Rock are cool and all, but I'll be honest: I wasn't losing sleep thinking about them until I started following Alison Jean Cole's Instagram account. Cole's enthusiasm for rocks brings up all sorts of questions. What is a thunderegg, really? And have I missed my calling? Should I have been a professional rockhounder, traversing the orangey badlands and desert canyons wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a bolo tie?? I am still wondering these things, and maybe you are, too. If so, head to this talk, where Cole will chat about her new book, Beautiful Rocks and How to Find Them. The book covers all things rockhounding, including how to read geologic maps, the ethics of rock collecting, and "how to develop your personal tastes in rocks and build a collection." Bonus: You'll be at the Rice Museum of Rocks & Minerals, so you'll be surrounded by rockhounding inspiration.