Graducated
Hi LJ! Have you missed me?
I know I haven't been around much, but it's probably for the best. If you love me the way I love you, you'd be happy about my absence even if that means lack of news. I've been cooking things and self-improving and trying to get organized enough to do some tangible things; take steps towards accomplishing goals.
I received my Diploma today. I'm officially a Bachelor of Science. It only took me 20 years to do what most people do in four. The diploma is nice. It's official-looking. I suppose it should be, I had to pay for it. I could have bought a half-dozen good books for what that piece of paper cost. You'd think that the University would give you one freebie wouldn't you? No, you must pay for everything. It's a la carte.
The Diploma was damaged in the mail. It seems like the story of my life. It's God's way of telling me the he has no respect for my OCD. If it had been a phone bill or a speeding ticket, I'm sure it would have arrived in pristine shape. Oh well, it's like me,it's imperfect.
I think I'll open a bottle of Champagne.
As an aside, did you know that "Mumm" is pronounced "Moom" not "Mum". This is one of the things that makes me who I am: I can spout useless trivia without warning and totally unsolicited.
Now, here's the weirdest thing of all. After four years of self-flagellation and whining about being flagellated, I'm seriously considering.... get this... graduate school. I never ever never thought I'd start down this path again. When I brought it up at the dinner table, the eldest polliwog started whining, "But Daaaaadddd! You just finished that other stupid thing that was taking all your time!"
I was seriously not going to start down this path again, certainly not this soon. It was a little like falling in love. It always hits you when you're not looking for it. All I did was get curious and have a discussion with a colleague for whom I have a ton of respect. He got zealous and helpful and made a couple of phone calls and it looks like he got a tentative go-ahead before I even decided that I really wanted to do this. Now I feel like I'm under a ton of pressure to get my nose back to the grindstone. The good news is that as long as I get passing grades, my employer should pick up the tab.
For now, I'm going to sit on my butt and think. Well, first, I'm going to drink a glass of Champagne.
In case you're curious, if I actually do pursue this next degree, it will be a MA in Resource Interpretation that is provided sort-of-in-conjunction with the National Parks Service. It has nothing to do with computers, nor does it have anything to do with foreign languages. Very roughly, it has to do with telling stories. It's about getting people to care about things that they didn't previously. To tell you the truth, and not to send myself a bouquet of roses, it should be an area in which I have a lot of natural aptitude; much more so than the the Computer Information Science discipline.
Life is a trip.
Death is a destination.
I know I haven't been around much, but it's probably for the best. If you love me the way I love you, you'd be happy about my absence even if that means lack of news. I've been cooking things and self-improving and trying to get organized enough to do some tangible things; take steps towards accomplishing goals.
I received my Diploma today. I'm officially a Bachelor of Science. It only took me 20 years to do what most people do in four. The diploma is nice. It's official-looking. I suppose it should be, I had to pay for it. I could have bought a half-dozen good books for what that piece of paper cost. You'd think that the University would give you one freebie wouldn't you? No, you must pay for everything. It's a la carte.
The Diploma was damaged in the mail. It seems like the story of my life. It's God's way of telling me the he has no respect for my OCD. If it had been a phone bill or a speeding ticket, I'm sure it would have arrived in pristine shape. Oh well, it's like me,it's imperfect.
I think I'll open a bottle of Champagne.
As an aside, did you know that "Mumm" is pronounced "Moom" not "Mum". This is one of the things that makes me who I am: I can spout useless trivia without warning and totally unsolicited.
Now, here's the weirdest thing of all. After four years of self-flagellation and whining about being flagellated, I'm seriously considering.... get this... graduate school. I never ever never thought I'd start down this path again. When I brought it up at the dinner table, the eldest polliwog started whining, "But Daaaaadddd! You just finished that other stupid thing that was taking all your time!"
I was seriously not going to start down this path again, certainly not this soon. It was a little like falling in love. It always hits you when you're not looking for it. All I did was get curious and have a discussion with a colleague for whom I have a ton of respect. He got zealous and helpful and made a couple of phone calls and it looks like he got a tentative go-ahead before I even decided that I really wanted to do this. Now I feel like I'm under a ton of pressure to get my nose back to the grindstone. The good news is that as long as I get passing grades, my employer should pick up the tab.
For now, I'm going to sit on my butt and think. Well, first, I'm going to drink a glass of Champagne.
In case you're curious, if I actually do pursue this next degree, it will be a MA in Resource Interpretation that is provided sort-of-in-conjunction with the National Parks Service. It has nothing to do with computers, nor does it have anything to do with foreign languages. Very roughly, it has to do with telling stories. It's about getting people to care about things that they didn't previously. To tell you the truth, and not to send myself a bouquet of roses, it should be an area in which I have a lot of natural aptitude; much more so than the the Computer Information Science discipline.
Life is a trip.
Death is a destination.