Catching Up

Been so busy with school and work lately, that I didn't realize how long it's been since I posted!

I'm digging my writing class; we're still on poetry for now, which is cool, but I can't wait to get to fiction writing in a few weeks. The poetry is like the appetizer before the main meaty course. I've surprised myself, though; I'm better at poetry than I ever thought I would be. Right now we are on free verse poetry, which is interesting. There is no meter or real structure for free verse poetry--no rules per se--but that makes it a bit of a challenge to write vivid cohesive poems; there are no set pentameters or stanzas or meter, so you are not bound to follow any structural rules.

One of my favorite short-lined free verse poets is William Carlos Williams, who in addition to being a poet was also a doctor, specifically a pediatrician who delivered babies on rural house calls. Anyway, we looked at "The Red Wheel Barrow" today; our professor pointed out that many students had gone "symbol fishing" in this poem, reeling out such whoppers like, the wheel barrow symbolizing red communism, and the white chickens are the oppressed democracy.

"The Red wheel Barrow"
so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

The professor pointed out that most poetry is not about abstract ideas, but rather pictures that describe things; that's it. But still, many of my classmates didn't grasp this; one person even said the poet was using hyperbole in saying that "so much depends upon...". Not to toot my own horn, but I knew right away that Williams was telling us that a simple, basic thing like a peaceful rain-splattered wheel barrow sitting in the yard is what's so vital. No matter how much you travel the world or wherever you go, you eventually want to go home. At least, that's my interpretation.

More on the school front, I'm busy getting started on writing some articles for the college newspaper. There's a lot of events coming up, and I want to make sure people know about them. Plus, I've been tutoring a couple of students, helping them write papers; it's time-consuming, but they pay me a little bit of money for my expertise (wink)! My speech class is online, and we have a project coming up soon that I need to quit putting off.

Also, I sent out a story to a few places to see if anyone wants to publish it; I'll report as soon as I hear something. I've also been trying to work on my book as much as I can. I'm learning so much from this writing class, and I want to make use of the knowledge I'm picking up. My professor, Edward Francisco, is such a great teacher, too. He's a published novelist and poet, and so funny and smart and engaging.

I will have my associates degree this May, and then I'm going on to UT, (that place is so expensive, it cost me $30 for an application for admission!) but this summer before I start UT, I want to take a certificate course at PSTCC. They offer many different certification classes, and the one I want to do is only 15 credit hours. With the job market looking so bleak, I want to ensure myself a fighting chance of landing a job. And the certification is in a job sector that will always be booming.

That's all for now.