to be considered.

Conceptually,the approach is to determine the unique transport vector that simultaneously would cause the observed migration of two sets of bedforms. Algebraically, this is accomplished by solving equation (2) simultaneously for the transport represented by two sets of bedforms. The solution is given by

Equation (3) can also be applied to a single set of bedforms, if they are three-dimensional. In such a situation, β is equal to 90°, V2 is the along-crest migration speed of the plan-form sinuosities, and H2 is the mean height of the bedforms meassured along profiles parallel to the generalized trend of the bedforms. In the computer-generated depositional situations, H2 was measured from contour maps of the bedform topogrraphy. Although equation (3) cannot be used with perfectly two-dimensional computer-generated bedforms, most real bedforms, including many that would be considered two-dimensional, are probably three-dimensional enough to use this approach.

Relations between cross-bedding, bedforms, and flow as well as two dimensional bedforms/cross-bedding are also touched upon via pdf files. The real gem of the website was refreshing my memory on the different bedding types and how they develop. I had intended upon adding more to this post, but I lost myself in browsing the site as I was composing this blog and now am too short on time. I mainly just wanted to share resource I had found, if you had not already discovered it yourself. (I may be behind the powercurve in regards to that ;0)

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Sources:

http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/seds/bedforms/info_panels/infoPanel5.pdf

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Evolution -undiluted!

2010-02-05T16:29:00.000-08:00

I am truly alarmed at how evolution is presented (if it is even presented at all) to my children through the public education system. I cannot fathom why evolution is even an issue of debate, considering there is "supposed" to be a separation of church and state. This is quite clear cut in my mind. However it appears that when it is brought into the curriculum, creationism must be presented to offset the theory of evolution. Why must creationism be thrown into the mix to dilute the theory and muddy the waters regarding evolution? Does this (creationism) not belong in the realm of personal belief and hence falls into the "separation of church and state" category? While I don't want this to be a post about religion, my preface is required because religion is the source as to why the theory of evolution is consistently either squelched altogether, or misinterpreted by our educational system. Religion is a personal issue, and should remain something taught at home. I don't want creationism taught to my children at school in any facet, as that is forcing another individuals' doctrine upon them. Science, on the other hand, is not a doctrine.

The popular public misconception of "ape becomes man" is probably the biggest detriment towards the science community as a whole. Education of the general public is in need of a drastic overhaul. I am continuously amazed at how people believe evolution equates to apes evolving into man. (This just makes me want to hand them a worm). However, in order to dissolve these/their misperceptions, I generally start with the tree of life and what a clade is. A lot of times I just see their eyes gloss over because they are not interested in learning any corrections. Instead, they just perpetuate the myth by passing on their erroneous "data" to their offspring when they are questioned about evolution. While I believe this in and of itself is a basis for having evolution taught unhindered in our schools, I will forego pontificating upon it. Instead, I want to point out the importance of a foundation in the realm of sciences. Evolution is a foundation not only for earth sciences, but also biological sciences. It should be presented from an unbiased, non-religious standpoint.

Most people think of humans in the context of evolution, and this is a very short-sighted view. Evolution is just a small part of a big picture. For the sake of simplifying things, I am going to use the current flu virus as an analogy. When you get a flu shot, they tell you up front it may or may not work for (such and such) period of time because the virus evolves through mutation. Step back from this thought for a bit and see an entire world full of species that are exhibiting changes. How are scientists to document/classify them? This is where cladistics comes in to play. For example:

Cladistics predicts the properties of organisms.

As with any other system in science, a model is most useful when it not only describes what has been observed, but when it predicts that which has not yet been observed. Cladistics produces hypotheses about the relationships of organisms in a way that, unlike other systems, predicts properties of the organisms. This can be especially important in cases when particular genes or biological compounds are being sought. Such genes and compounds are being sought all the time by companies interested in improving crop yield or disease resistance, and in the search for medicines. Only an hypothesis based on evolutionary theory, such as cladistic hypotheses, can be used for these endeavours.

~Phylogenetic Systematics

In 1915, geologist Alfred Wegener recorded finding identical species he found on both side of the Atlantic. Being as there wasn't an access point in order for the species to traverse across to the other continent; he proposed that they (continents) were once connected. (image on the left found here) The theory of plate tectonics did not become popular until the 1960's, however Wegener was the first to present the theory. With the onslaught of the plate tectonic theory, scientists started looking at things in a different light. Having said that, here is an excerpt of an example as to how evolution comes into play among the sciences:

Biogeographers now recognize that as continents collide, their species can mingle, and when the continents separate, they take their new species with them. Africa, South America, Australia, and New Zealand, for example, were all once joined into a supercontinent called Gondwanaland. The continents split off one by one, first Africa, then New Zealand, and then finally Australia and South America. The evolutionary tree of some groups of species — such as tiny insects known as midges — show the same pattern. South American and Australian midges, for example, are more closely related to one another than they are to New Zealand species, and the midges of all three land masses are more closely related to one another than they are to African species. In other words, an insect that may live only a few weeks can tell biogeographers about the wanderings of continents tens of millions of years ago.

~Biogeography: Wallace and Wegener

A foundation in evolution is important for students in order to develop the critical thinking skills needed in the realm of sciences. If they are taught a diluted or misleading version of evolution, they are hindered from having the necessary tools for success. While some public school systems are lucky and have progressive educators to advocate for the discussion and implementation of a curriculum including evolution from a scientific standpoint, sadly, I fear they are in the vast minority. For some reason, "evolution" in itself just seems to be a dirty word. I'd like to see that change.

Sources/further reading:

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/clad/clad1.html
http://tolweb.org/tree/phylogeny.html
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/_0/history_16 (culled biodistribution image)
http://evolution-textbook.org/content/free/book/about_the_book.html (a book I found that I will most likely get in the near future)

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Upgrading my iPhone

2010-02-04T14:07:00.000-08:00

Today I decided that I needed to look into what the new iphone coming out this summer will look like/feature. I want to upgrade to at least the 3GS (as I only have the 3G currently) and before I did, I figured I would check to see if the 4G was worth putting it off a few months. I originally bought an iphone because it didn't have keys or parts where dirt can get in and cause issues. My stint in Jordan with all the sand (and mud) was a deciding factor in going with the iphone's sleek design and minimal moving parts. The man at the phone store really tried to push a blackberry on me, but I was really digging the touch screen and button-less keypad of the iphone so his opinion was thrown to the wayside. The design itself was just what I needed. In addition, I loved the big screen. I have never liked using my thumbs to text, so the keyboard was perfect for my "tapping" preferences. The apps were just a bonus at the time- but this was before so many cool ones were developed. Now the apps alone have me hooked.

My issue now with my 3G is that a couple of apps I want/need are not compatible, and I need the GS. I also REALLY want the video camera. I think making a few mini video would be fun, and there are times when impromptu events could be recorded. I don't like to drag a lot of things around with me when I go places, so having the camera on the iphone is really nice. I use it as my primary source for images, mainly because it is what I have on hand when those unexpected moments occur. Another thing I use my iphone for is music. I don't listen to the radio, and I hate having to change CD's in the car, so I just plug in the iphone to a device that feeds through the radio for my music during car rides. I am coming close to having used up the 16GB memory my current iphone has, and deleted a substantial amount of my albums to provide more room for apps. Thus, the 32 GB offered will be nice.

But do I need the 3GS or should I wait for the 4G to be released? I did a quick search on the 4G and found a couple of pages, but you can see one of the main sources of my information I found here.

As I was reading about the new 4g, I was aghast that a removable battery was rumoured to be part of the design. BAD move apple! This would just mean that a seam would be in the design, and hence a chance for dirt to get into it. Not to mention that when you drop it, there is a chance of the part getting loosened and no longer fitting as smoothly into the slot. I just don't like the idea. Granted, if I am listening to music AND running a tracking app, the battery can die fairly quickly. However, if I am planning on a track, I either bring a car charger, or don't run both music and app together. I would rather do the latter than have a removable part in a phone that I bang around a lot. It just will not work for me. I'm fairly abusive to my iphone, and it has held up very well- but if a removable part is introduced I think I will run into a lot of problems.

While the 4g is said to have a front facing camera for ichat/video conferencing, I would never utilize this option. If I was going to video conference, I would use my computer. It may be a nice option if I were traveling a lot and had no access to a computer- but if that were the case, I seriously doubt 4g coverage would be available.

Then there is the OLED screen. What the heck is OLED anyway? Alright, here is what I found out about OLED. Sounds impressive enough, although I didn't have any issues with the original iphone, so this doesn't really bear any weight on my decision to go or not to go with the 4G. However, to be thorough, I did a search to see what the difference between the two screens were (LCD vs OLCD). Low and behold, I found a site talking about the selling point of the OLCD. The side-by-side image of the two screens is admittedly striking, but when I am out in the field the sun always glares off the screen- so when it really comes down to it, the OLED screen is nice but not a selling factor for me personally. Having said that, the aspect that the OLED takes up less battery life does catch my interest. Therefore, I cannot discount this new screen entirely as part of a weighing factor in my decision.

I have been an AT&T customer for quite some time, and when I first purchased an iphone it was without any discounts (full price). The second iphone was also at the full purchase price because I was not a new user, but rather a returning user. I was upgrading my phone and giving the old one to Husband, but being as it was only 1 year apart and I had renewed our AT&T contract with the first purchase only a year prior, I wasn't eligible for any discounts (contract renewal etc). It was about a year and a half ago that I purchased my 3G, so I don't know if I am eligible for the 299.00 version, or if they will charge me 599.00. I refuse to pay full price again, as it really annoys me to be a loyal customer and yet treated like crap by a company. We had to pay 1000.00 last year for over limit fees due to Grim talking during prime time (he now knows the value of a lan line since he no longer has a cell phone), so that company has taken enough of our money. Don't get me wrong, I like AT&T- it isn't their fault we had a teen talking over limit, although it would have been nice to have recieved some kind of warning regarding our over limit. They send alerts via text for all other reasons- and we had the plan for 3 years prior with no over limits... heck, even my bank calls me when I have weird and excessive/unusual transactions. But I digress. For the sake of argument, I will just assume we can get the phone at the 299.00 price.

My deciding factor on the new iphone 4G is the design. Granted, all the images on the web to date are "rumors" and none are confirmed, but for the most part the specs on these rumors are generally accurate. This is why I have to say NO to the 4G. That replaceable battery just kills it for me. The image(s) I found leave for a more boxy design, and I prefer the design of the current iphone. It is much better than the 1rst generation in that it fits in my hand much better with its gentle slope/curvature, and while a tab thicker than the first generation the 3G/GS is much more comfortable in my hand. A couple of the images for the 4G portray it to be more like an enlarged ipod with flat edges, losing its sleek design.

There are a few that are a bit more like the 1rst generation in regards to shape (i.e. less boxy than the titanium concept), as shown left, which is a bit more like the 3G/GS (detailed review here), however it does seem to resemble the 1rst generation quite a bit more. As with anytime you upgrade with an iphone, you never know what the summer will bring. (Each summer has a phone upgrade, or at least that is the current trend). Presently, my research regarding the new iphone 4G has really only garnered me a large amount of rumor and a list of specs. Looks like I am apparently in another crap shoot with yet another iphone purchase, as the last time I upgraded it was only a design and memory upgrade - and a few months later the GS came out. Grrr.. Sometime this weekend or next week I'll head out to a AT&T store and see what they offer me. It would be nice to know more about the video capabilities of the iphone- how long, ease of use, etc etc. I suppose I will check into that later on. I would be happy with any type of video ability at this point.

Slope Stability

2010-02-01T12:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was reading Rock and Gem and in one of the articles the author mentioned what books he felt were a must to have in your library (from a rockhound perspective I believe). Interested, I looked up one of the books he mentioned; Mineralogy for Amateurs, by John Sinkankas. He said that he used it quite a lot for reference, and sometimes to return to when he had forgotten certain aspects about a mineral. I did a quick search for the book, as it is an older publication, to find initial searches were at about 70.00. So I checked ebay, although my account is quite rusty these days, and found a copy for 50.00 with the buy it now option. The book reviews on it (book) at amazon were pretty good, and the seller had a good rep so I bought it. Since I was already on the ebay site and hadn't checked it out in awhile, I did a quick search for other Geology publications.

This was when I found a listing for training papers from the USCE (army corp of engineers) being sold via CD by a guy in Australia. Now why would a guy from Australia be selling US training documents? Finding that odd I mentioned it to Husband. The CD came with pdf files with topics ranging from structural integrity to soil testing procedures. I thought 10.00 wasn't a bad price for what was listed, and the sellers rep was okay. Husband asked what the publication number was from the documents, because he could get them for free. Hmmm. Free? There wasn't a publication number, but I figured if this guy had access to these publications I should be able to find them too. After a quick search and 2 link clicks later I hit the mother load!!!! I found so many publications that I ended up downloading PDFs for several hours. (Took me so long because I was reading them after I downloaded them- lol). I felt as if I had robbed a candy store! It was nice reading these publications mainly in part because it enabled me to use what I have already learned in a classroom and apply that knowledge towards a practical application. As without the background knowledge you wouldn't really understand what some of the publications were referencing. (e.g. mohr/coulomb strength envelopes, poisson's ratio, sheild's diagram, reynold's number,..etc).

