Observations

At this time next week I will have finished classes. Forever, at least at William and Mary. It's odd, after five years. I'm so close I can count on my fingers the number of assignments left to complete. A short paper about eighteenth-century Shakespeare and one about Shakespearean dramaturgy, a 10-minute presentation on Virginia Bright Leaf tobacco, a final paper for Race Relations and my independent study. Just a few more books to get through, then--

Thesis. There's always that. I can't say that I dread it, though, or that it's even a hardship, something else to 'get through.' I'm looking forward to it. I'm hoping for long summer and autumn days of reading and writing, soaked in Garrick, provincial theatre in the colonies and England, everything eighteenth-century. And after that, creative historical projects! I already have plans for my focus. I just can't decide if I want to do a biography, a' la Amanda Foreman, or fiction.

Poems happened yesterday! They just happened. I got out a sheet of notebook paper and a pen, and there they were, like they had been waiting. I remember now, that I can't write poems on the computer, that opening a word document does nothing for me when I want a poem. They aren't exactly great poems, yet, but they happened which is more than I can say about the past eight months. One of them makes me smile. One of them needs work, but was self-conscious enough to comment on its own need for alteration. Sometimes writing knows what it needs more than the author. Sometimes writing tells the author what she needs. I would like to do a poetry cycle with characters. That might be fun. I should also probably try to incorporate forms again. A bit of discipline usually yields better results when I first start out on these creative writing ventures, though the free form at least stretched my creative writing muscles.

I want to get back into photography, too. I wish I had access to a darkroom again, but that seems like a pipe dream, so I've asked for a digital SLR camera, instead of film. I miss photography so much. I've been trying to be artistic with the little snapshot camera I have, but only one shot has turned out the way I wanted.

On another note, I got a call back about the position in CW that I want and they conducted a phone interview with me while I was at the Leafe decompressing from Race Relations... good thing I was in Improvisational Theatre! I think I did ok, no idea when I'll find out for certain. Although, a full-time job while thesising may be too stressful, and they want me to commit for seven years... I really do not want to still be here in seven years. It might be better to find some type of part-time retail job. We'll see. I would like my eighteenth-century clothes back.

Today in the grad lounge I looked around and realized only one of the people I was laughing with would be here next year. Times are changing again.