I’ve been accepted into the University of Glasgow.<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
It’s a Master’s in Philosophy, with an option to continue on to a PhD if I do well. I expect to do well, and to continue on to pursue a PhD in the Philosophy of Language.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n
How’s that strike you all? It strikes ME<\/b> with terror, ‘though fortunately we tend to take turns being terrified, so can calm one another down from panic.\n<\/p>\n
Now begin the lists – what to take, what to sell, what to give away? What we’d miss, how to ship things, where to live? Should we store things back here for 3 or 4 years? Can we survive without a car? Can we stand<\/b> the idea of selling our beloved Honda Hybrids (#7 in Sonoma County to own a Hybrid Insight, #12 to own a Hybrid Civic)? What to do about money while we’re there, about renting the condo out, how to handle banking, property and income taxes?<\/p>\n
Lists. That’s the answer, and deep breaths, and friends who’ve done this before – or who’re on the other end, to tell us where we shouldn’t try to live. And more deep breaths, and faith. Lots of lots of faith.<\/p>\n
You see, when I applied, I made a bargain with God ( or the Universe or whomever makes you happy). The bargain was this:<\/p>\n
\nI’ll do the footwork to make this happen – meaning filling out the application, getting the references, getting the transcripts, and getting copies of all the appropriate certificates and passports and whatnot.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
You make the decision as to whether it’s right for us, by making it absolutely fail<\/b> to come through if it’s not right; in other words, have me be accepted or not, period.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I will abide by what comes down.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n
That was the form of the thing – regard it as a Biblical Fleece, as Gideon set out, if you will.\n<\/p>\n
Well, I’ve been kind of in limbo since I put the application in & got everything lined up, so I’ve been pointedly ignoring the whole thing. I simply made a truly concerted effort to put it out of my head and to get on with other options. We’d discussed taking up an opportunity for work in Juneau, Alaska, for example. I’d been teaching and developing other contacts in the San Francisco area, as well.<\/p>\n
This morning I awoke to check email, and was going to ask my Alaska contact for more information & to maybe get the ball rolling in that direction … only to find a terse little note from the Admissions people informing me that I’d been accepted, pending receipt of the physical copy of one of my references (I’d had them email them, as well, and one’s apparently slow in the post).<\/p>\n
So. I’m guessing that our lives will be insane for the next … oh, four months. Probably five, actually. But we’re trying to be as relaxed as possible about it, and to take things as they come. Really, we are. We’re just not wired that way, unfortunately. So, to make lists.<\/p>\n
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