One of the publications I really liked can be found here. There is a perfect example of rotational slides/slope failure on page 20. Appendix C (p.57) has a listing of the corresponding mathematical formulas. Page 71 fig. C-10 was really interesting to me because while I had applied the mohr circle in structural geology, it was more in terms of determining the probability of failure for rocks under stresses related to tectonic forces. I like this diagram because it brought to light other applications of this process. Page 72 mentions 'The Simplified Bishop Method' of which I am unfamiliar with, but this document was well written and had an abundant array of visual diagrams. Figure C-11 offers a visual of the equation for the Bishop Method, whereas another new (to me) method terms the 'Force Equilibrium Method/Modified Swedish Method'. This latter method is depicted in fig. C-12 (p. 75) . These modifications opened up my mind to where I won't be so apt to think I have to stick to the canned equations we learn in classroom environments. Not that it is ever projected that we have to do such, there is only so much time in one semester so professors cannot introduce all methods available. I just never thought about the possibility of modifications, hence, this made me see the forest through the trees so to speak.

Shear strength characterization is described in detail starting on p. 98. The use of a modified Mohr-Coulomb diagram is explained from which I will quote:

"Several different forms of modified Mohr-Coulomb diagrams can be used. All modified Mohr-Coulomb diagrams are based on the fundamental relationship between the principal stresses and the Mohr-Coulomb shear strength parameters, c' and φ' or c and φ.

Referring to Figure D-5 and the triangle formed by points, def, the following expression can be written:

Equation D-3 can be rearranged to obtain a number of different relationships between the principal stresses and the shear strength parameters, c and φ. Two of the most useful forms of Equation D-3 and the resulting modified Mohr-Coulomb diagrams are described in the following text......." (p.106, USCE).

That is about the meat and potatoes of the publication, I just wanted to share my excitement in finding such wonderful publications. There are a few others I found that are really interesting, and once I have a chance to read through them I will write about it. I have always just loved the Mohr circle, it was the one thing on exams in structural geology I could whip through quickly and get 100% correct. There is something about using a compass and drawing tangent lines that brings out the best in me I guess. Now if I could just get that one thing in structures that I am horrible at mastered, I will be a happy camper. Hope you enjoyed my Monday "show and tell".

Odds and ends...

2010-01-31T04:02:00.000-08:00

Today (or should I say yesterday-darn insomnia has me up way past my bedtime) I managed to do pretty well on a calculus quiz. Tuesday is the big exam. I normally would not be taking a quiz on a Saturday, but the professor was nice and let me come in today and play catch up. I think the formulas are finally sticking into long term memory- always a first for something I suppose. They aren't hard at all, just a lot of them thrown out there at once in a short period of time. This makes my brain spin like a top- esp. when my IH is acting up and the pressure is high. Now my goal is to run down all the formulas and work out sample problems in order to prep for the exam Tues. Should be okay. I was over thinking a lot of the problems before, which is a bad habit of mine in all topics.

Before I left for class this morning I asked Husband to remind me to renew my GSA (Geological Society of America) membership when I returned home. Well, after I came home we decided to go grab a bite to eat and then hit the store, so on the drive over I mentioned again that I needed to renew the membership. Husband then said that he had already done it- and I at first panicked. I immediately asked him if he ordered the magazine with it (for those that do not know, you can opt to subscribe to Geology magazine at a higher renewal rate) and he assured me that he did. (Big sigh of relief). I generally renew online, so it surprised me that he had a hard copy of the renewal form. I also asked if he checked the subsets (I pay 5.00 extra for the sedimentology section) and he said he checked a new section they just started under mineralogy? I am going to have to go check that out. Looks like I won't have the sed. section this year, but it was a nice thing for him to do so I won't complain. Can't beat a guy who buys you v/s and Geology magazine as a surprise! He's a keeper. :)

My Fav. iPhone apps

2010-01-29T11:45:00.000-08:00

ere is a list of my favorite iphone apps with a short review:

Lambert- Stereonets on your iphone! Yes! And you can transfer it later to your computer! Yes! You heard me !!! I was so happy when I first found this application I cannot tell you how loud I screamed out in joy. I wanted to go out and make a stereoplot right away, but instead I just replotted an old one I had done by hand- works great and I LOVE this app! Sometimes taking tracing paper and a stiff piece of cardboard out to the field is just too cumbersome! Now, I would not use anything but my Brunton Pocket Transit to take measurements, so I personally wouldn't use this to gather data but for impromptu plotting this is great! It doesn't currently allow you to manually input your own data via the app- but you can download the data you took with iphone and replace it with the data you retrieved via your Brunton once its on your PC. This somewhat defeats the purpose of the app, and I am hoping a future update allows for manual input. I don't think battery life would be an issue either. While some people find it difficult to use the iphone touchpad to type, I am a beast at typing on it, so for me personally, this is a great tool. I have also found my iphone to be very sturdy. I've dropped it quite a few times- the only time I cracked anything was the inner screen when I reached for the phone off the dock it was on in the car (for music) too fast to take a picture of an outcrop we were passing. (oops). But in the rain, a plastic baggie works fine over it and it still works-has for me anyways. 2.99 for the app and well worth it!

MotionX GPS/Motion GPS Sport- this app series is great for creating logs of your tracks. I used it (MotionX GPS) when I was on field trips to log the different stops. You can take pictures at each waypoint (que outcrops) which then translated to easy field reports when all was said and done. Only drawback is that it can be a drain on your iphone if you are not careful. I don't recommend listening to the ipod while using the app- and put it on energy saver yadda yadda.. The newest update integrated the ipod into the app so you can access your music with ease. A compliment to this app is MotionX-GPS SPORT on facebook where you can store your tracks to share with friends and family, keep a detailed log of hikes, runs, bike rides, and just overall track your progress. You can read more about it here.

This next app is a great one for geotagging your images, without the drain on your iphone battery. It is like looking at the world through a brunton/altimeter. Pretty cool! There are many times I have been up on a point and not known my elevation, so it would be nice to know where I was in order to pinpoint it on a map. Even if it were to end up few feet off, just having the general location is a bonus compared to nothing at all. In reading the reviews via the app store, quite a few people are finding it surprisingly accurate. Per the app developer:

Theodolite lets you take camera images directly from the app, with 2X and 4X digital zoom options. You can choose to stamp geographical data directly on the saved image for later reference. View your current position on the built in map view, with standard, satellite, and hybrid modes. On an iPhone 3GS, bearing is updated live on the map with both fixed view and world rotation.
Theodolite 1.1 includes a new A-B Calculator with options to compute height of landmarks, triangulate position, compute distance/heading between points, measure relative angles between observations, and show points on the map. The calculator includes an option to copy results to the clipboard. Theodolite will save observation data for point A if the app is quit before recording data for point B, which is great for long distance measurements. See the Doc/Help/FAQ section for more info on the A-B Calculator.

As with most of us who want to know exactly where that picture was taken, geotagging is a huge deal. I think this app is the answer to anyone who readily uses their iphone to take images. I for one, don't generally carry a camera because it is just an added piece of equipment that I don't want to deal with. But I almost always have my iphone- and for taking generic outcrop images it is perfect. In fact, the image of the large rock outcrop used on this blog was taken with an iphone while driving/moving to our current destination. I didn't come to a stop either- just had Mandy take pictures as I saw outcrops I liked along our trip. None of which were geotagged, but I can guess from a lot of the rock-types where we were at the time. Not optimal, but... Now, had I had this app, it would have been perfect! I could have sectioned off our trip via file folders and then if I wanted any printed out for a scrapbook (that I always mean to get to but never do) one day I'd have the date and geo info along with it.

Geocaching- I use this app to see if there are any caches nearby and to locate them. While not as good as a GPS, it works very well and gets me to the spot I need. Once I find the cache I can then log that I have found it, take any pictures and upload if required, and move on to the next cache. It's also nice when I am stuck and can't find a cache to see other pictures people have posted to make sure I am in the right spot. Husband is better at spotting things in flora than I am, so I need this little nudge of help. (I know it is cheating but don't tell him.. shhhh...:) Even with the help of images he still generally finds caches hidden in plants over me. I just don't have an eye for things in plants- too used to looking at rocks. (They are prettier anyways).

GeologyTX, GeologyCA, GeologyWa/OR, etc..- this is a fantastic app series! It is comprised of a geologic map of the state (ea. state has separate app) and gives you the rock type of your area with age and description of said rock type. I really love the aspect that you can narrow down areas via the distance tool. I'm anxious to give this one a test run in the field. Not necessarily for just geologists. Families with kids could use this as a fantastic teaching aid, esp. when you relocate a lot. It would be a good way to find rock samples with those boys (or girls-as even Mandy loves getting in the mud from time to time to my amazement) who enjoy rocks.

Gems and Minerals- I really like this app because you can add your own samples into the database. How awesome is that? woot woot! Seriously though, for .99 cents you can't beat that!

Rock and Gems- This app was just released Jan 19th and I found it the other day so I haven't gone through it fully, but it has quality images of specimen samples. I'll add more info later when I have time to sit and play with it a bit. . Only 99 cents so worth the pictures. Pretty rocks are always nice to look at when bored at the doctors office.

Terraphone- I kinda like this app, although it was a bit pricy for an app at 12.99. The rating on it is only 3 stars, but when reading the reviews it is because a lot of the users didn't understand the advanced terminology utilized in the app. Personally I would not have paid 12.99 for an app that did not use the correct terminology, so to me that's a good thing.However after using the app it really isn't overly technical at all. Took me a second to notice the bulls-eye in the opening screen, and you have to move that over to your blue pushpin (on map) if you want to know about your current area- or you can move bulls-eye over another area you desire information on. There are images to rock samples, however there are very limited "map it" options if you want to find a particular outcrop to see examples for yourself. In the end, 12.99 was highly overpriced for this app (IMO). While there were 13 images for aragonite samples in my local area- again if I were to want to see an outcrop or get a small sample, there is no information as to where it would occur. There are a lot of other apps that offer more extensive information at a better price. I think a fair price for this app would be at the most 5.99.

Rocks- This is a cute little app that would be great for someone taking a beginning geology class, or just an enthusiast. A bit rudimentary for those at the advanced levels of geology, but still fun to look through. It sections rocks off into Ig., Met., and Sed.; then breaks each sections down into types of rocks under those categories with descriptions and a sample image. There is a quiz at the end.

Rockhound- Here is a another app that is an asset for anyone wanting to grab some rock samples! You can add sites you have found rx at yourself and submit them to the site to be added to future updates, so this app has the potential to get better as time goes by. I like that you can add pictures/notes yourself to assist in returning to previously visited sites. If you are anything like me, you are all over the place when you are out on a day of rock-finding, so it's a bonus to be able to add notes to recall where you've been and where you found what. It also has a database of rocks, and what tools may be needed to extract the specimens. Another thing I like about the app is that it describes the sites in detail to where if it isn't suitable for younger kids you know not to bring them. I normally do not bring little guy on my first runs when going out on a search, unless I know for sure that it is a safe spot. Even though he is old enough to listen to me and not run off like a toddler, he still lacks judgment as any young child would, and so I only bring him to well known (to me) spots that aren't heavily trafficked or near any roadways. A lot of outcrops I go to are along highways, and I would never bring any child to such a spot. I've seen others do this, and I think it is highly irresponsible. If you are out rockhounding with young children think twice about where you go. It's too easy to get absorbed into what you are doing and not pay attention to what the little ones do- I know personally I am completely like a bug caught in the glare of a light when rocks are concerned, and would easily get too distracted to see what little guy was up to. So just be safe. :)

Earth Science by ExamBusters- This app has questions regarding the topic of earth science, and is formatted to work like flash cards. Kinda fun and while some of the questions are lower level (i.e. How many neutrons in an isotope of hydrogen-1?; State the basic formula to calculate density; what are the mineral sources of bricks; List three basic characteristics of granite; List two basic characteristics of pegmatite; Describe paleomagnetism of basalts..etc etc) It's a fun app that I like to use when ever we have time to kill waiting somewhere (doc office, restaurants etc) to quiz my teens since they should know most of this stuff.

QuakeWatch- gives you the latest news on earthquakes around the world, with links to USGS for detailed information and maps.

Tasa Geology- Kinda neat for the kids to learn about plate tectonics. Hard to believe that in the 1960's this was a huge debate. (Not too long ago when you think about it.) Only drawback is they do not display the movement of the plates as postulated by scientists throughout the time periods. It would have been nice to see that perhaps added in the future update.

Units- gives conversions for an array of things -area, speed, pressure, currency..

Math tasks- coordinate geometry.-Could have used this when digging that trench in Jordan for sure! Not that I can't do geometry by hand, but when it is 120 degree F, your brain just isn't working at full capacity.

ichemistry- has a nice periodic table and balances equations. Also has a mass calculator (reactants/products). This is an okay app, but a bit limited.

