davecullen

So I sold the book. Now I’ve got to write it.

Ugh. Daunting.

Making great progress on the research, but I better plunge into the writing soon.

Beautiful land, that’s an easy one.

But like most great places, it’s the people that will stick with you.

I worked at an amusement park in Blackpool for a summer: half the employees were English, half Scots. I quickly migrated to the Scots.

I don’t know if this is really the reason, but I suddenly understood why the Romans finally gave up on conquoring the Scots, and Hadrian just built a freaking wall to keep them out. Wild people. In a good way. Know any Australians? Think one more level beyond that.

Ditched my consulting job at Arthur Andersen at 35 and went back to grad school.

Ahhhhhhhh.

It was wonderful to do it when I was really ready. And take it at my own pace. You know when a prof suggests other readings you might be intersted in, and you chuckle, because who the hell is doing all the required reading, much less tacking on extras just for the fun of it?

In grad school, I actually DID NON-REQUIRED reading. I’d go to the stacks and sift through authors and ideas that interested me, just sat and browsed for hours and came home with a bulging backpack. And I eventually read some of them. What I wanted to. Three and a half years of (more or less) uninhibited exploration. I knew enough about myself and my intersts and my goals to engage it fruitfully.

Never looked back. I’m 43 now, written for national magazines and have a book deal. It’s been a freaking struggle, but I’m getting there. Going back to school was the best move I’ve ever made.