I am 13 credits away from sneaking out of my bachelor’s program with a 3.8. As such, I am honing in on Master’s programs. I know what you are thinking. You are thinking, “Jared, tell me more!” Well, I will.

But, first,

One of my wife’s clients recently passed away. She has an 11-year-old chihuahua-dachshund mix named Pablo. He’s old and lumpy with a funny waddle and sad eyes. We are currently holding him for a week to give him some calm before going to the senior sanctuary. You know where this is going.

2 out of 3 of my dogs love him, and the third is cautious but optimistic. I have Lil’ P separated from my gang, but only by a little metal gate. This means that Clyde, the dog with the careful approach, gets to do a slow-burning meet-and-greet, which he needs. He has been lounging in front of the gate while Pablo sleeps on the other side, so things are looking interesting. Pablo is also sweet on me and gets really pumped when I am around.

I’m keeping him.

I already talked it over with my wife. She’s out of town a lot, so she said it was all up to me on this decision. She knew, though. Definitely.

Back to my Master’s ideas.

I’ve mentioned in many of my pieces that there are several avenues I wanted to go down, but I am officially honed in. Before I spring the surprise, please note that money is secondary to my happiness, and I understand I may live the rest of my life destitute.

I will be pursuing my Master’s in creative writing. This type of program aligns with my goal of teaching at the college level, which is my endgame.

That’s right. I have been preparing for January, when I will be applying to several programs, many of which are taught by published, active writers. I am a little bummed because at Springfield College, I had direct access to a Peabody and Emmy award-winning journalist, Professor Aimee Crawford. She is an absolute wealth of knowledge, but I still thought I was going to go in a different direction, so I was not in the journalism program and only had one course with her.. She was a really interesting professor. I love it when they come from impressive backgrounds because it makes their accomplishments seem personally attainable.

While I have until January, all of the programs that I am applying to require 15 to 20 pages of original writing. You can submit multiple pieces, and even poetry, which isn’t my thing. I usually only edit important stuff once. Maybe twice. But now I have multiple pieces that I am committed to going through repeatedly until I achieve near perfection. It’s honestly lit a nice spark in me as I spent the early part of the Summer in total self-doubt with a case of writer’s block. It sucked.

I may post some of this work here for shits and giggles, but we shall see. While I just kind of goof off in this space, I am kind of protective of the writing I am doing for applications because I am putting everything I have into them. If people think they are terrible, I would probably retreat into seclusion. I will label them in advance so that they can be their own thing away from this. I don’t think Emerson wants to get weed-growing commentary and book theft tips from me; those are our secrets.

Speaking of wallowing in self-pity, I have mentioned in previous articles that I deal with diagnosed depression. I am not thrilled about throwing it out there, but it is a part of me. Needless to say, I’m on the come-up. I woke up on the right side of the bed for the first time in weeks, and I am glad to put the episode behind me. I have to wash dishes.

Honestly, hand to God, I think it was Joan Baez’s Diamonds and Rust being played at max volume this morning that turned me around. I know you’re reading this, so thank you, Joan. Let’s do Christmas cards.

Speaking of the holidays, I also own Joan Baez’s Christmas album, which I did not know existed until recently, so that’ll be rocking the joint this December.

Anyway, stay tuned. I have some stuff piling up in my writing folder that I was too lazy to post, thanks to the previously mentioned depression. I am probably going to drop multiple pieces in quick succession. 

Probably.

Until next time, do drugs and give hugs,

JTC