Hello, this is dentrassi's DH (designated husband) responding to requests for Shakespeare advice.

Doing it yourself will be pretty challenging no matter what, so steer clear of the more difficult tragedies until you're comfortable with the style and language.

If you start with a comedy, you're pretty safe. The Taming of the Shrew isn't bad, and Much Ado About Nothing is relatively easy too. If you like a bit of history mixed in, or if you've ever been curious about the character Falstaff, then chase down the Henry IV plays. Honestly, I have not read a whole lot of his comedies, so I may be leaving out some good advice. My sweetie-pie (dentrassi) recommends Two Gentlemen of Verona, which I've never read.

Once you have one or two of these pretty well understood, then you can move on to Merchant of Venice, which is a little bit darker but still technically a comedy.

If tragedy is more your thing, then Romeo and Juliet is relatively easy to read, even though it is not among his best. I started out with Julius Caesar, which I recommend, but that was in school with someome to coach me along.

Once you are comfortable with the style and language, then prepare to tackle Hamlet and Othello. Save King Lear and The Tempest for later when you are quite proficient.

This is just advice, and if you take a course in school, you may encounter a totally different approach.

Also, good footnotes (or glossary) are a MUST for the solo reader. It should help to familiarize yourself with iambic pentameter before you get started too.

Good luck.

- Clark (aka DH)

Hey! Midsummer Night's Dream - I was Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons! Metal bra and all!

COOL!!!! Do you have any pictures???

Squeaker-congrats on the 5K! :cp: That is amazing, way to go girl:cb:

Ruthxxx-yeah, where are the pictures?

Den and Den's DH- I loved Othello!

Katrina-poetry and the classics were not fun in school because it was forced on you and then they dissected it to death which made it all a big bore. Anyone else remember the constant badgering about foreshadowing and the Christ-like imagery of Lord of the Flies? How about poetry and "iambic pentameter"? :p
When you read these things on your own you get the the beauty of the sentiment and the author's prose and enjoy it for what you get out of it. I love the classics and some modern poetry too.
I really like Byron, Sir Walter Scott, Maya Angelou and Leonard Cohen ( I have several of his books that I have kept since high school). I really enjoyed "Le Petit Prince" or " The Little Prince" by Antoine St. Exupere (sp?)

Barefootgrrl-I have been to a public ritual which was really neat.
It was very enlightening and very spiritual- felt good to be there :goodvibes

Okay, The Merchant of Venice was pretty good. And some of the others. I just don't see the need to go on and on about Shakespeare. We've turned him into some sort of god-like figure. There are plenty of other great authors out there. But please... feel free to go on and on about him... don't let my personal opinion affect your reading choices. :D
This is not intended as an insult... if you're not an egg-head but feel that you absolutely MUST read Shakespeare, I'd suggest checking out the young adults section in bookstores. (Squeak, I think that was YOUR idea, too.) As well as most of the plays, we own this great old hardcover called "The Children's Shakespeare", and for someone "not into reading plays", it's a good way of absorbing the stuff fairly painlessly.
Frankly, if I'M going to read a play, it's got to be something darned entertaining... like an Oscar Wilde. Who is great. :)

Other greats (in my humble opinion) include Somerset Maugham, E.M. Forster, Boris Pasternak, Virginia Woolf, Edith Wharton,
Jane Austen, Leo Tolstoy, Gustave Flaubert, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Alexandre Dumas, C.S. Lewis, W.O. Mitchell, Timothy Findley, Zora Neale Hurston, Evelyn Waugh .... there are just a shipload of them... too many to mention.
If you're Canadian, you should read Catherine Parr Traill. Susanna Moodie's sister. (don't read Susanna Moodie, she's friggin' miserable) They were amongst the early settlers in Canada, and the stories make you appreciate getting up in the morning and turning on a tap and a light switch. And not having to build your own house by cutting down trees.
If you're a woman and a feminist, Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God" is incredible. Absolutely incredible.

