checking in

I'm still here!!! I haven't gone done, though sometimes it feels as if I have.

When I last posted here, in early September, I was preparing to return to school. In the interest of full disclosure, I am studying interior design at the University of Minnesota’s awesome College of Design. The program is exciting and rigorous and I love it. Before I even started, I had anticipated that I would have a lot of textbook and course packet reading to do. And, I wasn't wrong about that. I did, however, seriously underestimate the amount of homework I would have. Two of my design classes have approximately 12 hours of studio time—in and out of the studio—per week. And, I’ve had a handful of tests, papers, and group projects in the six weeks since classes started. (pictured above: achromatic/monochromatic modular study for color theory; pictured below: achromatic/monochromatic scales for color theory)

It’s all good. At least once a week, I get some sort of a reminder—a good grade on a paper; positive feedback from an instructor; a glimpse at a rewarding, creative job, which is part of the big picture; and abundant encouragement from friends and family—that makes me really glad I’ve chosen this path. But I would be lying if I didn’t admit that some days I’d just like to curl up with a good book and read all day long. Alas, pleasure reading has suffered. I still manage to read a few pages daily, or I read a ton on one of my days when I don’t have classes. That said, it has taken me the better part of a month to read Dan Brown’s Lost Symbol. Seriously. And I'm still 75 pages from finishing this page-turner.

Still, I’m feeling ambitious about reading—I live to read!—and bought myself a nice stack of books for my birthday. Plus, my dear friend Caryl gave me my own copy of The Year of Living Biblically, and I’m excited to finally read that (even though I’ve had her copy for about a year). I cannot wait to dive into the new David Byrne and Margaret Atwood books! Rewards for finishing homework...we all need carrots, eh?

Because it’s October, it’s time to announce a new reading list for my birthday year. Crazy though it may be, I’m compiling a 42 for 42 list. Though I set a personal best during 41, most of the fun is in making the list. So I’ll be back with that and some notes about the past reading year.

Stay tuned…