ChemiCal- this will calculate stock dilutions and also has a nice periodic table. Also calculates molarity/mass/vol etc. The formula mass calculator section is pretty nice. Another nice aspect of this app is the detailed listing of general information. It offers atomic number, avg. mass, monoisotopic mass, electron config, electrons per shell. Physical properties are also listed : crystal structure, density, melting points. Common isotopes & ionization energies etc. One of the better chemistry apps out there IMO.

The Converter- This is a monster. Does everything from gas consumption/capacity & volume/ mass & weight/currency/clothing (tells you conversion sizes in US, UK, Aus, Eur, Jap, Belgium Spain and France to name a few!)/kitchen (dash, UK teaspoon vs. US -really nice)/angles/ etc etc. This is a great app for those going overseas, or who do any type of conversions.

AppBox Pro- while some of the apps I have are repeated in this handy app of many, this is still a good app to have. Gives batterlife/clinometer/currency/date calc/loan calc/icalendar/sale price/tip calc/units/translator/ruler/price grab/holidays/flashlight/days until/ google books/collapse.. all in ONE app. So for those who like things simple, this is an all in one combo.

MetPetDB- Shows you rock samples of whatever area you may be exploring. This is a new download for me, so haven't used it in the field, but the premise is awesome!

I have a ton more apps, but this will do for now. I'll add to this as I find time. Hope it helps you fellow iphone app lovers out there! ;0)

school, kids, bands, and books

2010-01-28T08:31:00.000-08:00

Some days are just easier than others. I had a thought flash through my head telling me I'd have a doctorate by now if I had just finished that dumb program I had started online. But I was unhappy in that format of school, and uninterested in the field of business. I know there are easier degrees out there, and to have a degree has obviously been my goal. But a Doctorate in a field I am not happy with would not equate to a BS in a field that makes me deliriously happy. Sounds less impressive, but at least I am excited about what I learn in geology. Petrology and optical mineralogy were my favorite of all classes, because I think thin sections are just indescribably amazing. How incredible is it to be able to tell a mineral by an extinction angle? Well, let me rephrase that: to distinguish one mineral from another via extinction angle. I could just eat that stuff up all day. I have never made a thin sample before, but some schools teach that handy skill in certain classes. (Mineralogy).

I hate that I am so old doing this crap. I am usually old enough to be some of my peers mother, although again, they don't realize it. Only when I mention Wise One do they finally look at me odd and ask my age. Then I get the looks of amazement and yadda yadda. I laugh aloud to myself here because it is probably the fact they don't pay enough attention to details or they would notice that I indeed do look my age. I just don't dress or act it. I'm embarrassed to admit that my brain still thinks of myself as being 25. You just even mention My Chemical Romance or Gerard Way and I cannot contain my "fanship" of them.

-On a side note to this, I did get Grim backstage to meet the band once when I took him to their concert. (He liked them too). I won't go into how I did it, but let's just say it was a lesson to my son of why you never take no for an answer when you really want something. You just find someone else more willing to listen. Well, okay I'll tell you how I did it. (Since you twisted my arm). It was me, Grim, and our neighbour and her sister (17 and 12). I told the guy (the one I found who would listen to me) that Grim loved MCR and would like to meet Frank (the guitar player). He didn't need an autograph or anything, and I didn't need to go back-just Grim. He just wanted to meet him real quick and say hello. I was emphatic that I didn't have to go back, nor the two girls with me. (A lot of people use their kids to get back to see bands etc, and I wanted to eliminate that suspicion right off the bat.) The guy asked me to wait a second, walked a few feet away and talked to someone on his talkie, then returned and said Grim could come with him. Success! They later brought us to the area seating area to wait, and when Grim returned he had a HUGE poster in hand! It was a very nice (thick paper) poster of the CD artwork signed by the entire band. Really nice of them! I asked Grim if he got to talk to Frank and he said, "Yes, I asked him 'How's the life?'" . I asked, "What did he respond?" Grim said, "Good. Very good." LOL. So that was our bonding weekend. I once got Little guy backstage to see his favorite hockey player too- but that's a story for another day. :)

Speaking of MCR, I have to express my delight in hearing that they are about to release a new album. For me, this is a good thing because I cannot even play their old stuff without my family inwardly groaning due to the excessive play time they (MCR)get during travel times. (Hey, I can't help that I have all their albums on my iphone and random play hits upon them more than anything else!) You can get more information about their upcoming album here.

Back to the age thing. I sometimes just feel like by the time I finish this dumb degree I will be too old to do anything with it. Husband says I should feel proud for having kept up with those 20-somethings during field camp, or when on field trips. Yeah, I guess I should. Field camp I did fairly well and I wasn't the slowest one out there. But this last year I did feel my age. I had trouble breathing when we were walking up a mountain, and I just couldn't catch my breath. Once at field camp we were going up a particularly steep incline (actually flat out steep) and I was gasping for air to where it just got to a hyperventilating type series of gasps. One of the instructors asked if I had asthma, and I said no, but he kept insisting that he thought I had asthma. In retrospect after speaking to my newest doctor, I guess I probably do have asthma. Little guy just recently was diagnosed with it, as we didn't realize the coughing was an asthmatic symptom. He got very ill and raspy so we thought he has pneumonia, but it was severe asthma. My point of all this is perhaps my decline in ability to keep up has something to do with the possibility of having asthma. I just didn't look into that issue after field camp because I am already on enough medication with the Intercranial Hypertension, adding more to the mix didn't appeal to me. But being last in the pack doesn't either- so I will have to step up the exercise to cover some inclines and see what happens. I'm not in shape enough to even go on a field trip at this point, to my utter disgust. Time really can escape from you if you don't make yourself a priority and chink out a moment of the day to take care of your body. Booo me!

The rest of today I need to set aside for some math. However, before I tackle that I have GOT to renew my GSA membership. One year I did the membership sans the magazine and I really missed getting that Geology issue each month. Sometimes I don't get around to reading them right away, but it is nice to have them. There is also a book I have been meaning to get, Microtectonics by Passchier. There was an additional book that I could have sworn was titled something to the like of : Finite Strain Axis of Microstructures, but for the life of me I cannot locate it in my links or google search. For some reason I had in my mind that there were thin section images, but perhaps I was only thinking of Passchier's book. When I have more time I will need to do a more detailed search to make sure, as I seem to recall liking it better than the latter. I'll probably get both if the second book even exists. Just bugs me I can't find it. Serves me right for not buying it then, but I suppose I was trying to be frugal or something. Go figure.

Just breathe.

2010-01-27T10:01:00.000-08:00

Been a bit overwhelmed in memorizing math concepts. 100 math problems in two weeks has my brain spinning to where there is no rhyme or reason to anything. Loved math last term, not so much this term. I feel like a huge weight is clenching down on my chest, but that is just my anxiety. I'm going to a study group tonight, so I just need to remember to breathe. I'm not the only one feeling this way, so the professor pushed the exam back a week. This means I need to take full advantage of the next week by trying not to stress to the point of freezing up.

I had wanted to go geocaching this weekend, but that will have to be put on hold for now. I'm thinking about starting a walking program just to get out and get fresh air, as I am feeling a bit stifled. The elliptical is okay, but I miss the time when I would take long walks early in the morning. Not sure there is a good enough pathway, but I am going to make a reconnaissance of the area and see if I can find a loop that would take about an hour there and back total time. Maybe tomorrow I will get to that- as today I was sidetracked. Started writing this blog at 9am and was interrupted by phone call after phone call. Now it's almost 4, goodness! Such a strange day- I rarely get phone calls, but it was nice catching up with people.

On the up side of things, a new Rock and Gem issue arrived today. While it doesn't top GSA's Geology magazine as my favorite, it is a nice magazine to flip through. The articles are mainly written by collectors and offer up a myriad of information given from a different perspective. Some articles are in depth and have limited scientific content regarding source rock and reaction zones, but mostly they delve into the mining and collection of specimens. There was a very interesting article in this new February issue about collecting Beryl in Rhode Island. The guy who wrote it described how they found a very nice vein along the coast. What a nice find! Further back in the magazine there was a listing of rock & mineral shows, and I found some that would be in my area in April. I told Husband we needed to go, but he translated it as "This is going to cost you a lot of money." lol. We are still going.

students and professors...

2010-01-25T10:35:00.000-08:00

Something brought to mind an incident that occurred a few years ago in one of my classes. One of the students was also older than the pack -even older than me, if you can imagine. lol. Anyhow, this guy was a real turd. When I first met him, he always sat next to me in classes and almost all our classes were the same (small department). He started making advances towards me, and when rebuffed he became very belligerent. (It occurred on a field trip). I had complained about it to my advisor, and even had a witness to his behavior which was also relayed to the advisor, but it was treated with indifference. Everyone knew he was an ass, so that was to be expected of him was pretty much the attitude I received. So suffice it to say that disliking this student would be putting it mildly when describing my feelings towards him. He pretty much disgusted me.

Well he had trouble memorizing mineral samples, and on a quiz coming up we were told to know what the samples on the table were. He then (I knew this because I witnessed him doing it) went through all the drawers to compare the unlabeled minerals with other samples until he had the quiz done. Then he turned it in to the professor at the beginning of class. Well, the problem with that is the fact that the minerals were not yet ready (the professor had not decided which ones to put out for identification) and thus those that were out already may or may not be the ones on the quiz. When pinhead handed the quiz in, the professor mentioned he hadn't put out the minerals he was going to use, but that it was okay and he would take pinhead's quiz. Another student came in a little later and was asking about the quiz, and asked if we could use the samples in the drawers (that were labeled) as comparison to those on the table. The professor said no. Well this is where I jump in and say, "Well, pinhead did it, how is that fair?" To my utter shock, the professor calls me a tattle tale. What?! Um, okay.

So the following semester, (different course/same professor) the professor leaves the room while we are having our final exam. Pinhead (along with another guy) started opening books to look for diagrams that were on the exam in which we had to fill in. I thought about reporting this, but being as I had already been called a tattle tale by the professor and the aspect that any complaint about this pinhead to people in the department went ignored, I just let it go. It was a curve-based grading system, so I was very annoyed with the cheating. Not to mention the fact that the professor was known to already have a grade in his head for you, despite what you really earned.

I later repeated a course he taught and wow, what a difference in quality of teaching. So sometimes it behooves me to have to re-take classes, as much as it pains me to admit it. Same with another professor at that same institution (who was my advisor). I retook a course they taught and discovered that it wasn't that the material was too difficult, but that she never could explain things without stopping mid-way and going on to something totally different. (LOL- which would be akin to me teaching a class without my ADHD meds!).

Not sure why I recalled that incident, as it was a couple of years ago. Cheating happens all the time though. Even last term while I was taking a math exam (professor wasn't in the room) a guy walked past me and looked down at my exam to see my graph, only to see it was different than his (he even said it out loud!). He went back to his seat and recalculated his problem again. I told him that I was not the best person to be judging his answers by. lol. As it turned out, I got an A on that exam, so I suppose he made the right choice, but still- I was shocked at how obvious he was. Sometimes I run across situations that are so incredulous to me that I have to just shake my head in amazement.

Jobless after a geology degree? Pfft!

2010-01-24T11:52:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I was browsing through the blogosphere and came across a blog that was a bit disconcerting. It was on the topic of jobs for geologists upon graduation, and how upon their graduation (with an MS I am assuming) they are considered over educated and under experienced. It went on to express an attitude of negativity towards even striving for a degree in geology. This is what bothered me the most. What made them feel so negative about the degree I don't really know, other than the fact that they were unable to secure a job position. This may or may not have a link towards the degree itself. I am left to wonder if it is really a lack of job listings, or if it a matter of not getting hired for said job listings? For example, I knew a girl who was going for her MS in geology that I would never (as an employer) hire. She presented herself in a very unprofessional manner (yes, we all do at times, but this was her entire essence). While she was a TA in one of the classes I had been taking, I asked her a question and she could not answer it. Having now completed the course I now know my question was of the type that she most certainly SHOULD have been able to answer it. Being a TA she should have at least attempted (IMO) to find the answer. Instead she spent the entire class time working on her biology homework. Must be nice to get paid for studying another class while TA-ing for something else. She was frequently hung over, and extremely irresponsible (she was having a peer do her homework for her in geochem). Not that an employer would know about said behavior, but her demeanor was such that you would not be surprised by those actions were they to come to light. There are many other facets to this story I could mention, but I don't want to make this post too long.

I've encountered students such as her on more than one occasion. So when I read that jobs are not to be found for geologists I have to wonder at the accuracy of that statement. You have to take a lot of factors into consideration when someone claims jobs are not to be found. It is a bad economy at present and jobs everywhere are tough to come by. But did the individual look for jobs outside their hometown? I have noticed a great number of students are unwilling to strike out on their own and move away from where they have lived their entire lives after they graduate. How are they going about their job search? If you send out only 3 resumes and get a no, I hardly call that not being able to find a job, because a job search wasn't really even attempted. You have to make looking for a job your JOB, if you are really going to be successful. Jobs don't just fall into your lap.