Terri... those Yule logs sound BEAUTIFUL!!!
Terrigrrrrl... thank you for sharing the quote with us! I love to read favorite quotes of others.
Squeaker, you did the 5k!!!! That's wonderful!!!
Mauvais, I've still got all MY Leonard Cohen books from high school, too! I love him... except when he sings. ;)
Kat, it's true... reading that stuff in high school was a complete BORE, but later I came to really appreciate the books I'd read.
For instance, after my English teacher made us read Wuthering Heights for the 4th time I thought, "Hey, now I get it! This is an incredible book!" :lol:
No Ruth, I do NOT smoke. I bought my dad 45 bucks worth of socks in that men's clothing store.
Virginia, no one would ever know you'd only taken general English. :) Good for you for "catching up on the stuff you missed".
Den and Clark... you are such egg-heads. ;)
Lois, Samhaine sounds to be a beautiful time for you. I'm sorry you've lost your parents and sister. hugs.
Soozie... where are YOU!?
Hello to everyone else!

I'm off to the gym! Fat as ever, but persevering.
later darlings...

Thanks Clark and Ellis for the ideas and suggestions.

Hey Ellis! by the way, welcome back!


Boris Pasternak......hmm, did he write Doctor Zhivago?

I enjoyed reading the classics in high school and college, but didn't seem to really appreciate them until years later. Why *is* youth wasted on the young?:lol:

I am very lucky to find the time get through the Sunday Post each week, but it doesn't dampen my determination to keep tackling new books. Maybe that's why I love poetry so much. I can carry little paperbacks with me and while waiting in airports or lines, I can enjoy a poem or two and actually *finish them*

I've heard of Leonard Cohen.....maybe I'm showing my ignorance here, but is he the guy who is now living as a Buddhist monk somewhere in California or perhaps that is a different Leonard Cohen? :lol:

I'm glad you liked the Whitman snippet. I would love to read the favorite passages of others here :D

Well, I need to get to work and at lunchtime, I'm off to buy lacquer - amazing for me since I'm not the crafty type, but my hubby brought me home a fresh chile ristra from Seattle and I must preserve it - it is too beautiful!!

We are getting cooler weather tomorrow! yeah! barefoot will become sneakerfoot again!

Have a great day all! love and hugs, terrigrrrl:lol:

Yes, Boris Pasternak wrote Doctor Zhivago. He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1958 but had to decline the honour thanks to the banning of some of his works by the USSR.
He was also a poet. Apparently his poetry is quite beautiful. I've read some of the translations, but I have a Russian friend who says that the poems do not translate well.

Leonard Cohen is a Canadian poet and songwriter. But he can't sing worth a damn, and he knows it. :D
http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/
Here's one of his older poems...

"This Is For You"

This is for you
it is my full heart
it is the book I meant to read you
when we were old
Now I am a shadow
I am restless as an empire
You are the woman
who released me
I saw you watching the moon
you did not hesitate
to love me with it
I saw you honouring the windflowers
caught in the rocks
you loved me with them
On the smooth sand
between pebbles and shoreline
you welcomed me into the circle
more than a guest
All this happened
in the truth of time
in the truth of flesh
I saw you with a child
you brought me to his perfume
and his visions
without demand of blood
On so many wooden tables
adorned with food and candles
a thousand sacraments
which you carried in your basket
I visited my clay
I visited my birth
until I became small enough
and frightened enough
to be born again
I wanted you for our beauty
you gave me more than yourself
you shared your beauty
this I only learned tonight
as I recall the mirrors
you walked away from
after you had given them
whatever they claimed
for my initiation
Now I am a shadow
I long for the boundaries
of my wandering
and I move with the energy of your prayer
and I move
in the direction of your prayer
for you are kneeling like a bouquet
in a cave of bone
behind my forehead
and I move toward a love
you have dreamed for me

EGGHEAD MY BUTT!!!!! (See how ladylike and refined I am?)

