Another Down, One More to Go

I finished my second to last semester of grad school today.

Let me just type that again, this time I'll try a different formula.

I have one semester of grad school left.

One more time. Just 'cause.

In less than nine months, I'll have a master's degree.

This morning, I hit "send" on my final assignment email, the one with three attached files, at approximately ten o'clock. I was in the dining room of a Comfort Inn in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, and had just finished an airy, buttery piece of coffee cake courtesy of the continental breakfast. My headphones were playing Yeasayer, and near me a large fat man with a limp - who was wearing flannel and too much cologne - was thoroughly enjoying his oatmeal. He was eating alone and it made me pretty sad. I hate to watch people eat alone. Next to his table was a family of Bible Beaters. Well, okay. I don't know that they were Jesus Freaks, but they looked just like the type. They all smiled weirdly and wore collared shirts, even the kids. There's nothin' right about kids wearing collared shirts and khakis on a Monday morning at ten o'clock. And that smile... You know the type. The type of people that are trying to sell you on Jesus. I don't want any Jesus. Jesus isn't in my budget.

Anyway. I hit send.

Some time later that afternoon, while I basked in the sunlight of a mid-May afternoon in the back seat of my parent's car, I realized that, although I was looking forward to tonight, and tomorrow, and the next day, and all the lovely things I planned on doing with people that make me so, so happy, I was looking forward to something else: The end. And as of ten o'clock this morning, the end is closer than ever before. The end of a journey that I started almost two years ago. One that I started because a certain person was cocky enough to push me towards a graduate school application. One that I started despite not being comfortable letting people read what I wrote.

And now look at me. Bloggin'. Bein' published. Readin' what I write aloud at a microphone.

Okay, the published thing and the reading aloud thing only happened once. But, still. That's one more time than I ever thought I would have been capable of at this time two years ago.

So. Pretty cool.

I'm a writer. And I'm going to continue to be a writer.

And I'm going to have readers.

Wow.

I like my life.