one more summer done....

So, I finished work this afternoon. Four months of toil, then back to the grindstone. It's not that bad of a deal, really -- three classes this semester, plus an extended unit of clinical pastoral education (think of it as a hospital internship), a little homework, and that's it. sixty or so hours a week, and another $30k piece of toilet paper on my wall...and a bit more student debt. Not that bad, except that a few people seem really uptight about student debt, and really want to give me their opinion about why I need to work harder and pay for more of it out of my own pocket. And then I give them my response, which is neither anatomatically correct nor possible, but is highly entertaining.
I've always been a little touchy on the matters of student finance, particularly in the area where advice in concerned. Especially the kind usually given by people whose own education was paid for by their parents, who then feel entitled to give out their opinion to anybody, or what's worse, when they're appointed to positions of authority in an institution and then feel like it's their duty to be the gatekeeper against high levels of debt.
That really frustrates me. It frustrates me because I grew up in the lower reaches of the middle class, and busted my ass to earn what I have, and met fantastic people whe believed in me (and still do) enough to help me and my family along. It frustrates me because some people still tell stories about working for a summer, which paid for tuition -- and then througout the year. What freaking summer job (except driving, which is my first career) pays the eight grand my tuition costs? And I worked through my undergrad -- forty to fifty hours a week, thank you -- and still have debt.
But I guess the rubber really hits the road when I find so few people who have the same experience -- especially now, when the oilfield is so lucrative -- and meet so many people who still consider a University education a god-given right. It's not a right -- it's a purchase. As much as a new car, or a house, my education is a purchase that I have chosen to make, and it yields much higher dividends than any investment.
Just a little rant for now. I'll update about the Boy's birthday a little later.

Which Church Father are you?

thanks to Kevin for this one.

You’re St. Melito of Sardis! You have a great love of history and liturgy. You’re attached to the traditions of the ancients, yet you recognize that the old world — great as it was — is passing away. You are loyal to the customs of your family, though you do not hesitate to call family members to account for their sins. Find out which Church Father you are at The Way of the Fathers!

how I spent my summer vacation

working, mostly. But, there are some benefits to that. I work for a lawn maintenance company, pushing large pieces of equipment around for 8 or so hours a day. So, since I started work at the end of april, I've lost about 60 pounds off my somewhat corpulent frame. That may sound like a lot, but I don't think the difference between 290 and 230 pounds is the same as, say, the difference between 230 and 170 pounds. But I digress. I'm happy with the change and am going to start cardio training when work ends to ensure that I keep it off -- and hopefully lose more.

The benefit to being slightly smaller than usual (bearing in mind that I still have a 19-inch neck) is that I spent a loooong drive to Ottawa comfortably ensconced in my pal Cory's chevy sportscar. Cory's attending air-traffic-control school in Cornwall, Ontario, and wanted some company for the drive. so, yours truly tagged along. Saw some awesome parts of the country, and managed not to get arrested on Parliament Hill (I thought it would be memorable, but Cory preferred something less martial). Check out Cory's blog here.

the co-director and I are going back home to sunny southern Alberta next week, to celebrate the Boy's first birthday and see some family. Ana's starting work again the week after that, so we actually have to cut our visit short, which really sucks. Ah well -- student life again.

Anyways, here are some pictures from the Ontario trip:

Kenora, ON

The Terry Fox Memorial outside of Thunder Bay, ON

The Parliament Buildings

And the National Library.

chillaxin'

myself and the boy one saturday morning...
pardon the jammies.

I wish I could remember what they were.

So, I've begun my sojourn into the land of blogging. I hope that people can keep better track of me this way -- but also, I hope to keep track of my own meandering metaphysical musings (otherwise known as "the crap I come up with", according to my lovely co-director of contextual parenting).
I'm about to begin my second year at Lutheran Theological Seminary in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, the co-director and I will celebrate our second anniversary in three weeks, and we recently found out that our class will double in size in early March. So, if last year was a year of firsts for me -- I finished my first degree, celebrated my first anniversary, first baby, and first year of seminary all in one (and for the record, it is really NOT very fun to move 700 km with a seven-day-old baby) -- this is my year of seconds, and I hope that many of you will take this journey with me.
keep on the lookout for updated posts, pics, and musings in the future.