Well my plans for a stress-free semester break are officially over. I'd been planning to catch up on at least two or three books that I've had for awhile but, because of school, haven't had time to read. That free-wheeling idea was squashed like a bug on Friday when I got an e-mail regarding next semester's fiction workshop.
The e-mail gave us our reading list (almost all Gertrude Stein) and while "it is not necessary or desired" that we read all the books by the time school starts (I should hope freaking not, there are 10 books on the list and only one month left of break), we should "classify" the books by style and our own perceived order of easy-to-hard. We do have to read, by the first day of class, something that's out of print and costs a gazillion dollars which probably means that the instructor has put it on reserve at the library which means a trip to Oakland when I had so not planned on setting eyes on that place until check-in on Jan. 16.
I'm really disappointed in this academic turn of events. While I am the geek who asked the instructor for the reading list the week after we registered, I wanted it simply as an option. I didn't want to think about things I had to do before school starts. Having to do it takes all the fun out of overachieving. I'd planned on reading some of the shorter Stein pieces, but I'd also planned on reading some other books. I'd even planned on not reading. I'd planned on television and maybe some arts and craftsy things. I'd planned on doing nothing. But now, as soon as the holidays are over, it's back to planning on making plans. School plans. Reading plans. Thinking plans. Blah.
Update: The gazillion dollar out of print book is NOT on reserve at the library, but somebody has a copy at her house in Oakland and we can come "check it out" between 10 a.m and 1 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday. Oh...sure, I've got nothing else to do.
The e-mail gave us our reading list (almost all Gertrude Stein) and while "it is not necessary or desired" that we read all the books by the time school starts (I should hope freaking not, there are 10 books on the list and only one month left of break), we should "classify" the books by style and our own perceived order of easy-to-hard. We do have to read, by the first day of class, something that's out of print and costs a gazillion dollars which probably means that the instructor has put it on reserve at the library which means a trip to Oakland when I had so not planned on setting eyes on that place until check-in on Jan. 16.
I'm really disappointed in this academic turn of events. While I am the geek who asked the instructor for the reading list the week after we registered, I wanted it simply as an option. I didn't want to think about things I had to do before school starts. Having to do it takes all the fun out of overachieving. I'd planned on reading some of the shorter Stein pieces, but I'd also planned on reading some other books. I'd even planned on not reading. I'd planned on television and maybe some arts and craftsy things. I'd planned on doing nothing. But now, as soon as the holidays are over, it's back to planning on making plans. School plans. Reading plans. Thinking plans. Blah.
Update: The gazillion dollar out of print book is NOT on reserve at the library, but somebody has a copy at her house in Oakland and we can come "check it out" between 10 a.m and 1 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday. Oh...sure, I've got nothing else to do.
posted by writegrrrl at
9:50:00 PM
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