Still Learning

SIGN/HOUSE REVERSAL
Right now, at least here in New York, every sign sits in the House that plays host to its opposite. If that was too confusing, I'll give an example. Libra, the 7th Sign and natural in the 7th House is in the 1rst House, while Aries, the 1rst Sign and natural in the 1rst House is in the 7th House. Make sense now? Everything's reversed. What does this mean for the world? Not much without the planets to give us some kind of direction. Then why bring it up? It's fun and quirky and, to those in the know, it looks odd.

College is over and college is gone.
I graduated and had to move on.
School was the base that I built dreams upon,
And I'm still learning...

It was six years ago today that I graduated from college. That's right: I'm old (stop nodding in agreement). This time, six years ago, I had just taken one of the biggest steps of my life into adulthood and I had absolutely no idea what to do next. I ended up performing in A Chorus Line, getting a job waiting tables in Center City Philadelphia, moved to Indiana for 9 months for a season of theatre, and then gave myself culture shock by moving to New York City a week after returning. That's where I've been for the past four and a half years.

College. It's such an influential time in our lives and it's been gone for six years now. Interestingly enough, I'm back in the scholastic environment, having started graduate school this semester and this week, I have finals. Five of them. Ah, the joys of academia. I have to admit, though, that I thrive in such a setting. I'll bitch and complain and moan about it, but on some level, I always enjoy the world. Granted, graduate school is not the same as undergraduate. I attended two different undergraduate schools - two years at Rider University to be followed by two years at Muhlenberg. I had a double major - English and Theatre (Unemployment and Lying) and I unofficially minored in Dance. This time, six years ago, I had two degrees, a bright-eyed outlook, and no clue as to what it meant to be an adult.

Six years later, I have a hint of a glimmer of a whisper of what it means to be an adult. Boy, it sucks. Princeton, Kate, and Nicky are right when they say, "I wish I could go back to college." Graduate school is not going back to college; it's going on to college. Again.

In the same theme of this blog, I just got notice of my high school's ten year reunion. Now, if I thought I didn't have a clue leaving college, I was truly lost leaving high school. I started as an Elementary Education/Psychology double major. That lasted until October of freshman year. And I changed schools soon after. (My parents LOVED me for both moves.) Now, I'm ten years out of high school, six years out of college, a semester into grad school, and what have I to show for all of this schooling? Not a whole heck of a lot. I had bigger dreams of what I would be when I hit 28 (I'm not quite there yet; don't rush me).

Still, I can't help but feel that all of this was laying the groundwork for the 30s. Everyone says that 30s are the new 20s. I'm actually looking forward to the 30s (again, don't rush me). By that time, I'll be 13 years out of high school, nearly ten years out of college, and just finished graduate school (if all goes according to plan). I have a novel in the works to be published (if you haven't checked out the site yet, go! it's linked on pretty much every post! no excuses!), two more in my head, an educational career in the works, years of theatrical and varying work/life experience, and pretty awesome support. Far from Romy and Michelle-ing, I am excited to go to my high school reunion. It'll be cool to see where people are in their lives. Let's be honest: none of us are really where we thought we'd be. I'm betting that's true of most people, regardless of age.

For now, I'm enjoying the odd reversal of astrological weather; it's quirky and interesting. Six years later, quirky and interesting is the best way I can describe my college experience.
...and my life.