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

When I was young I wanted to be an architect. Actually, before that I wanted to be a long distance lorry driver. I wanted to be Long-distance Clara from Pigeon Street http://www.pigeonstreet.com/about.php but that's not important right now. Before I wanted to be a geologist, I wanted to be an architect.

I had a book called 'House by Mouse' which I loved. Henrietta Mouse was an architect who made these amazing homes for all her animal friends, all detailed and arranged for their individual needs. The book had really detailed cut-away style drawings of each of the dwellings, all the little touches that made it just right for the spider's recording studio, the otter's "ship-shape and Bristol fashion" house-boat, or the mole-hill with the spiral stair. Many sheets of used printer paper that Dad brought home from work for us to scribble on the back had my rather improbable designs for everything from underwater palaces to space stations and desert ranches. Looking the book up online just now I'm not the only one with fond memories, and copies go anything from £40 - £400, I hope my parents still have the copy in a box somewhere!

I never did become an architect, but I still love architecture (managed to make my A-level art project about the architecture of the London Underground), love looking above the street-level to the little details hidden in full view if only you look.

[Amy P]

Interesting point - is it better to make your enthusiasm your career or your hobby? Of course it would be easy to have more than one enthusiasm. I made my enthusiasm (history) my area of study, but I wonder if I might have got very very fed up with it had I ever mangaged to turn that into my day to day business.

I have to admit, I am as enthusiastic about geology as I am about architecture, and have been lucky enough to work in the field, and have a really interesting (to me at least) job, which definitely helps with the more mundane days, or dark Monday mornings

I like my field too. It really does help!

My Mum's a geologist by training. She worked for an oil company back in the sixties but had to give it up to have kids. She used to identify the types of rock we were passing over and give us a potted geological history of any area of the UK we happened to pass through as kids. I didn't think I paid much attention, but blow me, I find myself doing the exact same thing (but with less expertise) now with mine.