NOT GOING BACK TO OLD
PASSIONS
Where am I in my “Finding My
Passion” quest? I decided that I like
writing well enough. I do not have a mad
love for it as I did in my teens, but I am an proficient writer and have
maintained the rules of grammar as I was taught back in high school (English
honors all the way). I have tried my
hand at seeking a path back to Astronomy and Engineering , which is what I was
studying before I decided to just take
the bachelor’s degree in what I was
capable of completing it in. In my efforts to rekindle my fondness and the
thrill of physics, astronomy and math, I have come to understand Thomas Wolfe
statement that you can’t go home again. What once gave me assuredness and self
-satisfaction now leaves me with a bottomless pit of despair in my soul. There
were five upper level math classes that I would have to complete and general
chemistry (I hate chemistry). At my age,
I do not see the point of struggling to study something that I have no interest
in anymore.
RESEARCHING PASSIONS
MOOCs are not as plentiful or
helpful as they once were. I used to love that I could go online to watch
lectures on just about any topic for free. No more. Capitalism has caught up to
the world of Massive Open Online Courses. There are fees for even the simplest
of subjects. My sister called me to tell me that her college in Portland,
Oregon has linked with one of my favorite MOOC sites. I thought that was
courious. So, I attempted to sign into the site just get a look at their new
format. However, my account no longer is available. I am locked out of their
site, more than likely, because I am not paying fees to a college or institute
with a connection to the MOOC site. Only time will tell if this is a healthy
move for colleges to make in the U.S. Meanwhile, I am going to drink half a
shot of whiskey on the site’s grave.
PASSION OF LOVE (STORIES)
That does not mean that I have
given up the idea of learning more while I am out of work. I am seeking out
courses on less complex topics, such as writing and Inkscape. I doubt seriously
that I have any talent for art, but I am hoping that digit art proves to be
cathartic. The writing lectures I am exploring because I have come to realize
that I have developed a very costly addiction to romance novels since I have
been out of work. I have read novel after novel and have cringed at the cost of
my guilty pleasure. Then I started calculating potential profits for the
authors of the such books and realized I am on the wrong end of the spectrum.
If I could develop an addiction to writing –as opposed to reading other peoples
writings—then I might be able to turn that into a profit. It would be healthier then reading trashy love
novels at such a high cost. At least it would give me the means to continue
paying for my guilty pleasure. Can you get paid for reading trashy romance
novels? If so, count me in. I would be
the best employee EVER for that job. I can go through as many as two novels in
a day. Cigarette smokers have nothing on me. Okay, that is not true. Smoking is
still a very expensive habit. One that I am glad I do not have. Just think, I
would not be able to afford any novels if I smoked.
I have been trying to get up the
courage to use blogs to test out my writing skills. What better way to get
feedback. Every time I try to do it,
writers block engulfs my mind. How is that even possible? I am going to do it
one of these days. I just hope I do not wait too late. If anyone has a request for a trashy love
story to start me off, feel free to comment. I look forward to hearing your
ideas. Personally, I do not think there are enough science fiction novels out
there. I have discovered that I am
intrigued about love stories surround brilliantly intelligent science geeks. Go
figure! How many of those do you see on sale? Not many, I can assure you.
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