Pieces

[froggoddess]

* I have suddenly become Someone Who Obsessively Holiday Shops. Not quite to the scale of the rest of the country, but this is pretty extreme for me -- given that I normally argue very loudly each year with anyone who'll listen about why holiday gifts are a capitalist scam. But suddenly this year I've been enormously happy going around finding

Comments

[gwendally]

*Swoons with relief*

Yesterday I devoted my entire walk home from Small Boy's school on the subject of whether and how to try to talk to you about borrowing 60K to get a MFA. Couldn't your do workshops with those teachers? Couldn't you wait until you win the lottery or marry someone who wants to Keep You In a Manner To Which You'd Like to Become Accustomed? Couldn't you take better drugs?

I think sometimes people get caught up in HOW they want to do something and forget to go back to the WHY. What motivates you to want that MFA? Is it to teach? Then teach: no $60K out-of-state MFA required. Is it to write poetry? Then write poetry. Do workshops. Glom onto a mentor. Most poets don't expect their students to go bankrupt to sit at their feet.

Sometimes it doesn't matter HOW wonderful it'd be: if you can't afford it, you don't do it. Find a better way.

Phew. This is what I wanted to say.

Oh, and the sisters? So cute!

[froggoddess]

I would have been extremely disappointed if you hadn't tried to talk to me about it. :) Sorry you had to spend an entire walk home thinking about it

[gwendally]

Good things don't happen all at once: a fantastic and nearly free program within easy commuting distance is worth waiting a year and trying again.

I see this fairly often with people trying to get bank loans for new businesses; they say the bank doesn't think they're a strong enough bet to loan the money to them, so they figure they need to go find someone ELSE to loan it to them. I'm left trying to figure out how to tell them the truth smacking them in the face: if the bank doesn't think they've got a strong enough business plan, then maybe they ought to fix their plan until it IS strong enough!

This applies to grad school: if they think you're not a good fit for the program, find out why. Your assumption that a semester at UNH might help may be completely off-base. You may get honest feedback if you ask. Fix that (if possible) and reapply.

[froggoddess]

PS if you know any local guys in their 30s with lots of money, who can grow things, fix things, have intelligent conversation, and are emotionally (and generally) available, feel free to send them my way! ;)

[gwendally]

:-) Will do.