There is a lot on my mind as of late, which is why my activity has slowed to a crawl here. First of all, writing reviews isn’t my forte no matter how much I wish it was. I have drafts and notes, but the writing is the part that gets me. Secondly, the book ennui bug has hit me bad. I’m reading multiple books at once, but they’re all failing to hold my attention. And thirdly, there’s school.
Yesterday – 29 August 2023 – was my first class, an introduction to the graduate world in the form of Research Methods Theories (cue canned applause here). While exciting, it’s been almost twenty years since I’ve strolled into a classroom. And given that it’s an online class, it’ll probably be another twenty years before I do so.
While my passion for Mexican American Studies is more a personal one than a professional one, I think it will help me out in that sphere as well. While everyone who introduced themselves last night seemed to already have their path figured out, I also have to remember that I’m in a classroom with people almost half my age. They’re building careers, not supplementing one.
There is some anxiety here, which was somewhat eased by the book required for the course – The Latinx Guide to Graduate School – but there are somethings that may always hang over my head. And while I know it’s never too late to go back to school, that dread of being well into adulthood sitting alongside those who are just entering makes me feel, well, old. Not that I know more than they do – my 11-year-old probably knows more than I do. It’s just the feeling of not belonging somewhere.
That said, this is my one and only class this year because being away from school this long has to have some effect on me. Maybe Fall ‘24 I’ll find that bravery and enlist for 6 hours!
Aside from that, I am also taking the reins of an abandoned book blog at work – The Rare Book Club, which highlights the department’s rare book collections. While I haven’t started posting yet, I am trying to cook up an idea that makes the blog feel more like me (minus the profanity).
My current inspirations for this plan are:
Alongside all this, I’m also trying to re-find my voice. I started writing poetry, loosely within the pages of my bullet journal. So here’s looking forward to new material.
Chapin City Blues 