to the window! to the wall!

note to self: go to the aquarium. it's right down the street, after all.

I've written a bit here and there about Grad School, so here's an update. I love the idea of doing ministry. I really do. It isn't for no reason that I went to C.C.U., did a variety of internships, and have been striving to get involved in a teaching or preaching position at a church. The unfortunate reality, of course, is that finding such positions takes a lot of luck. It's all about connections, and connections are something I don't have. They don't give you connections in college; they just give you the degree. The connections I do have all speak highly of me, but they're not too helpful in finding a position. Most churches want someone who is married (I'm not) or at least someone with more experience. It's not surprising that of all the people I graduated with, only a few ended up in ministry; most others went a different direction after realizing churches don't like to hire "fresh out of college" folk, and if you can't get a ministry position after college, each year absent vocational ministry is another hack at your perceived ministerial value. Some people do unpaid internships right after college; but I have bills, and I have to work sixty hours a week to pay them. I simply can't afford an internship without going in debt, and I may not be Dave Ramsey, but I don't think that's the route God would want me to go.

Although ministry is indeed something I aspire to, I have to be realistic: it may not come to pass, despite my desire and efforts, and it would be wise not to replace my degree but to supplement it. The unfortunate truth is that I'm 27 years old, working sixty hours a week, doing something that a high schooler can do, and I live below the poverty line. That's just not acceptable, especially if I want to support a family one day. I've looked into several graduate schools, and I've honed in on one school in particular. I've completed all the steps needed to actually start school, and I have a meeting with my advisor next week to determine if the school will be a good fit for what I'm wanting to do. If everything goes to plan, I'll begin school in September, and I'll be pouring the rest of my "move to Wisconsin to be with Mandy forever" savings into the first batch of classes. If everything falls into place, I'll be sure to let everyone know exactly what I'm pursuing, but since things aren't official yet, I don't want to start making prophecies. 

Also, I've finished reading, for like the nth time, one of the best trilogies in literature:

wizards, dwarves, elves, and orcs! oh, and hobbits. hobbits, too.

Next up? An Army at Dawn, a narrative history of the American campaign in North Africa in 1942-1943. I've already read the first chapter, and if the author can make an uninteresting Atlantic voyage fascinating, I can't wait to see what he does with the actual battles of the Allied push across North Africa towards Italy.