While it isn't the responsibility of your school's department to find a job for you, it's beneficial when they are networking with the local (and not so local) companies that are looking for new blood. Some of the schools I have attended are really good about this -incredibly so in fact; some not at all. However, even with the greatest of resources, the responsibility still lies upon the student (or I should say graduate) to land a job. Some may get help in having the way pointed out to them, but they still have to present themselves in a manner that will result in getting hired. If you look like you just came from Woodstock '10, then I think you may need to hit the mall to find something more appropriate. Speak eloquently and resist the urge to use slang. "Like, you know, I am sooo like awesome at, like drawing rock outcrops dude!" is not going to make a positive impression.

Aside from all that, geology is still a man's world. Yes, I said it! It is a fact and if you are a female and cannot hack dealing with the petty crap men can throw at you for not having an extra appendage hanging off your body, then you are in trouble. Oh, and you WILL encounter those situations, hence the person interviewing for positions that require interactions with such cretins will be assessing you for your ability to deal with it. If you are a miss-princess-carry-my-pack-full-of-rock-samples-down-the-mountain type, then nope, you won't get that job. I'm not saying you have to walk into an interview dressed as Bell Star, but if you have a professional demeanor you will be treated in a professional way. (Most times). If you appear vulnerable in an interview and have a thin skin, a male counterpart may get the job over you because the last thing a company wants to deal with is a drama queen. (Who does, really?) If you are whiny in an interview, they are going to know you will whine at work. Hello! ***While I have not worked in the field as a geologist personally, I have been around those who have. I also know there is still a bit of the "old school" way of thinking that still exists, because I have encountered it with professors who don't feel women should be in the field. (Only a few, but they are still out there.) As far as corporate goes, it's an elephant in the kitchen (IMO). This attitude is changing, but it still exists to some extent.***

So, when I read about the so called "job" situation for geologists, I took it with a grain of salt. If the worst case scenarios I presented were not a factor in them finding a job, well maybe it's just their circumstances of the moment. Also, how long were they looking for the job? A 3 mo. span of time cannot be a determination for "cannot find a job" to the point you would advocate against getting the degree (or portraying it to be a worthless endeavor). It doesn't matter what degree you get, there can be pitfalls in initially landing a job.

Therefore, I say to do what you love. If you love geology and it makes you happy, then get that degree. While your summers are free, intern for experience. Offer to intern for free, just for experience if you have to. Be proactive in looking for internships. Don't just look for internship ads, look up companies that do work in your area of interest and contact them personally. (The small ones are a better bet IMO). I personally found a contact online that I could intern for this summer if I want to just by emailing a guy who owned a small company. I asked his opinion on what he looks for in an employee and how should I prepare myself as a student in landing a job with a company such as his. In other words, be proactive.

Karst topography

2010-01-23T09:45:00.000-08:00

My post on Friday was too long to include this juicy little tid-bit in it, so I am including it in today's post. So, Thursday the pressure in my head from the IH was so bad it felt like my eyebrows were lurching over my eyeballs. I decided that I couldn't stand to listen to my math professor talk like a kid with too much sugar without wanting to stab myself in the forehead, so I stayed home. He really is a great guy and a fabulous teacher, but this term he is jacked-up-toddler-on-sugar hyper to the point I cannot follow what the hell he is trying to say. I have found it's easier to just take notes as I can and decipher them when I get home- and any questions I have I find the answers to online. [This frigging generation has no CLUE how sweet they have it with the internet-I remember when I first started college we had to actually go to the library for information, and even then chances were the book you wanted was gone so you had to camp out the spot until it was returned]. But I digress. So, there I was, at home with a pressure headache- not sharp in pain, but a lot of pressure and uncomfortable. The phone then rang and the TV displayed that it was a cell phone number none of us recognized. I told Mandy to answer it, and she did but it was for me so she went to hand me the phone, but I waved her away (thinking Husband was probably late on paying a bill again..grrr..) and had her give the phone to Husband. He picks up the phone and when they asked for me, he asked who was calling. A huge evil smile comes across his face so I think that maybe it is my aunt [I call her my mom's bulldog] and I inwardly groan. As he hands me the phone he says "It's your math professor." WHAT!?? WTF.

I take the call and he is on the other line asking me if I am coming to class. I again feel like a huge degenerate, but I tell him no, I wasn't feeling well. He continued to say that they were covering important material- yadda yadda. I know this, I hate missing classes even if I have trouble following because of the ADHD, as because of it, I am slower than my peers and I usually need more notes than the average bean. But this day I just could not try to keep up with his fast pace and deal with my head at the same time. I could tell he was not happy. Even if I did go in despite everything, it would have taken me a half hour to 45 mins to get there. Once I hung up the phone Husband laughed and said who else but ME would get busted out [at my age] by my professor for playing hooky.

I know this isn't going to bode well for me. I have tried to tell him about my bouts of confusion when my pressure is high; heck I forgot how to multiply 6*7 once when he was drilling me about some formula last term. I became more frustrated, and tried to tell him about the IH but he always cuts me off. I suppose it really doesn't matter what issues I have going on, it is college and you either sink or swim. But sometimes it would be nice to have a little less "in-your-face" pressure. [Emotional pressure, not IH pressure- but I'm sure if you are still reading this blog, you've adapted to my inept writing abilities by now]. Seriously though, who gets a phone call from their professor? I'm happy he is concerned for me in regards to learning the material, but if I don't attend a class I know it is to my detriment and therefore I have a legit reason. I'm a big girl, not 19 anymore. LOL, reminds me of the time I previously mentioned when I had that mineralogy class and the professor yelled at me for being late (for the first and only time). All that term students were constantly walking in late and he never said anything to them. I come in 5 mins late and he reams me. I think this goes back to the 'Crows have their moments' post in that aspect. This is just another path of karst topography to walk over.

A VERY long fluffy post

2010-01-22T09:11:00.000-08:00

I feel the need to clarify myself in regards to my previous post. I was thinking about it, and thought that perhaps my way of putting things were not quite so fair to those who are religious or all sahms. I know there are good sahm's out there who are not of the ilk I describe, I just have not been lucky enough to encounter them. Or, if I have, they were enlisted wives and they (or their husbands) did not desire to facilitate the friendship after discovering my husband's rank. One example was the time I met a girl online (-forgot the particulars but this was years ago when the kids were small and I had just moved, so was lonesome for a friend) who owned a Great Dane, which we did as well. We made a play date at her house for the kids and dogs and were having a great time. She was a clever girl, although not formally educated. She was a bit eccentric to the point of being charming and she was funny, so I was happy to share a laugh with someone after being stuck in an apartment all the time. Then her husband came home. He seemed angry she had someone over, and I knew it was time to go. I could not understand why he was so angry, but he was yelling at her and was very very angry. It scared me. Then I discovered that he saw the sticker on my car, and was angry because I was an officer's wife. I was extremely upset over the incident, as to be judged by what my husband's rank was really aggravated me. It was as if I myself had no identity. I felt very small at that moment.

Then there was the PTA incident where I was ambushed by the other mom's - and later told it was because they didn't feel an officer's wife belonged in their group. Wha?! I had never done anything to these people, but they had an anger towards me just because I was married to someone that gave them the impression I was an elitist. They did not even bother to get to know me as a person. Oh, this goes both ways as well- because I was once an enlisted wife. I married very young and my first husband was enlisted. I had felt the sting of being snubbed by an officer's wife- and she did it to me publicly, in a very humiliating manner. This type of behavior is found in all genres, even now (for me) with those who have degrees and those who do not. Not having my degree, I am sometimes made to feel (by those around me who do have their degree) inferior. The only time that a grad student hasn't been able to insult me was when I was at a university where non-geology majors were consistently accepted into the geology grad program. I had way more geology under my belt than they did, and I wasn't about to let them play that game with me. Why I let others get under my skin I don't know, it is an issue I suppose I can explore later.

Pre-judging others is a habit most of us cannot avoid. We all do it to some extent. I am horrible around people who are ignorant/dumb. (But then that isn't pre-judging, it's a decision made after they have opened their mouth). You can be lacking in a formal education, but still have a brain with smarts- you come across dumb-asses even with the highest of educations. I cannot even count how many dumb-assed doctors I have come across. They are so pompous they end up being ignorant, disregarding any other theories, hence a dumbass.[I meant medical doctors here, but I suppose it could apply to a Phd. My main point was that just because they have a degree, doesn't necesarriy mean they are brainiacs]. I try to avoid pre-judging, because the most lively and intelligent of friends I have made were generally the social outcasts of some form of group. I was a cheerleader in HS but my best friends were two guys I secretly played D&D with every Sunday.(Not secretly because they were my friends, it was because I was playing D&D). I'm still in contact with them even today-thanks to FB. Does that make me a flat out nerd, or a closet nerd? Anyways...

Ever get those religious people who come to your door? Are you rude to them? This is a situation my kids totally and utterly enjoy (when a religious group knocks on our door). They yell for me right away! And when I get to the door and see who it is, I ask them questions about religion. I am never rude. If they cannot answer my questions with a logical answer and only spout off irrelevant bible verses, I generally start asking questions or point out aspects they cannot refute, which then frustrates them so deeply they cut the conversation short and leave. The ones who do that are never willing to listen to what I believe. If you come to my door, at least give me the option to tell you what I think... Well, one day a religious group (recently) came to my door. The man was very sharp in his quotes, and they were always pertinent to our conversation. I told him my beliefs, and he respected that. But, I also like to learn about other beliefs and this wasn't just a run of the mill "christian" group sending out ignorant kool-aide drinking minions. This man impressed me. I think I kept him at my door for at least half an hour. He gave me some pamphlets and promised to return to get my opinion another day. And he did return, often. I wasn't always available though, but he brought another lady once and she made an appointment with me so I could sit down with her and ask her about her religion. I told her up-front I was not wanting to convert, but that I like to expose my children to religions that have some form of ethics (or what I perceive as ethics) to them. They had impressed me, therefore I wanted Grim and Mandy to sit down with them and ask questions pertaining to their belief system. I feel religion is a highly personal choice, and therefore it is up to Grim and Mandy to decide for themselves what path they want to take. Learning about different religions is always a good thing, IMO. But I also always let them know the scientific facts- so it is a balancing act.

So, they have this discussion with the woman and her husband, and when they were done we were given a card and I was pretty sure I would have to take Grim and Mandy to their church for awhile (inward groan) because I had somewhat committed ourselves to things (by letting them in) and somehow felt it would be disrespectful otherwise. The lady said she would return in a few days to see what Grim and Mandy thought. A few days pass, and she arrived at the door. I was chatting with her and the other lady she brought as Grim and Mandy were not at home, and somehow we got on to the topic of how dangerous it was for kids and that you just couldn't trust people. I was telling her how I felt a lot of people used the fact that they were "active" members in their church to somehow mean they were upstanding individuals. My FIL and his new wife [I call her Satan] are a perfect example, but I'll tell that story another time.

I then asked the woman if she ever read 'The Smell of Apples'? She made a motion indicating no, so I went on to tell her that after reading that book, you would never trust your children with ANYONE. That a lot of people put on a show in regards to who they really are. They are also usually the first ones to put down those who put themselves out there as a "what you see is what you get" kind of manner. I asked her if she wanted to read the book- that I had it! Without waiting for an answer, I ran and retrieved the book from the garage. Upon bringing it back, I explained it was a book from an assigned reading list in a literature class I had taken. That it was a bit vile, but once she read it she would know what I meant about people who present themselves as "Christians" right off the bat. That those who tell anyone and everyone how great they are because they have a certain belief system, aren't the ones I would automatically trust. I am more apt to admire the poor man who offers his last dollar to a bum on the street without anyone noticing than someone who brags about their volunteer work. (Be it church or school- generally it is the same individual doing both).

Well, I think she read the book. In fact, I am pretty positive she has read the book. (sigh). I had such hopes for her being open-minded, but I think the book traumatized her because it has been a month now and the weekly visits have come to a screeching halt. This is a good thing, but I have to admit to feeling a bit guilty for some reason. So, very LONG story short- if you want a JW off your back, get a copy of that book and tell them to read it.

***** On a side note, reasons as to why I wouldn't encourage this religion for my kids:

#1 They believe carbon dating is inaccurate and therefore the earth is not as old as we say it is.

#2 If science says anything contradictory to the bible, then science is wrong.

#3 They are coming back as zombies. (no, not exactly, but sort of- they are of the thought that when the whatever guy comes they will be brought back to life.)

#4 They do not believe in military service.

Wow, I have really gone on a tangent here, but there you have it in a not so small nutshell. I may delete this post- it's a bit out there and totally fluffy. Almost embarrassingly so. lol. But, that is what was on my mind at the time, so fluff it is for now.

12 steps to friendship

2010-01-21T08:39:00.000-08:00

I survived the bus stop posse this morning mostly by sitting in the jeep waiting, but when little guy saw his friend walking up with his mom he wanted to get out. Not being able to disappoint little guy because of my petty feelings of annoyance for the posse, I got out. I kinda like little guys friends' mom anyway.

