Friday 19 August 2005

The Fat Lady Has Not Sung...

So, where the hell have I been?? If only I could remember the last several months…then I guess I could explain the stolen Rembrandt and small herd of miniature ponies in my apartment. Ah well, a mystery they will remain.

However, I do have a hazy memory of a moving truck, and lots of studying. Well, a moving truck and some studying, to more accurate. Yep, this summer I both moved, and graduated my B.A. with a double major in English and Folklore. I’m off to bigger and, though not exactly better…different things now.

My move was fairly painless. My movers were…how to put this kindly…assholes. They had three guys working, which basically meant that one man could be actually working while the second man smoked and the third acted as look-out. And I even gave these SOB’s popsicles… However, the furniture got moved, my pockets were emptied, and I was alone at last. It’s been a weird thing to be out of our little Folklore House, but infinitely quieter! Anya has packed her bags and moved on to bigger and better things in Ontario, so I’m missing her quite a bit. But I’ll call her frequently, and Leslie and Gillian are still here for a semester or two, so we haven’t completely disbanded.

My new apartment is located right in the downtown area of St. John’s. It seems funny to think that when I first arrived here in 2003 I was in the boonies in Kilbride, and have steadily progressed further and further towards the ocean and the city. I’m thinking that next year I’m going to move into a small underwater dwelling in the harbour, and will eventually, if I continue the trend, find myself in England.

My bachlorette/divorcee pad is a small 2 bedroom. So, I have a fairly regular-sized bedroom, a wee kitchenette, a normal apartment bathroom, a tiny living room, and a nice-sized office. It is the land of various sizes in there. The living-room and office face onto Prescott and it’s great to be able to watch people stumbling up the hill in an assortment of drunken states on the weekends. Sometimes they have to lay down in the street to catch their breath. Awesome. I’m close to Bannerman Park, shopping, about 800 churches-historic or otherwise, and a kick-ass movie store. And for those who know me, I think I had you at “office.” I really love my place and think that it’s going to set me up for an awesome year or two here.

And speaking of which, what the hell am I doing in St. John’s for another parcel of time after I’ve completed my B.A.?? I’m doing my M.A. of course!

Yes, I’ve applied for, and been accepted to, the Masters Program for Folklore here, and am staying to work on my second degree. I haven’t finalized what my thesis will be yet, but I’m desperately hoping to include some subject matter from British Columbia in general, and Vancouver in specific, which would mean I would get to come home to do some research. Regardless though, I’m here for course work and some research and writing. The M.A. program is generally 2 years, or 6 semesters including summers. I’m hopeful that I can complete the writing of my thesis within this time, but often another semester or two is needed to get the work done. Since I really don’t have the time or money for this, I’d like to kick my generally-procrastinating butt into gear and just get it done. Wish me luck.

After the M.A. I’m going to have to make a few decisions. My wish is to go directly into a PhD. Program somewhere, but I’ll definitely have to do this outside Newfoundland, and most likely outside Canada. It’s unhealthy and unwise to do all three degrees at the same spot, but for Folklore programs my options are limited to a few schools in the States (erg) and a few in Europe. I’d love to go to Europe to school, but the education system is different and this may affect my ability to find work in Canada. Then again, I have to get through my M.A. first, so I’ll worry about this later. The PhD. Program is about 4 years at most schools, but again some people take longer to finish their theses.

I’m diligently working at the library, and trying to get everything organized for the fall. Lots of wackiness should ensue with me in the Masters Program, and I’m going to try to update this more often, so stay tuned. The intrepid explorer Venus has not yet left the building!!

Have a great summer, and hopefully see some of you around Christmas!

Oh, and my email is chitotoro@hotmail.com for those who would like to write, and you can also leave comments after entries…

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