I actually don't mind Leonard Cohen's singing. I prefer it to Bob Dylan. Another great poet/songwriter who should let others do the singing (sorry, I know it is sacrilege to say that...)

How about Dostoyevsky? Great stuff. These days I'm mostly reading light stuff. Why? Because.......MY BRAIN HURTS!!!!

oh yeah... Dostoyevsky is good, too. But yes... I'm not into THAT kind of stuff right now, either. In fact, I think I can safely say, "I've DONE Dostoyevsky!"

Hey Girls. Ellis. Love that poem...I'll have to check out the web site to see what else I'm missing. Congrats on getting your rear to the gym.

Gotta go get the kid at school, can't talk too long...will try to check in later.
Love to all of you. Soozie

ellis, Thank you for your encouraging words. Sometimes I really feel like a shmuck, especially when everyone here seem so well educated. I wish I had taken advanced English in school, so I would have greater knowledge of Shakespeare and other great writers. I guess I went with the flow in school, and my other friends took general English so I followed them. I guess if I could get one thing accross to my children, it would be to be a leader and not a follower. I wish so much better for them, and hope they have the priviledge to learn all they can.
I love to read and write poetry. My mom writes poetry which is close to her heart, as do I , but I so love reading her work. SHe is getting on in live, will be 80 in February, and I have asked her to please pass on her poems to me. Since I was little I would curl up in my favorite chair and read each new poem she wrote, and I still go back and read them from time to time. I can not say I have a favorite poet, I like so many different types. I am currently reading The Face of Reason- AN Anthology of Canadian Poetry. My moms friend has a poem published in it entitled The Winter Storm. A funny one I just read which is very short, is called Reincarnation- by Deborah Foley


short
yellow
stumpy
quizzical face, funny face
bark like straw
bite like salt
I swim in the brown orbs

"Grandma," I say
"Is that you?"

"Arf," she says



It is kind of stupid, but funny too. I am not usually drawn to this type, but it struck me funny, and thought I would share.

Live, Love and Laugh

Virginia

Hey everyone :wave:

I've been enjoying the discussion of "light reading" (ha!) and seeing how wonderfully diverse we all are. That, and it reminds me of high school - I failed drama because he said I "never even tried to act". The funny thing is is that the teacher totally bought the two times I acted - once I was "sick" the other time I had a "dr.'s appt" - when in reality both times I wanted out of class to go suck face with my boyfriend in my car.... must not be TOO bad an actress!
I've always had an appreciation for Shakespeare - I think for his time he was brilliant. I just wish I could understand the way of speaking more - maybe if I started with the sllooooow version of his work??

Wantstoloose - I liked that poem! You're right, it's a little odd, but it strikes a chord...

Love n' hugs to all!

Terri

Hello Ladies, anyone still here that remembers me? Of course there are a million posts since I have been here last so bear with me if I ask any questions that everyone knows. I am back to stay though now, so look out, those long rambling posts are back! Ok I know that I can't catch up, but I am off to read a few posts to just see who is still here & who is new!

Virginia, that's so beautiful re: your mom and her poetry. You're really fortunate to be able to share that with her. My mom writes too, and I'm always encouraging her to keep it up. She's close to your mom's age, and I know it'll be a blessing to me to have her stories when she's gone.
And PLEASE!! Do NOT feel like a shmuck anymore! Frankly, I think you're one of the brightest buns in the basket. ;) Education? We SPIT on educated people!

Chris dear... we've all been enquiring about you... of COURSE we missed you! :)

Terri, I like your "acting story". :D

Den, I'm reading "The Collected Stories of Colette". I'm enjoying them. :)

Hey Soozie... get your butt in here.

love and hugs to all ... xoxo

Hey all...

I'm trying to claw my way up from the pit of despair...coming here and reading all your posts helps...keeps me out of the kitchen for a while, anyway. I'm going to drag my fat arse to the gym too...that also helps.

Welcome back, Christina! I'm so glad to hear things are going well...take it easy, woman!

i'll be back when the St John's Wort kicks in...

