I seem to complain an awful lot, there’s absolutely no denying that. So what’s “grinding my gears” this evening? Well, umm, the weather actually.
That’s right, I’ve decided to try to be as original as possible and whinge about how bloody cold and wet it is! Every morning, every single solitary morning, there’s ice everywhere and every damn afternoon there’s rain, followed by more rain. And a bitter, chilling wind. What gives? I’m absolutely freezing!
Now, I know this horrible weather isn’t exactly the Department of Education’s fault, but making me brave the elements yesterday? That was all their fault. I may have FROSTBITE (Please note the hyperbole) at this very moment, and it’s all because of their STUPID Geography syllabus.
As some of you may know, 20% of the overall mark for Geography is given for a project type- thing which you do well in advance of the Leaving Cert itself, like in mid December, for example. It’s actually quite a good thing in the long run, I guess, but right now my limbs, which are barely functioning after being exposed to horrific amounts of coldness, just won’t let me see things that way.
Yesterday was the day, the fateful day that every Geography student across the country looks forward to (apart from me), where we got to carry out our field work investigation yoke. Something to do with river deposition or something. I’m sure it’ll all come flooding back to me once my brain defrosts. (Oh please excuse the pun… Ha!)
Anyway, where was it? In the Comeragh Mountains.
In the middle of December.
Please, just imagine the coldness! Will somebody PLEASE sympathize with me? No amount of ski thermals, hoodies, coats, mittens or scarves could keep the chill of it all out.
We had to wade through the river, the freezing cold river to take measurements and stuff. That’s right, in almost Arctic conditions, stepping into a frickin’ river and throwing tennis balls around like nobody’s business.. and all in the name of Geography?
I mean, I’m all for learning and stuff, but is it really necessary to make us freeze, almost to death?
Does the Department of Education really think it’s a fun, festive idea to almost kill us all off, measuring things like the gradient of a river bank. Here, now, no 16-18 year old really gives a toss about analyzing bed load. Nor do we care about stuff like the shape of river beds or their discharge or ANYTHING to do with rivers. Seriously. Physical Geography is just not cool! I’m aware of the fact that you can do other stuff like count the amount of cars passing a certain junction or something ridiculous to that effect, but that really sucks as well to be fair.
Admittedly I had a little fun, just a little, but the whole trekking-through-mountains-when-it’s -literally-freezing thing just gave me such a fantastic opportunity to complain here on this very blog that I couldn’t pass it up. Contemptuous? Cynical? I aspire to be, friends.
My wellies are funky, but filthy. You’d think I’d wash them, but alas, no. They still have Oxegen mud on them. And last-year’s-geography-trip mud.
Check those absolute beasts of footwear out:
Apparently we’re doing ours between the mocks and Easter…
bed and discharge should not be used in the same line!
@eamonn-
Bring a camera! I didn’t bring one but those who did got some excellent shots.
Wellies, sheep- all sorts!
@twifo-
chuckle, chortle, titter- oh mercy.
Rivers can be pretty erotic tbh. Did I say erotic? I meant erratic.
(They sound kind of alike. Good river-related puns aren’t FLOODING my mind. Did I already use that one? I’m still hilarious.)
Bahahaha. I laughed.
Again you leave me with a smile my dear
Honestly how anyone can look at the leaving cert the same way after reading you blogs is beyond me. I remember when ye all left to do that without telling us and me and peter were wondering where you had been. Needless to say it was not what we thought.
Glad to see those wellies are being put to some good use.
pride*
I love your wellies Jennie. They are colourful. They look like the rainbow!
Yah we are doing our GI after we come back to school but our teacher has already written it up for us. He is an advising examiner for Leaving Certificate geography so he knows waht he is talking about. But we might be still going to a beach to do the measurements etc. for formality.
jennie you really do complain to much lol
that GI was fun
fresh cold mountain air
raging rivers
sheep shit everywhere
would you hbave prefered to stay in geog class?lol
Tadhg: Thanksies 🙂 Yes, I wasn’t actually on the duck, would I do such a thing?
Helena: What gives you the impression they wouldn’t be put to good use? I wear them most of the time, they’re my mian footwear like. 😐
James: Ah, that’s so handy! We’ve been left to do it all by ourselves! I wish someone would just spoonfeed it to me, sniff! It’s handy enough though, when I actually go to the bother of sitting down and doing it.
Danny: There’s no such thing as complaining TOO much. It doesn’t matter what I’d have preferred, I want neither! neither dammit! I’m too lethargic. geography = Eww.
ah that projects changed since i did it all we had to do was measure the outside of buildings in town by pacing the front of them and we didnt even do that til the week before the deadline… god i misss my school and all their lengthy preperations