Years ago Husband had teased me about how picky I was in making friends. When I had finally chosen a friend, he asked "So she passed your 12 steps to friendship test then?" I kinda laughed it off, but truth be told I can be quite guarded when making friends. At least that was when I was just a sahm. All I had to pick from were other sahm's. Since getting out of that circuit and being around people who have similar interests as I do, I haven't had any trouble finding friends. I don't mesh with sahm's though. I am agnostic, so that bothers a lot of them. Not sure why, but it really does. On more than one occasion I have been treated quite frostily once my beliefs have been revealed. I have a different opinion about children than most sahm. As a lot of them think their little johnny can do no wrong and it MUST be someone elses child's fault. Once I had a mother come to my door demanding to know why Grim wouldn't play with her son. Why didn't he like her son. I was ill that day and wasn't in the mood for an altercation - and I also wasn't as quick of mind or I would have remembered a key point and retorted to her "Oh, I don't know, I suppose the aspect that your shithead son tried to hit Grim over the head with a SHOVEL may have something to do with it!" but I didn't think of that until I closed the door after telling her I would talk to Grim just to get her to leave. I was halfway to the living room when I remembered that incident with the shovel and thought "Crap!" I could have so HAD her right there! I really hate when my best thoughts come 15 seconds too late.

So no, I don't really get on with sahms. I am quite guarded around them, because I have found them in the past to be backstabbing psychotic gossip mongers. I am sure there may be one or two out there that are not like that, but for the most part, as a general rule, I expect the worst from them. Therefore, the 12 steps came into play. Only one person has ever passed it, and in the end she ended up being quite not what I expected. We were friends for years until I went back to school, when she started with subtle insults that traveled over to posts on FB. After one particular post I was so taken aback I asked my eldest daughter [I'll refer to her as The Wise One]what she thought of the post, in case I was reading it the wrong way. She, always the sage one, said "I think you have outgrown that friendship." LOL. wow. I swear that girl always gives good advice! -In case you are wondering, she is in college herself - I just look young for my age. Makes it easier to blend in too, as sometimes students assume I am close to their age.

But that also has another edge to it, because most of my friends are quite a bit younger than me. I had a peer who was a bit older than me, and she had kids, but she was ... well, let's just say that when she refused to clean up after herself when we were in the field and used the excuse that she had maids and was allergic to cleaners..well I was just trying not to kill her. Friendship would have been quite impossible. I told her I wasn't her maid and she could use water and a rag to scrub the shower out when she was done. The other girls were annoyed with her but wouldn't say anything to her. I'm of the thought that if I think something and you are around for me to say it to personally, I am going to tell you. The others were happy just complaining about it to one another. This causes me problems a lot of the time- saying what I think. Honesty may have its virtues, but it certainly won't win you the prize. Not in a social setting anyways. I'm thinking I am just entirely socially inept. I expect too much of people. That, and I think I scare people because of my tendency to be so blunt. My geologist friends don't seem to mind once they figure me out. I get mad, I yell at you, I get over it and forget about it. Although- I only have yelled at one geology person and it was a girl who wanted my lab answers when she was sitting in the room with a group of us watching a video that we found on youtube with the answers, pausing and writing it down as each of us desired. She sat off to the side and waited until we were done then wanted me to give her what I had. It didn't help that she was also a lab partner and felt her pictures from a field trip were sufficient contribution to the project (when we all had pictures and hers were blurry and without scales in them). So yeah, I yelled.

I've never thought of myself as a mean person, but perhaps being honest would put me in the category at times. As I have grown older I have discovered that sometimes it is best to keep my opinions to myself, and I do most times. Only when it crosses my threshold will I finally come out and say something anymore. Which is why this blog is probably a good thing. I can vent it all out and not say anything snippy to the posse. Why they get under my skin as they do I have no idea. It's such a small thing to let bother me. Perhaps because this is the first year in quite a few years that I have had to deal with sahm's. The last time I dealt with them was when we lived on post and the group in our cul-de-sac gossiped about what a horrid mother I was because I was leaving for Jordan and my husband had to move the kids solo to our next duty station. PULEASE! I had moved solo many times and no one felt sorry for MY ass, yet they were all commenting on how I was leaving the country and my husband was left to do everything. Oh, they were subtle comments to my face, to the point I couldn't call them out on the carpet for it without looking like an ass, but they were there nonetheless.

It's how you play the game

2010-01-20T12:53:00.000-08:00

I have had a myriad of Geology coursework. There are several classes I still want/need before I complete my undergrad degree though. I want/need Hydrogeology, Paleontology, and GeoChemistry. The classes I have already completed -I'll put a x2 if I have had to repeat the course due to transferring and the new university required it of me, but I have never failed a Geology course. I did get two C's, but that was my first semester as a geology student and I've already explained that in a previous blog post. So here goes, in no particular order, although I will try and put them in chronological order best I can.
Mineralogy
Structural Geology x2
General Geology
GIS (more of a geography course, but I would recommend to ANY geology student)
Geology Seminar x2
Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology x2
Archaeology cluster course
Field Methods
Geo-Statistics
Special topics-Fossils
Hist. Earth & Life
Topics in Geosciences: Biosphere
Stratigraphy & Sedimentology
Earthquakes & Volcanoes
Geology Field Camp
Crystal and Optical Mineralogy

And that is all I can think of off the top of my head. I think I got them all. Wow, that is not as impressive as I thought it would look written out. It seems sorely lacking somehow. I may be forgetting something, but I don't think I am. huh. Well.. I still need those three classes I previously mentioned. I may pick up Environmental Geology next term, just to see what that has to offer (perspective-wise). I have several books on the subject, and was very interested in the effects of shale that was covered in a few of the chapters. Now, the list above is only the geology coursework I have completed. I didn't even touch on all those misc. liberal arts classes each university made me take to cover their prerequisites. I have over 160 sem credit hours now, as I just calculated it. LOL. Too funny. I'll have well over 200 by the time I finally get a degree. Maybe I should look into a BA. But then, I have worked so hard towards this BS, and a BA will not get me a job when I am done. At least not one of the kind I am looking into. None of my peers have a BA- they are all graduating with a BS and at this point (if I finish those 3 classes and some basics that I am currently working on) I will too.

Another thing that holds me back from getting the BA is the feeling that I would be looked down upon with a BA. I'm tired of being looked down upon. I get it all the time by grad students and even once by a sanctimonious geologist I came across by chance online. I don't claim to know more than the average bean, as I don't. But I am also working my lifepath in reverse. Others do career first, I did kids first. So what. Being first to know something doesn't mean they are better than anyone else. I don't think they would appreciate it if I told them (or had the attitude that) I was a better parent because I have already "been there, done that". If they have wisdom/info to offer, then by all means I am willing to listen and learn. But if it is done in a condescending sanctimonious fashion I am more apt to walk away. Life is too short to have to deal with elitists. I have dealt with those types long enough through the army spouses ranks when I was just a 2nd lt.'s wife and the colonel's wife wore her husband's rank. I've learned that it doesn't matter the genre, those personality types invade all realms.

I do have to say that my experience in Texas was not like that- none of the grad students behaved in that manner, but those at other schools I have attended did. Not sure why Texas was different. Perhaps it was because of the group dynamics, or the environment facilitated by the department. Everyone worked together there, and while we may have had disagreements (be it personal or academic) it was all talked about in a healthy way. I miss those discussions we would have regarding our hypothesis on certain environments in sed/strat. Even when disagreeing, if we presented a good enough argument the group could be swayed to agree with your answer- and if you swayed the group, chances were that you were probably correct in your theory. Fun times. Other schools I have been to were more of a negative experience. My last school totally ditched a girl I grew to be friends with (only one in the department worth keeping as a friend when I left) at field camp because she had hurt her knee. This slowed her down considerably. Instead of using her as a data entry person, they just left her to do the projects on her own. She ended up winning the Field Camp award, which made me so happy for her. She said the rest of the class was really angry- but I think those selfish brats deserved to lose. They were out for number one instead of working as a cohesive team. The group I went to field camp with would have never just left her out on her own. Not because the professors would never have allowed it, but because they had/have ethics. Sometimes it's not about winning, but how you play the game.

I've droned on enough about my nonsense for today. I think I've lost the track to my point anyways. Chalk it up to too much crap spinning around in this head of mine. I'll insert more than one rock picture this time to make it up to you, dear reader.

It was a good hair day.

2010-01-19T23:24:00.000-08:00

The day didn't progress as I had hoped. It appears to me that this would have been a good day to have just stayed in bed with a good book and just lost myself. Not sure if I should recount all the things that went wrong, or recount the shorter list of what did NOT go wrong today. Sheesh. For one, I have been remembering to take my IH meds. (Yes, a good thing). Drawback is having to run for the bathroom to pee every 10 minutes. Well, apparently I rushed a wee bit too fast to the one upstairs and didn't check well enough as to the lid position. This did not make me happy. The day progressed with not being able to locate items I needed to finish a project I'm working on and while this wasn't disastrous, it did make me grumpy.

The dog yakked on the carpet and I don't do "yak" well. Never have, never will. Husband has always done that for me when the kids did it, and usually when the dog does it- but I was flying solo so grabbed some plastic baggies and took care of it all the while cussing his sorry ass out. -I KNOW he does it on purpose, just like that kid in the alien weather balloon/bubble does. Grr...

As I was getting ready to leave to class I noticed my favorite converses have a hole in them! I am dejected! I don't even think they sell them anymore- they have the jackass skull with crossed crutches logo on the side. I've had a few crutches myself through the years (2 ankle surgeries) so I am very partial to those shoes. I hate to think their day may be coming to an end. The thought is just unthinkable. (insert convincing sniffle here)

I studied for a quiz, only later to discover that the complicated part I had been committing to memory wasn't even ON the quiz, but the part I had the mnemonic memorized for was asked. It was at that moment I realized I had a mind blank on what the mnemonic stood for. Total brain blank- someone must have passed by me with a magnet or something, because it wiped me totally clean. Some days I really do just feel like giving up the goat.

On the up side, it was a good hair day.

Dunce today

2010-01-19T11:20:00.000-08:00

Gawd. I am already wishing I could just go back to bed. I was reading through my list of blogs because I was bored and totally misread one of them not once, but twice! It was the first time I ever bothered to comment on one of those things and I'm regretting it already. It's one of those days where my eyes see one thing brain sees another= ditz. I should know by now to just come back another time to respond when my brain is foggy from the pressure. Anyhow, I suppose we all have our dumb moments. I just have them more often than others! (at least of late) lol. To be fair, it's more of a manner of having bouts of confusion due to the IH. I get really aggravated with it because it is a little bit like being trapped in a brain that won't do what it is told, or that misleads you, or that just plain stalls out like a scratched disk. My way of dealing with that frustration is humour. Doesn't always work.

Last night I found some old pictures on a flash drive by accident. Grim needed to save a ppt presentation, so I found the drive and went to clean it out when I saw all these older pictures from a couple of years ago when we lived on the ocean. There was one taken from our back yard that had a yellow hue which is how it would sometimes look right before a big storm would hit. Others had ships in the background as little guy played in a rare snowfall. Some were beach photos. There was one of our cat when she was a kitten sleeping by our dog when he was still a young pup. They made me smile looking back at some of them.

I really miss living at the beach. I miss the sun, actually. The ocean is always a perk, but a pool is a good substitute if you cannot be at the surf. On the east coast (except for FL) the ocean is so murky you have to keep the idea of sharks being there out of your mind. I brushed up against a small one once, but it was very very small. I knew what it was due to the feel of sandpaper. The dolphins were pretty active in the ocean outside our back yard too- the pod would feed at dawn and dusk. You could see them herd a school of fish and they would circle around it and teach the babies how to fish, finishing up with jumps and flips. Who knows, maybe one day we will be by the ocean again. At this point though, I'd just be happy with a little sun.

Procrastination

2010-01-18T15:18:00.000-08:00

I have been procrastinating like usual, as I have a quiz tomorrow and no interest in memorizing mathematical formulas today. Nor did I yesterday. I think this will come to bite me in the butt, but oh well. Yesterday I procrastinated by finding 4 geocaches. It was quite fun and only took us a couple of hours. Some of them were pretty cleverly hidden, a couple were pretty easy to spot once in the right place. Of course, husband has the eagle eye. One he found after I told him to look behind a nook of crossed logs and then he claimed victory for it. I quickly explained we were not an "Army of One" but more like a geological team and therefore it was a TEAM effort. Ha ha, that kinda got him because he hated that dumb slogan the Army used to have and I knew it would make my point. lol. He still insisted on putting in army stuff when we traded things out of the cache which annoyed me to no end- the first time didn't bother me, but after the 3rd one it did. I was using some qtz xls for trades and only got to trade once before I finally put my foot down and told him he needed to get his own geocaching account if he was going to keep it all army all the time. Maybe I was just being grumpy, but it did annoy me and I am never one to keep what annoys me to myself. Of course, if he does get his own account it will be "game on" for sure when searching for a cache. We will be then in competition and neither of us like to lose, so I can only picture it now. Grim and Mandy would just sit back and enjoy the show while poor little guy would divide his time following both Husband and myself around in order to not show favortism. LOL.

