new year, new post

hopefully that won't be an indicator of the frequency with which i blog this year. though with grad school looming on the horizon, and a new quarter starting at my oh-so-preppy new collegiate job, we'll just have to see. i do still have a fair amount of down time on the computer right now, but things could change as of next week.

i always get a little bit (okay, usually a lot) blue after Christmas is over. i'm not such a fan of new years (no caps), as it's really just another amateur night holiday for weekend warriors who don't mind paying $50 to walk into a bar that would otherwise be free. are those paper horns and that glass of korbel they give you at midnight supposed to make you feel better about paying a cover for a sports bar? no thanks. i spent the dawning of 2007 eating a fabulous italian dinner at my mr.'s restaurant, then booked it home to drink in the new year with J, some friends and our very own bottle of real french champagne- low key, just like i like it.

but i do feel sad when Christmas is over, partly because it means that i have to wait another whole year for that particular, cozy Christmas glow that i love so much, and partly because it means that we are entering the very worst possible time of the year- winter, forever and ever and ever. and here in the windy city, that winter can be sure to last at least until the beginning of may; oh no, no soft sunlit springtimes for us here in the cruel midwest. we're lucky we get fall. there are things i really do hate about living here, and winter (the length, not the severity- that's really over dramatized) is top of the list.

but this year i have a beacon of hope to light my way through this tunnel of cold gray bleakness- grad school, starting this thursday. yessiree, i'm starting library school, and in no time at all (or at least not longer than two years) i will be a card carrying, glasses wearing (i need to go to the eye doctor, and i know what they're going to say...), angrily "shusssssh"-ing librarian. yippee! i am really excited to start, though more than a little nervous as well. i haven't been formally "in school" for a very long time, and i am not quite sure what kind of a time commitment it will involve outside of class. well, at least i like to write, so papers shouldn't be so bad. and i am really going to try not to focus on grades as much as fully absorbing the material- that's more of the point anyway, out there in the real world (though i know my overachieving honor student alter ego is sure to pop up at some point to insist that i stay at the head of the class- down girl, down girl!). my first two courses are Intro to Library Science ( "an overview of the history, philosophy, purpose, functions and processes, users, collections and evaluation of academic, public, school and special libraries and information centers; of the history and trends of books and other media, publishing, and information technology; of the principles and basic elements of the collection development process; of relevant legal and ethical topics--intellectual property (copyright), access, confidentiality of records, intellectual freedom and censorship; and of current professional issues." - am i a total dork that that sounds AWESOME to me?) and Reference and Online Services. these are two of the three prerequisites to almost every other course in the program. after that, it gets more specific, and hopefully i will have more of an idea of where i want to focus; right now i am leaning towards academic (university) library work or perhaps archiving, but that could all change once i actually start the program. i know that i want to take the classes on 'early books and manuscripts' and 'history of the printed book', and the story-telling course. i just hope i like this librarian track as much as i think i will, or it's back to the career drawing board for me. well, at least i have my foot in the door of academia with my current job, so i wouldn't be starting totally from scratch.

J starts school today too; i can't wait to see how he likes being back in classes. i think he's more nervous than i am, as he's been out longer. i really think that school is going to be great for him, that it will give him some of the focus he has been wanting in his life. i'm so happy with our little academic family!