New Life Plan, Part A

Well, I'm back. Back in Toronto, back at school, back to my blog. As you know, I'm a big fan of the new life plans - though in the past, I've tended to like making them more than following through with them. But I finally seem to have come up with one that will stick. For those of you who don't know, I'm renting the basement of a friend's house and starting full-time studies at Humber next week, taking a one year post-graduate course in Television Writing and Producing.

I was invited by Humber to attend a "Mature Students Orientation" today. Apparently, some of my old life seeped into the new one because I arrived 10 minutes late. Note to self: The reason why everyone wears running shoes is because it's a little easier to trek across campus when you're not in 5-inch heels. So I arrive sweaty and disheveled, and have to walk in front of the projection screen to find a seat. Exactly the entrance I planned. And I think everyone was looking at my shoes, but not in a "they're so fabulous" kind of way.

So we're going through a list of anxieties that mature students tend to have when they're returning to school. And while a lot of the items are things I can relate to, I'm fixated on the number of exclamation marks used in the slides. Seriously, does it need to be: Help is available!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But I digress. Of the many interesting points raised, one woman mentioned the challenge of concentrating on one thing for an extended period of time, i.e. a 3-hour lecture. Case in point - the orientation was only an hour and a half, but halfway through I was more interested in the chocolate muffins than the slides.

While my mind was wandering, I also noticed a pair of Luke Perry-esque sideburns... on the woman sitting in front of me. I wanted to take a picture, but it was a "mature" students orientation so it seemed inappropriate.

In the end, I realized there were a lot of people who had more to stress about than me - kids, daycare, mortgages, etc. So it was a good day. And I took a chocolate muffin on the way out.

Tomorrow is the program-specific orientation. I plan to be early, though it's already midnight and it starts at 9 a.m. My old life's insomnia strikes again.

stay tuned,
sbg