Back to School!

With apologies to Thorton Melon (Rodney Dangerfield) and Grand Lakes University--Home of the Hooters!

Yesterday was the official end of my "hiatus" from my online journalism classes with the start of UMass Amherst's 2013 summer semester.  It began on May 20th with the first of their two CPE sessions and I will be utilizing both of them to meet my class attendance requirements for their Certificate in Journalism (JOURNAL 392P, Writing for Public Relations, will run through the end of June and JOURNAL 333, Introduction to Digital Photojournalism, will carry me all the way through mid-August).  I opted for this "turbo" strategy because the classes are shorter (six weeks versus the 14 weeks during the traditional fall and spring semesters) and this compacted schedule will allow me to stretch out my Post-9/11 GI Bill educational benefits for future classes through this school or, perhaps,to pursue another certificate with another institution. 


I look back at the last 5+ months and the lack of postings here and I'm a little embarrassed by my routine displays of false initiative and inspiration.  It seems that the winding down of the frantic 2012 presidential campaign placed me into a "hibernation" status rather than the "down" period devoid of scholastic assignments that I envisioned (to be fair, I did switch jobs--and work schedules--in mid March and I am still trying to figure out a routine that would give me a regular time to devote to writing).  With the accelerated pace of the summer classes, I really don't know when I will be able to finish up the postings that I have promised here (and that currently sit in a holding pattern in my blog's draft queue).  Considering my track record, let me try something different--I will make no promises or bring them up again.  When they do show up, it will be a total surprise to the reader (and to me, the writer)!

It's almost time for bed so the first formal foray into my new class about the "dark side" of journalism will have to wait until tomorrow (and I am already envisioning the upcoming three-day weekend being devoted to assignments).  Four classes down, two to go--let the educating resume! 

[P.S.  With the 1986 hit comedy movie referenced above still on my mind, I wanted to share one of my favorite scenes from it below.  History is another one of my favorite subjects and I've always wondered what it would've been like to have a teacher like Professor Terguson (played by the late great Sam Kinison) lecturing in one of my classes.  Unfortunately, such intimate interaction is not available in today's online educational environment.]