Truth be told, Husband would beat me hands down finding the caches in wooded areas, as he is pretty good about the terrain and finding things in nooks of a tree. But when we come across caches with geological clues I would win- so i will have to be sure to put those on our list if we do, in fact, get separate accounts. :)

Other than that, it has been an uneventful weekend. I made a cool find at target on Friday though- a grinder/mortar pestle set made of basalt-! I was passing an end cap and saw the picture on the box and it looked like a rustic mortar/pestle so I opened the box purely out of curiosity. To my delight I discovered it was made of basalt and was a fantastic sample- the fact that it was also utilitarian was beside the point. As when I looked at the sales price of 13.00 for a hefty piece of basalt of that type I was sold! Then when I got it home I read more about it and found it really is quite the find! I washed it off in warm water to debris it, and used my rock scrubber to loosen any embedded grains. Then per the instructions, this morning I put rice in it and ground it down. Wow did it powder out quickly with minimal effort! I am supposed to do this until the rice power no longer has grit remaining from the basalt and it is then considered "seasoned". Personally I am just having fun making rice "flour". As you can see in the picture by the bits of rice strewn about the counter, I'm a little messy. I feel a bit like a little kid with it! Husband pretended to make a fuss (or maybe he was, I don't know as I wanted it so didn't pay attention) when I bought it- but he tore off the sales price to see I got it for 1/3 the original cost. I think he concedes that it is quite a nifty kitchen tool now too. As I have mortar/pestles, but they are all smooth marble in type and I kinda need something with a bit of roughness to it for making my cilantro/garlic blend I do when cooking.

When I was done taking a picture of my new (quite wonderful) find, I went ahead and took a bunch of pictures of my favorite rock samples that I can interject here or there in my posts so they aren't so boring in case someone is actually reading this blog. I find that even the most sniveling of drivel is often forgivable if a nice picture of a rock is presented. At least I hope that is so in my case. :)

The rock featured here on the left is one of my favorites. It is a perfect sample of Z-folds that I got off a schist outcrop in Georgia.

meh.

2010-01-14T09:16:00.000-08:00

I survived bus stop duty today and even returned a look of apathy towards mr. coffee dude when he kept looking over at me as he did his morning gossip with the posse. I really just wanted to flip him the bird, but alas, I was a good girl.[Husband says my name for "Mr. Coffee" is too manly, and I should refer to him as he does:"Mr. Martha". So "Mr. Martha" it is.]

On to other news.. I suppose the earthquake in Haiti warrants some form of comment. I have an app on my iphone that tells me what earthquakes occurred daily. When I am in waiting rooms or have time for myself I will load it up and just see what new is happening on it. Recently I noticed a huge amount of earthquakes occurring in Puerto Rico which I found surprising because I never realized how frequent they were there. My ex-husband is from PR, and we would go there 1-2 mos. out of the year and live/visit when we were married. I never felt any EQ there, but that doesn't mean they weren't frequent. I just don't recall him ever even telling me about them, so I was surprised to see it occurring when I perused the iphone app. The houses there are built pretty similar those in Haiti and I think it would be pretty devastating if it had happened there as well, except they aren't as poor of an area as Haiti. However I am digressing. Back to those EQ in PR.. the Dominican Republic and Haiti are all along the same convergent boundary and the islands have many transform faults. I cannot help but wonder if those escalated EQ's in PR that I noticed (as there were quite a few) were a prelude to this one. I've only had the EQ app for a few months, so perhaps the frequency I was noticing in PR isn't really a frequency at all. I'll have to look into that now, because I am curious. I did find a picture from the USGS in regards to the tectonics in Haiti that I will embed into this post- the green lines are transform faults, purplish pink are subduction zones. I just saw that the depth of the EQ was only 13km- wow pretty shallow! I wonder if they experienced any seiches in the port.

I think I may have managed to get my spinal pressure down a bit. At least enough to alleviate some of the bouts of confusion I was having. It's not at the point where I feel somewhat normal yet, but it is at least enough to grasp the new material that is being thrown my way in math. Well, actually, it isn't new material, just a new way of thinking about processes I use/have used in Geology already. Nothing like learning things backwards!! Ha ha. They cut our class size so those that are in the class I am in now were all in the last class to. Therefore we all kinda know each other. Not a bad group of people really.

Little guy came to me yesterday to announce proudly that the book we gave his teacher for christmas inspired him to schedule a session on learning about rocks and minerals. Little guy is in a combo 2nd/3rd grade class, so to him at this age he was just very proud of that aspect. I had picked out a really cool rocks and minerals book for his teacher in hopes he could use it for his class as a reference, as it came with a disk of images and a poster. Little guy was so excited he asked if he could bring his malachite sample. Well, I told him to ask his teacher what kind of rocks/minerals he would like to have for show and we would see about accommodating that wish. This made little guy just beam. I love making little guy beam.

Big Bang Theory

2010-01-12T14:26:00.000-08:00

Wow, I do need a friend- I am blogging twice in one day. But I feel uncontrollably compelled to share my most favorite shopping destination. ThinkGeek.com. I love love love that store- if it were one I visited in person I would spend all day in that store. Last night I was watching my favorite show (The Big Bang Theory) and Leonard was wearing my favorite shirt! The ferrous wheel! Gawd I love that shirt. I found it at thinkgeek.com and couldn't be without it. It's a shirt with Fe+2 written on it in the form of a circle emulating a "ferrous wheel". You know, Ferris wheel? Eh.. husband didn't get it either. Now if you are a geo person reading this you will probably have already opened up thinkgeek.com in another browsing window right now to order yourself one of those cool shirts! yeah baby! ha ha. I'll have to take a picture of myself in it some day.

Thinking about adding tutorials

2010-01-12T09:02:00.000-08:00

I am new to this blogging thing, as I have pretty much been balls to the walls for the past 4 years trying to graduate from each school I have attended. This time, when the "big school" rejected my application because of the missing spanish 2 class it forced me to step back a bit. I'm always taking the max amount of credits to do whatever I can trying to graduate, esp. after I finished my core Geology curriculum. However my last school then wanted me to repeat 50% of said coursework, and that made it impossible to finish/graduate before we moved again. We were supposed to be there for a few years, but as usual the Army changed their mind and were only there 11 mos. Not that I am complaining- none of us liked our last duty station and couldn't leave fast enough.

As I was getting to, the past year was a bit cathartic to me. I repeated two geology courses- one of which I was going to repeat anyways due to the aspect it was Structural Geology and I took it my first semester when I should not have. I discovered at Geology Field Camp that it would be in my best interest to repeat Structural Geology- I ended up with a B+ but could have had an A if I had some of the skills needed but was missing. I won't bash the old school, but lets just say not all courses are equal in quality. So I took Structures for a second time with a professor that was just fantastic, but brutal. I always find I learn the most from those types. The exams were 6 hours long- lab incl. Talk about killer. But wow did I learn from this man- he really was a fantastic teacher, and the students at that school had/have no clue what a gem they have by learning from such a person. They were too interested in complaining. Or cheating. I won't go into that either, but lets suffice it to say that if that had happened in Texas that group would have been booted from the school. The majority of which were grad students. I suppose nothing was done because it would have put a dent in the department- but they had to have known (other than the fact that I told him when I learned the students found a link to test answer keys hidden on the prof.'s website and brought it to his attention.) Being as the class was graded on a curve I was not very happy. However, when grades are abnormally high all of a sudden, well, I think he knew. The same group apparently did the same thing in an optical class and that Prof. (also another gem) flat out said that test scores were abnormally high compared to other years...although I think that went over their heads. I wasn't present for the latter part so cannot really (or should not) comment.

Anyhow, I could care less if someone cheats as long as it isn't a curve-based graded course. The reality of cheating is that they not only sacrificed their integrity, but in such a small field, paths tend to cross. If I ever come across one of them, or a study of theirs, I wouldn't hesitate to mention what I think about their integrity. I think that is one of the reasons why I loved the school in texas so much- the reiterated numerous times that your reputation is gained/lost at field camp, and those you are working with now will be those you work with later. Not to say cheating didn't occur- I heard once of an incident where an old test was shared, but once that was discovered it went to the department (the situation) for review. The entire class was emailed by a highly peeved lab TA in regards to that, and it was made quite clear that academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. But wow have I traveled off topic.

Back to where I was going with this post... I have been forced to slow down per se, and after I finished the Spanish (I still apparently need Span 3 but I'm choosing to forget about that right now) at a CC on post, I decided to take my math as well. I have horrible math anxiety. Horrible. I can learn calculus formulas, or basic trig from geology professors because they will put it in a way that is applicable and not abstract. I even took GeoStatistics which was extremely calculus heavy, but again, taught by a geology professor. (I was proud getting a B in that class, as it was a graduate course but they let some undergrads in by permission- loved that prof. too. He was in Kansas.) Therefore I put off the math until the very end of my academic career and truth be told, that, and not being able to grab a chem class again, has been the main reason why I haven't been able to finish up my degree. I might have been able to get a waiver at my last school after I found a geo. prof to listen to my story and take on my cause, but I was missing one math needed, and the chem. If not for that, he told me, he could have tried to champion my cause with the department. I hadn't asked it of him, so I was surprised by that. Therefore, this time I am making that a priority. I was in a chem class when I first got here, but the course was 8 weeks long and even though I had an A, and despite the prof trying to talk me out of it, I dropped because I could not keep up with the coursework. I could have finished with an acceptable grade, but I need to know (KNOW) my chem. I plan one day to take geochem, and I don't want to worry about not having a good foundation in the fundamentals. I was taking span and math at the same time and it was too much.

Now I am just taking one course at a time (because they are so accelerated- believe me, 8 weeks goes by fast) and have only math. I will continue on until I complete all math needed through grad school. Calc 3.

So.... this is the first time in 4 years that I have NOT had a geology class. Wow. I am not a happy camper. I love taking geology courses. I taught Gen. Geology lab at the last school I was at, and that was really a lot of fun. Mainly because I had my own little captive audience to talk about rocks to- talk about my dream! I think I rubbed off on them though, because by the time the course was done they seemed to like it too. I would never want to teach as a career though- oy! The excuses those students would give for not being there for exams, the cell phones, the .. well, rudeness. One guy answered his cell while in class, and I guess the group had the impression I was a very soft spoken sweet individual- but when you mess up my train of thought by being rude I turn into demon mommy (you know that voice you make when your kids push you too far and you just lose it?). I didn't even turn around from what I was writing on the board and yelled out to tell the [caller] that we [the class] all said hello and wanted to know how they were doing. I guess breaking from my general soft spoken self to demon mommy freaked out the class because I turned around to see everyone looking at me slack jawed. I in turn smiled sweetly at them all. Ha ha.. gosh that makes me laugh to myself remembering the looks on their faces.

Yikes I think my ADHD is in rare form today because I am a bit all over the place here, but no one is currently around to read this but me so I don't really care. By the time they are, I probably can say I still don't care. I'm like this in person too- its like carrying on a conversation with 3 when you talk with me. Too many thoughts, not enough time to blog about them separately else I'd edit, paste, and organize.

But this brings me back to my point about this blog. What is it anyways? I never started one before because I am not narcissistic enough to think anyone would care to read my thoughts. But then, I also don't like to do anything unless it has a purpose. Previously, I was always in a Geology department and hence, had Geology friends (in person) wherever we moved. Now I am finding myself at a bit of a loss. I am not in a geo. department. All the friends I have are now available only through phone or online. I recently had an old friend (my best friend) from HS which has kept up with me all these years email me and my response to her was a very lengthy email. She teased me about it and I was a bit embarrassed. We talk, but our chat is more of past stuff and nothing Geology ect- so .. I was surprised I even had that much to say that didn't pertain to rocks. Then I realized I was starved for conversation. Husband is at work all day, I go to classes at night, so we were passing in the night a bit. This was when I started seeing a purpose to a blog. It's not narcissism, it's an outlet. Of thoughts. I have thoughts- tons of thoughts. Maybe if I get them out I won't overwhelm those who I do have contact with again such as my previously mentioned friend.

But I also need more than that- I need a geology outlet. Not having any Geo classes or contact is rough, and I hadn't anticipated that when I chose to postpone going to the "big school" after I finished the class they were asking of me. So I am thinking about making some tutorials on different geology-related topics. Things I need to brush up on myself, but that may also be of use to anyone who stumbles across this page. Not sure if that will really happen, since I don't advertise this page and don't plan on it.. it's more for me. But if it has something someone can use and they find it, well that would be great. My first project will probably be cross sections or maybe a review on using the Brunton. If I had thought of this sooner I would have done it over my break- but my first day of class is tonight, so not sure when I will get around to it. That's the plan though. The Geocashing may have to be put on the back burner for a bit, but then there are always the small jaunts I could make. Who knows. With classes starting though, I may have to blog from my iphone while on the move. I suppose I should look into how to do that.

