caps, gowns and hat hair

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American College Dublin, cap and gown, celebration, donuts, graduation, graduation ceremony, hat hair, masters, MfA, writing

Yesterday the sun came out in Dublin to celebrate my graduation with me. It was an early start as all graduates had to try on cap and gown at 8.30 am. Everyone showed up dressed for the occasions, and while some cleavages were lower, some heels higher, some beards scruffier and some outfits more casual than others everyone looked great.

So gowns were shrugged on and caps placed on heads and I suddenly realized that I had never considered the possibility of hat hair as my freshly washed hair was plastered down by the black mortarboard balancing on my head. But I decided that was the price you pay for having the privilege of donning cap and gown when graduating.

The ceremony was long – some of the speeches even longer – but the atmosphere was great. even if the presidential election was barely mentioned (unusual for an American college in Ireland) and Trump’s name not uttered.

For me the biggest surprise was when I was handed my parchment and I discovered it was just an empty piece of paper rolled up  and tied with a blue ribbon. My degree still rests in the hallowed halls of the college and I’ll have to drop in an pick it up one of these days.

It feels great that I’ve achieved this goal can now call myself a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) even if I still think I may be only a Jack of all trades …

graduation parchment – just an empty piece of paper

celebratory donuts

reading, writing and trying to find time to sleep

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American College Dublin, lack of sleep, literary greats, masters, reading, working, writing, writing &reading

This past week has been more than a little busy – between lecturing, trying to find work and my masters I have been trying to find enough hours to sleep – Wednesday night was particularly touch with a 3am bedtime and a 7.30am wake up.

To catch up a little bit on those lost hours and to avoid even darker circles under my eyes, I indulged in a short lie-in this morning. However it was only a short reprieve since my dinning room table still showed the evidence of my late night study session. Piles of printouts and underlined passages the reminders of what is done and still left to do.

But I decided to prolong my relaxation and have enjoyed a morning over cups of tea and the papers, now I need to head out to stock my fridge – its painful emptiness reflected in the grumbles of my tummy.

Once that’s done my bum will deepen the imprints on my dining room chair once more, as I forage through the literary works of some of the worlds great writers, before I turn my own humble attempts to the keyboard and write a few words of my own.

literary mayhem greeted me on my dining room table this morning, no room for my breakfast

back to school

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American College Dublin, college, Oscar Wilde, Oscar Wilde house, studying, writing

Today was the big day: I officially signed up to do my Masters. It’s been a while since I have been on the other side of the teachers desk and I have to admit that my emotions are very mixed.

As I ambled through the corridors of the American College Dublin following the rest of new students I couldn’t help but feel somewhat overwhelmed. Thoughts kept racing around in my head: “Do I know what I am getting myself in too?”, “How on earth am I going to get everything done?”, “Can’t wait for the first class!”,  “I need to get more organised”, ‘Wonder what the other students are like” etc, etc, etc. And at the same I was completely excited to be in Oscar Wilde’s house, knowing that I too would soon be writing in the hallowed halls that housed one of Ireland’s literary greats.

We where given a guided tour of the college, the Present greeted us over tea and biscuits, our photos where taken for our student cards (of course a big cold sore is currently decorating my nose) and we got to meet a few of our fellow students.

And since there is no turning back now I have decided to be excited with anticipation, after all on Tuesday is my first class. Until then I will sharpen my pencils and sort my pens and notepads.

I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying

Oscar Wilde

timetable, admin letter and a bag – my student life is about to begin again

 

counting down and notebooks

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American College Dublin, collecting, countdown, new semester, notebooks, notepads, stationary, stationary fetish, writing

American College Dublin

As I glanced at the calendar this morning I realised something – one month, four weeks, twenty-eight days – that is the amount of time it will take until I start my MfA. And while I am excited and looking forward to this new chapter I am a little bit terrified of what it will actually mean.

Thankfully it is something I really want to do and I just hope my motivation (and hopefully talent) will carry me through the coming year. An added bonus is that for the first time in years I get to get myself ready for ‘school’. What a treat! After all my ‘stationary fetish’ rarely gets a chance to come out and play these days – there are only so-and-so many envelopes and notebooks a girl truly needs.

Over the years I have collected a good few notepads and my lovely sister has aided and abetted me in my papery passion, even my mother and some friends have added to my collection.

There is just something so beautiful about a new notebook – the clean pages promising so much, empty space longing for information. The only problem is I hate writing in them for the first time- ruining the pristine page with my ugly penmanship or haphazard drivel just doesn’t always feel right ( and I do already have three notepads on the go)- so I save them for something ‘better’.

So, as I countdown the days until the new semester begins, excitement bubbles up inside me. And since I will have to be putting pen to paper at an accelerated rate some of these lovely pads will finally be put to good use – ideas and information crowding the pages and hopefully more than a few “eureka” moments capture between the covers.

Now all i need to do is decide which ones to use!

my collection – all waiting to be used