h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

As my key research project gets closer to completion I pause to reflect on the good and bad times I had during working on it.

I had a number of my relatives give me unsolicited 'advice' they thought it was stupid and silly and so was my field of study in their opinion and furthermore why didn't I just start over completely from square one and study something else.

I had my research professor and a few other people who weren't my relatives encourage me and tell me the writing in my drafts was a good start and to keep going.

I had my father throw a weird tantrum that he didn't like I was given research projects and even more disliked the idea I may stand an okay chance at getting published in a respectable trade journal once it's finished.

I found that the reference librarians can be extremely helpful and the automated databases to be a necessary evil (every so often the formatting and interface designs would get revamped so you have to keep reteaching yourself how to use them).

It sounds like you've been learning a lot.

with it all, and .

Keep at it, Thorn!


lil xx

Don't let anyone tell you you're not doing a great job, I'm sure it will all turn out well.

Yes and even some things about biology in there.

Thanks. What makes it the more galling to me is they (my relatives) have never once bothered to look at any of my work and it isn't in a field they know so above all that they aren't really qualified to be trying to evaluate my skill in something. That doesn't hold them back though from their destructive criticism. If it was constructive criticism it would be ways to improve what you are doing not just that they assume it is terrible and lousy and you should do something else before even seeing it.

thanks Lil. I'm almost done now. Just submitting in the more polished later drafts so my research professor has something decent to go off of.

Well done!

Sounds great Thorn. Any news on this? It sounds really interesting. Hope you get it published. I'm glad that the reference librarians were of use to you. They are usually up-to-date with sci-tech stuff but are less useful to humanity students.

Thanks well it still has to go through peer review but final destination is hopefully an australian entymology or ecology journal or the university press.

My dad is properly chuffed about it, says he thinks he should have been a scientist and that I should quit to go become a janitor then kill myself and how much my life insurance policy is worth.

Some obstacles to overcome are of a familial variety.

Not chuffed I meant cheesed.

Sounds like your best plan i to move away from home as soon as you can afford it. Your dad really should not make your life so miserable, that's not what family is there for.

We are chuffed for you, love...


... even if your dad isn't

Thanks.

Yup, [I] need to save up to scrounge enough to afford rent someplace...