A New Start

This past Wednesday morning I gave my notice to CUP and at the end of this month, my time there will be over. 1 week ago I was hired by a small Animal Welfare group. My first day will be May 8th.

I've learned a lot from Columbia. Many good things and many bad. Mostly, I'll miss my coworkers. Rita, MK, and Liz especially since I am with them every day. We walk together and I will miss raspberry season this year. But to be honest, besides for them, I will not miss Columbia. I had thought reading poetry all day would be wonderful. And in some ways it has been. I've read so much in the last year and a half, but much of it has been bad. I've only been introduced to a few authors who really interested me. Even the contemporary poetry project has been boring. Very few inspiring poems. I also now know that I don't do well sitting all day. I need a job that is more active, where my head isn't in a book all day. I also need to work at a place that respects their workers and understands that an employee is also a person. Now, I could use this as a chance to bash my work place, but for now I'll remain respectful. Those gripes are for another day.

In any case, lots of things have changed. Marriage, Grad School, Animal Rights job...In fact things are changing as fast as I've ever known them to. I'm happy, I'm challenged and I'm moving towards the future I had always envisioned for myself.

To show you what I mean, here are the goals I have had since early into college.

1. Graduate from college
2. Attend Grad School in Creative Writing
3. Work in Animal Rights
4. Publish novels and poetry
5. Teach creative writing at a university
6. (Marriage never entered my mind for my future but I was fortunate enough to find happiness in a relationship so I'll add it in even though it was never in my life plan)