I put down my book and realized the world had changed…again

I’m sure everyone has heard all the stories about how much reading you have to do in graduate school. Well the rumors are true: there is a lot of it. And sometimes there is the additional reading you have to do to fully appreciate the original reading.  My first year of graduate school offered a very exciting learning process and I dove right in — I put my nose in the books and journals and didn’t look up until I shuffled off to Europe in the late Spring.

I had long made the decision I was going to take the summer quarter off, with the idea that it would be spent reading a few classics (I have a strange affinity for classic literature), learning to cook something (long story), going to museums (which I love) — you know spend my free time in those lofty pursuits expected of someone in graduate school. Well, that didn’t happen…not even close (well, I did order some books). I’ll admit it, I spent the whole summer catching up on all the TV shows and movies I missed, buying all kinds of magazines, and spending time on the computer for fun. Reconnecting with modern society and popular culture was a rush. It was like candy, and I went on a binge. 

Interestingly, I did not realize how much the online community had changed in that relatively short time period of an academic year. I consider myself a media and technologically savvy person, but somehow I completely missed out on rise and societal infusion of online social networking. My recent stumblings through setting up a Facebook page and finally inviting people to join (which apparently is a process, not an instantaneous thing) reminded me just how out of touch I had become, and I didn’t like that feeling. Not so much for potentially earning the label of “dinosaur” but because it was a harsh reminder of how much I had lost touch with the people in my life that aren’t immediately in my everyday sphere of influence (so to speak). But, I can change that. And I am changing it — another side benefit is that I am discovering there is much fun to be had in these new toys!

So, as this new academic year gets underway, I’ve set a goal to utilize the tools of this modern society to stay better connected with people. I also plan to spend more of my free time in varied activities, so when the summer rolls around again, I can allocate more time to those lofy grad student pursuits.