When I'm busy with courses and kids and life in general, I read youth fiction. There are a ton of excellent writers out there... Sharon Creech who wrote The Wanderers and quite a few others and one I just read last week by Celia Rees who wrote Witch Child. I read them and recommend them to my daughter...

During the summer I concentrate on reading mostly Canadian writers, we have so many good ones.

My education is mixed, not one certificate in a bloody thing, but I'm a both smart and wise 40 year old!

My fav Leonard Cohen was Suzanna... or Suzanne. About a river.

Womynspirit is a woman-only festival that takes place in southern Ontario each Samhain (Halloween). It's a gathering of mostly Pagan (but you don't have to be) women, of all ages and very open to the Bisexual/Lesbian community...

I'm not attending this year because it's on the weekend of Nov 1st, my youngest childs 6th birthday.

At Womynspirit there is a Friday night gathering ritual, workshops throughout Saturday and a Sat night ritual, where we usually honour our ancestors and welcome those new births... Sun there is a closing ritual and it all winds up by 2ish.

Workshops vary depending on who attends the festival. They don't hire workshop facilitators, but many registrants will submit workshop ideas like ear candling, or tarot, or journalling, or sacred circle dance... and so on.

Anyway, that's womynspirit. :)

Have a great day to all.... I'm relaxed from Yoga class #2, and going to make some very healthy veg. soup....


Lois

Kat, do you need a hug? What's the matter... feeling a little depressed? I think it's an epidemic.
Yes, get to the gym... you'll feel good for having gone. And then do something nice for yourself. I can't think of anything... I'm depressed right now, too... and for some reason I've decided to clean the cupboard under the sink... it's full of damned mouse dirt. The first mouse was cute, but we've caught 7 so far, and I've HAD IT!!
Hugs Kat... :grouphug: :df:

Oh my! A dragonfly! Bliss. I love them, and think that they must be fairies...

:df: :df: :df:

L

HEY!! When I say light stuff I mean detective novels and Sci Fi!! NOT Dostoyevsky and Shakespeare!!!

Wanttolosealot-I think it is great that you and your Mom write poetry! DH is a writer, and I have written a few poems. Formal education is great as far as it goes, but I think I have learned more just living than I did in college!! I think the important thing is just LEARNING rather than having everything in life just bounce off of you. And PLENTY of "well educated" people are under the misconception that there is nothing else that they can learn!!

Punkin-Your drama teacher reminds me of my 9th grade English teacher. I wrote a stupid poem about ants, and he kept on talking about how "deep" it was!!! Lost respect for him right then and there!!! I still think that watching a film that uses the original language is the best way to get into it. The action suckss you in, and all of a sudden you just understand what they are saying. Then you can go to the play and read it easier. Once you have done that all the other plays are easier too!!!

Christina-WELCOME BACK!!! Glad to hear that things are going well. Don't push yourself too much right now sweetie. You need your strength!!!

Ellis-You are doing better than me in the reading department!!! I finished Frank Zappa's Autobiography a few weeks ago and have been playing computer games ever since!!!!

Katrina-Don't hide because you are feeling bad. NOW is the time to come in and get support. There are a lot of us alternachicks who struggle with depression. Despite my medication I STILL have bouts of it, and coming here can really lift your spirits!!! Hope you start feeling better soon!!!

Phew! I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who reads children's books, Lois! I've got a shipload of them, including a lot of oldies. I love them when I'm stressed and need something familiar and cozy to read (can't read Dostoyevsky ALL the time!). I've got a mixed education with no certificates, too (I'm a two-time college dropout :) ), and I used to NEVER tell anyone about my kids books. Now I feel confident enough not to give a damn.

I think we're ALL pretty wise on this thread. :D

Yeah, Den... I can TELL you've been playing computer games. What the **** happened to my "long email"?! :lol:
Listen hon, as well as "Colette", I'm reading a VERY light mystery. I have to rotate depending on my mood. :D And mental capacity.

