New Adventures

I have embarked on a new adventure.  I went back to school.  While that doesn't sound very
adventurous on the face of it, that is only because I haven't told you where I am attending school.  I applied to and was accepted at the University of St. Andrews.  In Scotland.

In fact, I am sitting in their library writing this now.  Mostly because the internet hasn't been connected at my place.  All hail the power of free wifi! I can't WAIT till it gets connected at home. 

So the move was exciting, but very stressful.  I couldn't pack some stuff that I wanted, and had to wait until it was shipped.  There were other things I forgot to pack and needed.  Like my camera cord and a few more DVD's.  I've only really just got used to the place and not missing home all the time.  I do still miss my bed though. 

So a brief intro to what I'm studying and the views I see as I walk to class.  According to the university I'm an M.Litt student (fancy way of saying I'll have a Master of Arts in the fall.) in Museum and Gallery Studies.  It seemed like a good idea with my library and archives training.  It's really interesting, so far.  I've got an essay to write abut research and scholarship as a function of museums.  So I've been doing a lot of reading and note taking.  I like the topic and with my Yale experience it's kind of natural.  As you can see I was hard at work studying...

Today I did some exhibit prep and went to the museum collections unit to look at objects.  Historical science instruments.  I'm on the physics of sound group.  I'll wait while you laugh...I understand.  I did too.  'Cause I went into library science for the science of it. There are some really cool objects though.  My favorite is the wooden xylophone. I'm hoping we get to use that. 

I live about a 20 minute walk from the center of town.  It's not a bad hike, although I have a feeling in the winter it will be very cold.  I'm considering getting a bike.  I get to walk right past the ruins on my way to town, which is nice.  The old castle and cathedral suffered during the Reformation.  I blame the Calvinists. 
But it's hard to fault the views.  It's one of the best commutes I've ever had.
I like walking past the harbor, even if it adds a few minutes to the trip.  I would miss the ocean. 

 See what the Calvinists did?  Honestly...

 These are the Castle Sands(fancy way of saying Beach) right near the Museum of St Andrews(MUSA) where I have class every week. 

 And this is from the top of the hill looking out to the pier and the North Sea.

Now that I have my camera cord I can share photos! 

Graduation

Well, it finally happened.  I graduated.  Last Friday afternoon at the Bank of America Pavilion in Boston I was awarded a M.S. in Library Science and Archives Management.
And the fact I have an M.S. blows me away.  Let's just say that I always thought you needed math skills for a Masters degree in Science.
But who am I to argue with Simmons College if they say that I deserve it?  Which I so do.  After 2 years of driving to Western Massachusetts on Saturdays and studying in the evenings after work, writing papers, struggling to learn new technologies, and building my teaching and public speaking skills, I was so happy to graduate.
I really like my new accessory.  Although I am not sure lemon is exactly my color.

Now I just need a professional job to pay the loans that I had to take out to improve my lot in life.  Irony anyone?
More debt for a better life....

Prague visit.

I'm headed to the Czech Republic for a class. Watch this space for a post or two in the coming weeks.

Graduate School

Well, it finally happened. After taking classes and working for years in a library I applied to library school and got accepted.
YES!
I applied to another-less discrimating library school program-twice! I was cruelly rejected. Damn math scores. I'm not building bridges here people. Why do I need a 500 on the GRE in math to do ILL or catalog? It made no sense. And besides there's this wonderful invention called a calculator.
But this other school had a more sensible view. A 1000 combined on the GRE or a 3.0 GPA.
Now you might think that my school has a less respected program than the other one. But that is not the case. In fact my school is one of the highest respected MLIS programs around. Not to mention it's a tad more diverse than the one I was going to. It has more in the way of preservation, archives, and academic librarianship. Which is what I'm interested in anyway.
Now I just have to pay for it.