I hate the bus stop

2010-01-11T09:40:00.000-08:00

Talk about a rainy Monday, geeze. Took youngest to the bus stop and it was pouring. I hate going to that bus stop. Only thing good about it is the insightful conversation my little guy provides while we wait for the bus. I suppose that gem of one-on-one time is worth it, but I still like to grumble at my husband when it is my day to take the little one to the bus stop. Some days he does it before he heads off to work which gives me a respite from the dreaded duty. To back up a bit, I hate going to the stop because all the other moms and one dad (he's an odd cookie- always in the mix of the gossip with his cup of coffee)posse up together and I just feel extremely uncomfortable. Like I want to jump out of my skin uncomfortable.

We just moved to the neighbourhood this summer. It started out all okay, the two neighbours (women) to one side of us were almost immediately introducing themselves to my husband one afternoon after the movers had arrived and my husband was fixing up the garage. I went outside with bemused interest upon noticing their arrival. I say bemused because for the 16 years of our marriage the one thing I have learned as a military wife is to NEVER befriend the first person who shows up to your door. A wise older wife once told me that, and I poo pooed her only to discover for myself she was so right! There is something about the personality type of those who show up to your door first. I haven't bothered for figure out what that is exactly, I just know after being burned several times it's generally a good rule to follow.

Anyhow, I go outside and meet these two women who seem very sweet. One was considerably younger than me, her friend (the other neighbour) was a bit older than me. We had just moved from Atlanta and it was so refreshing to have such friendly people come up to us I was sucked in. Their husbands came over and joined into the conversations as they came home for the day- it ended up being about 45 mins long I think, and we left the situation feeling pretty good about our new neighbourhood.

However, at the bus stop there are two groups (or clique's. per se) and apparently speaking to someone from another group just isn't "done". (Didn't we all outgrow that crap in middle school? I guess they didn't get the memo). As a result I just keep to myself and rarely speak to anyone at all- saves me a lot of trouble in the end, but while waiting for the bus I feel like I want to jump out of my skin and bolt. :)

Have you licked a rock lately?

2010-01-10T14:52:00.000-08:00

Today I was trying to organize how my rock specimens were laid out. I used to have them by category: Volcanic, Metamorphic, Carbonate, Fossil, etc... but when we moved and I put them out this last time I have no idea what I was thinking. There is no rhyme or reason to how they are grouped, and it is difficult for me to locate specimens. For example, my petoskey stone. It's in the natural state (unpolished) and so looks very nondescript until you get it wet (lick it). Well, normally this isn't much of an issue, since I didn't have very many samples that were smooth -until this summer when I found a ton of cool rocks in the river and brought them home. I had them sectioned off on their own shelf until I identified them (being new to the area I couldn't tell what some of them were, and without a thin section I couldn't be sure anyways-so I just gave them their own shelf). But put kids into the mix, and rocks get moved. Get the picture now? Don't ask me how many smooth-edge rocks I have licked, I was annoyed after the 3rd one and coming up blank. Seriously? I mean, it's not like a carbonate-looking rock looks much like a rock retrieved from a river in a predominately volcanic area, but I guess I'm just lacking sleep because it shouldn't be this much of a problem finding that blasted rock sample. Why do I even need it anyways? I know it's somewhere- why does it bother me that I cannot find it? Perhaps it is because I came across the sample by chance when a guy was selling rocks from an old shop previously owned by an old uncle and he had no clue what he had. I bought rocks by the pound that day, and unfortunately I mainly liked the ones with high mg, fe content and so didn't get many rocks before I went over budget. Granted, they are pretty massive rocks. But more to the point, I doubt I will ever get to Michigan to get my own sample and hence I kinda guard the one I have.

For now I am going to give up the goat though, as one of the kids friends have stopped by for me to tutor him in math. Since he is currently socializing with Grim and Mandy for a second before we start, I figured I'd .. blog. BTW- the term "Give up the Goat" is coined from an incident I had with one of my half brothers years ago. My mother had been given a goat for her birthday as a joke, and I took a liking to it so she kept it. I really liked that goat. Loved actually. A goat. lol. He was pretty cool, and being 15 at the time, well I loved with my whole heart. My half brother was going out to do something and he swears he didn't see the goat sleeping under the truck. He pulled out of the driveway (and uh, still didn't see or feel that he ran over something?) killing the goat. I later found the goat, and was beside myself with grief. I should mention my half-brother is deaf and my mother only had him in the summer, so she was "supermom" to him and his brother when they came during that time. (whole other can of worms there). Anyhow, she told him to bury the goat. A day or so later he came to me and motioned for me to follow so I figured he was going to show me where the goat was buried. He was snickering which I thought was odd, but when he came to a spot and moved out of the way I saw my goat had been dug up by dogs and half-eaten. I've hated my half-brother ever since, and family has since said I will never "give up the goat". I'm not sure why I bothered to share that story- I no longer feel the sting of anger or hurt over it. Apathy is pretty close to how I would describe my feelings. I've kept the term because it does describe how I am when I dig my heels in. I suppose I am sharing it (the story) because it is an unusual term and merits an explanation because I will most likely use it frequently.

On to other things, besides organizing my rock specimens I am also doing the laundry! For me, this is quite the feat because I despise doing the laundry. But I like clean clothes, and it is unfair to let hubby do it all the time. Granted. Grim and Mandy prefer to do their own these days, I still grabbed a load before Grim did and started it much to his chagrin. He apparently was upstairs sorting a load while I was downstairs putting in a load of his laundry mixed with others (geesh I just put in his dad's army shirts and some socks..) of like colors. He still hasn't mastered the aspect that whites and blacks should not be washed together, especially if those black garments are new jeans. He was peeved at me, not sure why. They have this thing about other people's clothes touching theirs. Even if it IS a family member. I'm still sticking to the "it's better my way because you shouldn't mix light with darks" motto, but I am not sure they concur as of yet.

So that is my Sunday thus far. I think my classes start tomorrow. Or Tuesday. Maybe I should look that up... don't want a repeat of last week's antics.

Insomniac Hell

2010-01-10T04:03:00.000-08:00

The past two nights I have not been able to sleep. I get up early, but still cannot stop my mind from working long enough to settle into a sleep. I hate these bouts of insomnia, because even when I do finally get to sleep I am exhausted when I wake up. I could probably sleep in, but then that really just perpetuates the vicious cycle. On the flip side of things I ran across some interesting blogs in my quest to "read" myself to sleep. Therefore, instead of being bored (as I had anticipated) I was quite enthralled.

I knew better than to read anything about Geology, so went to mommy sites. I expected them to bore me into a nice coma, but instead found one that was pretty funny-to my surprise. The chick had an acerbic wit that I found quite charming. Not the typical soccer mom blogging about how great her life is, and how gorgeous and perfect her kids were. She did offer up a bit of TMI in regards to her husband and his prowess in bed, to which I was somewhat surprised anyone would share with the internet- but I suppose that was part of her charm. She just put herself out there and basically told the world "This is me, like me or not I couldn't care less." Although some of her blogs reveal her as being more vulnerable than she would probably want to be- but this too she admits and it again was quite charming. It isn't very often I run across someone who is harder on themselves than I am, but I think she beats me hands down.

Other than that, the end to this week was quite maddening I must say! My IH has turned me into a total retard. On Tuesday I thought Grim's doctor's appointment was at 11:45, but when I pulled out the appointment card from my purse at 10:50 to get the office phone number for a school permission slip Grim had given me to fill out, the appointment blared out at me like a neon sign "10:45". We rushed over there, but had to reschedule because we were so late. I hate being late. I mean, I REALLY cannot stand it. I generally show up 2 hours before my classes, and at least an hour before doctor appointments. It's a weird thing I have. So this incident just bothered me. Why didn't I check the time? Why did I think it was 11:45? I'm such a flipping idiot when my spinal pressure is up, seriously. Rescheduled for Friday 1:45.

Friday rolls around, I take a nice bubble bath with bath and body works bubbles and enjoy the quiet stillness of the house. I'm in there till about 10:30 I guess, wash hair etc etc. Go downstairs and check email. This is where I think I got lost- not sure though, as I stopped at 11:30. I blow dry my hair, straighten it, put on make-up and go to get a glass of water and take my diamox before leaving the house. This is when I look up at the clock in the kitchen to see it is 1:10! I have to still get Grim from school, and I think WTF to myself yet again. Call the awesome hubby on my way out of the neighbourhood and ask if he can call the school and let them know I am running late and to ask if they can have Grim waiting for me at the office. He says sure. I pause at the stop before leaving neighbourhood and plug the phone into the stereo to get some driving music (always helps when I am in a panic) and found a good Twizted song I like to start my way over to get Grim. I managed to get to the school in 20 mins and he was outside waiting for me (I love you school administrator lady!) and off we went. Made it into the doc office 3 mins before appointment time, so whew! I wasn't on time in my head, but I wasn't late!

After that we did some shopping to get some clothes Grim needed, and then to the pharmacy. While waiting for the script to be filled this awful (oy, and I mean horrid horrid song) came over the store speakers. I go to mention to Grim how horrible that song was when he says "That song is stupid." And for the next few minutes we would make up crazy lines (but better than the ones the chick in the song said) for the tune -best one was Grim's "The ocean is full of wa-ter." LOL. I think that is more of a location joke, but oh well.

I found a cool metal protractor that came in a pack with some triangles and ruler. I have a thing for geology tools, esp. protractors-you can never have enough. And a metal one is awesome! I have a thin plastic one that is a solid circle and clear that I use -it's cool because it's not the half-moon but rather full 360 degrees. But there are times the half-moons are better, such as when making a cross section. I had been looking for a clear flat one (I don't like the ones that are thick and wedge at the edge because I find them difficult to read), but hadn't come across one, so when I saw this metal one-in a sturdy plastic zip close pouch you can put in a 3-ring binder (if you were so inclined-i just like the pouch) I just had to get one. Bad news is they only had dumb colors. Pink, hot pink(but kinda red), and mint green. It would have been my dream if they had a black one with white ticks/numbers. But they didn't so green it was. Mint green. blech. Well, just a small blech- it's still pretty darned cool to find a metal protractor, esp. when I wasn't expecting to. At a Rite-Aide no doubt!

Brunton - to change or not to change

2010-01-08T09:29:00.000-08:00

I was cleaning out my backpack to get ready for the next term Monday and found my Brunton Geo Pocket Transit. Well, "found" is not an accurate term- I usually always keep it in my pack, but of late I only have math courses so I really should just put it away. However upon seeing it again I remembered I had thought about changing it over to azimuth since it is currently in quadrants. At field camp that really hindered me because the database we were using needed azimuth numbers and it's a pain converting-easy, but a pain. In addition, converting the numbers means messing with the data more than needed and hence an added chance for errors.

I bought my Brunton in my first semester as a geology student. My advisor was teaching the course, and there were barely enough students to keep the class open. At the time I was naieve so when she suggested I take it, I told her I needed to drop chemistry if I were to take her course (Structural Geology) due to time confliction. She looked at me as if to say "So what's the problem?". Well, the "problem", in retrospect, was the aspect that I was just starting out in geology and my first semester consisted of Mineralogy, Structural Geology, General Geology, GIS, and something else I cannot recall at the moment. GIS was the only class I breezed through because I used to design websites so working with graphics and layers was second hand. But Mineralogy and Structural Geology were a real challenge, esp. without having had a math class in ages. Back to my point, the Structures prof. told the class that if we were going to be geologists, we should seriously consider buying our own Brunton. At that university it was pretty much instilled in you to have your own gear. None of the other universities I have been to stress that, and people seem surprised I do have my own gear- then try to borrow it. I have had bad experiences with that, so now get kinda witchy and say no, but that's a whole other topic.

When I went online to buy my brunton, I was at a loss as to what to buy. My tendency in this situation is to just buy the best and then not be left wanting later. So I bought the Geo Pocket Transit. I had no clue what type to buy, but at the time quadrant seemed the way to go, so I went that route. Now I regret it. Others seem to like quads, but really azimuth is so much easier/quicker/cleaner to document.

This leaves me to my point, in a round about way. I need to pull out the old box and look at how to go about sending it to the company for changing it over to azimuth. Sorry for droning on; I have a tendancy to digress in my writings as I recall certain aspects and inject them into my story, so forgive me if you get a bit lost in reading any of this drivel. I've kinda hidden this little blog because I write like I think- and with ADHD I am just a bit all over the place. I can edit it all down, and sometimes I do.. but maybe a blog is supposed to be an insight into someone's thoughts. If so, well welcome to my world. A bit like a tornado, a bit disjointed, but it's impossible to portray what I am thinking in text, really. I generally have two lines of thought going on at the same time, so in order to not forget one or the other, I interject the two. It's a real pain in the butt sometimes because my brain just works faster than I can express in words or text. So in the end, I just come off like an idiot. Oh, and then interject IH into the mix.. ugh. I'm a mess! ha ha. Especially when the pressure is up. It still is pretty high today- but I feel a bit better right now because while I was looking for my cell this morning I bent to look under the couch and some of the excess spinal fluid drained out my nose. Gross, but that's my life. I'll pontificate on the latter in a separate post for those who want to read about it.

Crows have their moments.

