Monday 6 July 2009

Been buying books...


I went into town today and found myself wandering around the book sections of charity shops. I ended up buying £25 worth of books for my course for just under £6. They are study guides and a cool book on the "Wicked Wit of Jane Austen" that I couldn't resist!I also bought 3 of my course books and ordered a 4th.


So now I have... Pride and Prejudice, Othello and As you like it... with Great Expectations on order. I have started reading Othello,plus the book on Jane Austen's humour. I want to get myself immersed in as much as I can before the course begins in October.


The other books are cool too, but will have to wait before I can buy them. They include: Frankenstein, Fathers and Sons, Henry V, and the poetry of Wordsworth, Shelley, Blake, Christina Rossetti and Emily Dickinson.


What was wonderful today was being able to tell my friend GB1 about the course. She has just qualified as a teacher and I am so proud of her. She has had the most difficult year imaginable, but has kept going through it all and has qualified after everything. She was one of the people who inspired me to do this and her reaction to the news that I had booked myself onto this course was lovely.


She was so enthusiastic and interested. It made my day!! I haven't told many people about it, mainly because people like my Mum, for example, just don't "get it". I have only told a select few who I know will enthuse. I would rather this than tell someone about this thing that means so much to me and hear the boredom in their voice. Trust me... there are people like this!


Anyway... I really must go to bed... time is passing quickly and I need to sleep! All in all I am so excited about this. I just hope I can do it. The last time I wrote an essay was 24 years ago!!

4 comments:

Gail said...

You are so lucky to find what you need! Getting a head start is a wonderful idea. I wish the college close to me had some art courses, I would love to take those.
Do not listen to those who "nay-say" you, this is your decision and you should be excited. You are also showing your children how exciting education is.
The irony is the WV word was hypteno...as in Hyped...eh,no! How perfect a fit was that.
You go, girl!

Angie said...

Good on you! You ARE in for some good reading. Love your blog :~)

BALLET NEWS said...

Course you can do it !

I must say that I too have experienced these negative people around me whenever I try something different.

I don't think "not getting it" is a good enough excuse for them, because whether or not they understand what you are doing, surely they can get the essense of what you are trying to achieve and surely, if they know you well, they should applaud you ?

I've been quite stunned by the lack of encouragement I have got from some close quarters recently, but you know what ?

It means that I don't do something to see approval, I do it because I believe I can, or at least that I can try and if I fall on my face, so what ?

It's a shame and quite cutting not to have the support of close relatives, but friends tell me that it's very common and I'm incredibly lucky to have great friends who are supportive and make all the difference.

I don't cut any slack for those who can't be bothered to try to understand what I'm doing - it's their problem !

That said, it ain't easy !

Inkling said...

I am so excited that you took the plunge and are pursuing your dream. If I were your mum, I'd tell you how proud of you I was and how I know it took a great deal of courage to take that leap of faith.

As for books, I have always wanted to go to England JUST for the bookshops. Have you ever read Helene Hanff's Charing Cross Road tale? I dream of being her some day, well, just the part where she makes friends with an English bookshop owner and buys loads of books from him that he ships across an ocean to her.

But anyway, back to YOU and books....one great source for books that I've found to be cheap is abebooks.com. I've found several books for only $1, and even with shipping, it is still often a savings, especially for older or hard to find books. Just last Friday I got a book by Arthur Quiller Couch from a bookstore in England. The book was about $1, and the shipping was less than $5, and the book was printed in the early 1900's. Just the smell alone was worth the wait it took to get from the UK to Canada. ;)

Ah, I am just so excited for you.....especially the book buying part. Enjoy reading!