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.) For details of my career see my Geopractice History or my Terraphase Engineering Resume.
For 13 years this website was a marketing billboard to attract consulting projects. Now the website is 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; and, hints to younger folk on what not to do/what to do in their geopractice. (One hint: 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 and bimsoils, (block-in-matrix rocks/soils) complex geological mixtures of hard blocks of rock embedded in weak, often soil-like matrix, such as melanges, fault rocks and weathered rocks.
In 1969 I started my random walk of a career zig-zagging with adventuring jobs by first working in mineral exploration prospecting in the wilds of Canada. I never dreamed then that 50 years later my life would 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 trying to retire. (But I am open to interesting projects. “Interesting means I earn some enjoyment from an unusual problem and/or people.) 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 much bs embellishment.
