Graduate Level English Courses: Here Goes Nothing!!!

Many of you know that I hold a Bachelor of Arts in English/Creative Writing. And that I do nothing with it… as I work in Higher Education.

Well that is about to change… In a couple of weeks, I am headed back to graduate school.

I am enrolled in a course to put together a writing sample for a graduate level program in English. The goal is to go for a PHd in English, and take these college student development skills and combine them with a passion for writing. While I have largely neglected that passion in my life, I have a really strong desire to get back in touch with it.

Those that cannot do, teach… right? If only I could find a way to work in fly-fishing to all of this as well… hmmm.

In the meantime, I have to fill out a pre-course survey about what kind of writer I am. Contemplating my “quirks or idiosyncrasies as a writer” is one of the most exciting things I have done all summer. And yes, that does include a trip to India.

I guess that makes me a bit odd…

But then again, most of you already knew that.

See you on the banks as I “fight” writers block,

E

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Carp-O-Rama

Not on a fly… But my first carp I have ever caught!

Spent the weekend at Nebraska Game and Parks Carp-O-Rama at Pawnee Lake. Lots of fun, but…

Now to snag one on a fly!!!

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Home Water

There is a lot to process after three weeks in India. But the most important part was returning home…

A friend of mine asked me what I was looking forward to the most about my trip to India in the days before I left. She was mad when I told her I looked forward to coming home the most. She didn’t believe me; and thought I was putting her on with a cheap answer.

I was right. It was the best part.

First was seeing my wife and daughter outside security. I dreamed about for days leading up to the flight home. And every moment of that embrace lived up to my expectations.

And then some.

Next was returning to my home waters. I often say that fishing is about more then just the fish. Most people must think I am full of crap; and that’s okay. They are correct in the fact that if I didn’t ever catch fish, I wouldn’t go fishing. The first strike of a fish and the feeling as they slip through my fingers and back into the water are the two most electrifying moments of fishing.

They will never get old.

But being on the water gives me a chance to do some silent soul searching. I have learned just as much about myself on the water then I have in years leading back up to my rediscovery of the sport.

Three weeks in India were emotional and eye opening.

So was watching the sunrise over the cottonwoods and water on my first morning back.

Even though my home water is not exotic, and the places around well known to my body, I still find out something about myself every trip.

And return home to my wife and daughter every night.

I was even rewarded with a new fish on the fly after three weeks away… A black bullhead.

Not that they are hard to catch, but I had never caught one on a fly before.

You can travel around the world and learn a lot about yourself.

I did.

But if you pay close enough attention, you can learn just as much in your own backyard… Coming home helps you to appreciate those moments that much more.

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A Short List Of Things I Will Appreciate More When I Get Back To The States

Not that I don’t appreciate Indian culture; or that this is any kind of commentary on Indian life. Just what home sick me misses…

-Hot dogs.
-Soft beds.
-Appropriate use of car horns.
-Having only one electric switch to control any given device.
-Cheeseburgers.
-Not having every conversation following “where are you from” revolve around Obama, Michael Jackson, or Michael Jordan.
-Smooth roads.
-Seeing people that look like they’re from America… and having them actually be American and not from a non-English speaking part of Europe.
-Sanitation workers.
-Hot water at all times of the day (we are in a desert that is 110 degrees… Really?!?!)
-Steak
-Car horns that do not sound like some form of dying bird.
-Free Wi-Fi.
-Not being solicited every time the vehicle stops. I don’t care how good the discount is…
-All red meat, honestly.
-Being able to download the updates that my phone keeps bothering me about.
-Traffic laws that are enforced.
-Not being asked overly personal questions, like “When did you lose your virginity?” and “How many sexual partners did you have before you met your wife?”
-Wishing I was kidding about the pervious line…
-Food I can eat with a fork.
-My wife and daughter… Even if Little E has been extremely naughty while I have been gone.
-Fishing. Fly fishing of course.
-Water fountains. At least ones that I can drink out of without getting “Dehli-Belly”… (Never drinking bottled water again.)
-Not having to get up at 5:30AM to talk to loved ones.
-The word please.

Of course, this is tongue in cheek. India has even a blast… But I can tell you that I have a new appreciation for some things we take for granted at home…
Finding the most American thing in the menu… Chicken wings and a milkshake!

See you stateside in a few days!

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40 Yards From A Wild Indian Tiger

I don’t think this needs anymore words.

India is awesome.

A little dirty; but awesome.

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