I like kids books too!!! Daniel S. Pinkwater writes some really great stuff.....
"The Haboken Chicken Emergency", "The Last Guru" really fun stuff!! And DH sometimes reads me "Winnie the Pooh" to help me fall asleep!!!

Virginia - That is soooo nice about your mom and poetry. It is something you can treasure and then pass on to your kids. :cloud9: You are so lucky to have that connection with her.

Oh the whole thing about formal education is a bit hooey to me. Just my opinion, but I have spent lots of time both in and out of school - and I think that as long as you keep your mind open, you learn more out on the open road of life. I treasure every moment I spent in school, but mostly because it kept me out of the workforce and hanging with my friends


:lol: deep stuff like literature and psychology and history is cool, but I just as well enjoy watching Wayne's World and listening to Frank Zappa (fellow fan, den!)

oh and I find that people who are self made and self taught and don't take themselves too seriously are always so interesting........but anyway.........

Katrina.... hey girlfriend - here's a big (HUG)... yes, come here to talk to us - don't stay away.


terrigrrrl

YOu guys are the best! BIG HUGS!
THANKS!!
:dancer: :grouphug: :cloud9:
Virginia

Kat, you do sound like you need a big ol' :grouphug:, everything ok?

Dent - I agree, there's something lost in the translation a lot of times when you're not getting the original language. I saw Life Is Beautiful without the english dubbing. I know a smattering of Italian, but even without reading subtitles you *knew* everything... amazing movie.

Chris - It's SO good to see you back! I think we were starting to get a little worried about your disappearance! I'm looking forward to the long rambling posts ;) Welcome back!

Wantstoloose - Erase "schmuck" from your vocabulary of self-describing words. Your poems from your Mom are an immeasurable treasure and much, MUCH more important than anything you'd ever learn in school.

That being said, I shall mosey on back to work.... :wave:

Terri

I also collect old books... I have a 1913 "Guide to personal purity" (Sex ed!!) Working in a library helps; I get 1st (or 2nd) dibs on discards or ancient donations! Love old books.

Our wee library branch has been eaten by the 'corporation' and all the jobs are being scrambled... I think I'm ok, no lay-offs just hours cut eventually.

I might end up in a better situation but don't want to assume that in case I jinx myself.

Anyone watch Buffy last night???

Tonight Enterprise, and meet the teacher night for both the high school and junior school...

Ah well, must go walk and deliver news...

Lois :df:

Hey women...

Thanks for the hugs and the concern...not really sure what the **** is bothering me, other than the fact that I am not losing weight, well maybe cuz I'm not trying real hard...so THAT is bothering me. Why am I not trying too hard? I DON"T KNOW...so that's bothering me. Ahhh, I'll get there eventually. I have been exercising again so that helps the mood and the determination...

Thanks again for your concern...it means a lot!

Christina....welcome back girlfriend! and yes, I agree with everyone who said, take it easy and be kind to yourself...sleep, and good nutrition, and gentle exercise...or not so gentle if you're up to it...but, concentrate on healing and don't pay too much attention to the numbers on the scale...when you attend to your health your weight will be right without even focusing on it. We did miss you. Glad you're back in action.

:df: :df: :yes: Yes, I agree, I love dragon flies and this one is so pretty.

The only thing that I have been reading are your posts!
I read the Harry Potter series and loved it. I read magazines.
Just can't get into books lately...they consume me too much and take too
much of my focus...plus if I'm reading something that I really like, ie, Harry Potter...then I read and read and stay up to all hours of the night saying...just one more chapter, just one more chapter!

I sometimes work on crossword puzzles in bed before I fall asleep...it kind of makes me focus my brain and I've used it as a ritual to make me sleepy...it does work.

I really like poetry too...I took a poetry writing class in college that was taught by the poet Sonia Sanchez. Anybody know her stuff? She was a great teacher. This is a poem that I wrote in her class.

