There's a Big World Out There!

Six weeks have went by without a blog, which may suggest that nothing of note has taken place. This would be understandable as it has been cold and wet, and there's been loads of work piling up on the desk. However, the reality of it is that within this six weeks I've travelled further than ever before! The trip to California was a resounding success. I went there with an open mind and little in the way of expectation, and returned after a quick week happier than ever. I was followed in my tracks back to Scotland a few days later by Dani, and since then we've done all sorts of stuff. I'm not one for writing a list of dinners had and pints consumed, however we did go to Dublin last week. It was 6.20 Euros for a Bulmers, which comes in at around £6.00, so we didn't bother getting too inebriated. For me, it takes over from Reykjavik in the dearest pint award!

This past month has opened my eyes to all sorts of things. Firstly, the price of beer in Scotland isn't that bad (but it is creeping up). Secondly, if you go places with a smiley face and a willingness to listen and integrate, you'll be welcomed. Lastly, weather isn't everything; it doesn't matter where you are in the world or how good or bad something may be, as long as you have someone with you to share those experiences with!

Subconscious leads to California...

Maybe it is true, maybe you are actually destined to head some places in your life through subconscious decisions and influences. This thought occurred to me this morning in the shower after a discovery yesterday. I take very little notice (from an academic perspective) in environmental history and geoarchaeology outwith Europe for the simple fact, there is too much information and it is best to focus on one arena. However around two years ago, I added a book to my wish list looking at the environmental history of California. Seems strange why this was done, but for some reason it was.

The films which I watched when I was a kid were mainly set in California. My favourites included Back to the Future (fictional Hill Valley, California), Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (San Dimas, California), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1940's Los Angeles). The only exception really is The Goonies which was set in Oregon, the state above California! Can you see the recurring historical dimension here, fitting in with a recurring location? Favourite films, an interesting subject area fitting in with my academic interest in industrial development and settlement evolution. An author, based at UCLA, developed one of the main hypotheses that I'm challenging in my PhD, surely an interesting fellow and worthy of a meeting. This place seems fantastic, but surely that doesn't justify a 14-hour 'plane journey...

Then along she came...and it's off to California I go...

It just goes to show that there's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be!