O.U.G.S and Archaeopteryx

Dear Diary,

I went to my first OUGS meeting this weekend and while the minutes of the meeting went over my head slightly due to being completely new everyone was so friendly and welcoming it was like a family gathering. Even if I wasn't interested in the subject I think I'd return just to be around such nice people again.

This is a huge deal to me, I'm not the worlds most social person and I find people hard to understand so end up annoying them without really meaning to, however, many of the people at the meeting are older than me and that's great for more than one reason; 

Firstly I've always got on better with older people, I was surrounded by them growing up and usually find I have more in common with older people than those my own age. 

Secondly, they've been members of OUGS for years, they've done the courses, they've been on field trips, they have the knowledge and they are so friendly they share that knowledge. 

Thirdly, there was no cliche that I could see, everyone spoke to me and I got to speak to everyone, it felt welcoming and friendly. It really was one of the best outings I've had in ages, and as someone who's had a lot of stress lately due to people treating me badly, it was sorely needed.

There was also tea, coffee and biscuits on offer, a library you can borrow books for for as long as you like as long as they know who has which book and the talks I mentioned in my previous post about OUGS.

I think my favourite talk was, "Archaeopteryx: The Bird-Like Dinosaur" purely because I followed it a bit better than I did the talk about "Manganese Mineralisation in North Wales", I found the second talk went over my head a bit, probably because I'm just starting and don't have the base line knowledge of what much of it was about.

Archaeopteryx casts from original fossils

It is amazing just how clear the feathers are in the fossil casts, they must have thrown people for a spin when they were first discovered back in the 1800s, Darwin had not long written his book on the origin of the species and people were having a hard time accepting that let alone what appeared to be a clear link between dinosaurs and birds.

I also found it fascinating that there is equipment available that can scan the fossilized bone structure, re-assemble it and then determine traits that this animal might have had from the shape of its brain pan..

It does make me wonder if people thousands of years in the future will do the same with us, and what they'll determine from their results though.

O.U.G.S and me

Dear Diary,

I joined OUGS (The Open University Geological Society) before Christmas as that is the direction I will be taking my BSc Earth Sciences course when I get the option. I've loved geology since I was a child, I used to collect a series called Treasures of the Earth, that came with fact files and little samples of gems and minerals in their own display boxes. I'd love to say I still have it, but I have no memory of what happened to it.

Not my copy, alas.

The OUGS run field trips both home and abroad which I thought would be useful in gaining experience from as my course is run online and I'm not yet sure if I'll be able to afford the week on site fieldwork section. For those who can't get to it you can do the fieldwork online, but nothing really sets you up better than actual hands on experience in my opinion.

I'd love to able to say I'd be going on all the field trips abroad as they've been to a few amazing places, Colorado Plateau, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, the Azores, Skye, Newfoundland, Southern Spain, Brittany, the United Arab Emirates, the Alps, Norway and Canada to name a few.

But a) I can't afford to and b) my passport is in the wrong name and I can't afford to update that. I might not even be able to go to all the home based field trips as I can't drive and (you guessed it, can't afford to learn either)

If you get the opportunity to learn to drive take it with both hands and don't let go people.

However, something I can get to is the OUG branch annual general meeting and talks as they're being held in my nearest city, while I've only been a member since December I'll likely have little to do with the general meeting itself just listen and smile politely.

But they also have talks put on for members, one being given by the curator of Palaeontology entitled "Archaeopteryx: The Bird-Like Dinosaur" and the other being given by the senior curator of Mineralogy & Petrology entitled "Manganese Mineralisation in North Wales".

Not a real dino

The latter talk is in preparation for a field trip I can't make to North Wales in May, but I can still go and listen and learn something new even if I can't make the trip itself. And afterwards there's the opportunity to go round the museum in which the meeting is being held. So all round win win for me.

There is also a day trip in April I'm hoping to be able to make, to study coastal geology, not that far from where I live, but far enough we still need a car to get there, I've sent an email asking if my husband can drive me there (but sit the trip itself out, he's no interest in geology) if the answer is yes it'll be my first field trip ever and it's quite an exciting thought.

The sun shined

Dear Diary,

For the first time in a week I actually got dressed and left the house. Between struggling with my depression again and the rain we've been having lately I've had little to no reason to go out. But when today dawned cold but sunny I had to grab the chance to get myself some outdoor time. 

The Water Cycle.

Dear Diary,

I'm still covering water in Topic 1, Part 1 - What is Water of my S111 module from the Open University, who knew there was so much to think about when it comes to something everyone takes for granted. 

S111 Questions in Science

Dear Diary,

My module website for S111 Questions in Science opened recently, although the actual course doesn't start till the 27th, they like us to read the introduction and make sure we're prepared I think which is why we get early access to some of the course before the official start date.

There we're given links to go through the OU induction (if not already done) and to fill in a questionnaire to see if you're ready to study S111. I'd already done both of those so only gave them a cursory go over before turning my attention to the Introduction to S111 which I've been waiting on tender hooks for since I signed up for the course back in November.

Mature Student vs BSc (Hons)

Dear Diary,

I might as well share what I'm studying seen as I've called this thing the diary of a mature student (that's me by the way, I'm mature now, like cheese) It's been fifteen years since I was in college last, and I've been working that entire time, I finally decided to take the course I would have gone for at 18 if I had been allowed to go to university. (long sob story for another time)