I woke in your bed on that first white morning.
Bay water splashing the tired old beach house
pulled me away from my dreaming.

You sat, on the screen porch
of breezes, of voices,
guitar propped against you, you sang out your songs
to the salt air, to the water, to me.

And I warned you,
don't fall in love with me friend,
forgetting
that I too
could fall.

well girls, gotta go, didn't overeat today...:lol: I guess the being sick and
puking slowed me down a bit... :lol: Unfortunately I missed the gym today...just didn't feel up to it...hope I'm back in the saddle tomorrow.

Love to all of you, Soozie

Soozie, that's beautiful. Thank you for sharing it with us. Hope you're feeling better soon, hon.

Lois, that book sounds like a hoot!

Kat, you're going to exercise today, right? Because you know you'll feel so much better.

xoxo everyone...

Hi Goils!

My company is gone and I spent yesterday afternoon mourning her departure. It is so nice to have a good friend who is also an excellent house guest. My Lucy and HArry are both in love with her.

My operation is tomorrow morning so I won't be posting much for a while. Todayt is going to be a day from **** as I do all the last minute things to get ready. It is also clip Miss Lucy day - the only day the groomer has free for two weeks. She is coming HERE so Lucy will be more relaxed! Oy! There goes the afternoon.

Anyhow, I'll be lurking even if I can't post. Could I maybe post using justthe right side of the keyboard? e ths (That was like this? - guess it wouldn't work too well!

Soozie- Loved your poem, it was beautiful. Sure hope you are feeling better today. Last night was my second trip to the gym and I absolutely love it. It makes me feel so good and i sleep so well. Hope you can get there today and have a good workout.
Ruth- Wishing you the best of luck, good vibes, and a big hug! We will feel you in spirit, even if you can not type. Just get well soon, so we can hear from you again.

And to the rest of you beautiful chicks, have a great day!

Virginia

Ruth darling... thinking about you tomorrow. Tape a pencil to the end of your nose and use it in place of your bum hand.
Glad you had such a good time with your friend!!
xo

Virginia, isn't the gym just great!!! I love it, too!

Hi Girlies, Still feeling a bit funkadelic today. Debating whether or not I can go to work or if I should just cancel my clients and stay in bed. Hate to cancel last minute. We'll see. I have to be in at 2:00pm so I have to make the decision soon.

Ruth, best wishes with your surgery. I like Ellis' idea with the pencil. Or maybe you could work with Lucy today and train her to hit the keys as you speak. That shouldn't be too difficult. Though she is getting groomed today so maybe you won't have enough time to review the whole alphabet.

Virginia, thanks for the gym encouragement. Ellis, are you going to the y today? I do feel so much better when I'm exercising, mentally and physically. However, with this virus or whatever it is I just feel like crawling in bed and not getting out. Then I get so bored I want to accomplish something and then the fatigue hits again. It basically sucks. Hope it's gone by tomorrow.

My DD went to kindergarten today with her little friend and his mom. We started carpooling. It was so bizarre to plop her booster seat into someone else's car and wave goodbye from the driveway. I wanted to call the school and say...Is my baby there? Did she miss me? It was total separation anxiety for ME. I'm sure the kid did fine. As soon as I was walking away from the car I heard her saying, "look Bobby, we have the same booster seat...blah,blah,blah..." The conversation was already going.

Bobby's mom will pick DD up at school today and take DD to the sitter's house. Then I'll see her when I get home from work...if I go to work...would one of you like to fill in for me today? My clients are very lovable people...I'm sure that you'd enjoy talking with them...Ellis???

Ellis, I'm serious about you having a career in counseling. I'll help you get through the college and grad school thing. Just let me know. I only charge a small fee for research assistance. Don't the rest of you think Ellis would be a great therapist. We were all talking about the education thing. Maybe that has got you scared off. I was an chronic underachiever myself and stubborn as heck.

