I'm thinking it's high time I got back to blogging on a more regular basis. Possum pics tend to get a bit old after the first couple of weeks, and I really do need to update my readers on some significant developments in my life. The big thing for me right now is that I won't be returning to Oregon in the fall. There's actually a long story behind this, which I will now tell.
Back when I first applied to the university there in 2003, I began the application process too late to be able to have it completed before the deadline. As a result, I was declined admittance. However, since it was still possible to enroll as a non-degree graduate student, that's what I did. I figured that would help to show my seriousness when I reapplied as well as allow me to start earning academic credit, which I could apply to my degree. Unfortunately, when I submitted my application at the beginning of this year, I was again declined. The frustrating part is that when I spoke to someone there about my situation, I could see that it was more that I had fallen through the cracks and been forgotten about than that there was anything specifically wrong with my credentials. I really don't want to go into too much detail about this in a blog, but it certainly was an eye-opener to me about how disorganized the selection process is.
I do still intend to get a masters degree at that university, but it struck me mid-summer that it just doesn't make sense financially for me to go back there this year. Paying out-of-state tuition and housing for another year on top of my mortgage here in Muncie is just crazy, especially since only a maximum of fifteen hours of classes can be transferred to once I get into a program, and I already have more than that.
It's taken me a several weeks to fully commit to staying in Muncie, but I've finally canceled my fall classes, and withdrawn my housing reservation. It wasn't an easy decision at all. I have to go a full year without trampolining, making stained glass, attending a weblogger meetup, or, most significantly, teaching Portuguese. And it's kind of depressing feeling that I've wasted all that time. More troubling still is the fact that a great deal of my stuff (including my winter clothes and computer) is still in storage in Oregon, meaning that I will eventually have to drive back there and pick it up. I don't know exactly when I'll be returning, but I'll try to organize my trip, so that it corresponds with a weblogger meetup and includes a visit to snowball.