Greetings! I am Dr. Edmund (Ed) Medley, a Geopractitioner, specializing in Geological Engineering. Most of my working life I have worked – practiced – geology, geotechnical/soil engineering and rock engineering. (The differences between the various “geo-disciplines” of geopractitioners are described here and here.)
In 1969 I started my random walk of a career zig-zag of various jobs by adventuring in mineral exploration prospecting in the wilds of Canada. I never dreamed then that my life would 50 years later have become a jig-saw puzzle of so many experiences, challenges, ambitions, successes and failures.If you are interested in a skinny précis of my life, it is summarized here.
I am in my mid-70’s and on a glide path to obscurity, my career fading. I longer have the push of ambition that I once had. But I am amazed and proud at how my geopractice evolved from the adventurous/foolish urges of a clueless/carefree 20-year old – who bullshitted his way into a mineral exploration job – to the retiring old man who can now relish relating a few accomplishments, without too much bs embellishment.
For 13 years this website was a marketing billboard vainly heralding my achievements and talents to attract consulting projects. It was a failure in that regard. So, the site is now remodeled as a library of stories, GeoTales, of my geopractice experience ranging from: silly mistakes to proud achievements; academic frustrations to research Ahas!; funny to serious projects; and, accounts of winning coveted jobs to the dismay of being fired five times. There are also some blunt opinions: a few lessons to share: and, hints to younger folk on what not to do/what to do in their geopractice. One is: get fired at least once!
My personal tales of family, travel, life success/failures, musings with poems and snapshots still appear on edmedley.com.
Go to my website bimrocks.com for information and musings on the characterization of bimrocks, complex geological mixtures of hard blocks of rock embedded in weak, often soil-like matrix, such as melanges, fault rocks and weathered rocks.