My mother always told me to take commercial courses in high school, you know short hand and typing. She'd say, you'll have something to fall back on. I would say, I'm never going to be someone's bleeping secretary. I did regret not learning typing but as you can see I did learn eventually. Anyway, it took me six years, a number of incompleted courses,thousands of dollars down the drain, academic probation, a minor stint as a fulltime waitress, and a job as a cashier at a convenience store, before I finally finished my undergrad degree with honors in ART!!! Not one math or science on that transcript.

Then it was a number of years before I went back for my master's degree. My master's program was great. IM me if you want details. But, what I'm trying to say is, anything is possible.

I'm rambling on so, gotta go
Love, Soozie

Soozie- hope you feel better soon......

your poem is very beautiful :)


I was wondering what drew you to counseling as a career??

I've been tossing this idea around for awhile and would really appreciate your insight. I am expecting to leave my job field within the next year or so. The time has finally come to do something I really enjoy, not just a job for money.

There are two job-related things I love to do: speaking and teaching Spanish and doing mediation work - so I've thought about either going back to school to get certified to teach high school Spanish or getting a MSW or LCSW (is that what it's called?) to do counseling and/or mediation work.

I've read that in the current environment, many counselors are unable to maintain a private practice since it has become very difficult to receive reimbursement through the managed care companies - or if they do maintain a practice - it has to be in a geographic area where the local population has suffificient means to pay out of pocket. Others have left their practices to become employees of the managed care companies. That last option would be unattractive to me because I'm not thrilled about leaving one company just to become a wage slave to another LOL. I am tired of Corporate America.

My background includes sociology, mediation, law, negotiation, etc. so I've been wondering whether the Courts provide referrals for mediation cases or whether these go to actual attorneys or in the case of family disputes, therapists or counselors?

Given that Spanish is rapidly becoming the second language of this country.....there should be a way to combine all of this.

I don't know - I'm just thinking out loud here.... any thoughts you have are greatly appreciated.

I know how you felt about your DD going to school with a friend. The first time my DD spent the night at a friend's house, I had to be restrained from calling over there.... "will they feed her a good dinner? what if they let their kids watch the wrong things on TV?"
etc. etc.

I thought it would get easier:lol: but what I've found is that these thoughts and feelings remain pretty much the same as time goes on - just the issues change.

That's the nature of parenting I guess :)

Hope you get some rest and again, hope you feel better real soon

terrigrrrl

Soozie darling, you're very sweet, but I have enough on my plate counseling YOU! :lol: That's a joke... you picked up on that, right hon? :D
No, the education thing doesn't scare me at all. In fact, I determined years ago that I would work towards getting my PHD... no matter how long it took. But now I know I don't need that piece of paper... it wouldn't mean anything to me. I feel great about myself and my achievements. I probably WILL go back to University at some point, but only to fulfill a craving for more English Lit. :)
Anyhow sweetie, ARE YOU NUTS!? I'm mentally ill!! I'd probably go on a rampage and wipe out all my clients!! :lol:
Hey, I understand exactly how you feel about your DD. I used to sit by the phone waiting for the school to call to tell me my children had been involved in some little accident. Everything will be fine. You just have to let go a little and have faith.

Terrigrrrl, you're definitely up for a new job. Good luck on choosing a new career... you've got a lot going for you!

Hi everyone else! Hey! Where's Mauvais? Mauvais honey, are you okay?
xoxo

Professional Student
 

Well... I am one of those people that will always be in school. I have a BA in political science and will finish a masters in public adminsitration this September... that is... if I ever get my bootie moving on this thesis. Then I will most likely be applying to a doctorate program if I can ever make up my mind about what my speciality will be (urban studies or urban planning or international development or public policy). I love school and am quite the info/research junkie. I just need to focus... which reminds me that I MUST get focused on picking a thesis topic. :( :?:

