A pretty good start ...

... that's what my S330 tutor wrote on my first assignment. But, 63% - that's not pretty good! If I can only manage that with the books in front of me, what am I going to be like in an ex*m?? I'm kind of 'there', but I don't go deep enough. I'm not sure I understand it enough to go that deep!! He liked one of my diagrams.


("Diagrammatical representation of dissolved oxygen levels at 30 deg N, Pacific Ocean - not to scale")

Complain!

See also OUAUT - Strike Action. I'd better not make any comment, as I'd like to continue studying .... :)

Thanks to Bill for this.

12 Books That Changed The World

(according to Melvin Bragg).

Principia Mathematica (1687) by Isaac Newton

Married Love (1918) by Marie Stopes

Magna Carta (1215) by members of the English ruling classes

Book of Rules of Association Football (1863) by a group of former English public-school men

On the Origin of Species (1859) by Charles Darwin

On the Abolition of the Slave Trade (1789) by William Wilberforce in Parliament, immediately printed in several versions

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) by Mary Wollstonecraft

Experimental Researches in Electricity (three volumes, 1839, 1844, 1855) by Michael Faraday

Patent Specification for Arkwright’s Spinning Machine (1769) by Richard Arkwright

The King James Bible (1611) by William Tyndale and 54 scholars appointed by the king

An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776) by Adam Smith

The First Folio (1623) by William Shakespeare

Tutor industrial action

I'm becoming increasingly disenchanted by the 'action short of strike', being taken by (some) tutors. I haven't been affected by this to now, my SXG390 tutor, is marking assignments and I would be surprised if my S330 tutor was taking industrial action. But I feel very sorry for those students who are affected in this way. And now I am being affected, as we've been told that the next assignment booklet for S330 has been delayed due to the action, which means that the whole mailing has been delayed. I am not happy. I can only see this whole thing ending in tears, as there is no way that the employers are going to give out a 30% increase! Meantime, students, all over the land, are becoming (quite rightly) increasingly FED UP!

::: (20/4) Kindly Jennie, S330 Course Team, very thoughtfully has sent us .pdf copies of the assignment booklet (all 40 pages!), so now all we need are the books! :::

Funny Easter!

Everybody was working (except me!)

We did drive down to the Screech Owl Sanctuary on Sunday though and got to stroke a couple of the many beautiful owls at the sanctuary. Here's me getting familiar with a barn owl (forget its name!)


He was soooo soft!

Also had a close encounter with a Siberian Eagle Owl, who was just as soft as the barn owl (although he might look very fierce!)


I'm also very much in love with EagleCam, which is perched high up in a tree, watching Bald Eagles nesting on Hornby Island, British Columbia, Canada. Fabulous!

Bizzy!

Since the S330 tutorial on Saturday, I don't think I've stopped studying! It was sort of encouraging to realise that my tutor (Les) also appears to have a lot of trouble with the course and kept getting his Coriolis directions mixed up! Anyway, I've been doing heaps more research for the project course and have started my critical reading. I keep going off on tangents, that's the problem. You read something which you think you might need to read more of, so you look it up and find something else which you think you might need to read more of... And, this afternoon, I finished off 5 of the 6 questions for S330 TMA02 (due June). I was quite happy with my efforts, until I got to question 6 and didn't much care for it! The bummer is that it's worth 31% of the marks, so all the previous effort could've been for very little, if I can't get something decent down for that one.


We pick up the new car tomorrow. :) And we dump the old one. :( I can't get over how emotional I'm feeling over a heap of metal - but it was a very good friend to us.


Bye-bye. (Do you think it knows?)

Oh dear!

Gaining a pound when you're half starving to death is not all that encouraging!

Did you know

that Johnny Depp was voted 2nd World's Best Actor of All Time??! Second only to Marlon 'mumble' Brandon and above Anthony Hopkins. Laurence Olivier (who would've been my pick) was only 4th!


Hmm ... smart!!

Aha! I was glum and now I'm frivolous! Indeed! What a difference a TMA mark makes! :)

How come

I've lost 5 lbs, but still can't get into my favourite trousers?? It's because I haven't lost a bean off my buddha tum, that's why! So where's it gone from? (In desperation I ate a tiramisu ...)

Let loose on Mt Rainier!

I was getting worried, as I hadn't got my TMA back, so I phoned Ed yesterday. He returned my call today and we had a chat. He'd sent it off to the OU on 27th, so I should get it back soon. Anyway, the course team have said "OK" and the only real problems with my TMA were that I didn't expand on the 'effects' enough and had no contingency plan on my study plan thing. 83% - I'm happy with that!

S330 TMA01 is due on 12th, so I had better send it off tomorrow. Eek.

We bought a new car (or near new) on Sunday - another Ford. We can't pick it up until next Tuesday (due to MOT, tax and valeting!) I wanted red - but never mind. It's a Ghia with climate control, multi player CD and windscreen wipers which automatically start up if they feel a drop of rain!!


We don't have a name for it yet - but it does have a nice smiley face!

