I started a post the other day, and realized it was at least chapter 7 of a 1000+ page autobiography, and really, you don't need to read that. I suppose what I was trying to say eventually was "I'm quitting everything and going to school."
It was about 3 weeks ago when I made this very startling revelation that I wanted to know about stuff in more detail than Wikipedia can provide, and it would be best if I could actually get someone to show me how these things work. And wouldn't you know, but there are people who do that professionally, and supposedly if I understand enough of these "lessons", I can get a certificate to display and show people how clever I really am. I'm not really in it for the paper; I'm more interested in being able to make incredibly geeky jokes that only 1.7% of the population will understand. So, yeah, I'm in it in order to lord my smarts over others. A noble pursuit, I'm sure.
So, school: I'm taking my placement tests tomorrow, and am oddly calm, considering I've not been in a credited class in 13 years. I've been studying things that I never learned all too well (see: algebra) in hopes I won't have to take too many "stupid" catch-up classes. I had a sudden realization that there were simply going to be things I don't know about and will have to learn. I'm okay with that. Up until this point, I couldn't think of a subject I'd be interested in enough in order to immerse myself in it for many years; I was thinking mostly of liberal arts courses, however. My issue was that I didn't think outside my own box. I was trying to make college into this place where I could take a few classes in subjects in which I was already pretty well versed, not someplace to expand upon things I know very little about. The thought of stretching my own boundaries is ridiculously exciting. I start classes on January 3rd.
On quitting everything: I had been doing a weekly show on cascadia.fm called "Savor Portland," interviewing and chatting with those in and around the food industry locally. I was planning on retiring the show in mid-December in order to get in my last few guests, which I was sad about already, but after my show on October 26th, I was told that they were bringing in a new show to be run during my current timeslot, and was given a choice of another time slot. Because I work a day job and it was tough enough just to leave a half-hour early on the day I was already doing my show, I was unable to accept the new time slot. So the show was unceremoniously ended; I canceled the guests I had scheduled, and nixed the last contest I was planning to run. While the show was due to run its course in only 7 more weeks, I was upset at its end. I was and am still frustrated and disappointed with the people who run cascadia.fm for giving one week notice for a major change to something I had been nurturing for 8 months. I had scheduled most everything else in my life around the show, and there was simply no alternate time I could have sacrificed with only one week's notice. There was a history of sudden changes at the studio, and I suppose I should have been prepared for something like that, but I just wasn't. I'm a planner, and often have my time scheduled a month out. I'm sad at this outcome. I'm not going to call anyone names, as I don't think the people running cascadia.fm are bad people at all; I just think that the lack of communication that is rampant at the studio is frustrating for everyone, and it's a major problem there. Be that as it may, I will continue to co-co-host Knit Happens until mid-December, when we should hopefully have a replacement.
More on quitting everything: My current schedule is starting to calm down and I'm handing off responsibilities with 107ist and timbersarmy.org. I'll not be running for re-election for 107ist. Bowling ends in mid-December, and most everything else I do are optional social gatherings that I can schedule around more important things. In a perfect world, I'll have plenty of time for school, study, and work. And Peter. And home/cats/cleaning. I have a feeling my weekends are about to be filled with more productive work, rather than sleep, tea, and catching up on The Big Bang Theory.
Then again, I might have more time for creative output. Which might include writing here more than once a quarter. ^_^