Hmmm, we're all a little touchy about the education thing. How about if we all agree... "I'm happy with who I am and with where I'm going in life."? ;)
I love school too, Sojo. I thought I'd be in it forever by choice... I thrive on learning. But I know now that dropping out of two college programs was a result of my being ill, and I've finally accepted that and moved on.
And my life took a different turn (marriage and children), and I had to reassess my priorities. All in all, it hasn't been easy. I come from a family of high-achievers, and mental illness was never an acceptable "excuse" for not becoming a "somebody". ;)
It wasn't until my own daughter tried to commit suicide that my parents changed their attitude.
I DO envy you getting your doctorate. I may change my mind about doing it someday, but for the present, my goals are very different from what they once were. I'm so grateful for all that I have, and I have no regrets. :)

And we insist on you posting your entire thesis once you've completed it. :lol:
Good luck picking a topic, sweetie! If you're looking for suggestions, we wackos are more than willing to help out... :D

Just got in from the big city (Toronto) and am oh, so tired....been on the go since 4:30am....I'm even too tired to find that little yawnie face.

Ruth, I wanted to wish you well with the surgery tomorrow, and let you know I'll be thinking about you and sending oodles of good vibes!

:wave: to everyone else. (I know that smilie.) Good night, Johnboy.

Hey Ellis...you made me really laugh out loud with that reply!!! Hopefully you wouldn't wipe out all the clients...just the ones who never show up for their appointments and who skip out on their bills. :lol: Glad your family has chilled out and gotten some of their priorities in order! You are a brilliant and valuable woman and you don't need a piece of paper to show that!

So, why counseling? Well, I love people and love to hear their stories, I'm pretty intuitive...usually a good judge of character...I worked with kids for many years...worked at a day care center.
I found, at the center that I was interested in human/child development, the impact of parenting on the kids, the conflicts between staff and administration, the difficulty of training, encouraging and supporting staff. All of the human issues. I admired the psychologist who consulted at the center and learned a tremendous amount watching her work. I often found myself coaching staff, friends, family members and I was in therapy myself for many years and found it to be a valuable and rewarding experience.

I came to a point in my life where I wanted to make a move and was debating between getting an MSW, having a baby, or getting a MFA in Printmaking. It was a tough decision. I had already been a starving artist and thought it would be a nice change to be a starving social worker. Obviously, I did the baby thing later.


I resisted joining any managed care panels early on in my practice. Didn't like the concept, still don't. You're right though, the group that I'm with is located in an upscale suburban area where many clients can pay for therapy or have good insurance with some out of network provision so they get reimbursed for much of the fee.

You could work with a sliding scale fee if you want a more economically diverse client population. I feel very lucky to have been asked to join the group that I'm with...many other folks do rely on managed care and it can be hard to build a fee for service practice.

I would encourage you to go for it if you feel passionate about it. There is always room for excellent clinicians even in a competitive environment. And at least where I live you can make a living doing it...don't expect to get rich though, unless you're Dr Phil or can get a guest spot on Oprah or want to write some self-help books and form your own empire.

Okay, I've been very wordy lately so I'll stop here. Soozie
:wave: goodnight all!

Oh dear...
 

well, this discussion about school has lead me to an educaitonal breakdown of sorts. After all this talk about focusing I just realized that there is no way I will be finished by the end of spring semester and will need to work into the summer. :( I just had a little panic attack and ran up to dh and woke him up from his slumber... literally crying that I will never be able to pick a thesis topic. But now that I have accepted the fact the I will need another term and emailed my professor I am feeling a little better. And really... you would all be bored out of your skulls reading my thesis... the general topic relates to intergovernmental competition between fragmented municipal and suburban governments, resulting inequalities, and possible regional/metropolitan solutions. Not exactly entertaining.

Ellis... I don't think school makes a person successful... everyone defines success for themselves as individuals. Most people think I am nuts for slaving away at this academia. It just happens to be one thing that I am good at and that I love.... academic writing and research. And in a lot of ways it is a means to and end; for me I hope to teach college someday. Everyone needs to follow their own dreams... and whether or not that includes schooling is really irrelavant.