Spinning wood, electrical current, power tools? Sign me up!

Since graduating last April, I have been taking a break from things academic. It was great to let my mind recoup from years of schooling revel in the wonder that is reading for pleasure and picking up craft projects without worrying there was a paper waiting in the wings. 

August '09 rolled around, and I marveled that for the first time since I was four-and-a-half, I wasn't gearing up for school. Classes started in September and my mind was still at ease - no busting brain cells over tricky translations or piles of critical reading to get through. I was rather relaxed and supremely unconcerned with the plights of my school-bound friends.

By the middle of the semester my pleasure-reading had dwindled noticeably and I began to get restless. I picked up knitting and went forth with gusto, throwing my would-be-academic energy into learning this new craft. That was fun and all, but I began to feel a little restless.

With the New Year I decided to get back into some of my academic interests, but since I'm not enrolled in school full time haven't really started yet. I've got time and no constraints, right? My brain craves the stress of school to want to function intellectually, but I don't know that I'm ready (or willing at the moment) to commit to school again full time.

But today, today I have found something that has excited me greatly and might prove to be the catalyst I need. The community college near my husband's work offers LifeLong Learning courses. Not for college credit, but just fun classes that people can take to further their education or careers. I can't stop bouncing because I want to take a bunch of these classes. For professional development, there are classes on grant writing, editing, and writing for magazines and freelance - fabulous things to take, since I'd love to get my foot in the door with a writing or editing job but haven't had a lot of real-world experience. But those aren't the only offerings that are making me wild: Woodworking, Upholstering, Gardening Certificates, Home Repairs and Remodeling - including drywall, plumbing, and electrical instruction!, even Design and Building courses! I may have gone into the humanities, and my passion for academia still lies in that field, but there is something so incredibly thrilling to think about being able to build, design, or repair something with my own hands. I know my husband would love to do those things as well, but I want to be able to have a hand in it, to know how drywall should be hung, to know how to properly apply lathe and plaster, understand the basics of electrical and plumbing systems and do minor repairs if necessary. I would love to be able to work with wood and create banister rails and bookcases, even furniture – and then be able to upholster the pieces for use in my own home.

Oh! I'm giddy just thinking about the possibilities. I wonder when classes start...