Coffee & Writing

If I’m a little late in posting, I apologize. I am seeking my master’s degree in Humanities from California State University, Northridge. (Northridge, as I understand, is a neighborhood within Los Angeles.)

Hello? Why? Why am I silly enough at almost age 50 to be going back to school instead of just focusing on my novels? Well, that’s a gosh darn good question. As an exception, I have a an answer, and it’s a good one.

I could continue to turn out 80-100,000-word books, which happen to be really crappy that a literary agent or a publisher can sense is bad without even opening the email and just reading the first line, the line that hooks you. Because the only circumstance in which they might read it or even dare dream of publishing it, is if they could use it as a charity tax write off.

Or, I could do something else. I could find a place to learn what I am missing in the depth of the characters and the vibrancy of the background. Now, what should I study?

I have an idea, let’s go for Philosophy!

First class down! Yes, I am so pumped, this was such the right decision!

I’m sorry, did you just say you aren’t going to matriculate me into the philosophy graduate program after my first class? You had me enter as a personal interest student because you were unsure about the GPA on my transcripts, and all you wanted was a 3.0 GPA to put me in the graduate program. I gave you a 3.33. Did I miss the part where I was supposed to wash someone’s car? What happened? You say, you can’t tell me and you’re refunding my money? Well, that’s not suspicious at all. Guess I’ll go have a glass of hemlock with Socrates to celebrate!

When searching for a new school, it rather annoyed me that my previous school kept popping up as the only online philosophy graduate degree. I was so tired of seeing that name and thought about what is closest to philosophy.

Humanities?

Sounds good to me…off to the races. That curriculum looks blah, that one too, and that one, oh wait, oh, oh myyy.

An amazing diverse program of courses was sitting in front of me like an 8-course vegetarian meal that does not include asparagus. Is this real? Nope, too good to be true. Set it out of your mind, you dreamer. But, if it is real, could I get in? Nope, out of your mind!

I know let’s get a loan from a place that has a 330% interest rate and even warns about its loans on its website if you don’t pay it all back by the first payment date to pay for transcripts and application fee. That’s a good idea, right? Please, my dear, reliable angel, loan me some money to repay this loan immediately, so $300 doesn’t end up being over $1,000 by the time I’m finished paying it off. Bing, Bang, Bong. Done.

Let me call the school, it’s past the date of whether I would be told if I was accepted. Dial. “Let’s look at the transcript.” Email.

Expecting, “We love you, but…” Instead, “I am happy to inform you…”

It may always be sunny in Philidelphia, but the light of knowledge shines from CSUN.

So, the blogs may be less because I have also started a blog for my two-year journey in Cohort 15 of the Humanities program.

Visit, The Cohort to keep things shaken up, or just see if I’ve blogged there, instead of here.

I’ll try to blog, but bear in mind I probably have QWERTY indented into my face from falling asleep at the computer again. Don’t expect anything more than moderately okay, especially without spellcheck. Don’t get me rong, no spelcheck is a great mind challenge, but annnoyig.