2010-01-07T10:38:00.000-08:00

I had this long drawn out blog where I grumbled about things (my IH makes me grumpier than usual), then decided to just delete it. I listed my pet peeve of Geology grad students who don't have a geology undergrad degree getting a masters when I felt it was nothing more than a glorified BS. At least as it pertained to the last university I attended.Furthermore, isn't a Master's degree supposed to be where you MASTER your field of study as an undergrad? I guess not. And here I am still trying to plug along after finding out I have to have a 3rd class in Spanish if I want to graduate from the school I was planning on going to here in my local area. Geeze- really? I thought that was reserved for BA's. But, whatever. So what if grad students from my last school can't identify a simple olivine XL under the scope, or distinguish it from qtz for that matter. Yeah, they will have a MS in Geology before I even finish my BS... but that is their path. My path is obviously a tad more akin to walking on karst topography verses a soft fine mud/sand path with gentle brooks and softly chirping birds. Instead I have crows and crickets. lol. Crows have their moments I suppose. They are definitely tenacious. Minus their nasty habit of eating out of garbage bins, I suppose crows aren't all that bad.

If I didn't think it would backfire, I'd just get a simple BA or whatever degree would be quicker-heck even one online-then go get a MS in Geology. My luck though, I wouldn't be able to get a school to accept me (even if I got my 3.2 gpa up) and I would be stuck with a degree I didn't want. That kinda stuff only works for other people. I've learned to always prep for the worst, hope for the best. Some people perceive that as being negative.. personally, I see it as being cautiously optimistic.

Found my first geocache!

2010-01-01T18:24:00.000-08:00

The first day of 2010 has been quite productive. Went to the mall to get a belt a store neglected to add to our purchase when holiday shopping (glad I kept all receipts), then on our way back home I found my very first geocache! I took out a laminated card with a horse drawn on one side, and left a joker card. I wrote 'Cannibal Panda' on the top of the card to see if I find it again somewhere else in my new adventures. When I found the cache and brought it back to the jeep to write my name on the log, the kids were asking me all kinds of questions as to the purpose of the game and why I was doing it. I explained the game/hobby as I was simultaneously taking out the card, putting in the joker, and writing my name in the log, and in the end they thought it was very interesting. So I believe I actually have another activity my teens will enjoy tagging along with me on. They love coming with me on my rock collecting expeditions, but those have been few and far between of late. Plus they are an all day event. This new hobby is actually only as time consuming as you want it to be- and you can be spontaneous about it! I love that aspect! If I feel like looking for a cache, I can just open up the app in my iphone and see what is around me at the moment. Too cool!

Other than that, the day was uneventful. I was getting a tad nervous last night though as my spinal pressure seemed to climb and I haven't had that happen (at such a rapid rate anyways) in a considerable amount of time. It got to where I was having to take deep breaths and I was very nauseated. I didn't take any pain meds because I wasn't in the mood for more nausea, and they barely work when my pressure is that bad anyways. IH can really be a pisser at times. While at the mall I had to stop for a bit and rest at the food court, but at least I got what I needed done, and the first change in my life I wanted to make (such as add time for myself to enjoy a new hobby). So it's all good. My forehead feels like it is overhanging my eyeballs by a foot right now though, and it's painful to move my neck from side to side. I get pain in my back between my shoulder blades when the pressure is bad, so I've got that to deal with as well. Keeping up on the diamox dosing is key for the next few weeks or I am going to end up with a LP (lumbar puncture) and I hate those. Not to mention they make me very weak and unable to really function for a few months. Maybe I should just lay over the side of the bed and do a self drain- stupid spinal fluid comes out my nose when I bend down/over so perhaps that would relieve pressure. It just makes me feel like hurling and my head spins afterwards.... better still than a LP though!

But to end this on a good/positive note, I found my first geocache! YEA!!! I'm already hooked! I would have looked for more, but it was dark and my eyes act all weird when the pressure is up so I didn't push it. But.. tomorrow is another day! It rained all day today, which I don't mind being out in the rain, I guess doing geology stuff cured me of minding the cold and rain- or rather, i just don't let it STOP me from working. Although, I may still complain about it and raise my fist to the weather gods in anger now and again. lol.

Ha ha, I just had a memory flash as I typed this. Once while at Geology Field Camp (that's a 6 week course for geology majors, kinda like boot camp for geologists) there was this crazy professor that was really harsh. I mean, if you said something that wasn't intellectually up to par in his book, he'd call you out on it and pretty much say you were a dumb ass in front of everyone. Real crusty dude, but I liked him. I thought he was frigging awesome because he never did what you expected. Well, one morning (We were in New Mexico for this course) when we got up and were getting ready for the vans it was an icky raining sleety day. We all were in raingear - rainpants especially- in preparation for the day. We meet up with the rest of the class at our checkpoint and he gets out of the van in SHORTS! Flipping shorts in that weather. Now mind you, I am from Alaska, but I still wouldn't be going out to the field in shorts, but this crusty old dude did. All of us were exchanging looks like WTF?? And he just acts like it is nothing and does his little lecture at various outcrops for the next hour or so.. and then it starts to hail ice at us that felt like someone was blasting salt chunks towards us on purpose. It was downright painful. One by one students started going back to the van. I wasn't about to incur this dude's wrath, so I stuck it out even though my lips were probably blue and my fingers could no longer draw the rock formations or take any form of notes. I lost feeling in my hands at one point but I remained. Soon it was only about 5 of us outside and the remaining 40 were all in the vans. He turned away from an outcrop and it was like he finally noticed that the majority of the group was gone and a baffled look came over his face. Then I guess he registered that it was cold and impossible to write with that painful sleet stinging our faces. Either way, he just sighed and went to his van as if he had given up. I felt kinda bad for the guy, and felt like we had let him down. He probably thought we were being a bunch of weenies, and compared to his generation, we were. But I was still happy as hell to get in to the van and if I had had the ability to run at that moment, I would have. But I kinda gimped to the van as did my peers because we were flipping cold!

Ha ha.. sorry to have digressed so much, but that was a memory I felt like sharing. :)

Last day of 2009

2009-12-31T14:15:00.000-08:00

The last day of 2009. The house is somewhat in order and the kids have friends over to celebrate the incoming new year. We ordered a giant sub and I looked up a good 7 layer bean dip on the internet to make, so with that as a foundation and some other things here or there we are pretty set for the evening. I'm looking forward to playing Guitar Hero truth be told. Why couldn't my generation have such cool games when I was a kid? All I had was atari and those giant gaming systems you played while your parents drank with their friends at the bar. (lol, well at least mine). I was killer at Joust! It was a pretty simple game where your little guy rode on a turkey (from what I recall) looking thing and you landed on eggs after colliding with a sparring partner. Anyhow, I have an infatuation with video games. I think GH is awesome because all of us will get together and play it then laughingly bully the one who is messing up to get better. Although- last christmas my hubby kept messing up on that horrid song 'Rambling Man' and it was miserable. I didn't like the song to begin with, so having to redo it over and over put me in a foul mood. Had it been MCR or maybe KOL I don't think I would have minded. ;0)

I clipped Druid's (our Irish Wolfhound) nails and cut the fur around his feet to help him get a better grip on the wood floors. This task used to take the whole family- as 3 would pile on to Druid (he's a big boy) to keep him still so I could clip his nails because he would fight us so bad. He hated having them done- even with the dremmel. Well they got so out of control that when he had surgery I had them cut them back while he was out, and now keep up on it. But to do that, I was alone with him one day and scared the heck out of him by yelling like I was possessed by a demon (deep creepy "Lay the *(&^ down") and he finally listened. Today I tried it with my husband home and it was the first time in a while he had tried to resist- but my husband lets him get away with murder so he thought he could get one over on me. But nope. Nail trimming task complete. I feel victorious! woot!

[Mandy's] friend brought his little kitty over and I am getting my kitten fix for the day. She's so cute!

Tomorrow I want to look for, and hopfully find, my first geocashe. I need to go to the website and see about getting a listing.. ahhh that to do list always piles up on me. But that task is first on the list- I'm so excited!

Well.. off to rearrange some furniture to accomodate the GH.

and so it begins..

2009-12-29T21:55:00.001-08:00

I have always meant to do a blog, but for various reasons never got around to it. So with the upcoming new year, I am going to try a few new things I have wanted to do but never made the time- this being one of them. The other is geocashing. I've had an app for that on my iphone for almost 2 years now that I have yet to use. I also have a few adventures I want to do starting in the spring- such as getting a few different rock samples from various areas that I would like to have. I guess this probably requires a bit of background information for those of you who have found this page. So here goes...
I am married to a great guy who is in the Army. We've been together for what seems like only a few years, but it is actually now in the teens! We have 4 children. I decided to return to school after my youngest was old enough for pre-school, and began my pursuit of a Geology degree in 2004. We have moved every year since then, so I am constantly starting new programs and should have graduated about a year ago, but shoulda woulda coulda- no sense dwelling on it so I just keep plugging on and when they make me repeat a class I got an A on at another university I try to just think of it as another opportunity for a field trip. (most geology classes have field trips- yea!:)
Geology is pretty much my passion. I have met the best people I know through the geology pipeline- esp. through Geology Field Camp (nothing like 6 weeks away from home in snake-infested rough terrain for peer bonding). In addition, I have traveled to more places since starting my Geology degree! I've been to the Bahamas for a field methods course, Jordan for a undergraduate study on the Dead Sea (and assisted in excavating a roman fort), the Badlands (for some fossil excavation), and... numerous field trips --way too many to recall offhand. So I suppose I cannot complain too much about having to transfer so much, as I have been afforded a lot of opportunities. Biggest downfall though, has been losing my student loans after reaching 120 sem. credit hours- so it hurt quite a bit when schools required me to repeat classes just due to that aspect. I wish they would take that into consideration for military wives- as it isn't our fault the army moves us. I don't mind repeating geology classes, or fulfilling residency credits, I just don't like being penalized by losing student loans because of it.
Moving on... I have IH and ADHD. LOL.. makes me laugh when I think about it because I feel like a total nutjob just mentioning that. ADHD pretty much speaks for itself and most of you know what it is-if not, just google it. I take adderol for it and can focus like a normal person then. No big deal. The IH on the other hand is a whole other beast. IH is intercranial hypertension. Long story short, my body has excess spinal fluid and it puts added pressure on my brain causing headaches. It initially manifested (well, so I thought anyway) when I was in Jordan (Jul 07) and I had trouble keeping my eyes open to the bright sun, and I had to keep sunglasses on even indoors. I had assumed I burnt my retinas the day before because I had gone to the dig without sunglasses. After the 4th week and by the time we were returning home I could barely see at all to the point my colleagues had to assist me through the airport. Got back to the states and saw a ophthalmologist who scheduled me to be tested for a brain tumor and the IH via cat scan and LP,but before I could make that appointment I had to go to the ER due to an extreme headache (the kind that makes you feel like you are the girl in the exorcist who projectile vomits) and had the CT done and then LP. My pressure was at 36. (normal is mid-upper teens). So she drained me and sent me home with pain meds...The opt. doc prescribed diamox to help relieve pressure. I was a sick puppy. Took me 3 months before I was finally able to get up and even do a grocery store run with hubby. But I returned back to school January of that following year (08) and with meds the pressure has been bearable. Unless I've been stupid and forget to take them- as sometimes happens and I regret later.
So there.. that's IH in condensed form. I have some residual effects from the condition, such as my brain sometimes gets stuck like a badly scratched disk and I cannot retrieve the information I am wanting (but am aware I know the answer), or I forget things for a moment such as names of even people I know well. It's annoying, but if those around me are patient enough and leave me alone, I just blow it off and the information will come to me in a few moments most times. Sometimes I'm just whacked. I mean whacked. I'll take an exam and know the material like the back of my hand, but get the exam back and wonder who the heck wrote that crap on it!! Luckily I speak up in class enough to let the professors know that I'm proficient in the material and they can sometimes decipher what I meant. I try not to have to tell them about the condition, but if my pressure is up that semester I have no choice, they can tell something is "off". ha ha. I kill myself! “off” ..lol <snork> (Oh come on, if you can't make fun of yourself someone else is just gonna do it and get all the fun instead!)
Now about this blog. I am not sure where I am going to go with it, but most of it will probably have to do with rocks. Speaking of, those of you who don't get the title- you probably aren't geologically inclined. It's common practice for geologists to lick a rock to test it, or to clean it up a bit. You won't get through even the most basic geology course worth its salt without the professor making you lick a rock! :) I will tell you something my two middle kids [I will refer to them as Grim and Mandy] did to me once.... we were walking from the parking garage (in Atlanta) to the bookstore so I could pick up my order when we passed a utility box that was covered with a plastic rock formation. I didn't see it, and so when we got far enough away they asked me what kind of rock it was. I turned around to look and said it looked a bit like granite, but could be sandstone -we were just too far away and I would look at it on our way back. So on the way back as we approach the structure, Grim says “mom- you should lick it!” I'm looking at him suspiciously for being so interested, and as I approach the ‘rock’ to “lick” it in order to humor him I see it is frigging plastic! I turn to see Grim and mandy laughing so hard people began to look over at us, and I had to admit, they really got me that time! Kids.. they can be such turds! lol