Author Archives: paleololigo

Scientist (Paleontology, Geochemistry, Geology); Writer (Speculative and Science Fiction, plus technical and non-technical Science); Mom to great boy on the Autism spectrum; possessor of too many hobbies.

Time for a Career Change? No, Not yet.

OK. Don’t panic. I’m not quitting my job. I mean, for crying out loud, I’m a vertebrate paleontologist! I’m not gonna just quit that!

But I do have other interests, other passions.

And I do have visions of one day retiring, and by retirement, I mean being able to do that which I want to do without having to worry about grant funding and the other hoops associated with regular full-time employment.

If I’m going to take risks, I’m going to ride waves of my own choice, not the whims of people and organizations who have to support my salary.
Continue reading “Time for a Career Change? No, Not yet.”

Coursework – Groundwork

There’s this entirely under-appreciated think that teachers of all kinds do. Countless hours of effort go into the preparation of each class, even when it’s the third or tenth time the course has been taught.

It doesn’t matter how hard you try, there’s this thing that must be done that takes up so much time, yet goes largely ignored.

sad syllabus is sadYup, it’s the writing of the syllabus. And that’s what I spent almost all day today working on: the syllabus, the lecture, reading, and exercise schedule, and all the extra documents that have to be in place before teaching can even begin.

I’m exhausted from the effort, and it’s still not completely done. And classes start tomorrow.

Random Writing – Explosions

Sometimes, you just have to chase a plot bunny. Here’s where today’s has been leading me:

Explosions

Dan bent his stiff fingers around the ice covered sapling. He groaned as he squatted to lower himself down the muddy slope. His knee popped and he grunted, momentarily pausing while he lowered himself. The sapling bent and ice crackled. Dan’s foot slipped. He strained, pulling harder against the sapling. It snapped, sending him head first down the hill.Continue reading “Random Writing – Explosions”