Feel so much happier now I have that first TMA score! No excuse not to get on with it now though!

Partial eclipse

Of course, we couldn't see it here - what with the cloud ... (and I forgot!)

Here's something to gladden the heart. Despite the dreary weather, spring is most definitely in the air, as bluetits take up residence in a nest box in the BBC Plymouth garden.


It looks so comfy! See the webcam on here.


I finished off S330 TMA01 this afternoon. I don't know whether to post it, or to deliver it in person at the tutorial. Nothing back from Ed re the SXG390 TMA yet.

Dear Gordon,

Thank you for your letter,


Though I am a little puzzled! I've never hidden my 'leanings', so wouldn't the borrowed millions have been better spent elsewhere??!


OK!

In the pink?

For Mother's Day!



The clocks went forward this morning, so it must be British Summer Time. There's very little sign otherwise.

Got my cert!

The postman brought it this morning. Actually, he tried to squash and bend it through the letter-box! But the hub opened the door and all was well! It now sits in a simple frame, on the wall beside the computer. I think I prefer the coat of arms in tbe centre, although I'm happy enough with it!


The postman also brought our RODEO TICKETS! Yee-hah!


Enclosed is a little leaflet with a time-table for the 4th July events!

9:30am - Stampede Parade (Main Street)
10:00am - Wild West Extravaganza Arts, Crafts, and Food Show (Between Court House and City Park)
Afternoon - Entertainment in City Park
5:00pm - Cody Stampede PRCA Rodeo (On Cody's West Strip)
At Dark - Fireworks Display Sponsored by "Skylighters" (City Gravel Pits behind Old Trail Town)

Sounds great!

Also, the postman brought me a book I'd bought off Amazon (2nd hand, from America) on the Oceans... I've read a few pages already and it's very good - much easier than the OU coursebooks!! At bedtime, I've been reading the Journals of Lewis and Clark - sort of in preparation for our journey! They Tawlk and Rite lyke this. And they ceap Kiling elk. And it seams that yung indean Gurls visit them at nite. Rather surprysing of sutch Hearows, perhap? (I thynk the Indeans mustave bean quyt desprate or drunck! :))

I'm horrible

A man just called at the door. He was sixty-ish, very polite, spoke very well, but had a clip-board. As always, the initial response is to inwardly groan, though normally, I am polite, even if I have no interest in what the person is selling/asking. But not today. Today I wanted to RUN and quick. He said that he wanted to ask my opinion on telephone services. I said I was sorry but I didn't have time and was just on my way out. He knew I lied. No make-up - slippers .... Well, maybe he lied too ("I was just in the area ..."), but I don't like lying! And I know that these people do this kind of thing to fill in time - or for a few extra quid - or perhaps just to meet people. Bet he was glad he met me!!

I had to make a phone-call, right on that time, to my doctor's surgery, to find out the result of my blood test. I should've perhaps told the man this, and then he might've understood why I needed to run and lie. Anyway, the blood test came back normal. I was actually surprised, "normal?", "yes" - what with all the extra stress lately and not drinking enough water and maybe smoking a bit more. But it's normal! Phew!

Lots of sciencey things going on!

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is safely in orbit around the planet, promising much more detailed mapping of the surface. (And check out Google Mars! Wish that had been around when I did S198 - it might've saved me hours of peering through a magnifying glass at that map!)

And while there is still much debate on the UK's nuclear future - there appears an article on CERN's website, concerning particle acceleration - which brings great hope for the future, not only of our energy supplies, but also of a way of dealing safely with our nuclear waste - Accelerator Transmutation of Waste (ATW). (I so wish I worked there - it's absolutely fascinating!)


And there is even good news on the fishie front - as bottom trawling is banned in waters off the west coast of the USA.

No news on my TMA though.

I wish ....

they wouldn't put photos of authors in books. I prefer to read and believe the characters to be true - when I see a picture of the author, I just imagine that person imagining people - and it doesn't work so well.

Would you book a room here?

I have! :) I've been promised that it'll be lovely - the best hotel in Cody! A suite with 2 queen beds and a living room with sofa. Microwave and fridge. Porch for outdoor sitting (maybe the parade will go that way?!). Flat TV on the wall. 'W' beds with high thread count linens. And I don't have to give cc details until I see the photos when the place opens in May! I have every faith that all will be well - and it will be perfect for us! (Meantime I'm keeping the booking with the Best Western, just in case!) I bought the stampede tickets - and we have our new National Parks Pass!

Water on Enceladus?

Cassini appears to have found some water on one of Saturn's moons - Enceladus - gushing out like Yellowstone geysers!! How exciting!



(Story from NASA.)

Yeehah!

This morning I bought tickets for the 4th July Rodeo/Stampede in Cody, Wyoming!


Or, at least, I think I did - as I didn't get a receipt, despite 'sending' twice! Perhaps I've bought 6 tickets, therefore?! I've emailed a fraught HELP to the rodeo ground...

(An almost instance reply! Form's not working quite yet. Many apologies. Try again next week. Have a great day! OK - thank you!)