Over the moon!

Greetings one and all!

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As I was saying last time, 2008 was a funny old year - a few exceptionally good bits and an awful lot of grim stuff. But 2009 has got off to an exciting start with Ruth getting a new job in the Midlands, and now, just a few days ago, I received an email from UCAS to say.....

wait for it......

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I have been offered an UNCONDITIONAL place to study Geology

on their 4 year MGeol Masters degree course

at Leicester University from September 2009!!!

How cool is that, huh?

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To say that I am over the moon would be something of an understatement! I am almost soiling my underwear with the excitement of it all! It's the 'unconditional' part that has really surprised me a bit, to be honest. I rather thought that any offer would be conditional on me passing the Open University Science Foundation course at least and maybe have to attend an interview. But it seems I must have made some sort of decent impression during the course of last July's Open Day to be offered a place straight off! FANTASTIC! It also means that the pressure to pass the OU course is off, so I can relax a bit more, just enjoy the learning and not get so stressed on the run up to the assignments.

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For an idea of what I will be getting up to in the not too distant future have a little click on this, the Leicester University's Geology web page:-

Just imagine the change:- here I am sitting in the same old office, bored rigid, drawing yet another road to yet another housing development or whatever. Now, before me is the chance to get out in the open air to study rocks, fossils and everything else that shapes this amazingly complex and fascinating world. Instead of sitting in an office every day I will be visiting, Arran, Wales, Tenerife, Spain, the Alps and who knows where else! Pinch me someone, I must be dreaming!!!

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Lord knows, give me a few years, I might even be taking people on tours like my geologist chum from the other side of the herring pond, Wayne Ranney! He's currently on an amazing 'Private Jet Expedition' covering Madeira, Burkino Faso, Rio de Janeiro, Cape Horn and Panama! Nice work if you can get it!

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I can't wait to get cracking, but wait I must! There's the small matter of funding to sort out, which is not as straight forward as it should be. It seems my previous period of study, back in 1978-81, which was funded by a local authority grant affects my entitlement to further funding now! So it may be that I will have to defer my place to the 2010 intake to give me time to save up a few pennies! That would be a bit frustrating but as I've waited this long for the opportunity, another year won't be too bad and knowing that the place is there ready and waiting will give me something to look forward to!

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In the meantime, we'll have to sell the house (not easy in the current climate!), get a new temporary job and move. So no stress there then? It will be a weird old year, spending so much of the next 6 months apart from my wife and youngest daughter, but as I keep saying to Ruth, we must focus on the goals and take one step at a time! Everything will fall into place in the fullness of time, you see if it don't!

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See y'all later!

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Cheers, Alyn

A Pre-Christmas Post!

Greetings one and all!

Yes I know, postings are becoming rather infrequent these days for which I can only apologise. But hey, the time spent on the OU course is proving to be well spent. We've now covered three computer marked assignments and three tutor marked assignments and with the third TMA still to be marked, my lowest mark is 87%. So that's not too bad eh?

AND! Developments have recently taken an exciting step forward. My wife was recently forwarned about the possibility of a job coming up at a university in the East Midlands that would represent a significant step up the ladder for her and so as soon as it was advertised she applied for it. After being invited for interview a week or so ago, she was offered the position last week! How fantastic is that? This means that our dream of moving to Ruth's home town of Loughborough is now defiinitely on and my own dream of getting into Leicester University to do that Geology degree is back on too!

At the moment, I can think about little else except Leicester Uni and it's geology courses. This weekend I have had to somewhat hurriedly assemble my UCAS application which needs to be submitted by January 15th 2009, in order to be considered for 2009 entry. All that I need now is for my chosen referee to provide me with the all important reference and that should hopefully be enough to gain me a place, fingers crossed.

Reading through Leicester University's prospectus, I can barely contain myself! The course sounds like it is everything I have longed for, for years. Decades even! If I get onto the 4 year MGeol degree, I can look forward to field courses in Arran, Wales, Spain, Tenerife and even Switzerland in the fourth year! On top of that, is the possibilty of doing the third year abroad in . . . . wait for it . . . . Arizona at the University of Arizona in Tucson!!!!!

Oh my! However, as awesome as that sounds, spending a whole year away from my family would be rather too much to bear, so I think I'll have to be realistic and perhaps aim for some sort of field work out there during a summer break maybe? We'll see, but anyway, that is getting way ahead of myself. The great thing is that already it has given me a new lease of life! All of a sudden there is a goal to work for, an exciting future to plan, rather than plod on indefinitely in a job that I'm afraid has bored me to tears for longer than I care to remember.

To be honest, I feel a bit selfish. Since Ruth got the call, offering her the job, I've been excited by the chance I now have of finally getting to study geology. Of equal importance of course is the fact that at last, Ruth will be doing a job where she will be respected for what she is - an extreamely intelligent and gifted woman in her field. I don't think her current employers fully appreciate quite what they have and frankly, don't deserve her! In the not too distant future, I can see us both in high flying academic positions making a real mark in the world! For me, if I can contribute in some small way to help unravel the mysteries that surround how Grand Canyon came to be the way it is, I will depart this earth a happy man!

As I have said many time recently, we only get one crack at 'life' so you've got to make the most of it! Life is just too short to simply waste sitting in front of a CAD terminal all day long. It's now time to take life by the scruff of the neck and GO FOR IT!!

On that exciting and positive note, may I wish you all a Happy Christmas and an exciting and fulfilling New Year!

Cheers!

Alyn

P.S. I'll leave you with a photo or two of a holiday which turned out to be by far the highlight of a difficult year - Arizona and Grand Canyon!

Above: Grand Canyon and the Colorado River - March '08

(Photo by Alyn)

Right: Bright Angel Lodges - the BEST place to stay

in Grand Canyon - we'll be back!

(Photo by Alyn, March '08)

View of the 'Red Rocks' approaching Sedona, March '08

(Photo by Alyn)

Meteor Crater near Holbrook, Arizona.

So big I couldn't fit it all in the photo!

(Photo by alyn - March '08)

The Wig-Wam Motel, Holbrook, Arizona on the legendary Route 66

(Photo by Alyn, March 'o8)

View for the top of Round Mountain, Globe, Arizona, March '08

(Photo by Alyn)